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Chapter One
‘Stand aside inspector. You don’t want the kid to die,’ roared Qureshi.
‘You bastard, you sick bastard, leave the kid,’ Ajay felt his anger pounding up.
‘Drop your gun, you B^#*ch*d,’ Sajan was trying to hold his gun in his sweaty hands.
‘No, you drop your guns. You can’t touch me now.’ Qureshi laughed maliciously, ‘Commissioner, order your men to drop their arms.’
‘My child…’ the girl’s mother was wailing, and Sajan was holding her back.
The commissioner ordered his men to back away, ‘Back away, drop your weapons.’ The constables put their arms down. Then he turned to Ajay. ‘Let him go Ajay. We can’t put the child’s life in danger.’
Ajay wasn’t listening. There were a hundred thoughts going on in his head. I can’t shoot him in the leg or torso, he’ll kill the kid. I have to shoot him in the head, turn him off like a switch. But the don was holding the child as a shield.
‘Give it up, Qureshi. Its over’ Sajan tried to negotiate.
‘No… you’re finished. Once I’m through with this, I’ll wipe off your entire family’ Qureshi laughed insanely.
Ajay’s mind was teeming with thoughts. Mass-murderer! The only thing that gave this man power – fear! The fear of losing one’s life. The fear of losing one’s family. The fear of losing everything one knew!
‘Don’t shoot, Ajay, let him go,’ the commissioner was trying to convince him.
But Ajay was lost. His mind was elsewhere. The testimonies of the victims. The old man who saw his entire kin shredded to bits. The mother who was forced to watch her daughter raped repeatedly. The father who showed the photographed of his four sons who were mutilated and murdered. The three-year old who was left at the mercy of Qureshi the pedophile…
‘No! you swine.. Qureshi, you son of a whore.. you’re dead meat.. you’ll not leave this place alive!’ Ajay’s anger was as though he was going to explode. Everyone was stunned.
Voices sounded so distant. The commissioner’s (‘Drop your gun Ajay, that’s an order’). Sajan’s (‘You can’t escape, Qureshi.’) Time slowed down.
Take the chance, Ajay. You’ve never missed. You’ll never miss. Voices within him spoke, Egg him, egg him so much that he’ll point his gun at you. Then you can nail him. Shoot him. Finish him. He’s too dangerous to be left alive.
‘You pimp.. you beast.. You’re a mother-_____’ Ajay spat out. He could see the don getting restless. That malicious grin had faded from his face.
Remember the testimonies, Ajay. You know about the cases that even the press did not carry. Remember six months of hard work. Remember the victims. Remember the old man. Remember the mother. Remember the father. Remember the three-year old…
‘Qureshi, you motherf___ing piece of shit, you pedophile. I even heard you f___ your own daughters..’ Ajay made his final move.
‘Aargh’ Qureshi pointed the gun at Ajay and pulled his trigger in a fit of rage. But he gave enough time for Ajay to pull his.
Bang! Bang! Two simultaneous shots!
The bullet hit Ajay in his arm. He felt it, but there’s was no pain.
Almost the same time, Qureshi and child fell back. Qureshi gave a loud cry which registered a hit.
Ajay knelt down, and pressed hard to stop his bleeding, still clutching his handgun. People began to crowd over the fallen don. Then he heard the commissioner, ‘He’s gone.’ He was pale as a ghost.
Ajay gave a sigh of relief. He didn’t miss. The Don is finished once and for all.
‘Call the ambulance,’ Sajan told a constable. That made Ajay look at him.
Something wasn’t right. Sajan was staring at the don. There was concern on his face. Something wasn’t right.
The girl’s mother was pleading to Sajan who was holding her back, ‘please let me go, I want to see my daughter.’ Sajan paused for a moment and let her go.
Suddenly Ajay felt his wound throbbing. He could smell his blood. There was pain. He clutched his wound even harder, letting go of the pistol. There was more pain.
A woman’s high-pitched wail pierced the air. Ajay raised his head. An unfamiliar fear rose in him. He saw Sajan walking towards him. ‘What’s wrong, Sajan?’ Ajay asked eagerly.
‘The paramedics are on their way. Stay calm,’ Sajan replied.
‘I’m okay,’ Ajay spoke through his teeth.
‘It’s not for you.’
‘What? Did.. did I.. miss?..’
‘You didn’t miss. Qureshi’s dead.’ Sajan knelt beside him, ‘the little girl..’
Ajay just stared in horror.
‘Your bullet passed through her body first.. There’s only a slim chance she may live..’
‘Slim chance?! What slim chance?’ the commissioner screamed at the top of his lungs, ‘You killed the kid, you psycho!! I told you not to shoot.’ He was quivering with rage at the death of the don.
Ajay felt darkness creeping into his eyes.
‘Enough sir, you’re not helping the situation,’ Sajan spoke to the commissioner. He made no attempt to disguise the anger in his voice.
‘Don’t give me that tone! Should I sing a lullaby to a child-killer?’
‘You’re upset that you can’t pay the electricity bill of your three crore house anymore..’
‘How dare you..’
‘Or maybe you’re scared that Qureshi’s brother will take you down ‘cause you assured him safety..’
Things were going very differently in Ajay’s mind. You killed a child, Ajay. You’re no different from them. You’ve become what you hated. You’re a child-killer!
Someone in the crowd shouted, ‘Murderer.’
Ajay fell forth and vomited. He passed out. The last thing he felt was the warmth of his colleague's arms trying to pull him up.
