Silence before the nightmare descends

Chapter: 4

As Omkar took a step forward to look into the water, he stumbled upon the slippery mud and fell butt-first into the water. 

Swipe! 

"Ugh! " The water splashed everywhere, making his clothes wet. He stood up again to get back his balance and saw trails of blood running into the bushes, behind the pond. There were marks of sliding. He was curious, he wanted to go and check there but, ' I should return, for now, It would be dangerous if it was a tiger or any dangerous wild animal. '

Silently backing off he came out of the water and ran opposite, returning to his hideout. 

" Alright! " 'Now it's confirmed, this place is not safe at all. ' Omkar has to start his journey earlier than he thought to get out of this forest. And for doing it safely, he has to be careful in taking steps. No one can guess what will happen next and the road ahead is not silky. 

At present, he was infected by a cold and was also experiencing diarrhoea. Yesterday he consumed raw eggs and that could be the reason for it. Another reason could be the water he drank. Even though he had removed the dirt from the water, there was a possibility of microorganisms living in that water. He didn't boil water before drinking. 

Luckily, he had some medicine to treat these diseases. 

___

Half an hour later... 

Omkar had already made his preparations, ready to leave. He didn't have any food or water. He planned to follow the river, side by side collecting any edible or useful things. 

"... " Saying goodbye to his hideout, which protected him the whole night, he stepped into the wilderness ready for his journey.

The first thing he has to do is cross the pond. But for doing it, he has to take a route close to the river and far from the pond—far from where the murder scene was present. He does not want to get close to the pond, due to unknown danger. And the river seemed safer. Even though he had some anxiety seeing the river, he picked up his courage and decided to follow up on his plan. 

___

Fifteen minutes had already passed and Omkar was carefully striding close to the Riverside. His headache was not settled down completely as there was some mild pain in his head. He was somewhat hungry and was searching for food. On his way, he found many clamps and crabs, but there was nothing near him that could produce fire and cook them, thus leaving all of it behind. This left him no choice but to find any edible fruits, if available.

Moving further, he was thinking of ways to spawn fire when he heard some rumbling sounds. Turning his head he saw some movements in the tall grass near the river. But as always, ' Curiosity isn't good!' he left the place. 

___ 

Half an hour passed and Omkar was still wandering. The journey on his way was quite peaceful but there was something that was making him uncomfortable. 

"It's getting scary,"  Omkar felt as if someone was keeping a watch on him. Just thinking about it made him shiver visibly. Without looking back he walked quicker than usual. 

A few minutes passed and he confirmed, 'Something is following me. ' his face paled as sweat dripped from his forehead. He could see some movements in the surroundings as there was an unusual silence. There were no birds and no sounds of birds. His doubt was replaced by suspicion as he frowned, ' This silence...? something's not right here! ' he exclaimed as he took action over it before deciding and leaving the location. 

(*Goosebumps*)

A few steps later,  the temperature dropped abruptly, and gradually mist covered the surroundings. It was sunny some moments ago, but it suddenly changed. Omkar clutched his steps back, moving out of the chilly area. This place was strange,' It's cold here and foggy, ' he took two steps further, ' but here's a normal temperature? ' he thought while stepping back. It was a little strange seeing him play back and forth, though he forgot about his anxiety for a moment. Maybe this change was normal… Or Not? He wanted answers. 

Pondering for an instant he continued his journey. But before continuing he didn't forget to look back if something was coming after him, however, he didn't see any movements in his surroundings. 

Believing he was safe, Omkar released a breath of relief, but it did not last for long as he saw many dead fish on the riverbanks.

Examining the scene till the end where his eyesight goes on water, he saw bloody water with dead fish floating on water, not leaving any spots open. This was a terrifying sight for a normal person. 

Omkar found everything strange. Was there such a predator? A predator who can kill those fishes? Or it wasn't a predator but some poison? No. But why are their bodies severed like they are poked? It must be something… 

Stopping his steps he didn't take off further near the river. There was something going on here, and that 'something' is unknown to him. It was the conclusion he came to. 

Including the pin-drop silence, his suspicions rose. Unbeknownst to him, his suspicions were already taking a turn towards spine-chilling doom.