Hey guys, thank you for your votes and comments.
( Warning: parts of this chapter contains graphic descriptions of violence and torture. It's probably not bad enough to be rated, but it can be a little disturbing.)
Continuing from the last part,
On the flight to US, Monami asked Karan: "Tum Tommy ke baare me btaoge? How do you describe him?"
Karan answered: "Cunning, cruel, crazy, craves for blood and death, and woh apne sick desires ko accomplish karne ke liye bahut saari tricks aur methods use kar sakta hain.."
Monami thought about what he said: "So... Flower Cannibal no.1 is like an oracle on the philosophy of killing, and Tommy is the expert on the art of killing?"
Karan gave her a glance, and said faintly: "Tum unhe itna civilized kyon sound Kara rahi ho? Ek aisa lunatic h jisse delusional orders hain aur doosra lunatic aisa h jo pagal kutte ki tarah doosron ko katne k liye gali me daudta hain."
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Under the blazing white light, a neatly dressed Karan sat on one end of the table. Opposite him, Tommy was sitting quietly with cuffs on both his hands and his feet.
After Tommy's request, everyone turned to look at Monami. Monami just stood quietly. She was looking at Karan. Others in the room were surprised at how calm she was. After all, it's a request from a notorious monster. But the reason was simple. Monami trusts Karan. She knew he will make the right decision.
Besides, if she has to face Tommy, so what?
After thinking about his request for a while, Karan pushed his chair back and stood up. He straightened his suit. He has an answer for him.
"Nice meeting you again. Goodbye."
He took the files on the table, walked out without looking back at Tommy again. There was no hesitation in his steps.
On this side of the glass, everyone was quiet.
Tommy kept looking at the wall in front, as if he was oblivious to Karan leaving.
"Ding." The metal door opened. The guard came in: "You have finished?"
Karan: "Yes, thanks." He walked out briskly.
"Ok. Ok."
At the last moment, Tommy gave in: "Simon, you are so boring. Can't you even take a joke?"
Karan turned sideways to look at him: "Don't challenge my patience. Did you forget you were never successful at that?"
Tommy kept smiling. But he looked displeased.
Monami's heart was like a string that just got plucked.
In those six months, what sort of games were Karan, Tommy and 'him' playing?
Karan threw Tommy the files. Then he sat back leisurely in his chair.
The room with Monami and the rest of the officers.
Sanjana, who was one of the FBI agents present said: "Obviously Tommy besabri janana chahta hain ki No 1 ne recently kya kiya hain.. Karan usse ache se janta hain."
Monami smiled. Well, don't play any mind games with Karan, because he will always win.
Karan passed the information on the 'killer machine' case to Tommy.
"Rough." He criticised.
Karan nodded: "Yes, that's true."
Then Tommy's eyes were fixed on the photos with the codes written in blood.
Karan observed his expression. He asked: "Have you come across this encoding method before?"
Tommy smiled. He was still looking at the photos: "He likes to play number games. And he likes variety. I don't remember."
His answer was vague. Karan explained: "The answer is a group of numbers.... and this next group is the sum of the number when multiple them by itself...the difference between the numbers when you divide them by itself... " He showed Tommy the method used to work out the final set of numbers. "...and convert these numbers to their corresponding alphabet according to their order from A to Z... so, the message is "Hi, Simon." "
Tommy smiled: "Oh. Such a simple but perfect method."
Karan asked Tommy: "Why does he use squares and square roots within his calculations. Is there a special reason for that?"
On the other side of the glass, Monami waa amazed. She never thought it would be of any significance.
Tommy looked at Karan with his blue eyes. When he wanted to, he could look warm and gentle. Just by his looks alone, you would never have guessed he is such a monster. "He likes the concept of 'square', because it represents him and me. Simon, it's the two of us, saying Hello to you."
Then Karan showed Tommy the second file. It's the murder case at Avni's company. This time, it's a projection on the wall. A short phrase 'written' in English: "I miss you so much, buddy."
And the last messages were from the arsonist case: "Say Hello to Jenny." and "Now it begins."
Tommy maintained the same smile on his face. He looked up: "What do you want to know?"
"What can you tell me?"
Tommy's hand reached under the table to press the button to call the guards. Then he stood up.
