Deceiving Veils

Chapter-44{Bridge Of Eyes}

Aryan drove slowly on tight roads of messy town. It was a colony of commoners who had agreed to accept the reign of dictator. None of army men had stopped him till now seeing the truck. It belonged to army only.

Manik knocked the little window between cabin and semi-trailer, and Aryan opened it.

"Where are we?" He asked and Aryan looked around to make sure no one was watching Manik.

"We are still in town," Aryan informed.

"News of Nandini's escape must have broken till now," Aryan put his concerns forward. His hands were shaking thinking about repercussions of his brave stunt.

"Don't quiver and keep driving," Manik said calmly and Aryan nodded.

"We need to find Harshad and Aabid too," Aryan reminded.

"They must be in outskirt," Manik assumed.

"It's difficult to make through it," Aryan showed his doubts.

"Don't tell me you already regret it," Manik tried to instigate his easy-pick brother.

"I am," Aryan accepted and Manik sighed.

"Just drive this thing out of town and I would take the wheel. I am there if anything goes wrong," Manik said and Aryan nodded.

Closing the window, Manik looked at Nandini who was trying to show some diary to her father. He saw Mr Murthy keenly as he had been noticing his strange behavior.

"You wrote this," Nandini said as Mr Murthy gaped that diary.

"You remembered it, Papa," She tried to remind him how he himself had lead her to his diary.

There was something very unusual about the conversation, Manik could see. He hated that man sitting there in front of his eyes but he couldn't hate Nandini's father. Nandini looked at Manik and smiled. She was trying very hard to look normal when nothing was normal.

"Food," Mr Murthy said closing the diary.

"Bread...water...bread," He couldn't make a sentence and Nandini frowned. She was feeling utterly helpless. Her father wasn't responding to her attempts to bring him back and she was closed in a trailer to worsen the situation.

"Aryan, we need food," Manik said opening the little window.

"We can't stop," Aryan refused outright.

"I cannot draw attention of those hawk eyed soldiers towards this vehicle by stopping unscheduled," Aryan elaborated and Manik looked at Nandini.

Nandini looked at her father who was sitting lost somewhere.

"It's okay," Nandini assured Manik and opened the diary again trying to distract her father.
It was going to be tougher than they had thought.
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Aryan halted the truck near a water body. They were out of busy town and now were heading towards border of new city. 

He stepped out and walked to river. Filling the bottle, he looked around only to find nobody. His heart was beating in his mouth as he walked back to trailer. Opening the little window, he handed the bottle to Manik. Nandini took it to her father. Mr Murthy had water and hid the rest of bottle under his coat. Manik could see how things were very strange. Nandini looked at Manik and Aryan. Manik closed the window and soon truck was back on road.
Mr Murthy soon drifted to sleep and Nandini walked to sit next to Manik. He extended his hand for her and she took it gladly. She was holding a lot inside her. She didn't even know how to let it out. Her touch could tell she was ached for various reasons. Instead of letting her sit next to him, he pulled her on his lap.
Silence lived as they both sat there trying to hear the unsaid.

"He doesn't remember me," Nandini said lowly.
Manik raised his chin from her shoulder and turned her to face him.

"He doesn't remember who I am," She said looking down.
Manik didn't know how to console her as her chin wobbled. He was so alien to these emotions.

"It is killing me," She said and he pulled her closer to enclose her in his arms.

"I try so much but it isn't working, Manik," She said sobbing.

"He is being treated so brutally and I couldn't do anything," She said breaking down. 

"I couldn't do anything to save him," She repeated.

"He doesn't remember anything," She added, crying. Her sobs filled the trailer.
Manik kissed her hair unable to sooth her with words. He didn't know what to say. He couldn't feel what she was going through except for agony to see her like that.
He kept cradling her till she calmed down.
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Aryan saw a convoy of army vehicles coming from opposite side. They passed his truck one by one and Aryan prayed each time they didn't stop his truck. Few kilometers went smooth but again he could see another convoy coming and this time it was huge. Very first one of them halted at distance indicating Aryan to stop the vehicle. Aryan's face went pale. One of officers walked to him wearing a rain coat. It was raining heavily.

"What's in the truck?" Officer asked and Aryan couldn't answer.

"Who are you and how come you are given an army truck?" Officer asked further and Aryan could see two more armed soldiers coming his way.

"I am carrying medicines, sire," Aryan replied politely.
He opened the drawer only to fumble with stuff in it. Drawing the authority letter out, He handed it to officer. He read it carefully before eyeing Aryan.

"Get your truck checked before you cross the border," He said giving the papers back to Aryan.

"Something wrong, sire?" Aryan asked trying to dig the matter.

"Minister and his daughter are missing. Every vehicle will have to go through checking," Officer answered as he wore his gloves back.

"Get going," He said tapping the trailer with his club.
Aryan drove it slowly away from that convoy only to go blank. He could see no way out.
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Unedited*