The city of Prayamver was big. It stood on the banks of Kamari River, for over a thousand years and as a result underwent a lot of changes over the centuries. Once a trading city for the ships and boats that travelled up the river, it is now the country’s oldest and third largest city. Its rich history is visible to the naked eye as you travel through the city, the ends of which stretched for about twenty kilometers from the city centre.

Monica had the entire weekend off and she could not have asked for a better place to be in to spend her holidays. She arrived on Friday night and the taxi ride through the city from the train station to her hotel, which were about ten kilometers apart, took her through the most happening places in the city. It was everything she had heard about and looked exactly like how the photos depicted. Streets overflowing with traffic while the footpath was lined with shops and stalls, selling all kinds of stuff. People were everywhere as the city, even at eleven at night, was alive with lights from the streetlamps and stalls flooding every corner. Normally, Monica prefers quiet and calm places over happening places, but everyone like to take a break from normalcy.

Monica was excited to explore the city and see all its wonders. It seemed fate wanted her to do the same. The warehouse she was to visit had to be shut after a container they received was revealed to be infested with rats. The rats flooded the warehouse forcing them to shut down and clean-up over the weekend. While it was a disaster from the workers at the warehouse, it was a gift that Monica couldn’t say no to.

Monica, this time around, found herself a comfy room to stay in. The room was slightly larger than the ones she used stay in before. The single bed a soft spring mattress, something Monica had never got a chance to sleep on, and the entire room was painted bright tan and orange. She even got herself a window that overlooked the street below and not much else. The whole atmosphere was much brighter and cheerful than the usual dull brown rooms she used to get till now. That night, she slept like a princess.

By the time, she woke up in the morning, it had already been eleven. Sleep is something she valued above everything else, for it was something she got very little of. When one manages to get such days in their busy schedules, it is always a must for them to seize it. The room was brightly lit and having had months of cold monsoon weather, it was refreshing to finally see the sunshine so bright. She sat on her bed, half awake, wondering how she was going to seize the day. She wondered, weather to just spend the day in the room and relax by watching some movies, or to head into the city and explore one of the oldest cities in the world. She couldn’t make up her mind, so instead, decided to get some brunch first.

After her daily exercise routine, she made her way down to the basement of the hotel by the elevator. The hotel had setup a neat restaurant in the basement. Although all its menu items can be ordered up to the room, Monica decided to stretch her legs a little. The restaurant was smaller than expected but at the same time was pretty neat. The whole room was lit in a golden hue with about six four-seater sets neatly arranged in the small place. There was plenty of room between them for the waiters to move around. The wall was light on decor, one could observe a painting or two on each wall. When Monica walked in, there were just two families occupying the tables. She happily occupied an entire table, all by herself and went about ordering a family’s worth of food just for her.

After the fulfilling brunch, she returned to her room and ultimately decided to explore the city. The city was something special and she simply couldn’t miss out on that. She quickly put on one of her traditional clothes, a red traditional top, whose sleeves reached her wrists and a black legging accompanied by black sandals. Before long, she was down the elevator and out for a ride.

She stood outside the hotel on the footpath that laid before the hotel entrance. The sun was high in the sky and with a clear sky, its blistering heat turned the city hot and dry. The street before her was busy with lots of private vehicles going about their business. She had a list of places to visit, the first being a temple that sat on the banks of the river. A place her mother had wished to visit at least once. She looked around to find a taxi or three wheeled auto, but none appeared within her sight. She turned back to the doorman and asked for directions. He pointed her to her left, at the end of street. There, she found a line of taxis waiting for passengers.

