Khalid walked up the stage and was greeted with hugs by everyone present there. The mullah even kissed him on his cheeks when he came up next to him. Khalid looked honoured when he was received by them. Faizan was amazed how convincing he looked.

“This man was a brother to you, but a brother in sin. I am very happy that our message has reached you and illuminated the light of God that was within you all along but one you never reached out to until today. You have given this sinner up for God and he now gives you a chance to redeem yourself and be born anew. You know what to do,” the maulvi said and handed over something that glinted in the light of the fires.

It was a knife.

“Noooo!” yelled Faizan, unable to contain himself and began to push everyone aside. The villagers who had started to become suspicious of him began to push past and tried to catch him. They were unable to get a proper grip on him because of the sheer amount of chaos in the crowd. Faizan was almost to the front.

Khalid took the knife from him, bowing his head with respect and made his way to Daniyal whose teeth were gritted from anger as he looked up at his friend. Khalid grabbed Daniyal’s long hair forcefully and pulled back his head, still smiling.

“Khalid, what the fuck are you doing?!” screamed Faizan from on top of the noise, and now a wider radius of the crowd had noticed him and were beginning to realise who he was. Shouts of city boy, sinner and heathen started to travel all around the crowd and they all began to make a grab for him. A few of them managed to grab him and drop but they could not follow up as the villagemen battled with one another, wanting to obtain the credit and reward for capturing him.

Khalid raised the knife into the air and it glinted once more before he brought it down next to Daniyal’s neck. The anger in Daniyal’s face had now been replaced with fear and his body shook. He spotted Faizan who was now at the front of the crowd desperately trying to reach him

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“Run Faizan Run!” He screamed. “This bastard Khalid has betrayed us! Save yourself!”

“No, please!” screamed Faizan. He was almost at the stage now. Just a few more feet and he could stop Khalid. He was so close “Stop! Why are you doing this?”

Khalid was looking Faizan right in the eyes and had a satisfied grin on his face. Daniyal was continuing to shout at him to get away from him and save the others.

“I’m doing this for God, who you have all abandoned,” he replied. He began to chant the religious incantation before a slaughter and slid it across Daniyal’s throat, who’s shouting turned into sick gurgles as blood gushed out. Faizan let out a cry of lament as Khalid let go of Daniyal’s limp, twitching body. He had just reached the foot of the stage where part of his body hung off, his head barely clinging on to his neck by some skin and muscle. Faizan hoisted the head up to the neck while holding onto his friend, the blood gushing all over him, but he didn’t care. All he wanted to do was save his friend at that moment.

“Daniyal! Daniyal!” he cried. “Daniyal, can you hear me, please!”

Daniyal’s eyes were circling all around the sockets, a sick gurgling coming from his mouth from which his spit and blood flowed out. Eventually, his body came to a stand still right in Faizan’s arms who wept uncontrollably looking into his empty dead eyes.

He did not pay any attention to the crowd of people, who had now been brought under control by the maulvi’s servants, capturing him. He did not pay attention as his hands were promptly tied behind his back with a thick rope. He did not pay attention to the blows they gave him and the slurs and rocks they threw at him. He did not pay attention as he was being pushed towards the stage. All he could think of was his dead friend, dying in his arms.

And how he had failed to save him.

And how he had been betrayed by Khalid.

He looked up to see Khalid standing a few feet away from him, wiping the blade on the sleeve of his shalwar while everyone congratulated him. The maulvi kissed him on his cheeks again and roared into the mic, declaring him part of their brotherhood, but Faizan could not hear him. His ears were whistling and the speech was merely background noise for him.

Khalid was still grinning when their eyes met again.

“Why? Why did you do this?” Faizan asked quietly. All the fight in his body had gone. His brain was beginning to shut down lest it end up breaking down. This was too much horror, too much suffering, too much failure for him to handle. He would rather die here and now then face any more of it. He could see himself being led to the spot where Daniyal had died.

He knew he would be soon joining him.

He was ready.