Chilly morning yet showing signs of sunshine at end of it, just enough to drizzle a little warmth. Nandini walked through the corridor watching people packing their stuff. They all looked absolutely fine with the idea of moving. Maybe they were used to it. She rubbed her arms to tackle the frost in weather. It was getting worst day by day. She could tell that it could snow any moment.
"Nandiniiiii"
Someone called and she turned around to see a smiling Harshit approaching her. She wasn't in mood to chit-chat if asked but still she put up a smile.
"Hey," He greeted as he reached her.
"Hey" She replied resuming her little walk.
Quiet of few seconds before he asked, "Curious about the hustle bustle?"
"Not much," She answered briefly rubbing her hands together.
"It's normal," He told, "Just telling."
"I got to know," She replied.
"That's great," He murmured in disappointment. A fine chance of having a conversation was gone.
"Have I met you before?" Nandini asked as a pending thought knocked her mind.
"I mean When I first saw you, It felt like I have seen you somewhere," She elaborated.
He chuckled a bit and then looked at her. Licking his lips, he looked thoughtful. Nandini didn't know if it was a good idea to ask him or not.
"I had worked with your father," He revealed the piece of information.
"Not for long but we worked together for a project of state," He added.
Nandini smiled accepting the given piece of information. It felt great to listen about her father after so long.
"I see," She uttered with a tinge of elation on her face.
"Maybe you have seen me in his office or somewhere else," He added shrugging his shoulders.
"Yeah, maybe," She replied kicking a pebble away.
"He was a great man, Nandini," Harshit said snatching her entire content.
His eyes spoke a lot but then there was something missing, a part which could make her believe him. He was sweet but then his eyes, they always held so much. She could sense there was something beyond what he chose to show.
"I think I have to go," She said as next thing trying to cut the conversation.
"I need to gather some stuff before we leave," She added biting her lip.
He looked okay and bade her bye. Nandini resumed her walk only to collide with the beast. Beast, that's what his new name was because doctor won't stop calling Manik that and he won't stop giving him reasons. He had allowed himself to exert however he wanted neglecting every instruction of doctor and as expected he didn't even listen to her. Nandini's face hardened in no second and she changed her course avoiding the questioning gazes of Manik.
He had certainly taken her for granted in so many ways. He was so sure she would come around no matter what storm she goes through inside. But little he knew, he was only fanning the fire when he thought he was calming it down.
He limped after her huffing. She could hear him but there was no point showing the concern, it would just give him more liberty to go reckless. He worked that way.
His fingers grabbed her forearm and she didn't even look surprised.
"I told you I needed to go," He justified his impudence caressing her arm over woolen piece.
"You can do whatever you want to, Manik," She spat getting rid of his grip, "I am no one to stop you."
She walked rapidly to leave him behind. He kept standing there wearing his favorite offish facet.
Nandini walked towards nowhere to find some solace. She was becoming aloof day by day, and that was feeding over her soul. There was no way she could get rid of her personal hell.
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"Sign this God damn paper," A man in uniform threw mug of cold water on face of Mr Murthy.
He shook his head refusing only to get hit by man standing beside him. His already bleeding lip ached more but there was nothing he could feel. His wrinkled face had turned more crumpled with all the blue marks on it. He was hardly recognizable with grown up beard and dimmed eyes. Drug dose had turned him into a walking machine. He could hardly feel pain but he did feel fear. A strange fear which had nothing to do with pain.
"I won't," He murmured shaking his head vigorously.
"I won't give it," He refused while men in uniform punched the table hard to release the frustration.
"I wish I could kill this man," Unformed man whined.
"We cannot, sir," His junior reminded.
"DO YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT?" Officer barked angrily.
"Find his daughter before I kill you," He growled.
"If we couldn't find that girl, we all are dead," He added dripping with worry.
Mr Murthy kept staring out of small window unable to get a thing what those people had said. He knew nothing anymore. He didn't understand a thing. All he remembered was he won't sign the paper. Everything else didn't matter.
"Nan..Nandinii...Nandiin...Nandiiiinii. Nan...Nandiniii," He murmured shivering as two men lifted him from chair. It was like his prayer which could save him whenever he sensed danger.
