The village, the ferry and the skeleton

"No! No!", Arjun exclaimed as he slammed the bike brakes. 

Priya who was sitting behind him got down massaging her temples. 

"I told you to drive faster", Priya said in her 'I told you so' voice. She flopped down crosslegged on the steps. 

"Well...", Arjun began as he climbed the steps to the ticket window and peeked inside. "I would have", he began, turning to look at her, "..but an extremely caring guy asked me not to speed."

Priya tossed her cap at him, which Arjun easily caught as he hopped down the steps.

"Well if you so much want to listen to him", she paused making air quotes, "then you..."

"Then I?"

"Never mind", she shook her head, "Is there no one there?", she nodded towards the ticket window.

"None". He set his backpack on the steps beside Priya. 

"I will see if I can find the guy manning the window."

He was a couple of steps away when Priya hailed him back. "Hurry back! I have to pee."

She sat on the steps looking out on the creek. The evening breeze and the soothing sound of water lulled her to sleep. Twice she scared herself awake. The third time she woke up was to the sounds of approaching footsteps. It was Arjun. 

"What?", she grumbled wiping the drool off the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand. 

Priya bolted straight upright as she saw the concerned look on Arjun's face. 

"What? What's wrong?", she asked. 

"Nothing...it's alright..."

Priya stared at him, in a way that said I know you more than you think I do. 

"That bead of perspirations on your forehead, your fidgeting hands tell me otherwise. So, what is it?"

"Fine", he began, "I walked both up and down this road. All the houses, all the shops, there's no one there.."

"What do you mean 'no one there'?", Priya interrupted. 

"Means no one, I called, I yelled, I knocked on the doors until my hands ached. But there's no one anywhere. This village is empty. Deserted."

"Maybe there's a wedding or a funeral", Priya shrugged. 

"This quiet? And people just left their homes wide open?"

"No fear of robbery..."

Arjun scoffed. 

"Look, I don't know. But I think you are being paranoid."

"I'm not. The entire village is quiet as hell. There's no one here. Don't you think it's a bit odd?"

Priya stayed quiet, unsure if she should let Arjun know that she too found it a bit odd. She decided against it. 

"Think about your sleepy village. I'm going to pee..."

Something's wrong, she heard him mutter to himself as she walked away. 

As Priya neared the washroom she scrunched her nose up against the stench that emitted from it. It was in moments like this that Priya regretted not having her scarf on her to cover her nose. 

She applied her weight against the stuck door and pushed at the door. As soon as the door budged open, the trapped foul smell escaped, causing Priya to barf.  She walked in and peeked into the first stall. The floor was littered with crushed bottles, chip wrappers, cans, and garbage. She peeked in the second stall. This too was in a much similar state as the previous. 

She stood there deliberating as an image flashed in her mind. 

"Was it?", she uttered out loud. 

Once more she peeked into the first stall. And sure enough, her mind wasn't playing any tricks. There amidst the garbage and litter was a skeleton, lying in the furthest corner. It was the skull that made a shiver run through her. Its eye sockets and protruding fangs intrigued her in an odd sense of way. 

She took a tentative step towards the skeleton but was stopped from going further by Arjun's voice. 

"PRIYA! We have to leave! Right now!"

Priya rushed out almost colliding with Arjun who stood blocking the entrance. 

He grabbed her hand. 

"Arjun...there's a ...", she stammered.

"We have to leave now! There's a...", paused, "No, no time to lose. It's not safe. Come on!"

Too shocked what with the skeleton and now Arjun's fright, Priya was speechless. 

Arjun still holding her hand led her where the bike was parked. With each step they took, Arjun looked behind them as if expecting someone to materialize out of thin air. The flight or fight had definitely kicked in and leaned more towards flight. 

In a matter of minutes, they were speeding back on the road that had brought them there. And just in time had they left for where moments ago Arjun and Priya stood, a man now stood there, panting. And in his hand, he held a sickle covered in red.