Kartik Khandelwal

I parked the car in front of the yellow-like building at the small parking area which was given space by cutting off some of the footpath. I opened the door of the car, put my foot down and got off. I looked back at Radhika inside the car and asked, “You wanna come too?”

She shook her head. “I won’t be allowed, idiot! You go inside… and best of luck.”

“Thank you.”

“Throughout the meeting, just don’t forget that we are all counting on you. Through this, you’ll give your best throughout.”

I nodded and closed the door of the car. I turned back and started walking as I said, “The car is still on, by the way. Don’t feel shy to turn on AC anytime.”

“Oh, you really think I’ll feel shy? I literally think of it as my car already!”

I smiled as I opened the glass gate and entered inside.

Manish Murthy

I entered the lawn of my house which was full of people wearing white traditional suits, giving condolences to a young woman in front of the corpse. She was on the ground, and she was crying a lot. I walked towards her, because I knew who she was. I stopped behind her and patted her shoulder. She turned her head behind, stood up, and hugged me in no time. “Manish!” She screamed. “I was so…”

“I’m here now, Kavita,” I said emotionally. “Don’t cry, now.”

She sank in her head inside my shoulder and said, “How?! How can I stop crying?!”

“I… I don’t know, sis, but you need to hold yourself together.”

“I first lost my husband, and now I’ve lost my parents! Wh-Why am I the only one to lose my family?!”

“It… It’s not like you lost your family, didi. You still have me, right?”

At this, she took a breath, and replied, “Yes, Manish, I got you. But… But promise me that you’d never leave me…”

I hugged her and replied, “Sure thing, sis. How can I?”

“Good…” She leaned back and turned towards the right. “See, there are the corpses of your parents.” I looked at that side. “I know you hated them, because according to you, they never loved you, right?”

“Yes…”

“Why do you think they never loved you, Manish?”

I tilted my head down. “I always had a sense of inferiority when I was among you guys. You all played and enjoyed, but I was always sitting at the back watching TV. You two were like best friends, but not me. Our parents too used to fulfill your wishes than mine.”

“We were friends because we never saw each other, or even our parents, in the ways you see them,” She replied. “I always wanted to tell you that there was nothing wrong with anything. It was just your mindset which made you feel that they didn’t like you.”

“Then why did this mindset develop?”

“I don’t--”

“Wasn’t it because of how they treated me?!” A tear dropped on the ground through my eyes. “It’s all their fault, didi! It was their parenting that I turned out the way I am!”

“No, it’s not!” She replied. “Just think of it, dumbass! You had everything! Toys, games, computer, books--everything you needed! How else are parents supposed to show love?! Do you expect them to keep saying bullshit like in shows to convince you that they loved you?!”

“No, but they could have said that when I needed to hear it! I was in depression in twelfth class! Did anyone know?!”

“No one has the powers to know if someone’s depressed or not! It’s not like someone magically will get to know about your depression! You needed to open up! Others can only help if they know that help is required, dumbass! Think logically!”

“Why am I supposed to think--” Thud came in a hand and slapped me in my cheek.

“Because it’s the logic that works in real life, not magic.”

Kartik Khandelwal

I opened the door of the room and said, “Good morning.” It was a grand room with windows on the front and left. The desk of the politicians was in front of me. One of the ministers was sitting facing me, whereas the other faced him. I walked inside and sat beside the one facing him. I shook hands with the one in front of me and said, “Nice to meet you, Mr. Keshav Arora.”

“Nice to meet you too, Mr. Khandelwal.”

Then, I turned to the minister beside me and said, “Nice to meet you too, Mr. Rahul Khanna.”

“Same here,” He nodded.

“So, Mister Prime Minister,” I looked at Mr. Arora. “I’m here to discuss about the ‘Black Day’.”

“Wait, you said that you need some more investment on your case, right?” Mr. Khanna said. “Let’s come directly to that topic.”

“I would have liked to do that too, sir. But, the two are related, so I have to.”

“Continue, inspector,” Mr. Arora said.

“Okay, sir,” I said. “So, as we already know, there were attacks on City-walk mall and the Central Jail on that bloody day, right? It was taken out by some hundred men, and if you dig deep into the police that day, you’d definitely know what kind of turmoil it made. It could have proved more dangerous than even twenty-six-eleven. Moreover, we don’t even know from where they come from, and where they went. I-I personally can’t say it loud here, but the--”

“‘The police are corrupted’, right?” Mr. Khanna said. “People often say that, but I never expected to hear it from you, sir.”

“But, sir, I got proof. The killer of Mr. Murthy’s eldest son was an investigator himself! His name is Vivek Virohan, and we found three to four more men as suspects! The fire in which one of our men, Mr. Mukesh, died was also due to kerosene! Why? Moreover, the security guards working inside said that there was an unusual announcement of evacuating the room. Mr. Ayush, the security head, was also murdered! Something obviously is wrong inside, and it’s targeting our case! Why just ours, sir? Can you answer me?”