That's what he was chanting whenever he felt that fear. He couldn't forget that name. He kept murmuring it till he was dropped into his room. A room so dirty that hardly anybody could stand there. Blood, urine and vomit; nobody could stand there without throwing up. Mr Murthy sat on his messy bed curling himself into a ball. His diary was under the bed, long forgotten. He didn't remember he had written something. He hardly had left with anything he could tell. His eyes always darted to window waiting for someone he didn't even remember. He just didn't forget he needed to wait.
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A meeting was held and all the men were called to attend it. Manik walked in with an uninterested face and took a seat in some dark corner. There was mutters and titters. Manik guessed meeting was about shifting. Aryan walked in with Harshad. Manik looked away seeing them walking towards the so called important table. Son of chief had some privileges after-all. Silence filled the air as chief stood up to start the meeting.
"We have heard they are planning a clean up," Chief spoke up with a straight face.
"They are burning forests," He added and hall got filled with raged mumbles. Rage towards army was not something under the wraps.
"We are not sufficient, we cannot deny that," Chief spoke out loud as few men charged up demanding a war.
"We are a bunch of refugees, accept that," He said pointing towards a fat man.
Manik gulped the drink listening to regular spat. He couldn't be more bothered.
"We need to find people like us," Chief put forward the idea.
"We need to make a force to tackle down those bastards," He added aloud making hall cheer.
"For that we need to move out as soon as possible," He added further.
For a moment, people were left to fill the air with loud ramblings.
"We are moving towards north," Chief informed.
"We have heard there are camps like us and we can negotiate," He added trying to put the point clear.
"We are leaving tomorrow morning, be prepared," He said thumping the desk.
Hall again noised like roaring assembly. Manik was in his own thoughts. Moving out meant he needed to be extra careful. Nandini wasn't safe more than anyone else. She was the quest those army men were up to. The day they reach her, it was over. He couldn't risk her. He clutched the glass hard cutting the anxiety.
"Women and children are to be protected, Our families are everything we got," Chief added after a pause.
"So we need to strategize," He added and started to discuss something with elder men beside him. Manik had nothing to hear there so he got up and started to move out. His concern was only Nandini and Aashi. And he knew how to take care of them.
"Manik," He heard chief calling. He halted and looked back.
"You are in charge of one unit, so wait," Chief informed and Manik frowned.
"Not interested," Manik replied coldly and resumed his hobbled walk.
"Have some gratitude," This time it was Harshad who growled.
"We need men and you can help people who helped you. That's least you can do," He added furiously.
Manik glared him and he glared back. Harshad had agreed to travel with Manik and that was all to serve the need. There were going to be three units traveling through different routes towards forests of north. They could not risk traveling in large numbers. It would invite attention.
Manik walked back with a frigid face and stopped right in front of Harshad.
"Never tell me what to do," Manik warned in a dark tone.
Manik walked to chief to take the required information about unit he needed to take. At last, he wasn't that thankless.
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"Yes, that's all," Nandini said aloud to kid who was putting her luggage in trailer.
"See I told you I am a big boy," That kid bragged as he got down. Nandini ruffled his hair and showed how impressed she was.
"Nandiniii," She heard Aashi calling and she turned around to see a panting Aashi.
"There's so much of work and I am so tired," Aashi said putting her head on Nandini's shoulder.
"We still have time, Aashi," Nandini assured, "So relax."
She looked around and saw Manik talking to few men. He was standing near trailers and was intensely talking about something. Harshad walked to him and opened a paper. They all looked at that paper carefully. Nandini assumed it to be map. She wasn't much happy with news that Manik was leading one unit. He hadn't recovered and this task would put him under lot of burden. Camp hardly had young blood who could lead the situation and that explained Chief's decision. Teenage kids couldn't be given this much responsibility.
Aashi dragged Nandini towards room and that ended the her chain of thoughts. She knew she still wasn't in charge of situation when she needed to be. There wasn't a thing which was sorted between her and Manik. There wasn't a point which was cleared between her and camp people. She still was a dangerous thing to carry and she couldn't point it out. Her heart was foreboding already.
___________________
"Do you think it would work?" Harshit asked his father as they stood a little far looking at preparations.
