ZINDAGI

Chapter 5: Shadows of Vengeance

Chapter 5: Shadows of Vengeance

The room was silent as Rahman left the boys alone, hoping his words had left an impact. But as the door closed behind him, the tension between Saad and Aditya remained thick, like an unshed storm hovering over the two brothers.

The next few days were tense. Aditya’s emotions ebbed and flowed between sadness, rage, and a growing restlessness that he couldn’t seem to shake. Despite Rahman’s efforts to distract him with trips to the park or occasional ice cream outings, Aditya found his thoughts drawn back to that nightmarish day—the accident, the screams, the confusion. The world had robbed him of his family, and it seemed like everyone around him just wanted him to “move on” and “heal.”

But Aditya couldn’t let go. His grief was a wound that refused to close. Every time he tried to ignore it, the pain sharpened, morphing into a dark, consuming need to right what he saw as a terrible wrong.

One evening, after the rest of the family had gone to bed, Aditya lay awake, scrolling through articles on his phone. He had become obsessed with researching the justice system, studying every detail he could find about accidents, reckless driving cases, and the punishment for negligence. He was starting to see a disturbing pattern: time and again, people responsible for life-altering accidents often went unpunished, their wealth and connections shielding them from accountability.

A particular article caught his eye, telling the story of a boy around his age who had lost his parents in a similar accident. The driver responsible had walked away with only a minor fine, and the victim’s family was left to grieve in silence. Aditya clenched his fists, fury boiling within him. How could the world be so unjust?

The next day, Aditya’s demeanor had changed noticeably. He had become quieter, more focused, and distant, even from Saad. Saad could sense the shift and decided he needed to confront his brother. That afternoon, while Rahman was out, Saad approached Aditya, who was seated on the porch, lost in thought.

“Adi, you’ve barely spoken to me lately,” Saad began cautiously, taking a seat beside him. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

Aditya’s gaze remained fixed on the horizon. “I’m tired of everyone telling me to ‘move on,’ Saad. You don’t get it. No one does.”

“I do get it,” Saad insisted, his voice filled with sincerity. “I lost your parents too. We both loved them, Adi. They were family to me too.”

Aditya shook his head, a bitter smile on his face. “It’s not the same. They were my entire world. You still have your dad. You don’t know what it feels like to lose everything.”

The words hit Saad like a punch, but he swallowed his hurt, determined not to let Aditya’s anger push him away. “Maybe I don’t know exactly what you’re feeling,” he admitted softly, “but I’m here for you, Adi. I just don’t want to see you hurt yourself by holding on to so much anger.”

Aditya looked away, his jaw clenched. “I’m not going to ‘hurt myself.’ I just… I can’t let this go. I won’t let it go.”

That night, Aditya lay awake, the words he had shared with Saad echoing in his mind. He knew Saad meant well, but how could he expect him to just move on as though nothing had happened? Aditya’s thoughts grew darker, and for the first time, he began to envision a path that would bring him the closure he craved.

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Over the next few weeks, Aditya began to take actions that surprised even himself. He started following up on cases similar to his own, connecting with others who had lost family members in tragic accidents. Each story he heard added fuel to his desire for retribution. He felt a kinship with these people, united by a shared pain and a shared sense of injustice.