no man's land || kgf (slow updates)

thirteen

dedicating this story to my geet because she broke her hand
get well soon bak bak <3

1978
KARNATAKA

The train halted at a station. She was gone and she wasn't coming back. She left. But why? Andrews told her that she was just scared of KGF because of the kind of place it was, but he knew better. 

She didn't get scared that easily. But then again, he'd done his research on KGF and it was known to be a ruthless place. The very sound of its name sent a chill through the air and set a gloomy aura. Once you get in there, there's no going out. Maybe she didn't want to be stuck in such a place. Right? 

Right. 

That must be it. 

But at least she's on another assignment where she's working independently on her own. She always liked that. 

That independency and freedom to do what she wanted. Maybe that's why she left. Maybe he should forget KGF and go in search of her. She'd want that right? 

But then again, she didn't tell him anything. Which meant that she didn't want him to tail her. Why did she have to be so selfish? It's not like he would've held her back from going. 

Did she not think about him at all? 

Here he was, concerned over her and she's probably out there somewhere, going through the map of a building or loading a gun. It had been over three days and there was no message from her. 

Why was he like this? Since when did he care? He should've known. 

People are never permanent. Only the identity you create for yourself is. 

Was he really about to compromise his identity for someone who left him for herself? He gripped the cloth in his hand hard. He had to put himself first. He had to. 

And suddenly, a loud commotion broke him out of his thoughts. 

"This is my seat! Ey gunda, I will strangle you if you don't get up!" A bold and loud voice said threateningly. He saw a woman stand there with a bundle under her arm. She looked angry and very very beautiful. 

But not as much as Reena. No one could be as beautiful as Reena. 

The woman had dark smooth skin and really really long hair. She was clad in a worn out red saree and was fighting the bald man who was sat next to him. "Ey what? You'll strangle me uh?" He asked getting up, he seemed like Goliath next to that petite girl. 

"Oh yes I will, and if God asks how you died go tell him. That a weak and puny girl strangled you and you couldn't fight back." 

"Ey!" He said threateningly. The TC stepped in between the two of them. 

"Aiya please." He said with joint hands, "I want this train to take off in piece and reach in one piece. So please take your seats." 

"That is my seat!" The woman yelled. The TC closed one side of his ear as he cringed at her volume. 

"Aiya, Sir, please. This is that amma's seat. Your seat is in the front come with me." The TC said. 

"No! I won't- " The huge man started when the TC suddenly yelled out of frustration, "EY! SHUT UP AND COME WITH ME!" and then seeing the glare he received he lowered his volume and said with a more polite voice, "sir, come with me. I have everything in front. Everything. Free access to the pantry also I have." 

And with that, the giant seemed to change his mind. With a faux commanding voice he said, "Look I'm not coming there for the food okay?" The TC nodded with relief. And just to make sure the message was clear, he added, "it's only because the train should go in one piece and come back in one piece. Okay?" 

"Okay sir. Okay sir. Please come." He bowed down and guided him outside the berth. The woman and him glared at each other till he was out of sight. 

As soon as he was gone, she threw her cloth bundle on the upper birth and seated herself next to him. One leg up as she folded a beeda and placed it in her mouth. Rocky watched her and noticing his gaze on her she offered him one. 

He eyed it and denied her offer. She shrugged and dropped her hand. 

He suddenly recalled the one moment in his room when Meghna approached him the first time. Her offering the bottle and him denying it. Then he suddenly grunted and smacked his fist on his thigh. 

Forget. 

Forget. 

Forget. 

He just had to forget her. 

He spent the rest of the journey blankly staring out of the window, letting the air slap hard against his face. The train pulled into the Budikote station at half past midnight. 

The station was... well, nothing if he was being honest. 

The sticky and humid air clouded him the second he got out of the train. The station was deseerted and there was no sign of human activity anywhere. Save for the moonlight and a single lamp post, there was no source of light at all. 

As he stood looking around, trying to find some way he heard the woman in the red saree call out to him. "Ey hero, are you new here or something? Don't you know that there's no bullock cart if we go later than two? Want to stay stranded here till the next train?" He looked around and noted that it was only the two of them at the station. 

Should he follow her? It's not like he had another choice. 

He slowly walked behind her as they made their way to what he assumed as the edge of the platform. "Wait here." She said, placing her cloth bundle down and crouching to the edge. She put one arm down and pulled up a latern. 

He just stared at her suspiciously as she lit it up. She lowered herself at the edge and dropped down to the ground. She looked up at him, "What're you looking at? Is this the first time you're coming here?" She asked. 

He nodded a yes and followed her lead, lowering himself to the edge and dropping down. He felt a tiny rock prick hard into his bare soles but he didn't let the pain show. 

"My name's Pravaa." She started as she walked with him following her. 

He didn't even know to where for it was pitch dark. And he was no fool to follow a stranger but this girl seemed to know where she was going so he might as well follow her. 

"My sister and her husband live here. They just had a baby. A girl. They want me to name her. So I'm going." She said and proceeded to ask, "What's your story?" 

"Finding work." He replied shortly, still wary of the woman. 

She snorted, "Eh? Work? In Budikote? Are you blind? Can you not see that there's nothing to do here?" She asked incredulously and continued, "each to their own I guess. My advice? Go off to Bangalore. You'll get all kinds of work there." She said waving the hand in which she held the lantern. 

"Really? Will we get paid?" He asked pretending to be interested. "Very much. Guess how much I earn?" She asked and before he thought of a reply, she answered her own question, "Five rupees per month. Five. Ever seen that much money in your life?" She asked haughtily. 

He sighed. 

How much longer did he have to put up with her?

author's note
guess who finally updated?
YAS ITS ME
i'm so sorry for the delay but i just wasn't satisfied with what i was writing and i didn't want to write something for the sake of writing so i took a while
AND i might go back to putting the book on hold because i have a ton of projects to do.
i might post but it won't be as often as i did last month so yeah
please vote and let me know how i can make the book better
thank you for continuing to support me, love you guys <3