"We have to take the risk," Chief replied in deep voice.
"I hope we get to meet them in course," He added.
"They aren't the ones we can trust," Harshit put his concern.
"We have Nandini and that's enough assurance," Chief spat.
"They have to negotiate. They need her more than anything," He added confidently.
"Make sure nobody knows about it except you and me," Chief warned, "Not even Harshad."
Harshit nodded assuring and Chief sighed.
"This shall work, It has to," He murmured to himself as they stared at trucks and people.
______________________________
Nandini walked back to door of container as she put last set of luggage in it. She halted at edge of it as she saw stairs were missing. She frowned thinking why would anyone take it away when they knew loading was going on. She looked around only to find no one. Maybe everyone was tired and had gone to sleep. She sighed and sat down on edge of container so that she could jump. It was quite high and she wasn't sure if it was good idea to jump off. She bit her lip and then put her weight on her hands as she swayed herself in air trying to reach the ground but a pair of hands gripped her waist midair and gently lifted her up. She gasped in shock as Manik held her in air with his arms wrapping her thighs and she reaching somewhere a bit above his face.
"Manik," She groaned, "Put me down."
He didn't nudge but kept looking at her angelic face which was covered in her long wisps.
"Put me down," She ran her feet in air agitating.
"Talk to me, first," He demanded getting a better grip of her. She huffed in frustration. She didn't want a conversation because she could erupt any moment. This wasn't the right time.
"You never listen to me, Manik. Put me down," She asked angrily.
"I am listening to you now," He answered freeing his one hand. Adjusting her long wisps, which were obstructing his view, behind her ear, he again groped her thighs tightly. Nandini groaned in helplessness as he kept admiring her angry features.
"What do you want?" She asked gritting her teeth.
"You," He answered sweetly.
"I want to talk to you," He added.
She looked away and didn't answer back.
"I can stay like this entire night, believe me," He warned listening to her not so sweet silence.
"Why you even care if I talk to you or not?" She asked bewildered. He was making it difficult and now she couldn't hold back.
"It anyway doesn't matter to you what I think or say," She added looking into his eyes. Darkness was covering up for her as she surely didn't want to make moist of her eyes visible to him.
"It doesn't matter what I feel or go through," She added bitterly.
"Basically, I don't matter," She said in broken voice.
He kept staring into her moist eyes while she just looked everywhere but at him. His grip still firm, he still unaffected; she wasn't even sure he listened anything or like every time just heard her for sake of it.
"Tell me what should I do," He asked coldly. His voice angry yet controlled. She could sense him stiffening.
"I cannot believe it," She murmured unable to understand him. He still wasn't in mood to realize what was wrong.
"Do you ask me when you put your life at stake or when you don't take care of yourself or when you just shush me up without even knowing what I feel," She asked yelling.
"You don't, Manik," She answered listening to his cold silence.
"You just don't care what I go through," She added.
"There's a wound on your body which needed rest and here see... See what are you doing?" She asked furiously.
"You are doing everything which pierce my heart like anything," She said and he finally heard her faint sob.
Her hands clutched cloth on his shoulders as she cried. He slid her down and put her back on ground. She separated herself from him slowly and looked at his offish face. He was not pleased.
"I don't think it can work like this," She uttered meekly and his face turned darker. She could see how angry he was over her words.
She waited for him to utter something but he just stared her standing there with thousand of nothings on his face. Nothings, which shouted out for everything which she needed.
She looked down and next moment he was standing in front of her, so close. She met his gaze which was somewhat softer.
"It will," He mumbled while she didn't know what to say. She didn't have the strength left. She turned around and walked towards her dorm. She walked and walked till she reached her dorm. Manik didn't follow but keep standing there till the moment she entered her dorm. Closing the door behind, she let out the loud cry. It hurt so bad. She didn't know what he meant back there. She didn't even want to think. She didn't know what next morning would bring. She didn't know how would he behave. She didn't know if she had done the right thing but she needed to let it out. It wasn't even half of what her heart felt but it escaped her mouth unable to stay inside. She was never this unsure of dawn but then this night wasn't comforting either. There was no escape.
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Unedited*