You will never know how strong you are...
until being strong is the only choice you have.
Nitin reached Vikram's mansion along with his suitcase dressed in a dark suit on top of his usual jeans and looking very dashing. It was beginning to drizzle again so he wore a long trench coat on top as well.
He was glad to see that Vikram was all alone in his living room.
"Come Nitin, I was waiting for you. Are we all set" Vikram asked cheerfully.
"VikramJi I am glad to see that you are not nervous. Yes, I am all ready to go." Nitin was finding his cheerfulness a bit disturbing.
"You got the guns, right?" Vikram asked him again smiling.
"Ye....s. I would like to go over the procedure once again with you just to refresh your memory."
"OK let's do it. But why are you dressed up like a "Wilayati Babu" Trench Coat and all that? Have you forgotten that this is India?" Vikram laughed at his own joke.
Nitin removed his Trench coat and laid it on the chair and proceeded to remove the guns from the suitcase.
He removed three guns, all similar looking ones and showed Vikram the bullets inside.
"As I said yesterday night, this is the fake gun that I will be carrying. And these two are the real guns that you will be carrying. We don't have bullets to load, that's why I got two guns for you so that, if you run out of bullets in one, just throw it and use the other. All clear so far?" Nitin paused.
"Yes absolutely clear. So, we both will be going in separate cars to the prison, you will join the rest of Kamal's guard, and I follow you behind at a distance. We wait till we reach the narrow strip of road near the steel factory, and attack the police van. We will kill all the police guards except one, to bear witness for you. I then try to capture Kamal, all of you try to flee.
You even try to shoot me with the fake gun, but I will get my revenge by killing Kamal. My getaway would be waiting just next to the steel factory, and I escape through that. You and the other guard would try to chase me and fail. Don't worry, I have got it all memorised here. I have done this kind of spot killings before, I just find it amusing being told what to do by a police officer." Vikram chuckled loudly.
Nitin joined his laughter and was glad that Vikram was taking things easy.
"Let me go outside and tell my secretary not to disturb me for the next few hours." Vikram left Nitin inside, and was back after few minutes.
"VikramJi, you are not carrying any other guns right? I know how temperamental you are, I just don't want any mishaps when we are out there." Nitin asked casually.
Vikram face turned ugly with fury in a flash.
"Do you want to frisk me now police officer?" He asked, seething with fury.
"No Vikramji, I just want to be clear on our task at hand, that's all. We need to trust each other today, otherwise this is not going to work out. Let me show you." He opened his jacket and emptied his trouser pockets and turned around making it clear that he was not carrying anything other than the fake gun. He kept both hands in his pockets again, looking at Vikram as if waiting.
Vikram sulkily emptied his pockets too, and made it clear that he was not carrying any other firearms.
"No I am not carrying any gun, but I am wearing my bullet proof vest just as you suggested, although why do I need to wear it, if you are the one using fake gun I don't know." Vikram sneered.
"Vikramji it is not for me, but in case one of the police guards shoots you accidentally, what then? Your safety is paramount for me. Please trust me on this." Nitin said sincerely.
Vikram Chaudhary calmed down, and wrapped his right arm around Nitin and took the fake gun in his left hand, examining it.
"Of course I trust you Nitin, but I don't trust guns. Tell me once again, what happens when you shoot with this fake gun?"
"The bullet just pierces the skin a bit, and there is a red blood like liquid inside the bullet which bursts, creating the impression of bullet wound. That's all, no harm done." Nitin explained with a smiling face.
Vikram pulled the trigger on the fake gun and shot Nitin in his left arm. His body shuddered a bit, but Nitin didn't flinch nor the smile vanished from his face. He took out his right hand from the jeans pocket and rubbed it against the wound through the jacket. He then showed the blood like red liquid on his fingers to Vikram.
"See Vikram ji it's perfectly safe."
"Hmm good I am relieved now. Let's go." Vikram handed over the fake gun to Nitin.
Nitin picked up his trench coat in his left hand and carried the suitcase with guns in his right hand. Vikram walked leisurely ahead of him with free arms, and they both left the mansion through a rarely used backdoor, where Nitin parked his police van and another spare car of Vikram was parked.
Nitin gave the two guns to Vikram and carried the fake gun with him. Vikram started his car and after a delay, Nitin started his Police Van too, and they both drove quickly towards the prison where Kamal was currently imprisoned. A white utility van, parked some distance away discreetly followed them. Shyam was driving the car and Ajay sat next to him, while the two security guards were sitting at the back.
