Is there something beyond love

Part -3

Unusual days have unusual startings.This morning was different.Shehnaaz decided to leave with Mahi today. So she left 20 minutes before her usual time and reached the spot from where Mahi used to board bus.Both of them used to board bus from different stands but today shehnaaz decided otherwise and went to Mahi's stand.

"Mahi, jaldi aaja.....M aaj Tere wale stand pe hun...We will go together today... " Shehnaaz squealed out of excitement as soon as she called her.

"Shehnaaz m already bus mein hun... College phaunchne wali hun baby...Tune pehle ku nahi btaya... "Mahi replied. Sadness lacing her tone for why she didn't inform her a bit earlier.

"Hayeeee... Tu aise to late aati hai.. Aaj tuje badi jaldi jana tha ",Shehnaaz replied disappointed.

"Sorry na.... Tu aaj aaja Jaldi se... Ham kal pakka se saath aayenge.. M tere stand tak aa jaungi.. Pakka promise ",Mahi said to not further damp her mood.

"Aacha chal.. Abb m aati hun..byee ",Shehnaaz replied and disconnected the call.

She boarded the very next bus that would lead to her college. The route to the college passed via a slightly deserted road near a jungle. Nothing ever seemed strange about that place. Not even today.

But what was waiting there for them today was going to be an unforgettable and terrible ordeal..

All the passenges were busy in their own world when they felt the bus being stopped. The driver had suddenly applied the brakes. The jerk they felt being a clear evidence to that. All were startled at this sudden halt and then what they saw in front of them scared the shit out of them. None of them,absolutely none , had ever imagined witnessing such a horrible situation. Not even in  worst of the nightmares.

4-5 men with all black clothes and covered faces stood in front of them in a jeep. Their sight was horrible. And adding to that they were armed having heavy guns and rifles.
Shehnaaz went blank like everybody else. Soon there was a great hue and cry about what was waiting for them. They all were panicked. The faces of people she loved came across her mind, her father, Mahi ,her brother and sister who never thought of her as their sister, and the newly found source and hope of happiness and unknowingly love , Sidharth.She felt her end near as they moved towards the bus. Everything was happening to soon to decode.

What the hell was happening... Was it a ter...terrorist attack..... Were they going to ki...kill them right away or was the bus going to be hijacked....What the fuck on earth was going to happen???

There was a situation of panic at the base. General Rawat had ordered all the officers to show up immediately.

"What's the matter Sid" , Jay asked as they headed towards the meeting room.
"I don't know man, Rawat Sir has asked everybody to show up urgently ", Sidharth replied being as clueless as Jay.

"A rescue operation has to be conducted right now. A terrorist group has hijacked a bus in a weird manner. They took all the women from the bus with them leaving the remaining passengers there only. They have demanded the release of 2 terrorists that our army arrested a month back in an encounter in Kashmir valley. I am afraid even if we release their people they won't release ours. If they had planned this way , then they would have never taken the girls only.
We have to act soon ,very soon before anything unfortunate happens. So, I want this rescue operating to be successful at any cost. I know we are capable of this", General rawat explained the urgency as soon as all the officers showed up in the meeting room.

"They have sent a video for us, never leaving a chance to show the beast they have in them", he felt disgusted as he played the video that was being sent to him via a courier a while back on the projector.The beasts were too fast in taking actions.