Hrida pulled her hair in frustration and repeatedly rubbed her palms, Tapish crawled closer to Hrida despite her warnings. Hrida noticed Tapish looming closer to her, she stepped back and warned him in a strict tone with a hint of pleading hidden in her voice, " Tapish, don't you move your one paw forward, otherwise, I won't be able to help you. I don't know what will become of me. Pleaseee…Tapish, I request you to run away. You listen to my words, right, then why aren't you listening to me this time? Tapish I said, leave….JUST LEAVE."
Tapish didn't listen to her and rushed towards her, suddenly Hrida fell on her knees on the floor with a painful growl, her hands clenched in fists, Tapish tapped her face but Hrida pushed him away from her. Tapish doesn't give up, he returns to her side every time she pushes him away.
Tapish let out an annoyed 'meow' which halted her movement, Hrida stared at Tapish's eyes glowing with a strange light, she felt her body painless for a second but then, her vision started blurring out, and her ears started ringing.
She roared in agony when her body experienced being squeezed as if something within her was being consumed slowly, her spirit being separated from her body by an inescapable grip of the darkness.
Despite the darkness, her hope still hadn't extinguished instead it flickered rapidly yet remained as vibrant as ever, Tapish licked her cheek stubbornly as if trying to lick off the darkness from her, the crowd was numb, confused, and scared to the core, still, few of them kept trying to contact the police or someone for help outside and waited for their cry of help to be heard by anyone outside the mall. But the beast's powers seem highly powerful and advanced to block out modern technologies.
Hrida cries with shallow breaths, her olive skin tarnishing into an ink-black hue, the stubborn ink-black hue spreads deep and vastly over her body, her hisses are loud and painful to the crowd, and Tapish, Tapish growls at the ink-black hue as if threatening it with piercing hateful glare.
Her transparent tears took the color of dark blood-red color glistening on the white marble floor; Tapish didn't stop trying his all to save her. He rubbed his cheek against his cheek to remind her that he was still by her side. Hrida kept imagining a small blob of flame vibrating bright inside her heart, she focused on the flame, and now she could see familiar faces.
She closely observed the faces and she met with a real moving picture, in which Tapish lay asleep on Soma's lap, Shashi's mom patting mine and Shashi's heads with a gleeful smile while Shashi and I sat next to each other chatting animatedly, laughing and then out of nowhere, Navya Didi sprung into the scene next to Shashi's side and teases him for some reason.
Hrida felt a wave of strength fighting against the sneaky black shadows, meanwhile, the tall boy who was the victim of Kali had turned pale and weak. He collected his thoughts, and then slowly he realized what he had done, he gasped lightly and shook his head trying to delete the flashback replaying in his brain but the image didn't leave his mind alone.
He breaks out of his trance when he hears loud hisses, he looks forward and finds a younger girl curling and stretching in the threads of suffering strained against her body and spirit. His eyes dimmed in guilt, he ignores his feelings and crawls towards her hissing at every step he takes.
And when he looms closer, Tapish angrily purrs at him, He steps back, raises his hand upwards, and gestures to him to be quiet, Tapish surprisingly obeys him.
The tall college guy knelt on his knees, extended his hand to hold Hrida's right hand, and closed his eyes. His head bent with a painful cry, his skin transitioned into void-black, and Hrida's pain was reduced by a little.
Kali snickers, he whispers in a ghostly tone, only audible to three of them present on the 7th floor, " You can't stop me, no one can. Hrida herself surrendered to me, so no one can save her, not even you, boy. Tchh…My beautiful darkest light will be the most radiant black shadow of mine."
The tall guy scowls with a denial tone, " Don't be so confident, she is braver than you. I clearly remember how she sacrificed her life for that special cat of hers. You can't stop me from helping her. Leave this innocent little girl, she doesn't deserve this. Leave. Swallow me instead of her, I won't budge, she indirectly saved my life from you but I can't risk the life of an innocent girl. "
Kali cackles in laughter, he mockingly reminds him, " If you desire to be swallowed so much then let me fulfill your wish. My dear Shawmy, satisfy yourself by renting upon this lanky guy, swallow him wholly, now."
Out of the blue, he was forcefully dragged away from Hrida and the lurking shadows took over his body as he let out a painful scream. Hrida's agony once again returned to a heightened level, her fingers scratching the floor as if trying to disappear into a hole, her hair length advances longer and longer, and her whole body is already tucked underneath thick ink-black layered shadow except her face, which appeared constrained in boundless suffering.
Fortunately, the police officers arrived at the mall and unlocked the doors by breaking the invisible force with constant push and effort, Lakshman barged into the mall, followed by Kimaya Ma'am, Dhansi ji, and Kritak.
The crowd gathered around them and started speaking simultaneously, so they couldn't hear a word, Kimaya calmed the people's rambles and asked one of them to speak about what happened at the mall but before anyone could explain the situation, they heard a loud growl.
Navya entered the mall behind the police, she heard the desperate cry for help, and she rushed to the 7th floor while shouting out loud, " HRIDA! Don't lose, I am coming. I am near you, don't give up. You can beat him. I am almost there. Pleasee..Hrida, I am there for you….I am."
