The sun shone brightly over the two as the two moved with quick footsteps through the narrow passage of the slums towards the car.
For anyone who was not familiar with the place would have easily lost their mind as their sense would have been overwhelmed.
The place was densely populated with living conditions not much better than that of Vidan's. A pungent rotten odor shrouded the whole area as there was no actual sewage system and the narrow streets were littered with garbage of all sorts.
In this place every day presented itself with new adversities and the people struggled to keep their head afloat. The majority of the people of the pits were in some way or the other related to the cartel.
It was as clear as daylight to Vidan what the cartels were doing in this place. To have a trainable army, the cartels were depriving the people of the slum the very basic necessities. So the poor do not have the time and energy to think about anything else but survival.
This was how they converted the slums into Pits.
Vidan who had always been a rebel started reading books as a symbol of free will but eventually books gave him solace in his cursed life.
"I heard you stole something costly this time? What was it ?" Rat slightly turned his head towards Vidan and spoke trying to make small conversation.
Vidan was in no mood to entertain him
Rat further tried to make conversation with Vidan as they walked but Vidan's reply did not give him much room to stretch the conversation.
After a 10minute walk the two reached the car and were met with Khalid who was already seated in the back.
Rat opened the door and sat in the driver's seat. Although Vidan always took the back seat so he could not be taken by surprise but sitting beside Khalid was far more dangerous, so he seated himself beside the Rat.
Vidan could feel a sense of tension inside the car, Rat had been too chatty today, and Vidan could see Khalid's eyes on him this whole time as if keeping a check on him.
The whole situation bugged Vidan. Right from the time there was a knock on the door until now his mind was going through different reasons why he was summoned by Hussain but he couldn't find one.
Though the Pit seemed unorganized and a mess to an outsider but these cartels managed the Pits like an organisation. It was moreover the first time Vidan was called for a job on his day off. What made the situation even more unusual was Khalid, unlike Rat and Vidan Khalid was someone important to Hussain and so was kept away from such menial works as simply calling someone.
The car made its stop in front of Hussain's white marbled bungalow. There were several cars parked outside Hussain's house but what caught Vidan's attention was a peach-colored private Toyota.
Vidan had to check the number plate twice to be sure that the Toyota belonged to the City Magistrate. It was well known to everyone that Hussain had connections within the government but for him to be personally visited by the city magistrate in broad daylight was something new.
By now Vidan's intuition was screaming something was wrong here and one thing he had learned after surviving for so long was to trust your intuition.
"Want me to pull you out !" Khalid who was already standing outside along with Rat spoke in a threatening tone.
Vidan did not have any choices here. After feeling the knife inside his hood he quickly got out.
Rat took the lead followed by the two. Vidan wanted to gather any kind of information but Khalid's presence made it impossible.
The three reached Hussain's cabin. Rat straightened his back, and even the brute's expression softened.
Before Rat could raise his hand and knock the door opened itself.
"Come In. Fast" Hussain's voice rang from inside. Though his voice was loud and direct but traces of lingering shiver could be heard in it. It was Vidan's first time hearing Hussain remotely worried, this was surely something unrelated to work and Vidan had a really bad feeling about this whole situation.
The three quickly entered as ordered, and just as Vidan had guessed Magistrate was already inside the cabin comfortably seated on the sofa.
Hussain had grim expressions all over as he walked up and down the room. If one looked at his wrinkled face and patched head no one could have guessed he was just in his late forties and at the moment he looked even older.
The magistrate quickly got up from the sofa and with scrutinizing eyes walked up to Vidan. His eyes were all over him and this was a very uneasy feeling. Vidan knew they were planning something for him but the question was What?
'Theft? Ransom ? Peddling ? ' Vidan's brain was now deducting all the possibilities that might have led him here but still, he could not zero out on the reason he was summoned here.
There was dead silence in the room and the only noise to be heard was Vidan's and Hussain's thumping heart.
The magistrate checked Vidan from head to toe and after a few seconds announced with a smile "The boy is a little thin, and some inches short…Throw in some more money and I can make it work."
Hussain let out a huge sigh of relief while Vidan's body tensed.
"When has money ever been a problem." Hussain's face had eased visibly as he spoke and comfortably seated himself on his king-size chair behind the table. His two henchmen walked behind him and started talking in whispers while time to time checking on Vidan.
"What do I have to do ?" Vidan finally spoke his mind but was ignored by everyone in the room. It was as if something life-changing was being decided for him but he had no say in it. He hated this, he hated not being in control of his life.
"WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO ?" This time he spoke with loud and clear words. He was frustrated.
All the four heads turned towards him, and after a few moments of silence Hussain spoke with a shrewd smile.
"Nothing much son. All the basic job, no need to be so tense." He laughed, making Vidan's whole body twitch. He had worked for Hussain for almost all his life and had never heard Hussain speak so softly to him, and words like son sounded like a curse in disguise.
"MURDER ?" Vidan instantly spoke out, it was the only thing he could come up with at the moment. "Do I have to murder someone ?"
Rat and Khalid started giggling at Vidan's guess.
"No, no son" Hussain spoke in a chirpy tone almost singing. "Why being hasty. Let us talk while we eat something. Rat get the boy something to eat. Biryani…and add something sweet too. What is that sweet milky thing kids these days have ?"
"Oreo shakes ?" the Magistrate guessed from the side. "My daughter spends more than I earn in these cafes. Kids these days." He spoke with a pleasant smile.
"To what extent we could go for our kids." Hussain added with a giggle "Rat get Bryiani and that shake for Vidan." he ordered Rat and then paused for a while "Actually get 2 of those," he added after reconsideration.
Rat nodded and started to walk away when Vidan bursted out "WHAT IS THE FUCKING JOB!". In that instance his fear and logic were overshadowed by his frustration.
The room turned silent and everyone including Vidan had looks of disbelief on their faces.
That silence of a few seconds felt almost tangible to Vidan, and he was regretting the choice of words he had used to address one of the most infamous cartel lords of the Pit.
"YOU !" Khalid shouted and before anyone could do or say anything Khalid charged towards him. Vidan tried reacting but Khalid was too quick and he grabbed Vidan through his hair and flung him towards the wall like a doll.
"BAM" Vidan hit the wall and fell to the ground hard with a thud. Things had happened so fast that it took Vidan a few seconds to grasp what had happened.
"KHALID WE NEED HIM !" Hussain shouted his lungs out while Rat rushed towards Khalid to stop him from beating Vidan to a pulp.
Vidan quickly got up from the ground ignoring the acute pain in his neck and back, his eyes fixated on Khalid. He was pissed now and it was much more than the pain he felt at that moment.
But what could he do?
"You dog. I will kill you. You just wait." Khalid started pushing Rat and started making his way towards Vidan.
Hussain intervened with a stern voice, "Are you deaf ! We need him" he glared at Khalid.
The magistrate clicked his tongue and casually got up from the sofa " You all are making a nuisance of my time. Let me talk to the boy, it's nothing big." he walked up to Vidan.
"Boy I have more important places to be at so listen carefully because I won't be repeating myself." He spoke with a commanding tone staring deep into Vidan's eyes.
"Hussain's son Feroz had a small accident, he sped away but it was broad daylight and one of the bystanders made a video. That bastard put it on the internet...You know how things spread over this fucking internet nowadays.
So what we want from you is to take the blame and act as Feroz's substitute." he spoke with a straight face, pretty unbothered about the intensity of his words, and by the way he spoke it was clear there was only one right answer.
Vidan's eyes broadened and he looked in disbelief towards the Magistrate just to make sure this was all real.
"B-but they would know the difference I don't look anything like him…"
"I know my line of work boy." The Magistrate replied.
"So c-can't you use your resources to get him clean just as you do always...?" Vidan looked from one face to another.
Hussain clicked his tongue and shook his head sternly, "We have no choice" It was clear that Vidan had no options. He knew how things worked in here.
Even if he did as they were saying right now they would eventually kill him in the cell when the hype would die down, and nothing lasted more than a week on social media.
Vidan fell on his knees "There must be some other way. I can come up with something." There was some hope still left in him. He was logical enough to know the outcome but the idea of hope is dangerous. Hope knocks you out of all logic and knowledge. It makes you believe in the unbelievable.
In the side of the room, Kahlid and Rat had a smile of amusement, it was the first time they had seen Vidan break down. Even Hussain had never pushed Vidan so much as he was good in his job, but today Hussain's son's life was on the scale and could only be exchanged for Vidan's.
"Do not worry kid." The magistrate stood ahead of Vidan who was on his knees "I assure you protection, I know it is hard but trust me. It will just be a few years."
Magitrate's words were too hollow but Vidan was just clinging to hope. 'Maybe they won't kill me. Maybe I could survive this too as in the past. Maybe Hussain would set me free after this. Maybe I could live a free life, study, live a normal life. Maybe I could be happy !' The worm of hope started to weave a false dream for him.
