Author: Jitender Girdhar, Srikaranpur, Rajasthan,
india
As soon as the door opened, the gunman pressed the barrel of his revolver right between the groom's eyes—the spot known as the third eye, the seat of wisdom, the archway, or the tenth door.
"Where is Vijay?" the gunman asked in a voice colder than death itself.
The revolver had already set the stage for the groom's demise, but this question felt like the final nail in the coffin.
"Who... Vijay?" the groom stammered, trembling like a dry leaf.
The gunman glared at him for a few moments and then said, "I have to kill him."
A scream escaped both the groom and his friend, who was standing in the lobby. Terror was visibly etched on their faces.
The gunman turned the same question toward the friend: "Do you know?"
He didn't speak, but his shaking head signaled a 'no.'
Suddenly, catching a glimpse of the groom's bare wrist, the gunman shouted, "You are Vijay! Why did you lie?"
{Part 1}
"No, I am not Vijay!"
"You're lying!"
"I'm telling the truth!" The groom broke into tears.
"The name 'Vijay' is tattooed on your right wrist."
The groom turned pale, as if the blood had been drained from his body.
"What do you have to say now?"
"Yes, I am Vijay," he finally surrendered.
"Is this bungalow yours?"
"Yes."
"Do you have any enmity with me?" the gunman asked.
"Not at all... in fact—"
"Have you ever seen me before?"
"Never."
The gunman frowned, appearing lost in deep thought. Despite three people being present, a deathly silence filled the room. This continued for several moments.
Still lost in thought, the gunman whispered to himself, "Then why would he kill me?"
"What do you mean?" The words escaped Vijay and his friend simultaneously.
"That's exactly what I'm here to find out. By the way, who are you?"
"I'm Vijay's friend."
"Close the door."
The command was followed in the blink of an eye. The gunman sat on the sofa, aiming his weapon at them, and said, "Look, I am in a lot of trouble. I am going through a very bizarre situation. Maybe I'm mistaken, but I don't want to take any risks. If you try to be smart, I won't hesitate to shoot."
Both stood stiffly at attention, eight feet away from the sofa.
{Part 2}
The revolver remained aimed at them, but the gunman had slipped back into his thoughts.
Before the silence could stretch further, Vijay interrupted, "Who told you that I would kill you?"
Vijay's question pulled the man out of his mental well. In response, he pulled a small white plastic ball from his pocket and held it out.
When this man first arrived, he seemed merely dangerous. Now, he appeared astonishingly mysterious. A new fear gripped Vijay and Akash—was this man insane? A weapon in the hands of a madman meant nothing but absolute danger.
"Did this ball tell you that?" Akash asked.
"No, the Eighth Wonder said so," he replied casually, without any further explanation.
"What?" Both were shocked.
"Yes, the Eighth Wonder said it."
"Where is this Eighth Wonder?" Vijay wondered aloud.
The gunman tossed the ball to Vijay. He caught it.
"In this?"
"Yes."
Vijay noticed the ball was cracked. He squeezed it; it opened to reveal a piece of paper. He unfolded it. It read:
Mr. Sagar Bhardwaj,
Only a few days of your life remain. Because you are going to be murdered. You will be killed at the hands of Vijay. Escape is impossible. Every attempt to save yourself—whether through your father's wealth or your own strength—will be in vain. This is my prophecy. People believe there are seven wonders in the world. I am...
THE EIGHTH WONDER.
{Part 3}
Vijay held the letter, but Akash had read it too.
"How did you get here?"
"The same way. There was another typed letter in the ball with your address on it."
"How did this ball get to you?" Akash questioned.
"It crashed into my room through the ventilator window."
"And you took this joke seriously?"
Read chapter 2