The moonlight filtered through the infirmary windows, casting eerie shadows that danced across the walls. Boss and Jacky approached with knives glinting menacingly in their hands, their footsteps silent and deliberate. The air was thick with tension, a suffocating blanket of impending violence.
"Boss," Jacky whispered, his voice barely audible over the pounding of his heart, "this is our chance to settle the score. I'll take care of the staff, make sure they can't call for help. You handle the kid and Karim."
Boss nodded, his eyes cold and calculating. "Let's make this quick."
Bursting into the infirmary, Jacky lunged at the nurse, his hand clamping over her mouth to stifle any cries. The room's sterile scent mixed with the metallic tang of fear.
Boss's gaze locked onto Karim and Arun. His voice was a low, threatening growl. "You two are finished."
Karim stood his ground, eyes narrowing. "What do you think you're doing, Jacky? And why the knives? Are you planning to kill us?"
"Exactly, Karim," Boss sneered, his lips curling into a sinister smile.
Inside Arun's mind, a familiar, taunting voice echoed, dripping with malice. "I'm back, Arun. Did you miss me?"
Arun's heart raced, his voice rising in defiance. "No, I didn't, you crazy voice!"
Karim glanced at him, worry etched on his face. "Arun, is that voice back again?"
Arun nodded, swallowing hard. "Yes."
Karim's resolve hardened. "I'll handle Boss. You fight your demons."
The voice inside Arun's head offered him a grim ultimatum: "Kill the nurse or Karim, or be killed by Boss."
Arun remembered Karim's advice—to trust him, no matter what. He chose the second option, steeling himself for whatever came next.
The voice chuckled darkly. "A brave choice, Arun."
With sudden, fierce energy, Boss leapt onto a bed, his booted foot connecting with Karim's chest. Karim flew backward, crashing to the floor, his breath knocked from his lungs.
"I told you," Boss taunted, his voice dripping with contempt. "You're dead meat."
Karim struggled to his feet, defiant. "We'll see about that," he spat, launching himself into a spinning kick. Boss dodged, but Karim's foot grazed his shoulder, throwing him off balance.
Seizing the moment, Karim grabbed a tray from a nearby table and flung it at Boss. Boss deflected it with his knife, metal clanging against metal as the tray skidded across the floor.
The room erupted into a flurry of movement. Karim feinted left, then right, his speed a blur as he aimed a punch at Boss's jaw. Boss caught his fist mid-air, twisting Karim's arm and forcing him to his knees.
Karim, gritting his teeth against the pain, swept his leg around, knocking Boss's feet from under him. As Boss hit the ground, Karim vaulted over him, reaching for the knife that lay glinting under a bed.
But Jacky, recovering his senses, lunged at Karim, striking him on his injured head with a vicious blow. Karim crumpled, vision swimming.
Desperation fueled Arun's movements as he lunged for the knife again, but Boss recovered swiftly, grabbing him and driving the blade into his stomach with cruel precision.
The voice in Arun's head taunted again, its tone mocking and insidious. "You can still change your choice."
Karim, struggling to clear his blurred vision, remembered his promise to protect Arun. "It's better this way," Arun whispered to the voice, his breath growing shallow. "All my pain will end."
Fueled by a mix of rage and desperation, Karim pounded Boss with his fists, each blow driven by the memory of past wrongs. They exchanged brutal punches until the nurse, regaining her composure, struck Jacky with a table, the crash echoing in the small room as he fell, his knife skittering away.
As Jacky lay on the ground, memories flooded back—days spent with Boss, the camaraderie, the shared ambitions. The pain of betrayal twisted inside him, more agonizing than any physical wound. He realized too late the cost of his loyalty, the emptiness of their shared violence.
Karim snatched up the fallen knife. Boss wrenched the blade from Arun's body, turning his murderous intent on Karim. But with his last ounce of strength, Arun grabbed Boss's ankle, tripping him.
Memories of Boss killing a friend in prison surged through Karim, fueling his determination. . He seized the moment, driving the knife into Boss's face with a primal scream, ending him instantly.
The nurse rushed to Arun, her hands trembling as she desperately tended to his wounds, trying to stop the bleeding.
The voice inside Arun's head murmured one last time, "Today was your lucky day, but luck won't save you next time."
As the adrenaline faded, the room fell silent, the reality of what had transpired sinking in. The air was heavy with the scent of blood and sweat, but also with a sense of relief. They had survived, but at what cost?