Arya sat inside his car, frozen like a stone statue. His vehicle was stalled right in the middle of the road, and the blaring horns from the cars behind him tore through his eardrums like an endless roar. But Arya heard nothing. His eyes were fixed on that turn in the road where Lucky had just vanished. His entire body was drenched in sweat, and his fingers gripped the steering wheel with a violent Tremor. Only one vision kept looping in his mind—Lucky's running figure. The boy he had last seen on that horrific night had suddenly passed before him today like a ghost.
With trembling hands, Arya picked up his phone. Sweat was dripping onto the screen, making it incredibly difficult to dial the number. He abruptly wiped the screen with his shirt sleeve and dialed Vikas's number. His heartbeats felt desperate to tear through his chest and burst out.
On the other side, in a posh city apartment, a different kind of devastation was unfolding in Vikas's life. Vikas's phone was vibrating loudly on the center table, but he was in no position to pick it up. His wife, Shalini, stood before him holding a bank passbook and some torn bills, her eyes burning with a fire of hatred.
"Vikas, I want an answer today! Where did those two million rupees go that you withdrew last week?" Shalini's voice echoed through the house like a piercing alarm. "The school van driver was shouting outside the house yesterday in front of the whole neighborhood. My dignity has been dragged through the mud in front of the neighbors, Vikas. What exactly are you doing? Are you putting whatever is left of your life at stake again with that Arya? Tell me the truth, or I will lose my mind today!"
"Shalini, shut up! My head is already about to explode," Vikas screamed. His face was flushed with rage and an unknown tension. "Do you think money grows on trees? I've put that money into a very important investment. Everything will come back when the time is right, just have some patience."
"Time? What time, Vikas? And what patience?" Shalini slammed the passbook onto the table with all her might. "You've been reciting this same scripted dialogue for the last two years. You sold all my jewelry, even pawned the last ornaments my mother gave me, and now the bank is threatening to auction the house because the installments have stopped. You are a failure! You only know how to talk big, but in reality, you are a hollow man who has brought his family to the streets. I hate thinking that I married an irresponsible and deceitful man like you. You are a liar of the highest order!"
Vikas's temper hit the ceiling. He picked up a heavy water jug from the table and smashed it onto the floor. Thousands of glass shards scattered near Shalini's feet. "Watch your tongue, Shalini! All you care about are these pieces of paper and money. Have you ever asked what kind of mental pressure and terror I am living in? Day and night, I get calls from creditors who threaten to kill me and you. Who am I doing all this for? For you and the kids! And you? You only know how to spew poison from morning to night. Living with a bitter woman like you is no less than a punishment in hell! You have made my life miserable!"
"I and my children are the ones suffering the punishment!" Shalini began to sob uncontrollably, beating her fists against her chest. "You and that friend of yours, Arya—you both haven't just ruined your own lives; you're going to sink us too. I suspect you guys are trapped in some huge, filthy crime. Your eyes... they always have the fear of a criminal in them. You don't sleep peacefully at night; you smoke cigarette after cigarette and hunt for some shadow outside the window. What are you hiding from me? Have you committed some sin for which we are being punished?"
Vikas's heart skipped a beat. Shalini's bitter words were hitting very close to the truth. In a fit of rage, he brushed off Shalini's hand and moved forward to pick up his phone, which was now ringing for the fourth time. Shalini lunged and snatched the phone. "No! You won't talk to anyone today. Today, there will be a final decision. Either you give me an account of every single penny and tell me the truth, or I am leaving right now with the kids forever and going straight to the police station to expose all your black deeds!"
"Give the phone back, Shalini! I'll lose control and hit you!" Vikas roared. "It's Arya's call; there must be some major trouble."
"Trouble? His very life is a trouble!" Shalini tried to throw the phone toward the balcony, but Vikas lunged and twisted her hand. A violent scuffle broke out between the two in the room. Vikas snatched the phone with all his strength and pushed Shalini back, causing her to hit the corner of the sofa and fall to the floor. She began to sob hysterically, cursing him from the ground, "Die, Vikas! Even looking at your face is a sin! You will be destroyed!"
Panting, Vikas pressed the phone to his ear. As soon as he said 'Hello,' Arya's voice came from the other side, sounding as if he were speaking from the jaws of death.
"Vikas... listen carefully, Vikas! That blogger and Lucky have escaped!" Arya's voice carried a soul-shuddering dread and restlessness. "I just saw Lucky here on the road, and as soon as he saw me, he bolted like lightning.
It was as if all the blood had been drained from Vikas's body. The phone nearly slipped from his hand. Cold, sticky beads of sweat emerged on his forehead. "What... what are you saying, Arya? They escaped? How is that possible? Are you sure you saw correctly?"
"Yes, Vikas! It was Lucky, the same face! The moment he saw me, he ran as if he'd seen a ghost. He just disappeared into the labyrinthine alleys of the market here. Vikas, if they reach the police or if they make any video public, our game will be over forever! They are running, Vikas, we have to catch them!" Arya was screaming like a madman over the phone.
Darkness clouded Vikas's vision. Shalini, who had been screaming until a moment ago, suddenly went silent upon seeing the horrific desolation and terror on Vikas's face. She realized that something had happened that was now impossible to handle. Without a word, Vikas grabbed his car keys and ran out of the house like a maniac. Shalini kept crying and shouting behind him, "Vikas! Stop! Where are you going? Listen to me!" But Vikas could only hear Arya's warning.
Reaching the parking lot, Vikas started his car. His hands were shaking so violently on the steering wheel that he couldn't even turn the key properly. He slammed his foot on the accelerator, and the car screeched out of the parking lot with a sharp sound of burning rubber. The road was crowded with vehicles, but Vikas saw nothing. Only two names echoed in his mind—Lucky and that blogger.
"Follow them, Arya! Follow them! I'm coming!" Vikas yelled into the phone and threw it onto the seat. He began to push the car's speed insanely. 80... 100... 120... 140 km/h. He reached the middle of the city's busiest and widest road. Cars were passing from all sides, people were cursing him, honking, but Vikas's mind had gone completely numb. There was only one obsession within him—to stop them.
His entire existence trembled with the fear that Lucky and that blogger would now bring their truth before the world. He was racing his car like a predator in the middle of the road, while his past followed him like a shadow. The tension was so deep that he could hear his own heartbeat like a war drum. He felt that there was no way left to run; only one last attempt remained.
Vikas slammed the brakes hard in the middle of the road. The car stopped with a horrific screech. He was gasping for air, his eyes searching for a shadow on the road.