A tacky wooden inn let out some manly giggles. It was a refugee village of North east. Men suited in best of worst times chatted over drink. Smoke of cigar fogged the ambiance to an extent where it was hard to read those crafty faces.
"Aaahaa! Here comes our stock," One of suited men said as server put maiden bottle of just arrived stock.
"I could not love this time more," Other one said as he poured the wine into his glass.
"Though, it's hard to pretend that you are hating it," Third of them said and they all laughed out loud owing to poorly placed joke.
Local mafia was new fetish. They grabbed the opportunity like a hungry white shark and placed themselves in a place where local people had to bow down to them for little mercies. This refugee village ran on those mercies alone. Hundreds of people were on cruel lenity of these mafia who gave them food in return of some bone aching labour. They had conveniently made people believe how only they could help them when their government ditched. Dictator filled pockets of this syndicate and indirectly bought the helpless public.
A man came inside running and disturbed the hearty moments of those men.
"There's some activity on border," He informed and three of them immediately picked up their rifles to leave the inn.
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Manik cleared the bush off his way to see the path ahead. It was almost evening. He turned around to see Mr Murthy following him. It was an hour or two since Mr Murthy was active participant of this aimless wayfare. Manik frowned and resumed his walk. He was not sure what was up with Mr Murthy.
Nandini clutched Aashi's hand tight as Aashi fumbled in her steps. Aashi had high fever since morning. Rainy night didn't do much favors on them. Nandini was losing her mind worrying about the girl next to her. Her temperature wasn't down-sloping at all.
Manik and Aryan looked looked into some conversation as they stood at crossroads. Trails were their paths and luck was only guide.
"I think we should take a break," Nandini mumbled and decided to tell the same to Manik.
"No," Aashi didn't let her.
"We took one just half an hour back," She stated the fact. Aashi was somewhat sad about being the the one who was slowing down the journey.
"It doesn't matter. You need rest," Nandini said firmly.
"I am not tired, believe me," Aashi pleaded and Nandini decided to call it a day after few meters. There was no way she was going to risk Aashi's health.
Manik looked at her and then at Aashi. His eyes were worried while his tongue was churlish. Nandini knew worry was taking a toll on him.
"You Scampcrab," He yelled yet again and pointed towards a lazy Jas. Jas was the last one in trail.
"Stop playing around and work those feet," He barked at Jas and Jas immediately dropped the stick which he was using to clear the knee level shrubs. It wasn't first time when Manik had lashed on Jas in past few hours.
Walking a few meters more, Nandini finally decided to call it a day. She was sure Aashi couldn't do it further with kind of condition she was in.
"I think we should stay the night here," She uttered loudly. Manik turned around and saw how Nandini was trying to say a lot through her eyes. He nodded and started to clear the bushes with wooden club.
"Now he himself is doing," Jas complained in a low tone which could never reach Manik's ear. That kid was surely low-spirited with constant telling off.
Nandini gave him a sympathetic look. Jas walked to a tree to find himself a spot to sit.
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"I am not going to tell anything until you ask nicely," Aryan cleared it for Manik. They both were sitting a bit away from bonfire trying to have a conversation.
Manik looked away huffing totally loathing the moment.
"So what's the plan, Mr Aryan? Is there even a plan or you people just rushed into this like this?" Manik asked in a sugary tone which did nothing but mock Aryan further.
"For your kind information, I have my links in this area we are going. This is the same place where we can find Minister Barnes and a lot more which could actually blast your tiny brain," Aryan yelled not being able to take the insult.
"Minister Barnes?" Manik asked not knowing a thing. Aryan read Manik's perplexed face for a second or two before his lips formed a simper.
"Now who doesn't know a thing before he signed up for this?" Aryan mocked and Manik's jaw clenched.
"Nandini didn't tell you, did she?" Aryan asked totally enjoying the moment. Finally he could mock the tyrant brother of his.
"This is interesting," Aryan was in form. This was time to avenge Manik verbally for all the treatment he had thrown on Aryan.
"She didn't tell you how kidnappers of Aabid came from this part of state, Did she?" Aryan added insult to injury while Manik didn't know how not to kill salty brother of his. He knew he himself was to be blamed if he didn't know anything. He had made it so apparent to Nandini how he was not the one she could speak her heart. He had pushed her away.
"None of your business," Manik warned Aryan raising his finger and walked away as fast he could. He couldn't beat douche-bag brother of his because their sister won't be much helped seeing them again fighting like cat and dog. She was too sick for that. He found it apt to walk away and calm his mind so that he doesn't ruin it further. He didn't want to push Nandini farther by behaving berserk. Nor he wanted to trouble his sister when she was suffering from fever.
Nandini and Aashi watched Manik walk by bonfire to other side of their camp site in utter fury.
"Now what happened?" Aashi asked getting up.
"Don't stress yourself. It's the usual him. Sleep," Nandini tried to calm down Aashi. She herself was dying to know what had made trying to be unbothered Manik this much angry. She curled her tow not knowing how to be at two places at same time. Anxiety was working tirelessly.
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Yellow of fire was giving away the camouflaged green night had created. Crackling sound of wood could confirm the doubts of local mafia who had been out to hunt down the invaders.
