Around 9 pm, Safa arrived at Tafeef's house. As she was climbing the broken stairs to the second floor, she saw a woman dressed in a white sari standing beside the stairs. Safa was certain that this was the same woman she had seen standing on the balcony from the road the previous day.
Fearfully climbing the stairs, Safa got a clear view of the woman's face. Her heart raced in terror. The woman was middle-aged, and her eyes were hollow, dark, and empty sockets. The woman was staring at Safa with a somewhat angry expression. She looked terrifying, and suddenly, blood began to ooze from the empty sockets of her eyes. A piece of a bloody, mutilated eye was stuck to one side of her face.
Safa couldn't utter any prayers. She somehow managed to run inside the house. The woman was still staring at her.
Seeing Safa panting, Tafeef became a little worried. Handing her a glass of water, he asked, "What happened, Ms. Safa?"
Safa finished the glass of water and sat silently, lost in thought. Tafeef, without asking any more questions, sat a little distance away from Safa. After a while, Safa asked, "When and how did your mother die?"
Tafeef looked at Safa in surprise. He did not tell this girl about his mother. So how did she know? Seeing Tafeef silent, Safa repeated the question.
Tafeef said in a choked voice, "My mother died a few days before these incidents started happening. How do you know about my mother?"
"Tell me first, answer my question Mr. Tafeef. How did your mother die? And why did you hide this fact?"
"My mother was mentally ill. She had been mentally unstable for the past three years. She would lock herself in a room all the time and wouldn't talk to anyone. She didn't like anyone else entering her room, not even me. When she was angry, she would behave irrationally, sometimes even hitting herself. So, I avoided her. The maid took care of my mother, and I would check on her from time to time. A few days ago, maybe in a fit of rage, she scratched out her own eyes and died instantly."
"Why maybe? Don't you or the maid know why she did this?" asked Safa.
"My mother's madness would come and go suddenly. At times, she would hurt herself, break things, and talk to herself loudly. The maid died in a car accident a few days before my mother's death. So, I had to take care of my mother alone. During this time, my mother did this, and I was away that night, donating blood to a dying friend. When I returned, I found my mother lying on the floor, dead, with her mutilated eyes scattered around." Tafeef's eyes welled up with tears.
"Did your father also die?"
"No, my father abandoned us three years ago, he was involved in an extramarital affair. After that, my mother became like this. My parents had a love marriage, so my mother couldn't accept this separation." Tafeef looked heartbroken as he talked about his parents.
Safa fell silent, lost in thought. Then she thought, "Maybe the woman in the white sari is Tafeef's mother. It's not the right time to tell Tafeef this. I'll tell him after I know everything."
"Mr. Tafeef, can I go to your mother's room?"
"The room has been cleaned up. I threw everything away and locked the door."
"Still, I want to go."
"Okay, come." Tafeef stood up and gestured Safa to follow him.
Safa followed Tafeef into the locked room. Everything was clean and tidy. However, there were strange symbols, writings, and marks on the walls, typical of a mentally ill person's room. Safa inspected the room.
Seeing Safa come out of the room, Tafeef asked, "Did you find anything?"
"Not really."
"How did you know about my mother? What is the connection between her and all this?"
"I'll tell you after I become sure of everything. I'll leave for now. And don't sleep at night, no matter what. I have a feeling that the girl that will die next will be me."
Before Tafeef could say anything, Safa left. Tafeef looked at her in surprise. Safa knew that the next target would be her! Many questions were swirling in Tafeef's mind.
Tafeef spent the night restless, filled with anxiety. He felt that something was definitely going to happen.
The next night, Safa arrived at Tafeef's house. Tafeef was shocked to see Safa's expression. Ms. Safa looked very worried and scared. Without saying anything to Tafeef, she started reciting prayers and drew a circle on the floor. Then she called someone on the phone, urging them to come home quickly.
Tafeef asked Safa, "What happened? Why do you look so worried?"
"Today, they won't wait for you to sleep. They will kill me like the other girls while you are still conscious and then possess your body. They tried to possess your body last night but couldn't. Now is not the time to talk. Enter the circle. They can attack at any moment."
Tafeef didn't understand Safa's words, but he followed her instructions and entered the circle, reciting prayers.