~~: Shaurya :~~

Malhotra is gone. I check on Ami once, making sure the windows of her room are secured, then make my bed on the living room sofa. We still haven't explored the entire cottage. Given the circumstances of our arrival, I was not sure if we'll even stay here another day. But that dilemma is settled after seeing Malhotra's photos.

I toss and turn but sleep is far from my eyes. Those pictures on Malhotra's phone have brought back a past that haunts me like a curse. Those pictures remind me of something I lost thirty years ago - my family.

Lily , my baby sister. Ved, my buddy and brother. And of course, Ma. My sweet, loving, beautiful Ma.

The innocent face of six-year-old Lily swims in front of my eyes. Lily, with big dark innocent eyes, and a head full of wild curly hair. Her rosy cheeks, always smeared with either paint or food, and her bubbly mouth, never short of incessant, girly chatter.

Lily was a blast, Ved was a menace. She was the first girl in my life. He was the first man I fought with over a girl.

They were my best friends, confidantes and partners in crime.

All I knew was that I would to protect them from any damn harm.

How foolish I was.

One Autumn night, I saw Lily lying in a pool of blood. Her unseeing eyes stared vacantly at my face. Her hair was ripped from half head and the remaining half was matted with blood. Her tiny limbs were askew, throat slit from end to end.

A few feet away from her was Ved and a few feet from him was Ma. There all were lying in similar state, limbs strewn, bodies asunder like vegetables left over on a chopping board. I never knew human body contained so much flesh and blood. It was the first time I appreciated how a bag of skin and bones kept all that rubble inside.

It was the longest night of my life as I sat in the bloody mess unable to breathe or cry. A dark night of silent screaming that no one heard. In the morning when a neighbour peeped in, the blood had dried. They say it took them a week to clear the mess.

It was the bloodiest massacre in the history of the little town. People still talk about it. The house was never occupied again and was left to rot alone in emptiness. The message left by the murderers still etched in blood on the rotting walls.

"Wolves were here," one wall said.

"Bad blood deserves to spill," said the other wall.

It all feels like from a movie now, an emotional yet distant cinematographic experience. However, movies ends in a few hours, my torture continues even today.

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I shift on the cramped sofa. It is too small for my frame. My face is coated with a sheen of perspiration and a headache is building itself up. I still cannot believe I have landed in this situation. Maybe this is Lilly's doing. I lost my chance to save her then. Now she wants me to save Ami. I do not know if this is the solution to my sleepless nights, but it feels like more than a coincidence, as if both I and Ami were destined to be in Ratiyaal.

I get up to check on Ami, straighten her blanket, and remove the stray tresses from her sweet face. She looks so much like Lily, it gives me jitters.

Near 4 AM in the morning, I give up my attempts to sleep. Determined, I plod to the bedroom window and open it ajar. The moon is finally out in its full glory. The fog covers the forest in a silver shroud. Somewhere on the mountaintop, a howl pierces the dark as if a challenge for me.

I gaze at the dark peak and take my hands to my mouth.

Thirty years ago, they were the hunters and my family was prey. Today, the tables have turned. I am no more that helpless child of ten. I am a hunter now, on the scent of my prey. I must accept this challenge. I must answer their call.

Another howl pierces the night, this time louder, clearer, full of menace. It erupts from my throat like lightning to fall on the unsuspecting night. The forest falls quiet as if haunted. Even the night insects take a break from their incessant chirruping.

I smile again and shut the window. For the next two hours, I sleep peacefully. No more am I that useless boy of ten who could do nothing but cry at his family's massacre. I am a hunter now, that too, on the prowl.

A few hours later, when mayor Malhotra's Jeep stands in the driveway, both Ami and I are ready for our adventure. Malhotra looks sombre, yesterday's murders have taken the total to seventeen.

"I see you are ready," he says with a forced smile. "Let's get going then. First we are going to the school, then we'll plan the rest of our day."

I strap Ami in and climb in. The school is located in Ratiyaal town and I am happy that in the light of the day it looks much less daunting. It is a small but neat town, with clean roads and rows of well-kept houses with pretty gardens.

"We have everything here," Malhotra says proudly as we drive through the town. "A good hospital, schools, library and a busy high street. People are nice and peaceful. It's a model town really. We hardly had any crimes until recently but now..." His voice trails away. I do not need further clarification.

I can see it's a model town. There's a large public park right across from the library that we cross on the way to the school. Some elderly people are strolling there. I see kids playing in a little playground with their mothers chatting nearby. No one would believe this town has seen a triple murder less than twelve hours ago.

Ami looks excited as we pass it. I purse my lips. I do not want her to know the nature of my work. Those stories of gruesome murders are unsettling even for adults. I do not want Ami to know of them.

The car finally enters a wooden compound and we see a one storied white building emerge. The Ratiyaal Institute of education. It looks small yet tidy. I notice the sharp jagged wires wrapped around the wood posts of the compound. The gate is a sturdy automatic one, operated from the school office only by electronic access.

That is the bare minimum I would expect if I have to leave Ami here while I was away. Mayor Malhotra was not wrong when he said he can find a perfectly safe place.

It is about as safe as a school could get, unless the teachers carried guns, but I know it is a long shot.

"We have three guards - one always at the gate and the rest of the two patrolling school perimeter. The front entrance is monitored via CCTV. The children are safe here."

"I hope so. If I am to focus on my task, I need to make sure Ami is absolutely safe."

"Of course," Malhotra nods as we come to a stop near the entrance. I get out to carry Ami in, when a pleasant voice calls from behind.

"Welcome Mr. Khanna. I hope you like our school. My name is Mihika Malhotra and I'll be responsible for Ami's care."

***** *****