"The worst of lust.....is Bloodlust."
The festival roared outside—men and women, young and old, all drowning in revelry. Joy surged in the streets, music and laughter tangled in the air. But none of it reached me. My heart was a stone in the flood of celebration.
I sat quietly on the cot, lost in a storm of thoughts. Sarla was going to die. Meera would be waiting. Soon, there would be commotion. Violence. And death.
Sumeet's coarse voice snapped me out of my trance.
"Why are you sitting here sulking?"
I looked up at him. "I don't feel like going out. Been carrying a headache since morning. I'd rather lie here and rest."
Sumeet grabbed my arm and pulled with a grin.
"Don't be so dramatic. It's just boredom. Outside, there's food, drinks, and plenty of beautiful girls. Come on, at least let's do a little peeping."
I grunted, irritated. "You go. Watch whoever you want. I'm better off alone."
He smirked knowingly. "Suit yourself. Rest well, brother."
Then he was gone.
Moments later, the door creaked open. Meera slipped in, shutting it softly behind her before turning the lock.
"What are you doing here?" I whispered.
She moved towards me, wrapping her warmth around my tired body. Her fragrance was temptation itself. I gave in and held her close. She kissed my forehead, her voice low and urgent.
"Sarla will be at the pond in five hours. Don't miss it. This is our only chance. Mathur Uncle and Abhinav will be there too."
I kissed her navel, half in desperation. "Why is life so hard?"
Meera's smile was a knife wrapped in silk. "Because death is easy."
She kissed my forehead once more and slipped out into the night.
I collapsed back onto the cot, closing my eyes. Sleep had become poison. Every dream was a nightmare. Yet exhaustion dragged me under, and soon I was lost again—trapped between hallucination and hell.
Abhinav was sitting at the table. Mr. Mathur was sitting adjacent to him. "Do you think he would be able to do that? He is shivering to his bones."
Mathur stuffed a coconut in his mouth. "It is not what seems on the outside that determines a man's capability. It is what he is inside. He is a brave person. He will do it if he determines to do it."
Abhinav bit a piece of bread. "Sarla has been really calm. I haven't seen him so calm ever. Something seems off. Like he is hiding something."
Mathur smiled. "Death brings a strange silence to everyone. Some wither while some don't. He is happy, and that means even God wants him to die." "Who is happy enough to die?"
A voice echoed. Mathur and Abhinav looked and saw Sarla standing there. Abhinav smiled. "Nothing. Just talking about goats. How calm they became before death."
Sarla narrowed his eyes. "Whatever. I was thinking that we should take the bath together. It's such an auspicious day, and bathing in the family pond would help cleanse all our sins. You lost a brother, and I lost a brother. If anything, we should bathe for the cleaning of our brothers' souls."
Abhinav smiled weakly. "It's okay. Avinash never believed in such things. He considered them superstitious."
Sarla pulled his arm. "And see where that has taken him." Abhinav felt silent. Sarla looked at Mathur. "Come and take a bath as well. You are getting old. You should incline towards religious rituals more often."
Mathur chuckled. "I am not that old. I have already taken a bath in the morning before everyone else."
"Whatever."
Sarla made a sound. He turned towards Abhinav. "Meet me in an hour."
He walked towards his room. Abhinav sighed. "I knew Sarla would do something awkward."
Mathur patted his shoulder. "It's okay. Your presence there would be great. You can see the work done properly."
Abhinav sighed. "Whatever."
The sound of crackers woke me up. I looked at the watch. It was almost dusk. I quickly walked outside and walked towards the pond. There was dead silence, and only the sound of ripples could be heard. I looked for a proper position to aim my gun. Abhinav brought a very sophisticated sniper, which took about ten minutes to assemble. I found a tree nearby and climbed up on it. The place was not that good, and keeping myself and the gun steady was a tough job on its own. I placed the barrel and wrapped my legs around the branch like a snake. The weather was getting colder, and my body started to shiver. Cold sweats formed on my forehead. I looked through the scope, but Sarla and Abhinav were still not there. It was pretty boring there. For some reason, boredom was troubling me more than fear. About half an hour later, Abhinav and Sarla appeared. "Why has Abhinav come here?" I muttered. Abhinav looked around and raised his hand as a signal that they were ready to enter the water. I put my finger around the trigger and waited for the right moment. Sarla dipped, Abhinav dipped, Sarla dipped, Abhinav dipped, and finally Sarla dipped thrice. I had to take the shot as soon as Abhinav dips. Sarla emerged, and I took the shot. The recoil was so hard that I lost control and fell out of the tree. The sound of the gunshot echoed, and soon the sound of people running could be heard. I slowly crawled away and hid inside a pit dug the day before. I hid the gun in the pit and crawled towards the end of the tunnel. As expected, the place was empty, and I soon got out of the tunnel and ran into my room. I quickly changed clothes and took a bath. I had no time to think about visiting the spot of murder, as Meera must be waiting for me. I quickly rushed towards the spot.
The air was cold and emotionless. I looked around, my voice trembling.
"Meera? Where are you? I'm here! Where are you?" I shouted into the silence.
