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Today’s Maynia Prompt: dreamcatcher
Today’s Daily Freewrite Prompt: lame duck
Writers can choose to use one of the prompts, both the prompts or not use the prompt at all. It is all up to you!
I wish to make this into a sci-fi novel. Let’s see how it progresses! 😊
Continued from Day 5. You can read it here.
The CBI took over the custody of Olyint and Sarvi at Bhopal as the IB, and the local cops were in tow. A job which could bring out the IB always raised curiosity among the other agencies; not to mention the fact that the IAF was in the mix too.
Sarvesh Soni was the officer in charge, and he gauged quite well that getting Radhika to disclose the details of the case would be an uphill task. The thick-moustached elaichi-chewing man latched onto Akash by trying to help the hapless and limping, Van Damme in distress.
“You seem to be in pain. Let me get you a doctor,” Soni offered while swiping his mobile phone to initiate a call.
“No, don’t bother,” Akash was still recovering from the indescribable hurt to his machoism at the boots of a slender ninja warrior in a jumpsuit. It was difficult to guess which hurt more, the kick to the belly or the lance through the ego.
“Relax, this doctor is my friend. He stays in the next gully,” Sarvesh did not realize that he was alienating the person that he intended to befriend. He had not seen what had happened. Calling a doctor would put Akash’s ego on a ventilator for sure, whether he was relieved of the pain or not.
“Sarveshji, I think it would better serve both of us to focus on the case than me,” Akash was as curt as he could be. He walked over to Radhika for some discussion, glancing at Olyint seated in the next cabin. Sarvi was sitting next to Olyint and speaking to a CBI officer.
“CBI’s interrogation without the background will be crude. We should takeover,” Akash said.
“Let’s see if they can find anything at all about them,” Radhika said. “How are you feeling?”
“Hmm. I will be surprised if they find anything,” Akash walked out of the cabin fixated on Olyint and Sarvi. He, clearly, did not want to respond to the second question nor wanted to be asked again.
“Your friend is limping but won’t want a doctor,” Sarvesh said hoping to cut ice with Radhika.
“He is just like that,” Radhika’s one-liners were upsetting Sarvesh the most. He aimed to make her talk more and open up on those two characters and the IB’s role. What was evident though was that Sarvesh had to do a lot more.
While Sarvesh was aimlessly reading a file that he was least interested in, the officer interrogating Olyint stepped out of the neighbouring cabin. He walked towards Sarvesh’s room, and Akash stepped in along with him.
“Sir,” the officer waited for his boss to let him know if he could proceed to speak in front of the outsiders. Sarvesh was hesitant too, but it was apparent that the IB would get custody of those two people, so there was no real secret to defend.
“What do we have?”
“Sir, these guys are confused,” Gangesh, the officer, said with a heavy North Indian accent, “they are saying they are from another planet.”
That intrigued Akash as he stepped away from the door towards a seat. He was followed by a person holding a few plates and cups of tea. The aroma of freshly cooked poha, which was a dish made of flattened rice, onion, tomatoes and potatoes, filled the room. Gangesh, instinctively, stopped speaking while Akash, Sarvesh and Radhika were still comprehending what Gangesh already said.
Radhika pushed herself back on the leather seat and rested her head. “Thank you,” Radhika said to the man serving. Something made her look at the person once again. His back was turned towards her while he was placing Sarvesh’s plate on the table. The man walked towards the glass door, turned and waited. Radhika stayed focused on him while the others picked up their cup of tea.
The man was looking at the other cabin that he could see through the glass partition. Radhika’s lateral vision, witnessed one of the two, possibly Olyint, stand upright. She thought she knew the guy serving, but her memory failed her.
Just then Olyint banged with his fist on the glass partition from the other side. It startled the other three who did not see it coming. Radhika sat upright, and then it came. The droopy ears. A streak of light hit the glass partition in front of Olyint shattering it.
“Get down,” Akash screamed while looking back at the guy. He had an unknown weapon in his hand.
“Stop,” Sarvesh stood up puzzled, but the guy shot again. This time it went right through Sarvesh’s head. He fell even before Gangesh could try to break his fall. Akash lunged on the man who continued to be focused on Olyint.
“Akash, he is the other guy from the alley,” Radhika yelled, “careful...”
As the two fell outside the cabin, Sarvi ran towards them through their cabin’s door. Olyint rushed to the other cabin through the shattered glass partition. The man was mad at Akash and pointed the familiar-looking device at him. Then there was a loud crack as Akash witnessed another familiar occurrence. Sarvi had bolted across twenty-feet and kicked the device out even before the guy fired. The misfired bolt hit the ceiling, causing it to cave in a bit and destroy the glass cabins all across.
Akash got the guy’s arm while Sarvi punched him hard on the face. Just when he thought he had overpowered him, more than a dozen people came running towards them due to the commotion, shots and shattering glasses.
‘Damn, I am dead,’ Akash thought, as the situation was no different from a developing stampede.
“Focus, human,” Sarvi yelled at Akash and punched on the man’s knuckles to release another device. Akash had missed the device in that guy's other hand.
Olyint kicked the man who was now was on his back on the floor, “Zarqui, you sly creature.”
But by then the crowd was over them and pushed both Olyint and Sarvi aside. Akash was left holding the pinned down man. And for the second time in the day, Akash realized how underpowered he was. The man pushed him, and Akash flew about a foot in the air and slid back on the floor with glass pieces piercing his back. Akash huffed in pain but got back up to face the, oddly, directionless crowd. For a moment, he wondered, how is that no one was trying to help. They were in the CBI office, after all.
But Zarqui, the man who bought them their snacks, was already on the run. Akash saw his back while Olyint and Sarvi missed him, completely. The herd of humans was providing a safe cover for Zarqui, as Akash, who was holding his service pistol, couldn’t get a clear shot.
“I am going after him,” Akash yelled, but after two steps got down on his knees. He was bleeding through his nose, and the kick from earlier in the morning was hurting more.
“Pace back law-upholder,” Sarvi’s voice echoed, “he is too fast for you to catch him on foot.” That was the last thing that Akash heard as he watched the ceiling lights spark and grow dim every second.
Akash squirmed as the bright lights were causing his eyes to tingle and his body turned to the right as he crouched again while still lying down.
“Akash,” Radhika called out, “Akash.”
“Hmm. Damn those bl**dy streaks of lightning and damn those jumpsuit jokers,” Akash squealed in pain.
“This wouldn’t have happened, if you had not let Zarqui escape the first time,” Olyint said.
“Damn you,” Akash said while trying hard to get up.
“Pace back,” Sarvi held Akash’s shoulder.
“Do you ever say anything other than that?” Akash was trying to open his eyes. “Where are we?”
“Same place,” Radhika said, “different floor.”
“Gangesh? Sarvesh?”
“Both dead. They have sealed the building. Reinforcements are expected soon.”
“How long since I was down.”
“Roughly two minutes. Sarvi removed the glass shards from your back,” Radhika said.
“Who is Sarvi?”
“I think you should stop asking questions now and save your breath,” Radhika held Akash’s shoulder. “Let help arrive, and then I will tell you everything.”
“I need a dreamcatcher,” Akash said, “this is a nightmare.”
“What is a dreamcatcher?” Sarvi looked at Olyint.
“Pace back, girl,” Akash said in a tired tone, “let help arrive, and I will tell you everything," as he turned again and lied down in the crouched position.
Radhika smiled.
Image Courtesy: Pixabay
