Ishq-e-Watan

Chapter 34- Doubts

CHAPTER 34

DOUBTS

Karan walked on the empty, deserted street, lit up by the yellow street light that gave it a hauntingly serene look. He glanced around, as he walked. A gunshot rang out in the dead of the night, making his head snap up. He turned around, running up to the body that laid in the middle of the street.

Laxman's dead gaze stared back at him. He knelt down, tears stinging his eyes. He reached forward, intending to shut his eyes.

His dead gaze moved to him. Karan flinched in surprise, falling back on the road. The body vanished into thin air.

A noise made him look back, finding Laxman. He had a bullet hole in the middle of his forehead, and his cut hand dripped blood on the street.

"Humaare kaam mein ghusne ki zyaada koshish mat kar", Laxman's voice said robotically. "Aaj iska haath aaya hai tere paas. Kal tera kata hua sar hoga. Aur tere par koi rehem nahi hoga. You'll die bloody, Karan Shergill. Ulte din ginne shuru kar de. Your death is coming."

Karan shot up in bed, cold sweat sticking his clothes closer to him. He ran a hand through his hair, almost dripping wet. He threw the covers off, grabbing the bottle on the desk and gulping the water down.

His gaze fell on the diary. He pulled back the chair, turning the lamp on. He gazed at the blank page, rolling the pen between his fingers for a few seconds before beginning to write.

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

"Sanju, humne tujhe photo bheji hai. Dekh le."

She heaved a sigh. "Ise humaare army mein rehno se dikkat hogo?"

"Pata nahi. Humne puchha nahi hogo abhi tak. Tu dekh toh sahi", her mother insisted.

"Achha, theek hai. Hum dekh leto hain. Abhi hume jaana hai. Jai, Maa Bhavani."

"Jai Bhavani."

Sanju lowered the phone. She sighed a little, opening up the message. He wasn't half bad, really, but the more she read, the more her interest fell away, which wasn't much to begin with anyway. She heaved another sigh, throwing the phone on the bed.

"Kya baat hai?" Faizi's voice asked.

She looked up, finding him in the doorway. She straightened up. "Sir ji, hum aa hi raho the. Sorry keh raho hain."

"Tum woh sab chodho." He sat down in front of her. He nodded to the phone. "Kya hua hai?"

She looked away. "Woh hi sab, Sir ji. Aapko toh pata hi hogo. Shaadi ko lekar. Hume nahi dekhno ladke. Shaadi kar raho hain ya bazaar gayo hain kapde pasand karne ke laane?"

He tilted his head. "Itna frustration isliye, na, ki tumhe Siddharth pasand hai aur yeh nahi pata ki woh tumhe pasand karta hai."

Her eyes widened. "Sir ji... aapko..." Faizi smiled slightly. "Karan Sir ji ko bhi pata hogo?"

"Karan se koi baat chhupti hai kya?"

She looked down. "Woh gussa toh nahi hai, na?" His eyebrows furrowed. "Matlab... Siddharth cadet hogo. Cadet ke laane..."

"Cadet hai woh, baccha nahi", Faizi said. "Aur Karan kyun gussa hoga?"

"Karan Sir ji ko yeh nahi pasand ki professional zindagi mein neeji zindagi aaye."

He sighed. "Use sirf yeh nahi pasand ki log rishton ko desh ke upar rakhein. Aur tum yeh kabhi nahi karogi, iss baat par hume aur Karan dono ko poora bharosa hai."