Kartik Khandelwal

“Again…” I had my arms on my eyes, so that I won’t be able to see a thing. I was lying on my bed, wearing the same coat-suit. The analog clock on the right of my bed stated the time twenty-two hours in its red sharp light. “Another death, and I wasn’t able to do a thing.”

“Every policeman and investigator says that they’re willing to give their lives, but they’re never tested like soldiers if they can actually do it or not.” “They all are like parrots, commanded to mutter those words without even thinking twice. But, in reality, they all think that it’s nothing but a nine-to-five job so that they can feed their families.”

“ARGH!” I turned my head on the left side towards the wall and sunk my head inside the white pillow in the corner. “STOP IT, YASHIKA! STOP IT!”

“I’m bound by my boundaries too.”--I remembered her saying.

“OKAY! BUT, I’M BOUND BY MY BOUNDARIES TOO!” I shouted and screamed on my bed. I suddenly remembered everyone’s faces. Everyone was standing in front of me in their usual clothes. “The cheerful and happy Richa, the cold-hearted Sonia, the usual man Mukesh, my friend Prakash, the afraid and still brave Ayush--all of them entrusted their lives and fates upon me, a-and I…” I suddenly remembered Ayush’s dead body, and then Mukesh when he raised his hand at me when suddenly something on fire fell on him. “I-I’m sorry. I-I should not have asked for such an investigation at the first place.”

“They all are like parrots, commanded to mutter those words without even thinking twice. But, in reality, they all think that it’s nothing but a nine-to-five job so that they can feed their families,” I heard her voice again.

“Never ever had I thought that someone’s words would leave such an effect on me,” I had a trembling smile for a second, which suddenly turned into another cry. “PLEASE! SOMEONE… SOMEONE SAVE ME FROM THIS MESS! I-I CAN’T WITHSTAND IT ANYMORE!”

“You’ve to,” I heard a feminine voice. I suddenly looked backward at the open door at the black woman figure whose clothes were lightened by the golden light coming from my house’s drawing-room. “… ‘Cuz y’are their savior.”

I breathed hard. “W-Whose savior?”

“The Murdered Faction, Kartik.”

“‘T-The Murdered Faction’?” The woman nodded. Then, she walked forward and revealed her face. She looked like a charming and strong woman. “R-Radhika…”

“Sorry for the unexpected invite. But, I was unable to wait more, you see.”

“W-What do you…”

“Lemme tell you something,” She said. “… something about Shekhar.”

Naina Sharma

Kavita was standing in the hall of her house. She still had a handkerchief in front of her eyes which were red and wet. A policeman, wearing the usual khaki uniform, walked at her from behind, with three to four different colored folders in hands, and said, “Ma’am, please read these papers and sign them. These are the papers of properties and other things.”

“Okay, I will,” She replied. He kept the on the sofa beside her and then left. She suddenly took out her phone and dialed a number. She kept her phone on her ear and breathed hard. “Hey, Manish?”

“W-What happened, sis?”

“Are you trembling? Are you okay, brother?”

“Y-Yes I am, didi,” He replied. “What’s the matter, by the way?”

“Ou-Our parents… Th-They…”

“Did they win the elections?! Whoa! Wait a minute, elections are in June, I suppose.”

“No, no, they didn’t win any election. In fact, they lost it this time.”

“‘Lost’? What ‘lost’?”

“T-They lose to the evil and gave up their lives.”

“S-Say it clearly, didi. And-And make it fast, I got no time,” The figure on the other side of the phone was sitting on ground against a wall, in front of which was another muscular man standing along with a whole gang of people.

“Do it fast, you dumbass,” One of them said.

“Didi… M-My friends were waiting for us to finish so we can con-continue with our studies.”

“O-Okay,” She covered her forehead with her hand in pain and replied, “I-I will tell it to you sometime else.”

“O-Okay.” The figure cut the call.

“Now, we’re gonna get some real fun!” One of the gang members said.

“Call Yash too. He’s from the same city, so he’d like to see it too!” Another one said.

“I’m here, guys!” They all turn behind, and see a face-less figure in the dark. It was raining quite heavily and it was very dark in the night. That figure opened his arms in the air and said, “I’ve never seen the gang rape of a boy in India. I hope I’d enjoy too!”

Kartik Khandelwal

“W-What do you want to tell me about Shekhar?” I asked her.

“He’s alive, and save too,” The woman replied in a straightforward manner. “Moreover, you’d be able to meet him in person very soon too.”

“W-Where’s he? How’s he? W-What happened to him at TES?”

“Nothing happened, but for now, just focus on what I have to say, Kartik.” He looked at me with eyes full of tears and determination, and nodded. “See, TES is changing, right? All through your investigation, I guess yu at least know the fact that something’s wrong with TES.”

“Yes, I suppose. TES I knew would never launch such an attack it did.”

“Even though it was overshadowed, it was a way through which The Murdered Faction of TES is trying to convey to the world that something’s wrong with the city. A terrorist attack with no whereabouts of the criminals is quite a fantasy, right? But you know why the police don’t know about TES?”

I gulped and asked, “W-Why?”

“It’s because half of the police is corrupted. The police, investigators, on-duty policemen, everyone is under the hands of TES. They are literally controlling the whole city right now.”

“Bu-But, what do you want to tell me?”

“I wanna tell you that,” She stopped for a second and tilted her head down. “Though I can’t be of much help as Shahnawaz, I just wanted to tell you that… I used to work at TES.”

“… And?” I asked. “Don’t forget I can still read your face, Radhika.”

“And…” She continued. “Nothing’s as it seems, Kartik. F-From now on, I’ll be with you and provide my assistance. And the first thing I wanna tell you is that nothing’s well in there. Th-There has been a ‘Civil War’ or something… between TES and The Murdered Faction. The attacks… an-and everything’s going crazy!”

“Wait, do you know how these attacks were implemented?” I asked. “Care to explain?”