It was the summer of 1986, and four friends—Vikram, Rajat, Anil, and Ravi—decided to take a short trip away from the hustle of city life. The plan was simple: go to the hills, relax, and spend a few peaceful days together. None of them could have imagined what lay ahead.

Vikram was the practical one, always thinking ahead. Rajat, the life of the group, was always making everyone laugh. Anil, the quiet one, preferred to stay back and think deep. Ravi, the spiritual one, was always calm, no matter what happened.

They packed their things and rented a jeep, ready for a carefree adventure. The road was long, and the highway was packed with cars. After a while, it became frustrating. Traffic was hardly moving, and time was slipping away.

“This is taking forever!” Rajat complained, looking out at the never-ending line of cars. “We’ll be stuck here all day at this rate.”

Vikram scanned the map. “I think there’s a shortcut. It’s a small road through the hills. It will save us a lot of time.”

Anil raised an eyebrow. “A shortcut? Are you sure about this?”

“Trust me, I’ve checked,” Vikram said, his voice firm. “We’ll get through this faster.”

Ravi was a bit hesitant. “I don’t know, guys. This doesn’t feel right.”

But Vikram had already turned the jeep down the narrow, winding road. As they drove deeper into the hills, the noise of the city slowly faded away, and the air became cooler. The roads got more isolated, and the forest around them seemed endless.

Hours later, they came across a small village—Vaitaranpur. It was quiet,...