(Click here to read from the beginning)
Chapter Three
A Bad Dream
Ajay was having a strange dream.
He was falling into a deep dark pit. He hit the ground hard. Then a hideous black creature with huge wings pulled him up. It had golden teeth and started to laugh loudly. It took Ajay in both its hands and shook him.
He wanted it to stop.
The creature laughed and shook him.
Make it stop. Please.
The laughter faded away gradually. The shaking did not.
It took Ajay a few seconds to realise he was awake. He was lying face down. The ground beneath him shook violently. There was an eerie dim light.
Then he heard unclear voices in the background.
‘You are not supposed to take them.’
‘Aw shut up, Surya. The spoils of war belong to the soldiers of fortune.’
‘Actually it belongs to the king.’ A third voice.
‘Stop it Abdul. We need some incentive.’
‘Just behaving like some goddamn bandit!’
‘Abdul, you’re a Sagittarian right? Take this. It’s a turquoise. Lucky for Sagittarians.’
‘Ha. Proved lucky for Altaf, didn’t it?’
‘Huh boys. I think he’s awake.’
There was a long pause. The voices seemed focussed on him.
The shaking ground beneath and the throbbing of an engine made Ajay realise he’s in a moving truck. He strained his eyes to get a view of the insides of the vehicle. But the lone light bulb above seemed to shed its light only on him.
‘You okay?’ Surya’s voice.
Qureshi’s men kidnapped him, but didn’t kill him. That meant one thing. It’s gonna be a torture fest before his body ends up on the shore of some beach.
‘Kill me you sons-of-bitches. I’m only happy I killed that scumbag Qureshi.’ Ajay muttered under his breath.
Ajay could see the dark silhouettes of three men sitting over what seemed like wooden crates. One of the dark figures rose and moved towards him. As it neared towards the light, Ajay saw the gurkha khukri in the man’s hand.
He knelt beside him.
‘Sorry we got busy with other stuff. My name is Anil and you’re safe.’ He spoke as he cut off the yellow rope that bound Ajay’s hands.
Anil stood up and pushed a button on the wall. A couple of lights filled up the room. It hurt Ajay’s eyes. He turned on his back to have a look at where he was.
The inside of the truck was painted in white, with a black floor. It didn’t have much except for a pink bath tub, a tool box, some wooden crates, a few garbage bags, and three men.
‘You were the one at the airport, the one who phoned me,’ Ajay blurted out as soon as his eyes fell on Anil. ‘You must belong to Qureshi’s rival gang!’
‘Nope, just a friend. And don’t worry about Q number two. We packed him.’ Anil tossed him something which Ajay caught with his hand.
He took a look at it. It was small block of yellow metal, resembling... a tooth! Ajay threw it away in disgust. In one corner he saw what he thought were five garbage bags. They were body bags.
‘What do you want? And who are you?’
Abdul who was sitting on the crate and studying Ajay through his round reading glasses, asked the next question. ‘Why did you resign from your post?’
Neither one bothered to answer the other’s questions.
‘You can call me Abdul. If you want to continue working...’
‘..I don’t wanna work. What I do is none of your business! And I am not supposed to be here.’
‘You can work with like-minded fellows. No interfering superiors. No primitive weapons. No unnecessary paperwork. No limits of the khaki. How’s that?’
Ajay became aware that Abdul wasn’t talking about his police job.
Abdul continued, ‘How about we pay you double your salary. Good incentives. Good promotions. Paid holidays. Basically the same job, service to the nation.’
What the f**k is he talking about?
‘We just need your dedication. But no honours, no fame, no medals, no press conferences. You might be getting an idea now.’
Ajay stood up. But he was blank.
‘Well, you had a rough night and already you are a bit sloshed. I’m sure you will be having a lot of questions tomorrow.’ Abdul placed an envelope in his pocket.
The truck took a halt. The man known as Surya spoke, ‘Take your time kid. But in either case, don’t talk to anyone about this.’ Surya must be forty and seemed like a man who had forgotten to smile. He had a thick notebook in one hand.
Anil dimmed the lights and pushed open the doors. Abdul helped Ajay get down from the truck. They were back in front of Ajay’s house.
Ajay with some difficulty walked to the door of his house. The truck moved on. He watched it till disappeared round the corner. He stepped inside his house. The living room was spotlessly clean. No blood. No sign of a struggle. Ajay sank into his sofa and slept.
The clock in the living room showed 3 o’ clock.
(Supposed to be continued, but in all probability, won't be.)
