Chapter 1 - Kirtimukha Rises!

Kirtimukha: Chapter 1 - Kirtimukha Rises!Ajay sat slumped in his chair, idly scrolling through his phone. Abruptly, the museum's fluorescent lights began to flicker erratically, casting long, dancing shadows across the dusty exhibits

. A sudden, biting chill permeated the vast hall, raising goosebumps on Ajay's arms. He rose, a sense of unease settling in his stomach, and began to wander through the silent aisles. He gazed at the ancient artifacts, a wry smile twisting his lips.

"Look at you, Ajay," he muttered to himself. "Everyone else pays hundreds to see these relics, but me? I don't have to pay a single penny. In fact, they pay me to look after this stuff. And people see this as a low-level job. How ironic."

He stepped out of the museum's heavy oak doors, the cool night air hitting his face. He stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes wide with astonishment. Hanging in the inky sky was the same eerie red blood moon eclipse. 

A single, intensely bright star shone nearby, seemingly the anchor point for all the other stars that wheeled around it in a mesmerizing celestial dance. It was the same bizarre phenomenon the same spectacle that Kmk had witnessed at the Kalingulu center.

Suddenly, the sky seemed to split before his eyes, not literally, but in his perception. One half of his vision showed the strange, swirling sky above him, while the other presented a fleeting image of Kmk, his face etched with a similar bewildered awe. Then, the vision snapped back to his own surroundings."Ajay, what on earth is this?" he breathed, his voice barely a whisper. "The sky is red like blood... okay, this can't be good. Not good to stay out any longer."

He hurried back inside the museum, the heavy doors creaking shut behind him. The flickering lights continued their erratic dance.

"Ajay, what the hell is happening tonight?" he muttered, his nerves frayed.He found himself standing before the imposing mask of a Kirtimukha, its grotesque face frozen in a timeless roar. He stepped closer, his flashlight beam illuminating the intricate carvings.

"I've seen a lot of things in the past two years," he mused, running a gloved finger along its jagged teeth. "But this one... and tonight... it feels totally different from those other nights."Just then, the lights plunged into absolute darkness.

"What the hell?!" Ajay shouted, fumbling for his phone. "Not now!"He switched on the phone's flashlight, the beam cutting through the oppressive blackness, focusing on the Kirtimukha's menacing visage. He heard a series of loud crashes from the back of the museum.

"Someone must here to steal something," Ajay reasoned, his heart pounding. "They must be the ones who cut the power! Let them come!"

A tremendous splintering sound echoed from behind him. He whirled around, his flashlight beam catching on the empty space where the Kirtimukha's face had been moments before.

"What?" Ajay stammered, his voice laced with disbelief. "When did they...? My job is gone!"He heard more loud noises, this time emanating from the main hall.

"Who's there?!" Ajay yelled, his voice echoing through the darkness.A large, shadowy figure moved in the gloom of the main hall, two malevolent red eyes glowing intensely within the darkness. Suddenly, the figure lunged, moving with unnatural speed directly towards Ajay.

"What the hell is this?!" Ajay screamed, his adrenaline surging.He scrambled away, running blindly through the maze of exhibits. The monstrous figure crashed through displays behind him, the sounds of shattering glass and splintering wood filling the air. 

Ajay desperately darted into a small storage room, slamming the door shut and fumbling with the lock.

"What do I do now?" he gasped, his breath coming in ragged bursts. "I don't want to die! What the hell was that thing?"He fumbled for his phone, trying to call the police, but the screen displayed the dreaded "No Network" message. Then, in the sliver of space beneath the door, he saw them – those same chilling red glowing eyes, accompanied by a wet, rasping breath.

"How did you get here?!" Ajay whispered in terror.He threw the door open and bolted back into the main hall, his heart hammering against his ribs, his lungs burning."That was straight out of a horror movie," he choked out.

He risked a glance upwards at the high ceiling, and his entire body froze in sheer, paralyzing fear. The grotesque figure was there, clinging to the wall upside down, its red eyes burning into him. With a guttural screech, it launched itself from the wall, landing directly in front of Ajay. It seized him in a powerful grip, lifting him off the ground with surprising ease.

"The chosen one!" the creature hissed, its breath foul and cold. "The dharmic warrior!"Then, as if summoned from the void, the missing face of the Kirtimukha materialized in the air between them and slammed onto Ajay's face, its cold, unyielding surface pressing against his skin. Ajay screamed, a muffled, strangled sound, before his world dissolved into blackness as he fell unconscious.

Chapter 1 ends.