Nitin asked Vikram to wait in a by lane while he proceeded to the prison in his van. It was raining again now. Nitin parked the police van outside the prison and wore his trench coat pulling it up all the way. He stumbled a bit near a muddy pool outside, and then slowly walked inside. He completed all the formalities and handcuffed Kamal. Along with Kamal and two other guards, he hopped into a police van. Two more guards hopped into the van Nitin came in, which then proceeded its journey to the high security Prison. The main police van carrying Kamal followed the other van.
Vikram's car and the white utility van followed the police cars discreetly behind.
Inside the Police Van both the guards sat on either side of Kamal, who was still handcuffed and Nitin sat opposite to him.
Kamal looked at Nitin appraisingly. Nitin was already little bit wet and from the rain and one of the guards offered him a handkerchief to wipe himself. His hands were trembling a bit as he wiped himself but he was otherwise normal.
"So Kamal Sir, finally, we are going to the high security prison. Are you feeling relieved?" He asked him casually.
Kamal gave a scathing look at Nitin and didn't answer.
"Hmm OK that's fine if you don't want to talk. Driverji can you play some movie songs if you can? It is a long drive, and I get bored."
"Sorry Sir there are no song CD's here." The Driver replied.
Nitin closed his eyes groaning, and bit his lips.
One of the guards asked him enthusiastically.
"Sir! Do you love Hindi movies and songs? Who is your favourite hero?"
"The one and only Amitabh Bachchan. He is a legend and his movies are blockbusters but my favourite movie is Namak Halal." Nitin said loudly while yawning, as he stretched himself.
Blood drained from Ajay's face as he listened to Nitin's voice on the Nasscom receiver device. He looked at his friend Shyam who was busy manoeuvring the van through the traffic on this rainy day.
Ajay started dialling his phone in panic.
****
The van carrying Nitin and Kamal and the other guards took a sharp right turn, and entered the narrow stretch of road parallel to the steel factory, but their other van in the front was nowhere to be seen. The Driver alerted Nitin and the guards immediately about this. Nitin asked him to stop the Van and asked everyone to get down.
Kamal was panicking. "Please remove my handcuffs, if something happens, I can't even defend myself in this." He pleaded with Nitin.
"I am here to protect you, nothing will happen to you under my protection. I promise." Nitin assured him, as he and the guards slowly got down from the van. They moved cautiously towards a small by lane, to see if their police van had gone that way.
Just then Vikram's car took the sharp turn into the narrow road and was speeding towards them. Kamal saw Vikram in the car and shrieked in terror.
Nitin and the other police guards heard this, and rushed back towards their Van. Vikram's car was just few feet away from their van now.
Vikram dashed out of the car and first shot at both the police guards, and they collapsed clutching their wounds. Nitin hopped in the front seat with the driver, and shouted at him to get away from there, as fast as he could.
Vikram tried to shoot at Kamal a few times but the bullets went astray. Seeing the van speeding away, he went back to his car and followed the police van at crazy speed.
The driver of the police van panicking, but not as much as Kamal at the back. He kept banging at the partition to the drivers compartment, and pleading with Nitin to release his handcuffs.
The driver blindly turned the vehicle into a narrow lane, but it was a fatal mistake as it looked like a dead end. There was an old tall rickety gate at the end. Nitin cursed himself freely. He asked the driver to plough the van through the gate no matter what happens. As the heavy van ploughed the gate, it gave away, and they entered the compound of an abandoned building, which looked like the old refinery of the steel factory. The front glass pane of the Van and the headlights were shattered to pieces due to the impact, leaving both the driver and Nitin in vulnerable position.
Due to the heavy rain and dark clouds, it was very dark in there.
As Nitin and Driver looked desperately around for any hiding place, Vikram's car ploughed through the gate as well. Seeing this, the driver started the van again speeding forward not knowing where he was going.
Shortly Vikram's car overtook the heavy van and the driver was forced to stop the van.
Neither Vikram nor Nitin noticed this, but Ajay, along with Shyam and two security guards parked their car some distance away, and ran discreetly towards the abandoned refinery compound.
Vikram got out of the car, and pointed the gun at both Nitin and the driver and asked them to come out.
Nitin stumbled out from one end, almost losing his balance, while the driver stepped down in terror at the other end.
Vikram shot the driver swiftly, and he collapsed on the ground in a heap.
