At the last moment, he managed to find an unlocked gate and dived across, managing to just avoid being hit by the charging Pehlwan but collided with one of the dangling prisoners who let out a shriek of pain. The collision unbalanced Faizan and he landed awkwardly on his knees, the hard ground scraping the cloth of his jeans and the skin underneath raw off of them. His body was starting to cramp but the fear and adrenaline coaxed him back up and he ran ahead.

There was a small barn in front of him, with all sorts of farm animals and he made his way towards them, hoping that Pehlwan would lose track of him if he got there before he saw him. He carefully threaded through a few goats and cows who were lazily hanging about just outside the structure, glad that they hadn’t kicked out at him. To his surprise, however, Pehlwan had recovered from his charge quickly as he heard the sound of a wall completely blowing apart and chunks of it hitting his back. Right before he entered the barn, he jumped out of the way as Pehlwan charged through.

Faizan heard a series of sticky wet thunks around him and he knew what it was before he looked up. The whole courtyard was covered in blood, guts and various body parts of all the farm animals, as if they all exploded from the inside. Faizan felt wetness around his clothes too and for a second, was afraid that Pehlwan had hurt him too but like the whole courtyard, he was merely a canvas for the deaths of the animals. He felt a guilt within him, after all their death had been as a result of him going towards them, but there was no time to ponder. He had to keep running.

Pehlwan let out a huge roar that sent chills down Faizan’s spine. He sounded enraged, probably out of frustration, but Faizan looked back to see anyway. The behemoth of a man was covered in blood now, head to toe, and his huge muscular chest was heaving. Faizan noticed his stance was a bit lopsided and wondered if he was injured but realised that one of the dangling prisoners was missing from the hooks, probably dislodged in the last charge that Pehlwan had made. The wrestler looked around frantically for the body but could not find it while the small creature on his back tried to calm him down. Pehlwan did not succeed and in his frustration, smashed his burly arms against the wreckage, sending bits of rubble and meat everywhere. The small creature then said something to him that caught his attention saying something in Punjabi while pointing to the hook and then to Faizan, who understood. He saw Pehlwan look up to the stars, asking for forgiveness in a low voice before turning to look at Faizan, the blood on his face made his rage look all the more haunting. Faizan did not stick for him to make his run up this time, he ran.

Faizan’s lungs were burning as they clawed for air and the hamstrings in his legs were starting to cramp up. He was not used to running like this and his body was starting to protest, but the prospect of death, or worse, the vacant spot left for him on the hooks, kept him going. He quickly ran through a small connecting corridor into another courtyard but curiously, this time he saw a small light in the adjacent house. Remembering what had happened to the farm animals, whose blood was still thick and warm on him, he ran towards the seemingly abandoned building next to it as Pehlwan charged at him. Faizan didn't expect him to charge as fast and Pehlwan predicted his dodge, catching him cleanly with his knee, kicking into Faizan like he was a football. Luckily, he had not been able to gather enough momentum and so the hit did not do anywhere near the damage that had been done to his previous victims. Faizan soared through the air again, this time better prepared to brace himself for impact as his body drove through the house’s window, glass shards piercing him as it disintegrated under his momentum. He landed on something soft, a sofa it felt like, and saw the ceiling and the walls around him break apart as Pehlwan charged through.

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Faizan thought he was dead, there and then, as the ceiling rushed towards him, as if the house was swallowing him up but the falling walls flanked the ceiling, holding it in its place, and the force of it pushed him off the sofa. The ceiling and the walls ended up making a small haven of debris all around him as the destruction around him came to a rest. There was a temporary silence and Faizan could hear his shaky breathing, panting for air and oxygen in the cramped space he was in. Faizan did not delude himself to feeling safe because it could all come apart any second, especially if Pehlwan charged again. He was hoping that his pursuer would think Faizan had escaped or that he had died in the wreckage.

His hopes did not last long as the debris trembled again and he heard the muffled sounds of Pehlwan’s rage as he picked apart at the fallen debris and threw it everywhere erratically. Faizan had nowhere to run, he was trapped, and soon enough he saw the ceiling of his debris haven being lifted and was met by the grinning, bloodied face of Pehlwan staring down at him. Behind him, the minar towered in the clear night sky. Faizan tried to wriggle as Pehlwan bent his body awkwardly to the side to grab him, as he couldn’t move his arms around, and managed to find some success momentarily until the wrestler grasped him by the neck. Faizan could feel how strong his hands were as he was lifted up, to stare straight into the small creature’s face, as it scampered up his outstretched arm to examine Faizan.

The creature looked even more disgusting up close with all sorts of sores and growths on its face, and crooked darkened teeth that he wetted with his tongue as he examined him. Faizan tried to fight against Pehlwan’s grip and swung his legs around, kicking at his torso, but he was unfazed. The small creature felt around Faizan’s back and he felt the skin there retreat at his touch, his face deep in thought as he searched for the optimum place to shove the hook in. Faizan tried to smack at the creature with flailing punches who effectively parried them, surprisingly strong.

There were some rusted tools hanging from the creature’s waist, covered in dried blood and filth, that he fingered at trying to figure out which one it would use on Faizan. Pehlwan was laughing in a loud booming voice, straining his neck as much as he could to the side to look at the fear in Faizan’s eyes, at times choking him and watching his face go purple before letting him breathe again. Faizan was like a toy in his hand, completely at his mercy. The creature finally decided which tool he would use, a pale red blade that glinted sharp in the moonlight. For a second he thought it looked like a porcupine quill. He stopped struggling and let his limbs hang, awaiting whatever pain was destined for him.