All Chapters of Don't Fall Asleep: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20
39 chapters
Episode Ten - Don't Fall Asleep
Almost at the same time she let out a scream her hand also got released from her steering. She was approaching the bridge she knew from the sound of a train nearby and was aware that if she failed to stop the car now it would either fly into the railway track running parallely or go crashing into the river below. She tried hard to take her foot off the accelerator but her limbs had gone numb.She knew this was going to last for sometime. And within this time she had to manuovre the vehicle to save it from swerving left or right. Fighting her innermost fears for survival was a trial she had been subjected to many times before, a curse she had been suffering since childhood. But it was not the cosy comforts of her home. Again on second thoughts, where was the difference ? Till her parents were alive, she didn't doubt about her safety. She knew she could always fall back on them in her miseries. But now who bothered whether she lived or died ? With Upendra away from
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Episode Eleven - How it all started
Dodamarg, Maharashtra. Present Day :Strangely there was no lock on the door, it limped badly to a side on the floor. It was the reason why it didn't swing open inside, otherwise the latch wasn't strong enough to keep it closed. The possibility of someone using the room couldn't be ruled out from such a situation, yet the thick layer of dust on the floor raised doubts over a living soul to have come that way in a while. Dust had settled inside the room too causing the door to sink into it.The light from the torch revealed no other footsteps than her own as she guided it all around the floor. After several attempts the old, wooden panel holding desperately to it's rusty hinges finally creaked open letting out a gust of wind as if captivated for years. The smell of old furniture and furnishings laden with cobwebs immediately rushed out to torture her nostrils. The dampness in the room was sickening. Finding an electrical switch on the wall she pressed it in the hope of light, but in va
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Episode Twelve - Die-Hard
Before Arunava could stop his black Tata Innova and get out, Shivangi's red sedan crashed at the metal barriers. His heart seemed to stand still. The fog made visibility very poor and even with the foglights on he had difficulty in locating the car swinging on the left railings. He had screeched to a halt at the sound of the collision, but now while running on the deck, he found the distance to be around twenty paces. Even such a small distance appeared very long now and he knew every moment was costly. The bridge side they were negotiating was from Kolkata towards Howrah. The one carrying traffic from Howrah to Kolkata ran parallely in the opposite direction. A double line railway track separated the up and down routes, confined inside massive steel girders. Upon reaching the location, he tried to look inside the car to ascertain whether Shivangi was still inside. Then without a second thought, he climbed on to the railings. The dark waters was a raging torrent several feet below. He
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Episode Thirteen - The Beckoning
Dodamarg, Maharashtra. Present Day:Something seemed to move in the dark. The thread of her thoughts snapped. Startled, she looked around her and then out of the window. Only the trees swayed in the distance. The moon light flooded the road outside. She felt a strange beckoning. As she started walking downhill, suddenly she saw something shining in the bushes. The ground sloped from here till it met the forest going down fifty thousand feet below. Coming nearer she found it to be a wrist watch. Her heart leapt recognizing her uncle's radium watch! It had an Om symbol painted inside the dial which glowed in the dark. The police hadn't made much effort in searching the place, otherwise such an evidence wouldn't have escaped their notice. But why had Uncle taken the route towards the forest? Did he find any evidence of the book being hidden inside the forest? There was another question which had been bothering her since she met the Acharya. If he had instructed uncle to find the book for
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Episode Fourteen - New Avenues
Just before the wrecked vehicle collapsed on the river bed on that ill-fated night - scraping out earth and turning the waters muddy, pairs of hands pulled Arunava and Shivangi away. When a river patrol boat found a woman's scarf and policeman's cap floating in the waters with a broken railing on the bridge, they immediately sent divers down. What god wills no frost can kill. Despite the harrowing experience, Arunava suffered only a few minor fractures and was released from the hospital in a week. Shivangi's life was saved by a miracle though she suffered multiple injuries and had to go through complex surgeries before she could recover. One of her legs was badly affected by the accident. Doctors had implanted steel plates in it and she'd have to use a stick for the rest of her life now. Her face was badly wounded, her eyes spared by a mere inch. Despite plastic surgery, much of her earlier looks couldn't be restored fully and the trauma of the accident left a black mark in her life.