"I can tell you this - His aim is to kill you, to avenge me."
Karan was quiet. All the others were stunned, including Monami.
The guards opened the door. Tommy reached his hands out to them. He turns to smile to Karan: "Thank you for showing me the messages. As a token of my appreciation, I will give you a hint. He and I, we like to hunt the strongest prey. This is his favourite trick - to wear you down slowly, to provoke you. Then when you are in his hands, he will devour you. Good luck, Simon. I can't wait to see you getting into one of those big black plastic bags for corpse.'"
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A new moon hung in the horizon. They were walking along the waterfront in a wharf. It's twilight. The city lights started to sparkle and reflected on the waves before crashing the pier.
There was another eight hours before the flight leaves for Bhutan. After leaving the prison, Karan and Monami walk along the road together. This city was new to Monami, but it's a familiar place to Karan. He brought her to the wharf, and looked out to the yachts and boats on the water.
Monami held on to his sleeves: "Yahan jyada log nahi hain. We need to be careful."
Karan looked at her, then at the beautiful scenery. He smiled: " Tum itna kyon darr rahi ho? No.1 abhi Bhutan me hain. ."
Tommy's words were still ringing in her head. But she was distracted by Karan as he grabbed her hand and walked towards a yacht.
A white yacht was leaving the harbour. Karan took off his suit jacket. He was steering the boat. Monami stood behind him. She saw his broad shoulders and back, and a sense of comfort filled her.
This was beautiful. The shimmering stars in the sky. The sparkling waves in the sea. They could feel a cool breeze on their face. Karan has a glass of red wine in one hand. He didn't seem concerned about the current situation at all. Monami, on the other hand, waa not so relaxed: " Kya No. 1 tum maarna chahta hain?" She asked.
"Nahi. Woh mujhe marna nahi chahta hain" He turned around to look at her: "Tumhe Tommy ki baaton par yakeen ho gya? Mujhe l jab usne muh kedola tab hi samjh aa gya tha ki he was lying right from the start."
Monami was shocked.
Karan stopped the yacht in a sheltered bay. He sat down next to her. His masculine scent mixed with the salty air wafts to her nostrils.
"Uska first sentence kya tha?" He asked.
Monami replied: "If you allow me to meet her, he will tell you the identity of No.1."
"No.1 uska spiritual mentor aur support hain, woh usse kabhi dhoka nahi de sakta hain.." Karan said: "He only said that to entice me."
Monami nodded: "You said that No.1's status is higher than Tommy. Woh Tommy ko apne equal nahi consider karta hain."
"Yes." Karan agreed: "No.1 ne jo messages chode unhe dekh kar woh khush nahi tha.. It's obviously not what he expected. Aur rahi baat uske final words ki....." Karan gave a small smile: "Agar usse koi fark nahi padta, toh based on his cunning personality, woh ek aur jhoot bolta aur mujhe apni baaton me fasane ka try karta. But usne almost immediately leave karne ka decide Kiya. Even though woh apne emotions chupane ka try kar raha tha, I knew he was most upset."
Monami was puzzled: "You mean... Usse lagta hain ki No. 1 ka new goal tumhe apna new partner bnane ka hain?"
Karan nodded.
More than anyone in the world, Tommy understood No.1.
"No.1 wants to defeat you, break you then control you?" Monami asked.
Karan was right. No.1 is a lunatic with delusional disorder. He will not get his wish. Karan is much stronger than he thinks.
But Karan didn't reply Monami straight away. He looked out to the sea for a while, then answered in a slight mockery tone: "Of course woh succeed nahi ho payega."
Monami did not feel any more relaxed than before this discussion. They were dealing with a madman. A psychopath who wants to make the most famous criminal psychologist in the world his partner.
She turned to him. He was still looking out to the sea. She didn't know what's in his mind. Eventually, he realised she was staring at him.
"I just remembered, humari last kiss ko hue bahut jyada time ho gya nahi."
Their tongues tangled. Soon Monami was sitting on his knees. Karan wrapped his hand around her waist with one hand. The other supported her head so that he can kiss her more deeply. The cool brisk evening was turning into a steamy hot night. Karan carried her and walked to the bedroom cabin...
