Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Tectonic plates of the energetic realm
The day began with a wave of mysterious beginnings and will further into the depth of the unknown. Without wasting any minute Vikaya's superfast instincts took her to the police station's entrance
"Hello Mr. JM, I need the entrance record for today" asked Vikaya from the security guard at the main gate
He quickly fished out a neat and precise record
"Did you see the guy that made a fruit delivery to the station this morning?" she asked
"Yes, he came at 9AM, he made the entry, you can check it" he said
Vikaya checked and Mr. JM was right
"Omega Couriers - Jay Ranby" she noted
"Alright, thank you" she smiled and left
Her tasks and paperwork were eagerly waiting for her on the desk and usually she didn't mind it too much but today was different. Every minute felt longer than an hour to her.
"Ugh, what's the time" she groaned
"It's not even Lunch time yet, you are already asking the time?!" said Dae-jun "Are you alright Vikaya?" he asked raising his eyebrows in a teasing surprise
"Today is one of those days" said Vikaya "when I turn into you" she said
"No no, I know what it is" said Luna "It's those weird ruby-filled fruits. It's bothering her but she won't do anything—" but before Luna could finish, the other two joined in
"before her duty" they said in unison and chuckled loudly
"Oye" said Vikaya and glared at them but they won't give into her threatening vibe
The day went by rather slowly for Vikaya and as soon as it was time to go she started gathering her things
"Oh ho, look at her. She looks like a kid leaving school as soon as the last bell rings" Aisha laughed
The team looked up and broke into laughter
"Pekassador" the captain came out "Come in my office right now"
Vikaya almost teleported there
"I am guessing you are going to find out about those fruits" said the captain
"Yes sir" she said
"I pulled some strings to make this quicker" the captain began "It is indeed real ruby" he said
"Oh shi-" Vikaya exclaimed but before she could finish the captain glared at her
"Oh shrimp guts!" she exclaimed with full emotion "But who and why would someone send these?"
"It is most probably a bribe but yes I know, it is way too expensive to be a bribe but for now keep this to yourself. We don't want the media to make a thing out of this" said the captain
"That's all. You can go now" said the captain
"Thank you for this captain" she smiled and left
'I could have said shucks, what the hell did I come up with - shrimp guts?' her mind never failed to grab a chance to remind her of any possible embarrassment; whether it be fact or fiction.
"Alright guys I am off, see you tomorrow. Bye" she said and left
She hopped in the car and punched in the destination while driving it out of the parking lot.
You will arrive in 10 minutes
The navigation system notified
In lesser time than that, mainly because of her curiosity, Vikaya was already walking towards the courier office.
"Mr. Jay Ranby?" she asked "I would like to know about the delivery you made at the police station today, the fruit basket" she said
They sat down and the guy gave away all the details
"It was strange. I was called to pickup the item as the company offers pick up service but I was given an address which was at the farthest point of the city" said Jay
"Why was that strange?" asked Vik
"I have worked in this company for a long time and there isn't a single area of the city where I haven't been to, our city isn't even that big. And I have never seen anyone live in that area, it's a barren place but when I went there, there was a big mansion!" he said "I thought maybe someone new moved in but when was that mansion built?" he wondered out loud
"Ohh" said Vik suspecting every word she hears "Then what happened?"
"I went inside but no one came out! The whole place seemed empty. The baskets were kept on a table near the entrance and a man's voice came from inside the house telling me to pick those up along with the address" he said
"What about the payment?" she asked
"He paid in cash, the exact amount was kept on the table" said Jay
"Alright. Please give me the address of that place" she said
"Sometimes I wish I did have the ability to leave my duty" she complained to herself hopping into the car again
The evening was quickly setting in and by the time she will reach the daylight would bid adieu
She finally reached the place and looked around the deserted area, a single mansion stood in the middle of nowhere. Vikaya squinted her eyes to make out the structure of the mansion. The lights were too dim, undoubtedly making it a haunted mansion. She entered the unmanned driveway and got down right in the front
She slowly walked towards the door, the only sound heard was the grovel below her feet. She lifted her hand to ring the bell but something else was quicker
"Come in" said a deep, loud voice from the inside
Vikaya jumped, her hand was just an inch away from the bell
"Do they have cameras? Or sensors or something?" she wondered and turned the doorknob
Pushing open the door she enters a large foyer, she squints her eyes even further to look around, a dim glow from the chandelier was her only guiding light
"Excuse me?" she calls
The sound of someone's feet grabs her attention and a dark, looming figure suddenly appears at the end of the passage
"Hello" she says hoping the person will switch on some lights but the person just walked ahead
She quickly took out her flashlight and flashed it ahead before the person could come any closer
Vikaya jumped for a moment, but didn't make it obvious. A strange man stared her
"Can you switch on some da.." she took a deep breath in "Can you switch on some lights please?" she said in a calmer tone
'Stupid people' she said to herself
The man took a deep breath and cleared his throat. The next moment the whole mansion lighted up with lights in every corner, room and even the lawn
"Excuse me sir" Vikaya began
The man was a strangely dressed, looking at the time of day. He had, long flowing locks, reaching his shoulders with thick streaks of ash with three white marks drawn across his forehead
'What is he wearing on on his head?" Vikaya wonders and blinked her eyes but when she focused again, there was nothing
He smiled, a sly calculative smile and came forward
Vikaya stared at him, uneven black silken shirt with trousers, his shirt flowed longer from the back. Something gleamed under his shirt and Vikaya tried to peek without seeming like a pervert but he was sharper
"Vikaya Pekassador isn't it?" he said smiling and reached out his hand
"How did you know?" she asked and chose to ignore his gesture "I am from the police, can we sit somewhere and talk?"