The hotel was in the north part of the city while the temple sat on the riverbank, in the east quadrant. The taxi took an hour to weave through the peak hour traffic and reach her destination. The temple was gigantic, covering up to three acres of land. It had three dome structures towering the sky and labyrinth of pillars holding up the large roof under which lied the hallway where devotees entered to see the idols of the gods. The queue stretched through the temple and out into the open area. She took her place in the queue and it moved along pretty quickly. Before half an hour, she was through the temple, prayed to the god, and was out on the other side. The other side was a series of stone steps which led down to the river. Monica descended down the stair where many devotees were taking a quick dip before entering the temple. To her left was a short dock that led into the river where two boats sat. One was departing with people to its brim while the another was still docking.

She quickly hoped over and on to the boat which took her across the river to the other bank. The river was about four hundred meters wide and the water beneath her was slightly muddy. She spotted a few fishes swimming underneath the boat as it crossed the river, cutting across the current. The current wasn’t too strong, and one could easily swim across. However, they say it is now prohibited as it is still a risk to do so. On the other side was yet another series of temples lining the river.

Once she got off the boat, she walked along a narrow road that sat between two temples. It led to the main road where upon she called yet another taxi, to take her to the commercial street. As they drove away from the temples, the older part of the city began to fade away as it was replaced by the newer and modern buildings. The temples of the city are often considered to be the heart of the city, many of whom have stood their ground for centuries, surviving raids, pillaging, and even wars. As you moved away, you can see a timeline of the ages. Architecture from various time periods did not make the cut, but even now one can note its influences spread across the city. About five kilometers from the heart, the cityscape starts to change rapidly. Soon modern buildings with their new shapely cut edges dominate the skyline. However, the places in between them are still occupied by the humbler buildings. Here you won’t find cafe’s that serve latte and waffles but an assortment of various shops setup by middle to low-income citizens who are just trying to get by.

They made their way back to the city center where the city’s parliament and high court sat. It appeared to be the most well-maintained place in the entire city. Clean wide roads cut through green spaces and well-constructed office spaces. Eventually they left behind the modern part of the city as they travelled back north, closer to her hotel. They slowly entered the busier part of the city. This was the commercial quarter. Acres of land covered by small shops cut into pieces by thin roads where only one truck can drive through at a time. If there is anything you want and you want it for cheap, this was the place for you. They drove through heavy traffic as the sun seemed to slowly descend. They finally came to a stop before a complex. She got out of the taxi and paid him, sending him off to do business with someone else. She stood before the complex whose entrance was marked by a gigantic arc. It was filled with shops on every floor, most of which were clothing stores. It was brimming with people, and it seemed like the shops had no problem maintaining customers.

She took her own sweet time exploring all the shops in the building. Each one had plenty of designs to show and select from, making her feel like she was spoilt for choice. Yet, after an hour of window shopping, she ended up buying only one pair of clothing. A deep blue chudidar with matching pants and shawl. She exited the complex around five, when the sun was still up and the whole city was drenched in the orange of the sunset. She rolled up the dress and put it away in her handbag.

As the day was drawing to a close, she felt extreme hunger. She wondered if she should just return to the hotel but decided not to, instead look for some place to eat around the area. She looked for some famous spots in her place and the list was quite exhaustive. All she now needed to do was filter it out by what she felt like eating at the moment and within no time, she had a place to visit. Right beside the complex was a road, walking along which would lead to an intersection. Take a left and she would be there.

The roads were pretty well maintained compared to the building that surrounded it. It was two laned, with footpaths on both sides. The road was metalled and neat while the footpath was made of cement. It was broken in several places but not to the degree that made it unusable. The buildings on the other hand looked considerably aged. Looking at the faded paint and rustic look, she guessed they were at least two decades old.

As she walked on the right footpath, she heard faint sounds of some kind of squabbling. She was slowly approaching an entrance that immediately dropped into a fleet of wide staircase. She stopped before it and looked down to see a large land of what was essentially slum area. There was a small piece of land separating the front row of the slums from the stairs. It was there she saw a group of men thrashing someone on the ground.

Monica had quite some trouble maintaining the ‘mind your own business’ policy and today was no different. She found it hard to sit back and watch a helpless man getting thrashed by a gang like that. This was no private affair, they all seemed to belong to the same community. Others in the slums simply stood on the side and watch them. She gritted her teeth and quickly descended down the stairs.

