A Sew Through Time [Bandbudh And Budbak]

10: Odd one out

Khushi pulled herself up the stairs, jumping two steps at a time to reach the floors quickly. She felt frenetic once she slid past the next floor.

From the other end came sounds of footsteps jumping down the nearest flight. The dust on iron sidebars had dirtied Khushi's palms.

The duo skidded to a stop.

Badri kept down the axe and checked her,"Are you alright chuha?"

She nodded.

"Where's Jeeva?"

A new person tripped the last stair and crash into Budh's back. Witnessing the child, he held his head and yelled,

"Where did this kid come from?!"

"WHEN DID YOU GO UP?!" She gasped loudly.

"Sun Khushi" Badri instructed, "Don't go down or outside unless me or Budh bhaiya comes back alright?"

"W-why?" her voice showed concern, "Where would you go?"

"We'll be nearby" Budh grinned, making her calm down, "Aur dar maat! I'll keep a watch on your bhaiya"

The door was blocked deliberately. They pushed it down and ran past the empty lobby, skidding to a stop near the main door.

Jeeva was walking past the bushes while pulling something behind him. The soft whistling continued. Dark stains dampened the ground as it left a long discoloured stain behind his boots.

"Why is this guy trying to be Salman?" Budh whispered.

"Hey Jeeva!" Badri called him.

Jeeva shoved the dead deer behind the bush and stopped whistling.

"Jeeva?"

He turned towards him, "Yeah?"

"Where's that doppelganger?"

"What do you mean?"

"That guy you were talking to wasn't our Karan" Badri pointed at the real one, "He is"

He flicked his cleaver, letting drops splatter on the ground.

Budh noticed it.

"That deer" Jeeva spoke, confidently flicking the cleaver, "It tried to bite my hand off so-" he shrugged and grinned at them, "Someone had to na?"

"You..." Badri's unibrows curled up, "Killed it?"

He nodded and then looked around behind them,

"Where's your little sister?"

"You don't have to know" Badri replied coldly.

"Why?" Jeeva took step forward, "Tabiyat kharap hai?"

"Where's Jeeva?"

Giving a fitful glance, Karan assumed Badri was near the brink of insanity.

"Kya?" Jeeva's voice turned too sober, "What're you talking about Badri?"

"Zyada bhola maat ban" he pointed the axe towards him, "Where's Jeeva? Bata!"

"Is this REALLY the time?!" Karan shoved Badri back, "Imbecile y-"

His sentence ended with a scream as he witnessed Jeeva's hands curl around Badri's collars and slam him on the ground. The axe twirled and flew off his grasp.

Badri's shivering arm reached out for it but the pressure around his neck increased more.

Jeeva pinned his wrist with his knee, "You think you're the one in control?"