13. Feathred nghtmare
Samradh was sitting in his cabin, searching for something on his laptop. A junior officer walked in.
"Sir, you called me?" Ansh asked.
"Ah, yes," Samradh replied. "I want you to handle the Aditya Bank case and report everything to me first. Do you understand?"
"Yes, I understand," Ansh said, but then hesitated. "But sir, you're not handling this emotionally, right? I mean, if he's really a culprit, I won't spare him."
Samradh looked down, his tone soft and sad. "Okay, do what you want."
---
Vikram lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Onna had pinned him down, holding both his hands on the bed in the love hotel room. The room was sparse, with only a bed, a table, and a chair. Pink LED lights decorated the room, giving it an eerie glow.
Onna, still holding him down, said, "Ask what you want to ask me."
Vikram, trying to calm himself, looked up at the beautiful young woman above him. "Who are you? Why are you here?"
At his question, Onna's smile faltered slightly, though she quickly recovered. She then opened her mouth, revealing a circular, worm-like formation—her mouth unnaturally twisted.
Vikram was startled, his fear evident. "What's this?"
Onna's form shifted into something more human-like. "I am one of the Uncanny Valley agents."
"Uncanny Valley?" Vikram asked, confused.
"Yes," Onna continued. "It's a term used to refer to beings who appear almost human but have slight differences in their appearance. My mouth, for instance. You and I are descendants of different ancestors, evolved separately in different places. In the process, I developed this mouth and superhuman strength."
Vikram listened, still trying to understand. "And what about me?"
"You are the child chosen by the gods," Onna explained, her voice steady. "Even though the gods cannot intervene in Kaliyuga, they laid their plans before it began. They made you, their chosen one, to be born."
Before Vikram could respond, Onna silenced him by kissing him with her worm-like mouth. She sucked the saliva from his mouth, her long, snake-like tongue moving inside. Then, her mouth morphed into a human-like form, and she began to play with his tongue, biting his lips, then sucking on it. Vikram was stunned, his mouth still open in shock.
Finally, Onna pulled away and stood up. "Let's go home."
---
By 8 PM that evening, Vikram and Onna returned home. As Vikram opened the door and entered, he apologized, "Sorry I'm late."
Inside, the atmosphere was tense. Ansh, the police officer, was sitting in the hall, looking serious. Aditya, Vikram's father, sat on the sofa, lost in thought.
"Go wash up, get refreshed," Ansh said, then pointed at Onna. "And who is she?"
"She's our guest, staying here for a few days," Anu, Vikram's mother, replied.
"Okay," Ansh said, then glanced back at Vikram. "Are you going alone?"
"Nah, he's coming with me," Onna answered, her gaze unwavering.
Just as the conversation continued, the doorbell rang. Onna moved to open it, while Ansh received a call from Samradh.
"Ansh," Samradh's voice was filled with urgency. "What's going on? Answer me, what's happening there?"
But Ansh was frozen, too stunned to answer. His gaze was fixed on something outside.
Ansh could see a figure—a man standing about 8 feet tall. His head was like that of a bird, eagle-like, with wings spread wide. His legs were claws, the feet twisted in a bird-like shape.
Ansh struggled to reply to Samradh. "Sir... there's something... someone here."
Meanwhile, Anu, seeing the creature, whispered, "So, he saved our child..."
Aditya, standing in shock, could hardly believe what he was seeing. "Something like this... can actually exist?"
Vikram's grandmother, recognizing the figure, muttered in disbelief, "The savior of our Vikram is here, in a very desperate situation..."
The creature, known Black Bird, turned its gaze towards her but said nothing.
"Is he here to help, Aditya?" Anu asked.
Ansh, still in disbelief, looked at Samradh's call again and managed to say, "The Black Bird... he's here."
On the other end, Samradh's voice was filled with panic. "Leave that place, run away! If I'm not wrong... he's Chernobyl's Black Bird—the Feathered Nightmare."