Lakshman was astonished by this revelation from Navya, he ran behind her followed by Kimaya Mam, Dhansi, and Kritak while the rest of the police officers remained down asking for an ambulance for the bruised guy and also helping the people exit from the mall. Navya is tackled by a Shawmy (Shadow army), whom she dodged successfully and escaped, prancing faster up to the 7th floor.
Lakshmana and Kritak cleverly avoid the shadow army's treacherous flexible arms but Dhansi ji gets trapped in a circle of Shawmys mocking him, he knocks them out by swinging the thick wooden stick that he carries along with him.
Kimaya reached the 7th floor first, and the scene before her shocked her to the core, she recognized the girl's face, whom she met at the railway station and now she realized that Hrida was that missing girl, whom the police had been searching for weeks.
Her heart aches to witness her state, her whole body stained black, only her face remained untouched by darkness, she knelt to Hrida, caressed her head, and whispered in a motherly tone, " Beta! I AM THERE. You remember me, Soma's mom? Beta, don't lose the fight. Tapish will feel incomplete with you, not only him but also your best friend Shashi and Soma, they are rooting for you. We know, you got this. Hrida, hear me, come back. "
Navya crashes onto the floor by her side, she puts Hrida's head on her lap and holds her hands, consoles her, " Hrida...Hrida..I..am..sorry...I wasn't there when you really needed me. I…..I am sorry. Hrida, wake up! Hrida, don't let him take you away. I need you, we all need you, beta. Don't….*sob* your Navya Didi….*sob* * sob* alone. Please !"
Lakshman, Dhansi ji, and Kritak watched Hrida with a heavy heart as Hrida was aching in agony, Kritak advised them to bring Hrida to the nearest hospital as soon as possible. Navya didn't leave her, she hugged her tightly, she could feel the murky shadows burning her skin, but she didn't let her go.
Tapish jumped on Navya's shoulder and sadly purred, Tapish also appeared tired and wounded, Navya's heart was drowning in guilt but she didn't focus on her short breaths rather she carried Hrida in her arms and sprinted to the ground by escalator, Lakshman and others trailed behind her.
Hrida blurts out loud with a fast-paced tone," Save me. He wants my soul. Ka-Kali! " Then she fainted in Navya's arms, she departed from the mall, entered the ambulance van, and asked them to drive fast and take them to the hospital as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Dhansi ji and Kritak stayed at the mall and gathered information about the whole matter that happened here right now, Kritak checked the CCTV footage videos while Dhansi ji noted down the remarks from the victims of the situation, and the Shawmys were put into sleep mode by the help of specially trained police officers. The remaining police officers seized the mall with restriction barriers until the case was solved.
At the hospital, the patient was scared after seeing Hrida in such a hideous state, Lakshman explained the whole situation and asked him to treat her carefully, Navya desperately pleaded with the doctor to return Hrida to a normal state no matter whatever the state she is in.
Lakshman lightly threatens the doctor in desperation," I don't know, doctor but you have to save her. Hrida is in critical pain, she needs urgent treatment. I just need positive news after your treatment, I don't how, but you have to save her, you have no other choice.
Hrida should be fine and stable after your treatment. Please, quickly go inside and bring back our Hrida. Please..please..pleaseeee..Doctor-" The Doctor assures them that he will do his best to save her and stabilize her.
Lakshman blames himself for her state, he ranted about his faults, and mistakes and suddenly bursts into silent sobbing, which invokes her pain and she also couldn't help but burst into tears. Kimaya comforts both of them with her encouraging words, she silently prays for Hrida till they hear the good news about her recovery.
On the other side, Dhansi ji and Kritak informed all the sub-branch police stations situated in the city and also transferred the pieces of evidence and facts about the danger that will reach its peak soon. They also prayed for Hrida's well-being, meanwhile, Tapish and Hrida surf through torment and pain but the lightning bolts of pain enveloping their bodies are finally counteracted by powerful healing medicinal liquid which has fast-recovery action, enough energy-inducing glucose is being supplied to their bodies.
But the blackness didn't leave her body, which weaved tension creases on the Doctor's forehead. However, her vital organs were stable, her pulse rate and everything was normal but the black hue remained stuck on her body.
Strangely, after an hour, when the Doctor appeared in the patient room, she found Hrida rambling in a soft tone with closed eyes, " Thank you, God, thank you. You saved me from him. You saved me. He ran away. He ran away. Thank you. Thank youuuu.." Then she suddenly fell into deep slumber, the doctor examined her eyes, and her body, and surprisingly her complexion returned to its original olive shade hue.
The Doctor shared the good news with her family eagerly waiting for some good news, they were overjoyed with relief, happiness, and tears, the doctor suggested they visit after some time as she needed complete rest for some time and after a few hours, they can take her home.
After 3-5 hours, Navya fills in the discharge papers, Lakshman waits in the car outside the hospital and Soma's mom carries Hrida to the car, then carefully places her on the passenger seat and sits along with her. Navya sat in the front seat and glanced back at Hrida with a fond gaze, she then looked front and gestured to Lakshman to start the car.