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When they got back to the pier, Karan looked calm and cool again, but with a smile on his face. Monami's face was still blushing. They walked off the yachts with their arms around each other.
Why does she feel like a little kid who just stole some candy?
She treasured every moment she spent with him.
When the two of them met up with the other representatives from India, one of them told them: "Usne shuruwat kar di hain. Kuch bahut jyada hi serious hua hain Bhutan me. No. 1 usne hume.... he sent us a ....cruel and perverted video. "
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Two days later. In the Bhutan Police Criminal Unit. Conference room.
Beside a rectangular table, the team that consists of elite officers from India and Bhutan were sitting down in rows. Behind the closed curtain and dimmed lights, a projector waa hooked up to Bala's laptop. They were about to see a video sent to them by No.1. It was delivered in an envelope with a USB inside. Of course there's no signs of any fingerprints or clues that they could use to track where did the envelope came come. .
Karan and Monami were sitting in the front row, listening intently to what's been shared so far.
The video began.
(Guys there is mention of cruel and violence scenes here so read if only you are comfortable to read)
A black screen. There's some background noise. It's not very loud. It sounds like a woman's crying, mixed with footsteps.
Suddenly, it's bright. Someone has turned on the lights. It's a prison cell.
In the small space of around 10 metres square, there was a woman. Her hands and feet were tied with a long chain. She was sitting in bed. There was a toilet seat next to the bed. When she saw the lights turned on, she looked frightened and desperate: "Please... Nahi!... Please jaane do mujhe....... Don't hit me anymore!"
The room was quiet. Monami felt the chills were running down her spines.
The girl was in her 20s. There were lots of wounds on her body. Her clothes were torn, like rags hanging on her. Except for her face, everywhere was filled with bruised marks caused by whipping. There were several open wounds as well, some of which looked horrible.
She was curling to the corner of the bed. There was nowhere to hide in this small cell. Then, a whip appeared in the video. The whipping began again. It lasted for about 10 minutes. By the end of it, the girl was whining like a small animal, shaking uncontrollably on the floor.
The screen went dark again.
A few seconds later, another image appeared.
The second cell.
This time, there's an old man in the room. He was over 60 years old. His hands and feet were also in chains. There were no marks of physical abuse on him.
But he looked scared. He was looking around the cell. This was because there was a speaker on in a corner of ceiling. And the sound coming out from the speaker was the sound from the woman's cell.
The old man's eyes look empty and spaced out. He is covering his ears with his hands and yelling loudly: "Kon ho tum? Chhod do mujhe! Kya chahiye tumhe? Do you want money? You can take all my money."
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The third room. The lighting was different in this room. It's dark red. It's probably shot through night vision camera. The images were not very clear.
Here, a man was tied up onto a bed. He is struggling to break himself. But he was not successful. There was a piece of masking tape over his mouth. Then, a man with medical white robe walked in, wearing a cap, a face mask and night vision googles.
That's him. Monami thought to herself.
She never expected that it would be under such circumstances that she 'saw' him for the first time. He was holding a scalpel and a towel.
He walked over to the bed. Then he cut off a small piece of flesh from the man's left arm. The man whimpered like a wounded animal. He held the piece of flesh in his hand. It's around the size of an egg. He threw it into the air, then catched it. He walked out of the room.
The fourth room.
Monami's heart was aching.
There's a boy in this room. He was approximately seven years old. He was a good looking boy, but he looked extremely pale at the moment. He was still wearing his primary school uniform, curled up in a corner of the bed. He was in fear because there's something else in the room besides him. A dog. A black dog that seemed to have starved for a long time. The dog was almost half the height of a man. Patches of its fur was missing, and there's also wounds on its body.
Then a man's hand appeared on the bottom of the screen. It pushed a tray with some raw meat through the bars into this cell.
Both the child and the dog were starring at the food. The dog pounced towards the tray. The boy looked scared, but he closed his eye and jumped out of the bed to grab the meat. He got it before the dog. The dog bite his leg...
Four scenes of physical and mental torture.
Bala paused the video.
Everyone was disgusted. Monami took a look at Karan. He has no expression on his face.
One of the officers from the Bhutan Police Force explained: "Inn four victims ki identity pta chl gyi hain.. It's inside the report in front of you...
