The Pursuit

December 4, 2:30 AM:

Asif rushed towards his bedroom and shut the door in a panic. The masked man will dagger him up in any second. His heartbeat escalated. The chaos ruined his mind into turmoil and resisted his screams. He covered his mouth tightly so that even the slightest shriek was not audible. The lethal scenario let him sense the passing of every goddamn second.

His sharpened ears could now sense the sound of footsteps approaching the door. Panic rose and he started to lose his wits. He took a sharp blade in his right hand and the letter on a yellowish paper on his left. The letter read,

"You are never alone. I'm always with you, pursuing your soul, healing loneliness."

Asif crushed the paper and threw it away with fury. The footsteps deceased paving its way for a gentle knock at the door. He lost his nerves completely and violently gashed his left arm with the blade, right upon the veins. Blood was splattered all over the floor and he screamed out of terror.

Rahul was eagerly waiting around a round table at one of the under-occupied open restaurants of the city. He took out a cigar and lighter as a stranger approached him.

"Sir, with all due respect, this is a no-smoking area.", the stranger said.

"Oh! Sorry, pal. I was trying to get rid of this boredom.", he replied and got himself engaged with his yo-yo.

"Waiting for someone.?"

"Yeah, of course. So you are.?"

"Oh! We are the Southern Foundation. It's AIDS day. So we are out for an awareness programme.", he smiled and handed Rahul a brochure and a ribbon.

"Thank you, Southern pal.", he said, "Looks like my waiting is finally at a halt.", he pointed his fingers to a lady advancing towards the table. The stranger waved goodbye.

"Why did you call.? You sounded terribly serious.", she asked.

"Sorry Vaiga. I forgot to mention the reason. We are here to meet Asif. 11 AM. Sharp."

"You're the last person he would wish to call.", Vaiga couldn't believe her ears.

"But he called.", smiled Rahul.

December 3, 9:30 PM:

Asif was sweating heavily. His courage was swiftly fading away, struggling to keep sane. He moved towards the kitchen and gulped down a glass of water. Water cooled his innerself and he sighed in relief. But it didn't last long. His sigh paused seeing the reflection of the awful masked man upon the glass jug.

Asif tried his best not to turn back and sprinted towards the backyard to equip himself with a hoe. Fortune was still moving afar as the lights went out.

He walked quietly into the house, concentrating on the surroundings and holding the hoe tightly. His senses were at its peak and now it sensed someone right behind him. He could hear the beast's breath.

He turned back and almost yelled, glancing upon the masked figure. Courage drained out of his body and he threw away the hoe towards the antagonist. He hasted towards the living room and locked his kitchen. A streak of light flashed from the corner. It was his cellphone. The cracked screen showed up a message from Vaiga:

"You are in danger. Be safe.!"

"Look, Rahul. We have been dating for like 2 years. And I know pretty much about the person in you. Pardons none. And enmity- you'll never forgive and forget", said Vaiga.

"It was a betrayal.", Rahul spoke with a flat tone.

"He didn't betray you. He just told the truth."

"And what did his stubborn honesty cost me.?", Rahul shouted and later reduced his tone as he saw a couple staring at them, "I lost my job. It would've been a ground-breaking work."

"Plagiarism for a columnist is unacceptable, Rahul. And listen, he lost Aditi. He is in trauma. Now is not the time for revenge."

"I'll deal with it. You better shut the fuck up.", he swore.

"What are you up to.?", asked Vaiga.

"Just bleeding him with his broken heart."

"What.?", she was puzzled.

"I will end his depression and his life with it."

December 3, 6:30 PM:

Asif was walking to and forth in his living room. He had to come up with some idea to solve this maze. Someone or something is threatening him and he neither knows who nor why. It was high time to open up to someone he could trust. He sat on the sofa, lit a cigar and took his cellphone to explain this clueless scenario to Rahul.

He took a puff and opened the video calling app. Now, he closed his eyes and recollected all the bizarre events chronologically. Taking another drag, he scrolled down to find Rahul's contact. But the preview video was a bolt from the blue. The masked man who is haunting him for hours is upon the preview. The pulse rate has crossed its limit. He summed up courage and turned back to see none. Empty.

He took a deep breath and restarted his phone. His hands were shivering with dread. He opened the video calling app and his heart stood still. The image is still there. He wasn't high and was stable now.

He cleared the cache and opened the camera instead. A chill went down his spine. The mask was staring at him with hunger in his eyes. He threw the phone in fear. The screen cracked and the phone was left alone in the corner.