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Episode Fifteen - A Date with the Devil
When Arunava reached the state sponsored home for the mentally retarded in Vasant Bihar, riding straight from New Delhi airport, it was already 8:00 PM. The home had closed for visitors and he had a tough time getting inside, despite his credentials. He knew he won't get any help from his boss, so didn't call him. From the beginning he didn't approve of his getting involved in the case. And now after the terrible accident he had grown more cynical. He knew he had to solve it quickly or he'd be taken out of it soon. His boss didn't say it directly, but his penetrating gaze told him he was aware of the turmoil going on in his heart. And Arunava didn't like that. 'Do your job diligently without getting yourself involved personally. You have to get detached emotionally and look at a case from an impartial angle. Only then will you be able to pick up the loose ends'. 'The way to get close to an offender is by trying to think like him without letting ourselves get carried away. It is much
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Episode Sixteen - Premonition
From the position he was in, he could see the bridge clearly. The car was heading towards the railings. He knew what lay ahead. He didn't want to go through the ordeal again. But what was he seeing now? A girl was standing still on the railway tracks. A goods train was rushing in from the Howrah side, the steel girders reverberating with the noise. Like an arrogant devil sporting his monstrosity before a helpless human, the train was closing in upon the girl - ready to devour her from behind. The headlights of the engine were like glowing embers which went for the devil's eyes - illuminating the serpent like track before it. The girl was holding something close to her heart. A Doll? It was only a matter of moments before the girl would get crushed under the wheels. Arunava wanted to run towards the tracks though he knew the accident was inevitable. But why was he unable to move his limbs? The girl looked at the raging river either side of her and started running on the tracks. If only
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Episode Seventeen - The Dodamarg Connection
He had hardly taken a sip from his cup when his mobile rang. He looked at the screen and grimaced. He had returned from New Delhi late last night and had resumed duties sharp at ten. He had given his maid three days leave, as he wasn't sure when he was going to return back. He wasn't able to get a night's sleep yet. It had been only two hours and his boss had called him to his cabin at least five times. Now why the fuck did he have to call on his mobile? 'Have you heard the news today Arunava? ' His boss's cold, emotionless voice rang into his ears, irritating him further. 'No I'm not a fucking robot you asshole', he wanted to whisper into his ears and gauge his reaction. He didn't have the energy to prepare his breakfast and the old haggard was talking about watching TV. Moreover why didn't he remember to ask him at his chamber? It made his heart beat faster. He knew when his boss put things deliberately off. He would definitely be told to stay late and discuss another case with him
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Episode Eighteen - Don't Open the Door
Shivangi was alone all over again. She had only one friend, her sister, whom she could call and talk for hours to let go of her loneliness. But fate had taken her away too like her parents. Now there were only the four walls, ceiling and the inanimate furniture to give her company. But she couldn't blame Upendra. He had taken care of her all these months and didn't let her complain about anything. Now he had an important client meet at Mumbai. Upendra was ambitious and didn't want to get tethered to his family for long. Otherwise it was just the two of them. And they had all the material comforts of the world. Then again maybe that was the reason why he wanted to keep himself busy in work. To forget the void in his life. But thinking optimistically, there were so many couples in the world who had adopted a child. She had talked it out with him during the initial years of their marriage, but Upendra didn't agree. She had found out Upendra to be old-fashioned in this regard. Was his hu
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Episode Nineteen - The First Confrontation
When Arunava slowed down his car and took a U-turn around the divider, he noticed flashes of lightening in the sky. A pitter-patter of raindrops followed suite. SH 6 was still thirteen kilometers away from here following the long drive of thirty seven kilometres according to the location showing on Google map. He remembered the night he had taken a U-turn towards Dunlop more .. while on his way back home . He had seen her off at her sister's flat in Saltlec about an hour before that. She was driving alone. He was driven merely by intuition then. And it had been a next to impossible task of saving her. But this time he was aware of her danger. Though he had very less time in hand. And it was what was making him restless. Arunava increased his pressure on the accelerator. The wiper was cleaning the windscreen continually and as it did the road leapt up before his eyes illuminated by the fog lights of his car. Darkness, which had descended like ghosts on either side was being dissipated
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