Hari Singh looked at me with his red burning eyes and in a cold voice said, “The man brought down the prisoner, picked him up and took him to a corner behind me. I could not see anything but was able to hear all the voices that were a result of bone cutting activity. After sometime, the second man who had taken the bucket upstairs also came down and joined the other. I was already half unconscious. I had not eaten or drank anything for the past two days. The sickening scene in the room and the stinking smell of filth and burning flesh ware making me nauseous. After finishing their job of disposing the body, one of them was of the view that they needed to cut this skunk. That was all I heard before I passed out.”

Hari Singh was telling me the story as I was alone in the room with him. He took last few sips of the remaining tea and then said, “I have done so many weird things in my life but I did not want to die like that. I was often hired by Rehman Baba to do ground checks and help him in his investigations. This task seemed to be the last one. But I had not lost hope. I was tied to the pillar with a rope that was not very tight. A lot of time had passed and no one visited the basement again. I was neither fed nor cleaned. I was losing my energy and will to survive aster than I had expected. I woke up after sometime and started looking for a knife in my lower pocket which I got hold of after a little effort. I cut the rope and freed myself from that hell. I was surprised that nobody was on guard there but they must have not expected anyone to escape from that place. When I came out, I found myself in the backyard of Ghulam Mustafa’s house. Going from the front side was not a good option, so I used all my remaining energy climbing the back wall and threw myself on the other side. I landed on the ground safe and sound but in a lost state of mind.”

I knew that the people at helm of affairs of the shrine were aware of the presence of a monster but how did they find out about me. As Hari Singh had told his side of story, I was waiting for Rehman Baba or his brother to return and solve this mystery too. Hari Singh also went out after sometime. He told me to stay in the room. After he was gone, Kamal Khan walked in the room and sat opposite me. He looked at me and said, “Rehman Baba sent me back here to tell you as to how we found about you.”

I smiled but remained quiet. He continued, “After we discovered the truth about Ghulam Mustafa, Rehman Baba decided to send me to Nawab of Bahawalpur to inquire about this monster. We had already met one soldier who was part of the team that was sent by Nawab of Bahawalpur to kill this beast. We wanted to know what else he knew about Ghulam Mustafa. I reached there and was told about the background and was also informed about you. I was given potion as well that will make our job easier.”

I took a deep breath. Now relaxed, I had lost my potion in the fire at Jaipur but it was good to know that Kamal Khan has it.

“How did you find me at the shrine?” I asked him.

“We keep an eye on all those who visit this place and moreover, I was briefed about your appearance by Nawab Sadiq,” he replied with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Although I was more than satisfied but still had one last query.

“So, we are a team now but why are you not happy with me?” I asked him further.

“You act more than your age. I found out many things about you. You look like a trouble to me. And let me tell you frankly that I don’t trust you,” he replied rudely while looking at me suspiciously.

I could not understand his logic of not liking me but he was probably considering me as his rival. I had to prove it otherwise to get his full support and help.

“What is the plan?” I asked abruptly.

He looked at me puzzlingly thinking whether to tell me or not.

“We are taking our turns surveilling the house. We now know that we cannot kill him directly. He may even possess magical powers to destroy us before we could even touch him,” he informed me.

“We should mix the potion of Nazir Bux in the blood,” I dropped my suggestion as he paused for a while.

He nodded his head in agreement with me saying, “We also have the same opinion but how to do it is a big question. We can’t send Hari Singh again because Ghulam Mustafa and his guards know him.”

“I will do it,” I instantaneously said.

Kamal Khan looked at me with a broad smile but then it disappeared from his face as it was never there.

“You might get killed,” he said with a little concern in his voice.

“Yes, I know but somebody has to do it and I am the most suited person for this job,” I replied in an icy tone.

Kamal Khan then told me to stay there and went outside. After an hour, he came back with Rehman Baba, Hari Singh and some eatables. We all sat down and ate silently. After we were done, Rehman Baba looked at me and said, “Kamal Khan told me that you want to do this job.”