No response.
I wandered from tree to tree, hoping I had mistaken the place. The forest stood still, indifferent to my desperation. My legs grew heavy, my breath shallow. Defeated and exhausted, I finally returned to my room.
As I closed the door to change my clothes, a sudden, frantic knocking made me freeze. My heart pounded. I opened the door — Sumeet stood there, his face pale and shaken.
"What happened?" I asked grimly.
"Abhinav is dead," he said, voice breaking. "So is Mathur Uncle."
"What?" The word tore from my throat as a scream. "What are you talking about?" I grabbed his collar, shaking him in disbelief.
"It's true," he stammered. "Someone shot Abhinav while he was bathing. People rushed to the pond after the gunshot... and in the chaos, someone slit Mathur Uncle's throat."
My mind went blank. "Meera?" I managed to whisper.
Sumeet panted. "I didn't see her."
He took off down the corridor, bumping into Mukesh, who was hurrying toward the main hall. I followed them, my steps unsteady, and stood at the farthest corner of the room, unable to move, unable to breathe.
Sarla was sitting in the front. Bodies of Abhinav and Mathur were lying in front of him. Sarla looked around the room, his gaze falling on me. I looked at him and he gave out a faint smile.
"We have lost two of our people today. Abhinav was like a brother to me and Mathur meant more to me than my own father. It was under his guidance that I managed to make a man out of myself. Abhinav was the pillar of my business. He stayed loyal to me even at times when loyalty was quite expensive. But, today both of them left me. All alone. In this cruel and dark world. Their lives carried meaning and now their deaths won't go meaningless either. I vow to avenge their deaths and when I do, which I will do, their souls will look up to me and will finally find peace. My beautiful wife, Meera has been missing and my father-in-law is dead worried about his daughter's safety. But, I have promised him that his daughter will be at home by the end of the night. I will chop the heads of the people who dare harm my wife and even a small scratch on her body will wreck havoc on them."
Sarla looked at me.
"Here, this guy." He pointed towards me. "is the person who has been there for all my problems. I am sure that he will do everything in his power to save Meera."
I muttered. "Why me? Isn't he her husband?" I looked at him with disbelief.
He flashed a quiet yet dangerous grim towards me. "I know you know what I mean. Meera is your responsibility now. Save her or else.....we may lost her forever."
People sidelined to provide space to me for walk towards him. But, I didn't. I was hesitant. Sensing my hesitation and subtle fear, Sarla started walking towards me with a calm yet bloodthirsty look. I shivered when he touched my shoulder with his icy hands. That man just escaped death or death..... escaped him.
"I don't know where Meera is. Last I saw her, she was somewhere near the backyard, waiting for someone under a tree." The words pierced through me like icicles. I muttered with as much strength I could gather.
"Do...you have anyone in particular?" His facial expression darkened, making his dark face even darker.
"Maybe he is standing right amongst us, watching and listening to all the conversation happening between us. Anyway, it doesn't matter. I don't have lot of enemies. I just don't like keeping them alive. Only alive enemy who can joust for such unanimous act is Anthony. My men saw a lot of his men in the festival."
"Shouldn't you go to save her?" I asked nervously.
He pointed at the lying bodies.
"I want it more than anyone in this world. But, unlucky for me, I just don't think it will be safe for me to step out with me being in crosshairs of my enemies. But, I have full faith on your capabilities. You and Meera developed quite a relationship between yourselves in quite a little time. I am sure I am not being wrong in entrusting you with this responsibility."
I nodded my head in approval.
"Good. Take whatever weapon you want and whoever you want. It's war time." He walked briskly towards his room, leaving me in the envious glaze of everyone.
I walked quietly through the hallway, trying to avoid the eyes and whispers that followed me. My steps quickened until I reached my room, slamming the door shut behind me. My body felt like it was burning; I splashed water over myself, desperate to cool down.
As I changed into fresh clothes, my mind spun in chaos.
"Anthony? But why would he kidnap Meera? Isn't he with us? Is it some ploy—or is it real?" I muttered under my breath, pacing the room.
Before I could think further, the door burst open. Sarla stepped in without knocking. He saw me on the floor and exhaled deeply.
"I was afraid you'd fled," he said. "Anyway, my suspicions were right. Anthony's the one who has Meera. After killing Abhinav and Mathur, she's his next target. He wants revenge—for the humiliation he suffered during the wedding."
He paused, his voice turning sharp. "We don't have time for the past. He's leaving for Sri Lanka tonight. Go and bring Meera back. She's waiting for you."
He pulled me to my feet and pressed a gun into my hand.
"Don't hesitate. It's for Meera's sake."
Before I could reply, he pushed me out the door.
Every gaze turned toward me—some filled with hope, some with tears, some with fury… and some with bloodlust.
I lowered my head and walked to the jeep. Mukesh was standing beside it.
"You'll have to go alone," he said, tossing me the keys before turning away.
I caught them, looked back at Sarla. He gave a single nod.
I started the engine and drove out of the colony.
The clouds thickened overhead. Lightning tore through the sky, heralding a night drenched in blood...