WANTED: for the greater good

The deed and the flight

TW: Violence. 

Disclaimer: All characters are fictional.

***

32 hours ago (Wednesday, 9:00 pm)

Jassi saw their mission unfolding in brief stages.

Neither Shreyas nor Rahul had to whistle a warning before Jaddu did. An answering cough after fifteen minutes meant they'd lured Ayesha out into the stretch of the lawn beside the pool.

Ash straightened up with the shovel, nodded at Jassi's whispered, "Are you sure--?"

He sneaked up from behind with purposeful strides and swung.

Jassi squeezed his eyes shut. 

Next thing he saw was Jaddu and Virat pushing the women into the pool, blood everywhere, and Jaddu's wild laugh resonating with Ayesha's weak screams.

If she hadn't even been knocked out, she'd not die and Ash bhaiya won't become a killer, Jassi consoled himself.

Rohit, Kuldeep and Shubman had disappeared from their side, presumably into the mansion.

Rahul was tying a knot with his lawn mower, securing some clothing of their victim's to the diving board so she felt like she was being murdered but didn't actually drown. Clothing getting stuck could pass off as an coincidence.

It had been Jaddu's idea, of course.

After some time, Ayesha went quiet, floating in the pool with tendrils of blood spreading around under the silent witness of the night sky.

"This is what you get," Virat snarled, "for hurting our Shikki."

***

The whole thing, from Jaddu's whistle to Ayesha going quiet would have taken nearly an hour.

Jassi covered his eyes with his palms to remove the image, but an arm around his shoulder--Rahul's--made him uncover it immediately, because of course, he could not have anyone perceiving him weak.

"C'mon, there--" Rahul pulled him along after Jaddu, Virat and Ash in the direction of the mansion.

Jaddu whistled thrice, their victory sign.

Rohit's whoop preceded the sight of him running towards them, holding Zoravar's hand, followed by Kuldeep and Shubman.

"Zoravar!" yelled Virat.

"Uncle Virat!" Zoravar yelled back. "Uncle Ash! Uncle Jaddu!"

"Aliyah and Rhea aren't here," said Rohit, speaking quickly with excitement. "They've gone over to some relative's place--I wish I could've met them, but I guess it's better this way, we're safe--"

He'd lowered his voice, but in this joy, Zoravar didn't seem in a mood to listen in anyway.

As the kid greeted everyone and was swung up into everyone's arms but Ash's (which might be stained with an undesirable substance), Jassi could only feel thankful they'd come so far from the pool.

No one else seemed to share his ominous feeling, so he kept it quiet.

***

It was a laughing, jubilant bunch that skipped along with a bounding Zoravar across the backyard fence and into the clearing behind.

"Do you want to talk to dad, Zora?" Rohit asked, still excited.

"YES!" shrieked Zoravar. "I MISS DAD."