“Stop it! Stop beating him!” Monica commanded. They didn’t listen and continued to kick him down. As soon as she reached them, she grabbed the first person she could and pull him away from the group saying, “I said stop!” Her voice was loud and sharp. The group hearing that quickly stalled their beating. The man on the ground remained motionless. His short yet shabby hair and beard free face told her he was more of a boy than a man. She found it hard to tell whether he was alive or not. “What did this man do?”

“Who are you?” asked the man right in front of her.

“What does that matter? I asked why you are beating this man bloody?” she asked.

“Listen, we don’t interfere in your business, you don’t interfere in ours. But if you really want to know, he tried to steal from one of our houses,” he replied.

“Stole? If he committed a crime, take him to police. Do not try to deliver justice on the street,” she said.

“Ha!” another man snorted, “and let them give him a free pass. We know we don’t get any justice from those bastards.”

“Right…” she knew well about the level of corruption in places, she had a front seat display of it once. “Even so, did you get everything he supposedly took? If so just take him to…”

“No,” a woman replied, she stood behind a makeshift wall, “he stole a golden ring. He still has it.”

Now that was a problem, but it was something she hoped to resolve peacefully, “well… that is a problem. Why don’t we first try and ask him nicely and see…” She felt something sharp cut into her right abdomen. She looked down to see the boy, who was a moment ago lying on the floor unconscious, was up on his knee. He held a knife with his strong arm, whose blade had just penetrated Monica’s abdomen. The others in the group quickly jumped back seeing him upon his feet.

“Get back!” the man in front of her shouted, “he is armed!”

The thief pulled the knife back out and immediately ran for it. No one stopped him as he ran up the stairs and disappeared into the street above. Monica meanwhile stood motionless. Her chest grew cold as her skin burnt hot. Cold sweat poured down her forehead. She didn’t feel pain at the moment, but the shock had kicked up her adrenaline, making her numb momentarily. She looked at the wound, which was pouring out blood, before looking back up at the men in front of her. Some of them looked at her horrified while others looked at her pitifully.

“I think I need to go to the hospital,” she told them before slowly turning around and walking away.

“We need to help her,” she heard someone say.

“Her? The one who was just defending a thief?” said another.

“You people are mad? She was just stopping you from killing him,” said a woman.

Her vision was turning blurry, her steps became shorter and shorter. ‘What is this?’ she asked herself. She had much worse wounds, but this felt different. ‘Was it poisoned?’ she wondered, ‘If it was, I am certainly going to die.’ Fear gripped her heart which seemed to make her feel even worse.

She reached the stairs while the people behind her continued to discuss the situation. She looked up to the entry and saw several people burst in. They ran towards her but when they reached, they didn’t touch her. Instead, they just continued past her. She noticed that many, if not all, were armed with thick wooden sticks and cricket bats. She turned around slowly to see the people of slum run into their homes as a fight erupted outside.

Her breathing got heavier as she tried to process the situation. But her head soon began to spin, she felt like the world was falling sideways. She was losing focus. Just as she seemed to lose control, her eye caught the faint resemblance of someone in the crowd. Someone, who just minutes ago drove a knife into her stomach. Suddenly, uncontrollable rage swelled up within her. Her brief moment of misery seemingly came to an end as her vision focused up. Her eyes flared blue as she furrowed her brows.

The boy never felt so happy as he did now. All his rage and pent-up hate was finally being put on display as he swung his bat like a mad man, hitting anyone that got caught in his gaze. “Didn’t find any better place than our homes assholes!” one man from the attackers shouted. Most of the slum people hid in their homes, with their doors shut. A few got caught, unable to flee, while a few others tried to protect those who couldn’t defend themselves. The attackers were relentless as they bashed and thrashed any person they could get hold off. The boy was enjoying the full display of hate when suddenly he felt someone grab onto his hair.

