Vibhav was violently flung to the ground, caught off guard by the immense force that struck him. Without a moment to process what had just happened, he found his ankles tightly ensnared by the coiled leg of a mysterious entity.
Prayog stood nearby, silently observing the unfolding fight instead of intervening. Vibhav braced himself for another impact, expecting to crash back down to the ground. However, to his surprise, he was propelled into the air this time.
As Vibhav soared through the air, only two individuals remained on the ground—Prayog and Vinay. Prayog maintained his watchful distance while closely studying the bizarre figure. Suddenly, a beam of light illuminated the mysterious being.
To their astonishment, it was Vinay who held the flashlight, finally granting them a clear view of the enigmatic entity standing before them. The sight that unfolded before Vinay was nothing short of grotesque, nearly causing him to vomit.
It was the most disturbing scene he had ever witnessed, a churel—stood before them, its appearance grotesque and hideous. The head was nearly bald at the center, forming a circular shape, while thick, long hair sprouted from the circumference. Although the face remained indistinct, the rest of the body was unsightly, barely concealed by a ragged, torn cloth.
The churel's body was stripped of most of its skin, as if violently torn away, with glimpses of bleeding wounds in certain places. Strangely, its palms and fingers, as well as its legs, appeared relatively normal in contrast.
While Vinay didn't feel fear, the stench emanating from the churel's body deeply disturbed his senses. Witnessing this abomination standing in front of him almost made him retch.
Suddenly, a loud crash interrupted their thoughts as something collided with the churel, flinging it into the air and landing a significant distance away from the two onlookers.
It was Vibhav. "Are you okay, boss?" he asked, looking at Prayog, who nodded in affirmation.
"What do you make of this?" Prayog inquired. "I'm astonished to encounter one as soon as I enter this forest," Prayog replied with a puzzled expression. "It's as if it was waiting for us to arrive."
"I share the same sentiment. This seems more than mere coincidence," Vibhav calmly responded.
As Vinayak attempted to voice his thoughts, he turned to where the churel should have fallen, but in the flashlight's beam, it was nowhere to be seen.
"It's coming back at us," Vibhav stated, leaping into the darkness. The sounds of their intense struggle followed shortly after.
"Hey, Mr. Vinay, didn't you claim to know this forest well since you explored it during the day?" Prayog asked. "So, have you never encountered anything strange recently?"
"Nope, never," Vinay sighed. "I haven't witnessed anything remotely unusual in the past month or so. But then again..." "Then again, what?" Prayog questioned.
"Then again, that's what makes it unusual in the first place. Everything has been normal until now. I can't believe I never noticed it before."
"So you mean to say there haven't been any supernatural events in the past month?" Prayog sought clarification.
"Exactly," Vinay affirmed. "Well, that's troubling!" "It certainly is. I mean, now we're fighting a churel, for heaven's sake. What else could happen?" Vinay exclaimed, their steps leading them toward the sounds of the ongoing battle.
"Not only that. What I wanted to say is... well, you see, if there haven't been any supernatural events in the past month, then whatever is about to happen must be something significant, right?" Prayog took a deep breath.
"Wait... don't tell me! You mean to say it's even bigger than fighting a churel?" Vinay's worry grew.
"It seems that way, although I could be wrong. We won't know until it actually happens. Besides, I'm new here. How am I supposed to have a clear understanding? But possibilities are endless." Prayog's words left Vinay uncertain if he truly comprehended them.
However, before they could delve further into their thoughts, Vibhav flew past them, crashing into a tree.
"Are you all right?" Vinay expressed concern. "Yeah, nearly. My back hurts, though. Hey, boss, don't churels have backward legs?" Vibhav questioned.
"That's the rumor, yes!"
"Then why doesn't she have backward legs?" Vibhav pointed to the churel, perched on a tree branch, with seemingly normal legs.
"You shouldn't put too much faith in rumors," a cracked, shrill voice interjected, sending a shiver down Vinay's spine.
"Oh boy, it can speak too?" Vinay cautiously stepped back.
"It's not entirely true. You see, churels like us can make any part of our bodies elastic, including our legs. We can make them reverse, go backward, or whatever you want to call it," the shrill voice echoed through the surroundings, rendering the forest eerily silent.
"I never thought I'd encounter one of your kind so soon, let alone speak with them. I suppose I got lucky," Prayog chuckled as he settled on the ground. "So, tell me, what do you make of us?"
"Well, that's why I'm conversing with you fools. I'm not entirely certain if you're normal or not," the churel responded.
"Define normal," Prayog challenged, with Vinay subtly inching behind him.
"Who cares? You two are far from simple humans, as far as I can tell. That one there is somewhat usual, except instead of fear, he seems thrilled," the churel gestured towards Vinay.
"I see. So you can sense other people's emotions and feelings too. Well, that's a good start," Prayog rose to his feet.
"Whatever. You're all about to die anyway," the hideous figure proclaimed before lunging towards Vinay, only to be intercepted by Vibhav.
Vibhav attempted to punch the churel, but unlike before, his strikes felt as though he were hitting a rubber sheet. Its body parts stretched upon impact, evading his blows.
Then, he felt a deep blow to his gut, hurling him to the ground once again.
"Enough of your futile fights. It's time to end this," the hideous figure declared, preparing to descend upon Vibhav.
"Not so fast. I haven't even begun yet," Vibhav grabbed the churel's neck and flung it to the ground. What ensued was an intense battle between the two.
After a minute or two, the churel abruptly leaped out of the fight and disappeared into the darkness of the forest.
"What the..." it managed to utter before vanishing. However, instead of retaliating, it chose to retreat.
"Wow, that was quite a fight. I almost forgot to collect a few samples from our assailant. But I managed to get them," Vinay revealed, showcasing a glass bottle containing some of its hair.
"Thats good news. But where do you think it went?" Vibhav said looking at Prayog.
"Well, we're out of ideas regarding where it might have gone. Besides, it wouldn't be wise to follow it until we have more information," Prayog said, scanning their surroundings.
"But since we're already here, why don't we check the tree?" Vibhav suggested. "Okay, no problems. I'm game. But once we get back to the village, we'll have a nice little chat where you guys can tell me more about yourselves," Vinay said, taking the lead.
"Sure," Vibhav scoffed. After a few minutes of their fateful encounter, the group proceeded towards a certain destination guided by Vinay when they suddenly heard what sounded like a crowd shouting.
"Uh, guys..."
"Yeah, no doubt about it."
"I can hear it too, and it doesn't bode well."
All three of them spoke in unison.
"It's coming from the village. Don't tell me that..."