Our hearts kept beating fast, like war drums, as we came back from the spooky place. On our way back to the hotel, a spooky silence followed us, like a thick, invisible mist. We told the manager there had been many robberies nearby and that no one should go out after sunset, not even for a quick run to the store. His face turned pale, but he stayed quiet.
That night, we ate dinner in a tense silence.
The shadows in the dining hall looked darker and heavier than usual. We decided right away to check out much earlier than we had planned. Meanwhile, Abdul quietly handed in his resignation letter to the management.
"I have to go," he said firmly.
"My mom's condition has gotten worse. I need to return to my village in Lahore right now."
The manager just nodded.
Everything was settled by 9:30 p.m. Almost relieved to see us leave, the manager returned the remaining money without any complaints.
Under the spotlights, we checked every part of our jeep thoroughly. Abdul offered to drive for the first two hours. We agreed to split the 10-hour night drive equally.
Lahore is our destination.
Expected arrival time: 8:00 a.m.
As we arrived at the Indus Highway, a guard named Bashir stepped forward and gave Diljeet a salute.
"How are you, sir?"
he asked politely.
"I'm fine," Diljeet replied.
"And your family?"
"They're fine," Bashir said, adding casually, "Your cat is very cute."
We froze.
Diljeet gave a small smile.
"Yes, she is."
They waved us through.
The silence inside the jeep grew deeper. "Which cat was he talking about?" I finally whispered.
No one answered.
We slowly looked back at the rear seat, half expecting to see something curled up.
But nothing was there. No cat. The jeep was fully covered. I had checked it properly. With all the doors locked, how could a cat have gotten in or out?
A chill ran down my spine.
"Don't panic," I murmured, trying to stay calm.
"Stay focused on the road. Be alert."
But a thought kept creeping into my mind:
What was Bashir actually saying, or was he speaking to someone else?
We were now sure the cat wasn't real.
The same spirit from Nawabshah was following us, but in a different way.
Around five in the morning, the heavy feeling suddenly went away as we passed the Lahore checkpoint.
The air felt lighter. The rivers sparkled, endless green fields stretched out, and the calm of the morning looked almost unreal.
We reached our hotel exactly at 8:00 a.m.
A thin old man approached us as Abdul was taking the bags out.
He asked softly, "Do you have food?"
He stopped me as I reached for my wallet.
"I'm not asking for money. I just need food."
I gave him some water, fruit, and bread.
After he took them, he said, "I smell something... not from this world."
He gave each of us one of five hand-woven amulets.
"Keep these," he said.
"Evil doesn't always leave. Sometimes it hides."
Then he left and disappeared.
As we stood there holding the amulets, we were sure the spirit wasn't done with us yet.