I was now lamenting my decision of volunteering for such a dangerous act. These people were in charge of the

security at this shrine and had help of the local police. They could raid that house and arrest Ghulam Mustafa. It was when I was thinking on those lines when I heard Rehman Babas saying, “In case we raid that house, we will not be able to hide the news about the monster living in our premises and as a result, image of this shrine would be tarnished. We need to avoid bad publicity.”

And I was astonished. Was I thinking so loudly that Rehman Baba heard my thoughts or did I ask him that question without realising it myself? Whatever the case, he was an amazing person. His respect in my heart rose multifold. I must learn from him. I thought about that and then realised that he might be reading my thoughts. A smile appeared on my lips. I looked up and found Rehman Baba smiling too.

After sitting idle for about half an hour, Rehman Baba spoke in a deciding tone, “Here is the final plan.”

He looked at everybody one by one and said, “Yousaf Shah will enter Ghulam Mustafa’s house from the back after midnight with the help of Hari Singh and Kamal Khan. Hari Singh will explain the interior map to Yousaf Shah while Kamal Khan will hand over the potion to Yousaf Shah to mix in the blood. Kamal Khan and Hari Singh will stay at the back wall. I, along with my brother and few other guards, will be on the front side. Yousaf Shah will go in, find the bucket of blood and add the potion in it and come out of the house before first light. We all will wait for him till then. If he does not come out till dawn then we will raid the house from front as well as from back side.”

It seemed like a comprehensive plan. I was quite confident that even if I get caught, Rehman Baba will save me. Hari Singh explained the details about the interior of house. He also told me about the basement at the rear end from where I had to enter. I was hoping that everyone would be asleep after midnight and I would easily find the bucket of blood. That seemed like a simple and perfect plan.

Wall on the back of Ghulam Mustafa’s house was about eight feet high. Hari Singh and Kamal Khan helped me climbing up. It was about two a.m. and the moon was hiding behind clouds. There was still enough light to see up to some distance. I crawled down from the back wall and landed on my feet. There were dry leaves all around which created noise as I walked over them. My heart was pounding. There were a few trees in the backyard and I was hiding there. I also spotted a slanted wooden door that probably opened into the basement where Hari Singh was kept. As I went past it I reached an open space not more than fifty feet. I could cross it easily in few seconds to reach the main building. But the moon was shining and there was enough light for anyone in the house to spot me. I waited for about fifteen minutes to let the moon hide again. Time was passing fast so I decided to go back to the rear wall and then walk along to reach the main building.

It took me another fifteen minutes to reach the rear veranda of the house. I pushed the back door but it was locked. I remembered that the surviving soldier of Nawab Sadiq told me that Ghulam Mustafa is always alone at night. Both the servants leave soon after last light and come back in the morning. I was although apprehensive that if it was Ghulam Mustafa who had been causing me trouble right from Fazilka then how is he allowing me to enter his home unharmed? Why there is nobody here to stop me? May be he is not here himself. My thoughts were going wild while I was searching a way to get inside the devil’s den. There were two doors at the backside of the house and both were locked. Then I started checking the windows. There were four windows at the backside and I found the third window unlocked. I pushed it with a little force and it opened with a small squeak. I froze at the spot. Few moments passed and nothing happened. I stepped up and climbed inside. It was a small room with hardly any furniture. I paused there for a while to get my eyes familiarise with the darkness. There was only one door in the room which was ajar. I could see dim yellow light at the other side of the room. I had to go through it to reach the likely place of the bucket. I waited for another moment, opened the door and entered the hall. The first thing I noticed was a big chair placed in center of the room with its back towards me. Someone was sitting on it as I could see his silhouette. There was a lamp lit in far end of the hall. My mind went blank. All my senses got heightened. A cold dreadful voice broke the silence, “What took you so long, Yousaf Jamal Shah?”My heart stopped beating and I forgot to breathe.