Man holding the rifle gestured other two to wait while he proceeded towards the source of that light. Clearing the brush, he saw few contours sitting by the fire. He hinted the other two to join while he himself tried to peek in further.
Nandini's head hit the air for nth time as her neck swung in severe laps of sleep. She was trying not sleep for more than one reason but her tired body was not helping.
Opening her eyes, she rubbed them trying to wake herself up. Her eyes roamed around to find Manik but he was nowhere to be seen. She cursed him again for disappearing when he knew she couldn't leave Aashi alone. Aashi was sleeping with her head on Nandini's lap while Nandini sat leaning on tree. Jas was fast asleep while Aryan could be seen sitting in dark end. As her eyes roamed to find her father, a development hit that hard that Nandini almost skipped her breath.
Her father.
He was not around. Nandini's head snapped in each direction to find him but he was not there. Nandini tapped Aashi's arm frantically to wake her up. Aashi opened her eyes while Nandini made her sit.
"Papa," Nandini called while Aashi tried to find what was wrong.
"Aashi, my father" Nandini asked not knowing what to do. She ran from one direction of light to other but he was nowhere.
Aashi too walked to Aryan to wake him up. Jas was up till now. He too looked around to know what the hullabaloo was about.
"What's wrong?" He asked trying to open his eyes.
"Jas, Did you see my father?" Nandini asked holding his arms. To which jas shook his head.
"Papaaaa," Nandini yelled forgetting how quiet of night would echo her presence.
Her eyes welled up and breaths went short as reality dawned. Mr Murthy was not around. She didn't bother to wait any further and ran into the direction which called her more. But before, she could go any further, her steps were halted with sound of a gunfire.
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Echo of gunfire reached Manik's ears who was sitting by a creek. His spine didn't take second to convey him how something was severely wrong. He was on his feet next moment running towards the bonfire like one mad man. As he took one haste turn in that green maze, his shoulder collided with someone and next he found himself on ground. As he got up and saw who was it, his mind went numb. Mr Murthy was on ground trying to get up on his feet. He gaped him trying to draw line between reality and dream. Was it some nightmare?
What he was doing there?
Manik's mind repeated the question over and over till his feet worked again leaving the rationality behind. He left Mr Murthy behind not being able to think at all.
"Nandini," He shouted on top of his voice while his feet ran as fast as they can. Thoughts of dark were clouding his sanity and he didn't stop until he reached the bonfire.
It was just few woods burning.
There was no one around.
No one.
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A dirty tavern, pungent smell of liquor, some hoity-toity laughs; Nandini and Aashi stood in corner trying to count their breaths. It was one tacky calculation. They didn't know what that place was and who were those men. Few minutes back, They along with Jas and Aryan were seized from forest by these men. These men took the buys somewhere while they brought Nandini and Aashi to tavern. Nandini pushed back tears her eyes were forming thinking about her father and Manik. She didn't want to look weak in front of those men. One of them got up his chair and walked to them. Aashi clutched Nandini's hand tightly while Nandini too a deep breath readying herself for whatever was coming her way. She was sure she would tackle it when her heart was racing the death race.
That man ogled Nandini from tip to toe while Nandini scrunched her nose feeling the disgust. Aashi had gripped Nandini's hand so tight that blood stopped from flowing in her fingers.
"Interesting, Isn't it?" That man uttered leered at Nandini. He leaned in while Nandini looked away. Smell of alcohol tingled Nandini's nose and she felt like throwing up. That man brushed his fingers against Nandini's wisps which were falling on her face.
"Who had thought our prowlers were this beautiful. His fingers tried to touch Nandini's cheek and Nandini jerked his hand instinctively.
"We have a fierce kitten," That man mocked while his companions laughed.
Nandini glared him as sharply as she could. She wasn't much sure where this was heading but she knew she had to stand her ground. Aashi's trembling body was conveying enough.
"I am taking her," That man announced and grabbed Nandini's hair in his fist to drag her. That sudden pull deprived Aashi from required support and she came down trembling like leaf. She fainted while Nandini panicked seeing her lying on ground. All men stopped giggling while Nandini shook Aashi. Her flesh was hot and sweat had taken over her soft skin.
"Man with him served dictator," One of their servant informed. Aryan walked in seconds later wearing a fake smug. His lies weren't lies completely. He once served to army of that dictator.
"Let go of my family. We wanted refuge for few days, that's all," Aryan said after a conversation with a man who seemed to be in-charge for now. That man nodded to others while a thick silence played in background.
Aryan walked to Nandini and grabbed Aashi while Nandini turned to man who had grabbed her hair harshly. Pushing him with all her might, she said, "Don't ever touch me again." That man seemed to take the insult as none of peers spoke up. Ayan had fed some effective lies to them for now.
She followed Aryan totally being messed head. She couldn't understand what had happened in past few minutes. She had lost her father in forest, Manik was nowhere. Aashi was unconscious. A man had tried to molest her.
Her head spun and she closed her eyes. Gaining her balance, she followed Aryan who carried Aashi in his arms.
Nandini hadn't felt that caged ever. It was an alternate tophet which brought traumas she had never felt before. She wasn't sure how she managed to be the way she was few minutes back in that tavern.
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HIGHLY UNEDITED*
And
Happy Birthday @ZaraKhann <3 <3 Wishing you all the love. <3