"Punctuality has always been your trademark.", said Rahul welcoming Asif.

"I never thought you'd come. After all those messes that I've created. I called everyone and no one gave a positive response other than you.", Asif smiled with gratitude.

"I can't just ditch you in the trash pal.", Rahul said after ordering a coffee for Asif.

"And I had no idea about her arrival.", Asif asked, pointing Vaiga.

"Even though I'm hard to trust, she's loyal. You guys are too similar. Honest to the ground.", Rahul grinned.

"So feed me with an introduction.", interrupted Vaiga.

"You know the impact that Aditi's unexpected demise gave me. Depressed as hell. And to make matters worse, the void that she created is gigantic. I'm trying to get involved in social stuff. Still, loneliness engulfs me. Like no one's with me kind of stuff.", he explained.

"So loneliness is your problem.?", asked Rahul.

"Yeah."

"Okay. Then I'll figure a way out.", smiled Rahul.

December 2, 5:30 PM:

Asif hurried towards the bench in the garden which was directly opposite to his house. He saw a couple enjoying their lovely moment. His mind stopped a bit to dive deeper into some good old painful memories- sitting alongside Aditi on the bench, lying on her lap, and listening to her songs.

But the dread within woke him to reality.

"Sorry to disturb you guys. Did you notice a man wearing a Halloween mask over here.?", asked Asif in a disturbing voice.

"No bruh. We were here for atleast an hour.", the boy replied politely.

Asif's eyes were upon his phone which showed an image that was attached with a message from an unknown number. The image of the man with the wolf mask, displaying an evil smile as if he was hungry enough to murder someone. He walked through the lane and found nothing suspicious. His phone beeped again. Another image of the beast. Now from his backyard.!

“Now bottles, opiates and weed are my companions. Atleast they could suppress this pain to some extent.", said Asif.

"You are killing yourself.", warned Vaiga.

"Precisely.", Rahul said in support of Vaiga and began to scribble something on his notepad.

"My Aditi. Cancer was slowly lingering her to death in my presence. And I stood helpless hoping that she'll be alright until she closed her eyes...", teardrops started to roll down.

"Is killing yourself a solution.?", asked Vaiga.

"No, atleast they allow me to see her again. Like a lucid dream. Like it was real. I can see her smile, hear her music and enjoy the jokes she cracks, as if she was alive.", his eyes glowed in delight.

"Hallucination.?", asked Rahul.

"Yeah.", he replied.

December 2, 3:30 PM:

Asif was watering the plants in his front yard. The first task on the to-do-list put up by the anti-depression app. He was so delighted with the amount of concern that Rahul expressed.

The world around him seemed a lot better. People were walking through the street and little kids offering a cute smile. The sweet curve resurfaced on his face, which left him when he lost his better half.

He advanced to his living room to mark his progress in the to-do-list. He took his phone and saw a message with multiple attachments. Multiple images.

The images were easily recognizable. Those were the places that Asif frequently visits: the mall, the clinic, his office, the open restaurant, the garden and the park. But his eyes interlaced with a common factor among those images- a beast or probably a man with a weird face. And the caption made him breathless,

"Allow me to accompany you."

"I have a friend- a programmer. He, along with a therapist, created this app: Companion-O, for the depressed and people with conditions similar to that of yours.", said Rahul.

"What does this do.?", asked Asif.

"Once you install this app on your device, there are no icons nor a trace of the app available or seen. But it's in there- giving you tasks and thrilling games. It makes sure that you are engaged and happy. As the name suggests, he is your companion.", Rahul paused a bit and continued, "This is the cure that I've figured for your loneliness."

"But this app asks for multiple permissions. Camera, Messaging, Location, To-do-list and a bunch of other stuff.", doubted Asif.

"Yeah, a bunch of stuff only a secretary or companion will know."

"Oh! I was a bit paranoiac."

"Allow him to accompany you. Okay, any trust issues.?", Rahul displayed his typical naughty smile.

Asif embraced him with gratitude and said, "I trust you, my friend."

Rahul slipped a yellowish letter into Asif's pocket, which gave him a surprise.

"What's that.?", he asked.

"Open it when you feel you aren't lonely anymore."

"Okay."

"You are never alone. I'm always with you, pursuing your soul, healing loneliness.", Rahul smiled.

“Thank you for your pursuit.”, Asif smiled back.

Rahul waved him goodbye. Asif waved back without knowing the fact that it was going to be the final one. An eternal parting.