"Please come" he directed her to the living room
There is something off about this man, Vikaya thought to herself. Something about his face, his energy gave her heebie jeebies
'His face' she said. His face seemed weird, the structure around his lips and cheek seemed as it it had been torn and sewn back together to make it seem more normal, more human
"I have come here to ask you about the fruits you got delivered today at the station and at my house" she said a her voice now taking an accusive tone
"Yes I did" he said
"Why?" she asked
"Because I wanted to get your attention" he said his eyes making Vik more uncomfortable
"Why?" she asked
"Well, let's call it a favor. I want your help" he said raising one eyebrow
"I am sorry Mister?" she asked
"Alekon Do" he replied
"I am sorry Mr. Alekon Do, you have got the wrong idea, I don't take bribes nor I "help out" she said "Take official, legal steps if you want someone's help"
"Aren't you even a little bit curious about what I am asking?" he said
"No" said Vik getting up "And please switch on some lights, that driveway is really dangerous in the dark" she said
"I know" he snorted
Vik turned to leave and walked towards the foyer but before she could step into it the man called her
"Think carefully about this Ms. Vikaya" he said
Vikaya stopped and turned and at that very moment, the gaudy chandelier falls down with a violent fall on the floor. Chills move down Vikaya's spine as she jumps with terror
She turns and the strange man is now standing beside her
"How.." demamded Vikaya
"Think about it Ms. Vikaya. I can save you from countless such situations, if we can make a deal" he said his sharp eyes staring at Vikaya intently
Vikaya was silent, her instincts alerted her not to engage with this peculiar man anymore, but her ego, the human mind wanted him to show his damn place, Vikaya's words not mine
She sighed huffly and stomped ahead
The man wanted to say something more but before he could utter Vikaya broke her silence
"How did you put the ruby in the fruit?" she asked turning to see his expression
He smirked with an expression more sly than the Grinch
"Why? Do you want more? I can give you fortune greater than all those invaluable rubies" his eyes glistened ominously
Vikaya snorted "Did you get that fortune by saving up the electricity bill? I don't need your lip service mister, use that money, if it's legal to switch on some fricking lights in this place. It looks like a dead person's abode" she said
"Also I am guessing you are not from Berkcaz. Seventy percent of our electricity comes from solar and wind so the bill is very cheap" she said, gave him one last look of disapproval and left
But this unusual man had other plans. Vikaya reached the door and reached for the knob but as soon as she touched it the knob melted into a pile of nothing. She stared at it in horror. One by one every structure, foundation, brick, tile, door, window began to shift and change. Melting away and transforming. A huge shift of tectonic plates in the energetic realm
"What is happening?" she turned to ask the man but he was nowhere to be seen
Soon the structure all around her, the vast, tacky mansion began turning into a deserted, haunted, barely standing house.
Dark, looming corners, half broken walls, a barely there roof took form around her, the lights were gone and gloom and shadows reigned
Vikaya turned to leave but nothing would allow that. It was as if the structure had a consciousness of its own. Vikaya stopped and took a deep breath in, she summoned courage even though her throat seemed to have given away. She cleared her throat
"Mr. Alekon Do, come out" she called with all the strength she could get
A mocking chuckle echoed and the man appeared again, the peculiarity of his appearance tipping off the scales.
Vikaya stared at him with shock
"I guess you can see through people quite easily. You already saw these before didn't you?" he asked caressing two wavy pairs of horns on his head
Vikaya stood there, silent and non-reactionary
"Open this thing and let me go" she said
The man slowly moved closed to her, almost hovering over the ground, something began to glow on his chest inside his clothes. Vikaya peeked and shuddered away with fear
A tiny skull beaded into even more tinier skulls sat around his neck
"Things are not what they seem in this world Vikaya, everything is an illusion" he said "My illusion" he mumbled under his breath
'He seems like a total lunatic' Vikaya said to herself 'But that doesn't explain all this Doctor Strange cheap rip off'
"I see that you are not going to budge. So there's no point to coax you into helping me" he said and lifted his hand
The structure shifted away like slime and an opening formed where the door once used to be
"Thank you" said Vikaya trying to play it safe and walked off, or tried to
"Didn't you and your poor mother used to live a life of crushing poverty?" he asked "Don't you want her to live a life of luxury?"
Vikaya stopped, her head bent down. She violently stretched her neck to crack the stiffness
"I see you are a fan or should I say a lunatic stalker?" the tone of her voice changed and she slowly turned to face the man
Her feet walked towards him, like a spirit walking towards its next prey. She came close to him and lifted her head to stare into his beady eyes. She noticed a strange yellow glow emitting from them
"Anyway, I don't chase riches. Things elude when you chase them. What are you chasing so desperately mister?" she said
Her challenging words left him fuming and speechless
She snorted, giving him a look of mock and pity and turned to leave
"Get yourself checked for jaundice" were her last words before she left ominous building
The man lifted his fist to bang on the table beside him but the structure moved away before his hit
"Hmmph" he growled glaring at the table and the table appeared again now stable. He lifted his fist banged violently, crushing the table instantly
Will Vikaya Pekassador and Alekon Do ever cross paths again? What was the "help" he needed from Vikaya?
—---------- If the carrot doesn't coax the donkey to move ahead, the branding iron will ---------—-
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