He screamed out in pain as he felt her drag him back by his hair. Grabbing on the hand that held him, he turned around to see the woman dragging him away. He swung the bat in his right hand at her face with all his might. However, before the bat could reach her, she threw him towards the stairs. He rolled on the muddy ground before slamming into the first row of concrete. He felt a sharp pain radiate from his back. As he tried to gather himself, he looked up to see her walking towards him. Using the bat, he tried to push himself up when she suddenly changed her pace. She ran towards him and delivered a powerful kick aimed at him gut. He slammed back onto the ground, curling in pain.

The fighting came to a stop, as the blood curling scream of the boy echoed through the place. They looked back to see a short woman man-handling the boy. “Who the hell is she?” asked of the attacker.

“She is the one who ruined the plan. Get her!” responded the other.

She turned around to see two men charging her at. She picked up the bat from the boy’s hand and threw at it at their feet. It travelled in the blink of an eye, smashing into one of the goon’s thighs. He lost his footing as he jetted forward before falling onto the ground with loud thud. The other goon stopped dead in his tracks, looking down at his comrade in shock.

“This is between me and that thief. You want to make it your problem, go ahead.” Her eyes were narrowed, and her eyebrows furrowed. She fierce eyes shuddered the assailants for a moment.

The goon’s exchanged looks before one of them said, ‘come on! It is just one girl!’

This appeared to hype up them up. The people from slum, who were trapped by the goons, used the opportunity to slip away. They retreated behind the wall of the first house in the row.

The boy slowly got up on his feet and quietly began to limp up the stairs while the goons charged at her.

‘Fine. Let’s do this,’ Monica grunted between her teeth. She turned around and grabbed the boy by his shirt before throwing him in the direction of the goons.

He crashed into the ground, right before their feet, bring them to a sudden stop. Monica pushed forward and sprinted towards the gang. In the blink of an eye, she was up in their faces. Closing her palm to make a fist, which she drove it into one of the goon’s guts causing him to fall to the ground with loud gasp.

Three of them leaped on her at once, this time catching her by surprise. They manage to hold onto her, one grabbed her legs, the other her right arm and the other her neck and left arm. They pinned her to the spot and began to drag her. Monica found herself stuck; her strength seemed to be wanning as she struggled to get out of their grip. She gritted her teeth and tried to pull herself out but was unable to.

They seemed to have found some success. They dragged her back to the ground and intending to tie her up but one of the goons made a crucial mistake. To keep her down, the one holding on to her right arm, delivered a punch straight at her wound. Monica cried out in pain, nearly having tears drop from eyes. Instead, she gritted her teeth and focused all her strength onto her right arm, breaking free from his grip. She immediately followed it up with punch square to his face. He fell back onto the ground, holding on to face as pain flared form the middle of his face, making it red. She used her free arm to grab the other who held her neck by his hair. She pulled his hair as hard as she could, forcing him to let go. He found himself in a real problem as she readied herself to seemingly break his neck. However, the goon holding her legs let go, causing her to fall to the ground. She quickly scuffled on the ground, trying to reach for the bat. Seeing her get hold of the bat, the gang quickly made a run for it.

She swung the bat wildly but missed everyone. She was on knees as she watched them run up the stairs and disappear into the street. “Bastards!” she screamed. The people of the slum, meanwhile, watched the whole affair from the side. Some of them wanted to help but did, while most others preferred to watch silently.

She got down on her hands and looked at the wound. Blood was pouring out from it. She wanted to cry from the pain which not felt like a hundred daggers had dug into her. She, nevertheless, half back her tears and got back on the feet. She turned back to see the people of the slum watching her silent. Taking just one step forward, she collapsed onto the ground and things slowly faded to black.

“What are you idiots looking at? Get her inside!” she heard a voice command.

“My madam, we don’t know she is,” said another voice.

“And how does that matter?” the voice replied.

She heard nothing after that.