Wangdi. Female. 25 years old. She lives in Paro. She is a sales assistant. She has been missing for 5 days. Last seen on her way home from work.
Namgay Wangchuk. Male, 64 years old. He lives in Aberdeen. A retired government employee. He has been missing for 6 days. Last seen on the way to visit his family.
Tashi Tobgay. Male. 29 years old. He lives in Thimphu. He is an architect. Disappeared four days ago. He was trekking at the time.
Tshering Penjor. 8 years old. He lives in Phuentsholing. He is a student. He has been missing for seven days. Last seen on his way home after school.
Four very different victims. At this stage, there seemed to be no connection between them.
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Bala continued to play the video. (Again a cruel scene)
The screen was split into four boxes, with one image in each box. This was actually the end of the video. Just four still frames.
The top left frame showed a woman lying on the floor, motionless. Her skin has been peeled off from her body.
The top right frame showed the old man lying on the floor. His throat was slit. He was lying in a big pool of blood. It looked like all his blood has been drained.
The bottom left frame showed a man lying on a metal bed. His body was full of holes where flesh has been scoped out. The largest hole was on his left chest. His heart has been ripped out.
The last frame showed a boy also lying on bed. His hands were chopped off.
Four very different deaths.
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Then a voice that's been processed to sound mechanical and coarse coming from the video:
"Hi Simon. Main idhar hoon."
Everyone turned to look at Karan. Monami's felt like a rock has just fallen onto her heart.
Then 'he' declared war.
"Simon. Ab tumhari baari hain. Profile me."
*****
Extra story (His voice 2)( not any precap or being from the current part but related to story's characters)
The truth was, Karan only ever sang in public once before he met Monami.
But for some things, once was more than enough.
It's the graduation day for his doctorate degree. His pro-Asian culture professor has invited his pet student and some others to a karaoke bar. Karan dud not like to attend social functions. But this was an invitation from a professor he highly respected. He couldn't decline.
After everyone else has had a turn, they asked Karan, who has been sitting by himself and drinking veer at the back of the room, to choose a song.
"Yes, come on. Karan, sings us a song."
"Humne kabhi Karan ko gaate nahi suna."
Karan swept them a look: "I am not interested." He turned to the professor: "Can I leave now?"
The professor was half drunk. He said, with his face blushing from the alcohol: "No, this is my party. Everyone has to sing. This is your last task for the night. Shergill, don't tell me you are tone deaf."
Karan smiled mockingly: "How can that be true?"
That means he's agreed. Everyone was so excited. They eagerly waited for the handsome star of their faculty to perform..
Karan walked up to the microphones. He chose the hit song at the time - You are beautiful. It's not because he particularly likes this song. But it's so popular and catchy that even he remembered the tune.
As for whether he could sing... well, Karan thought there's nothing wrong with his singing. Reason? How can a genius like him not able to master such a simple skill?
The music started...
His lips started to move...
"My brilliant life.."
Everyone dropped their jaw at the first line of the lyrics.
He was.... he was.... totally out of tune!
Karan could tell from the reactions of his peers that something was wrong. But he was confident he can fix it...
His voice, which was usually deep and magnetic, was now a torture to all who were present.
Gradually, more and more people were laughing out loud. Then at the end of the song, Karan threw down the microphone and left without saying goodbye.
The next day, a text waa spreading at lightning speed around the campus.
Girls, do you believe that perfect guys exist?
Of course not.
The winner for the hottest and most perfect Asian man - Karan Shergill... yes, that's him. If you would like to date him, we suggest you click on this internet link first: xxxxx - Karan Shergill's solo.
PS. Consensus amongst those who were present on the night - It's a total disaster.
PPS. You are most welcomed to forward this message to your friends.
*****
Well 🤣🤣...
Waise why do I feel as a sadistic person jo upr wale part me itna torture likh kar wahi niche Wale part me comedy likh Rahi hoon...
Well it was really a gruesome nahi..
Four torturous deaths and abhi tk Sus ka koi pta nahi.....
Now how will Karan profile him and then after that kya???
Alright, do share how u felt for this part
Waiting for your response.
Ta -ta
Signing off
Kriya