Daniyal!

Daniyal was still wearing the clothes he had been wearing when they had driven here but they were torn in various places. There were cuts and bruises all over his face and he was limping very badly as the maulvi’s servants continued to push him towards the stage. There was panic etched onto his face as he was led to the stage and his face contorted, not being able to process all the villagemen cursing and throwing rocks at him. He even tripped on the steps a few times as he finally led to the stage. One of the men kicked him hard in the back of his legs and he fell to his knees groaning in pain.

Faizan could not imagine how much shit his friend had had to go through and began to make his way forward to the crowd. He did not care if he was discovered now. He had to save his friend. He did not how he would but he had to try. He hoped Khalid had a plan because after all he was the one who had led them here.

“This heathen from the city was captured by someone none of us could have expected, but God is merciful and gives man many chances to redeem himself. He works in ways we cannot even fathom and all we can do is be in awe of him. Glory to God!”

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The villagemen bellowed with him and Faizan felt their roar reverberate deep within his heart filling it with fear. He began to move ahead with more urgency, ignoring the men around him who curiously watched him. This is a bad idea. A very bad idea! The thought kept playing in his head but he had no choice. He had to save Daniyal.

“Come up to the stage, Khalid. Come and fulfill your destiny!”

Huh?

Faizan spotted Khalid as the crowd a few metres ahead of it parted to make way for him as he walked up to the stage. He walked with his head up high through the blood-soaked ground. Daniyal who had been keeping his head down the whole time looked up to see his friend. Instead of relief forming on his face he saw his face turn red with anger.

“Traitor! You fucking traitor! How could you fucking do this to me?!” he bellowed as Khalid walked up to him. One of the captors guarding him smacked him hard across the face but he kept going, taking blow by blow, his screams turning more and more psychotic. “You were our friend but you betrayed us! Betrayed us for these fucking savages! Fuck you! After everything we did for you!”

Faizan was starting to sense something was terribly wrong. Why was he cursing at Khalid when he was trying to help? Maybe all the beatings he had taken had turned him mad? But then, Faizan looked at Khalid who seemed unfazed by what was happening and curiously, it looked like he was grinning. Why were the people treating him like he was one of their own? It made sense he had tricked them before but not to this extent. But then again, what if he had tricked them somehow. The village men after all did seem like savages and easily manipulatable as long as religion and culture was involved. Deep down in his heart, Faizan knew the answers to these questions but would not accept it. It simply could not be.

Right?