"Vikram I am warning you, please don't do this. You will be hanged to death if you are caught in a murder. This Kamal is not worth it, he is going to be hanged anyway. Please don't do this." Nitin shouted into the rain, now illuminated by the headlights from Vikram's car.
"OK enough of this drama now Nitin, handover Kamal to me" Vikram roared.
Kamal tried to open the back door desperately with his handcuffed hands and finally managed to open them.
The moment he was out of the van, he ran blindly away from the van, and Vikram tried to shoot at him again, only to realise that he was out of bullets. He took the other gun out and tried to chase Kamal, but Nitin stood in his way protecting Kamal. They almost reached the building wall now and there was nowhere to go.
"What the hell is this Nitin, this was not part of our plan, get out of my way." Vikram shouted.
"Noooo Please Vikram." Nitin shouted and he plunged his hand towards Vikram, trying to grab his gun but Vikram shot him in the arm. Nitin clutched on to his left arm, groaning and finally collapsed to the ground.
Vikram slowly marched towards the panicking Kamal and reached him in couple of strides.
"Vikram Please don't do this, you and I go back a long way. Whatever I did, I did it on your command. Please I beg you. We can still get out of this mess if we work together." Kamal pleaded with folded hands.
"Yes Kamal, even I thought that way about you. Because we do go back a long way, you were my most trusted aide. How many murders of mine have you helped to cover up, how many times I wished for some evidence to disappear and you made that happen for me.
And I made you the richest man in your profession. But what did you repay me with? Murder of my brother!!!" Vikram slapped hard on Kamal and he stumbled backwards and hit the wall.
Nitin was groaning and slowly trying to get up from his position. Vikram noticed this out of the corner of his eye, and didn't wish to waste any more time.
Just the way Kamal shot at his brother Pratap, he aimed his gun at Kamal's forehead and shot him, as Kamal looked on helplessly.
Kamal prayed to God, so this was the way his life is going to end, and that too in the hands of a lowlife criminal like Vikram. That was his last thought as he closed his eyes
The bullet hit his forehead and oozed blood. Is he dead he wondered? Because he could still feel the rain falling on his body.
Vikram saw that the fake blood that came out of the bullet, got washed away in few seconds and Kamal was still standing intact.
Vikram's mind cleared finally and he understood how he had been tricked.
His blood boiled at the treachery of Nitin, and he lunged himself on to Kamal and tried to strangle him.
Just then the whole area was illuminated by powerful headlights. Uniformed police surrounded Vikram and held him hostage tightly, while ACP Vinod Bhatt walked in along with S I Sarang and Constable Ramesh carrying a top end video camera.
"Have you caught everything on camera Ramesh ?" Sarang asked, and Ramesh answered YESSS gleefully.
"Vikram Chaudhary, I am arresting you for the attempted murder of Kamal Chaudhary and for all the previous crimes Kamal gave evidence against you." Sarang handcuffed Vikram, as he roared and struggled to free himself from the clutches of the police surrounding him.
The relief on Kamal's face was immense. He dazedly walked towards Nitin, as he was still struggling to get up, and helped him stand up.
"Thank you, thank you for everything. I am sorry I misunderstood you."
As Vikram was in custody now, Ajay and Shyam slowly made their way towards Nitin and Kamal.
Just then, there was a huge blare of different sirens and an ambulance followed by armoured police car belonging to the DIG entered the compound.
Nitin was still locked in gaze with Vikram as he was hurling abuses and shooting venomous glances at him, struggling to free himself from the grips of the policeman holding him.
As Vikram saw Ajay along with Kamal, his two arch enemies, safe and sound, something snapped inside his head.
Just when everyone's attention momentarily turned towards the DIG's car and the Ambulance, Vikram grabbed the gun of SI Sarang and started shooting at Kamal and Ajay.
Ajay lunged forward trying to shield Kamal, but something heavy got in his way, and he fell on the ground with a thud. Bullets were still grazing past and something hit him, piercing red hot irons in to his body, and all he could hear was someone groaning loudly
"Cheeku"
His lips quivering, he called out "Bhai".
Ammu's face flashed before him, and the last thought on his mind was that, he couldn't be lucky twice.
Then everything went blank for him.
^-------^
I sincerely don't want to make any concluding remarks for this chapter because I would prefer you, as readers, explore what this story has been telling you so far and make your own conclusions.
This is the end chapter of climax/twist whatever you call it. Please vote for it if you like it.
More than ever before, I await your comments and feedback. Please don't curse me. hahaha
Love Sesi