"Maybe" he spoke in a cracked voice and started getting up. His body was slowly getting back to normal and his mind had started devising how he could survive in the jail, or even run if possible.
"Amazing ! A strong bo- man." The Magistrate raised his hand for Vidan to shake, "See Hussain..." he looked at Hussain and winked as if marking his victory over the uncouth beast in front of him, but he was mistaken, they all were including Vidan.
As Vidan lifted his hand he felt a nudge on his arm. It was the handle of the sleeping knife. This light touch of reminder was enough for Vidan to get his reality together. Instantly all of his thoughts subsided along with false hope and fear.
There was no Maybe, and they were never letting him go free. NEVER.
"Why ?" Vidan whispered under his breath, he was surprisingly calm "You Magistrate your very existence is the cause of our suffering. YOU CORRUPTION !" he shouted like a maniac.
The Magistrate turned his head quizzically towards Vidan but before he or anyone could make any sense, Vidan's knife was already piercing through the jaws of the Magistrate from beneath, cutting through towards his temple.
"Gaaaaag" fountain of blood splashed out of his unnaturally wide opened mouth, and soon his dead eyes also started to bleed.
"THUD" Magistrate like a dead block fell on the ground on his own pool of blood as Vidan pulled back the knife. Everything had happened just in a few seconds.
Vidan felt nothing, he was in a state of trance. The metallic smell in the air felt soothing to the soul. Slowly, without any haste, he lifted the dagger to his mouth and licked the blood on it.
It was pure content and the magistrates blood tasted sweeter than any 'milk shake' they would have given him.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE !" Hussain shouted.
"YOU MAD DOG," Khalid shouted after Hussain. It was the first time he was not the most insane one in the room. Even for a brute like him, this was somewhat overwhelming.
Kahlid bringing his composure back rushed towards him. Vidan was calm, his brain was sharper than usual, and could see and understand everything. He clenched his dagger and lifted it aiming towards Khalid's heart. But Vidan's body failed him, he could lift the dagger only a few inches when Khalid slammed into him like a truck.
"BAM" He was knocked off the ground and slammed hard on the door, head first. The pain in the head was acute, it was as if every vein in his head was being torn and readjusted. He did not even have the strength to scream.
He just stayed on the ground waiting for his demise. His eyes emotionlessly stared at the ceiling into nothingness.
In the backdrop, he could hear Hussain and the Rat freaked out mumbles but he couldn't make out a thing of what they were saying. The wooden floor slightly shook beneath his head, and slowly and gradually it began to rumble. It was death itself heading towards him.
With every bit of strength left he smiled at Khalid who now towered above him like death. To Vidan death seemed like liberation from his cursed life.
He felt a chilling cold sensation in his head as something heavy struck his head. It felt so cold that it was burning. Slowly these burning flames of pain took all over his body and the suffering of the mind ceased and only a potent sense of pain existed.
Vidan was not even sure by now if it was pain or something else. He was not sure if it was inside or outside his body or if he had a body at all. It felt like this pain existed everywhere just like he existed everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
He was the sensation itself. Suddenly some questions arose in him and started resonating in this space.
"Écrits" with a single stream of thought it resonated "Symbolic Order? Karma? How is this fair how can someone who has no will be trialed for his actions?
What is eternal truth? Is there even one ? What nature ?"
There was complete silence, and these questions resonated several times in this space. Vidan could not keep track of how long the questions echoed in this void, he could hardly bother.
It was like a universe that was deprived of anything, like an irremediable exile. He felt a strange feeling of disconnection between himself and his life, his illusion, and his reality.
The space around him started to vibrate. He could not tell if was moments, seconds, years, or centuries later. Or even if this space had concept of time.
Slowly and eventually these vibrations turned into a voice, it was neither male nor female it was neither hoarse nor soft, nor soothing nor disturbing, it was nothing yet it was perfectly complete and whole.
It resonated-
"Existence is an illusion of perception, too real to be false. To perceive truths beyond reality you shall possess a mind to observe, and a wanderer's will to seek. Such is the nature of Eternal Truth, one which is Beyond Good and Evil, which is everything that exists and also everything that doesn't.
The truth is the answer to all your questions, the answer to all that has existed and which will exist, such complete is its nature.
But remember seekers of Eternal truth have always paid heavy prices, their realities distort and identities dissolve in their very seekings.
So will as you wish and seek for yourself what is the true nature of truth because there exists only one."
The vibrations came to a halt and the voice ceased. Vidan's pain slowly subsided, and he felt like he was being sucked into a black hole. It was like slowly being poured into something and being one whole again.