𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒐𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑹𝒊𝒅𝒆

PART-28

"Oh-ho, don't worry." Siddharth placed a warm hand on the old man's shoulder. "Why am I here - for you. Your daughter will get justice. And those pathetic monsters will spend a lifetime in prison."

The old man's face contorted, his voice trembling. "They burnt my daughter alive, sahab." Tears spilled down his wrinkled face as he joined his hands. "My two little granddaughters are left orphaned. Their father and grandparents killed their mother." He hid his face in the fabric of his worn dhoti, sobbing uncontrollably.

Siddharth's throat went dry at the sight.

How can someone do this? That too for money? Well, what to say-I've seen the worst cases.

A loud honk, followed by the shrill blast of a traffic police whistle, echoed.

"Hey! Stop!"

The sudden noise made Siddharth snap his head toward it. His eyes narrowed, following the policeman's outstretched arm, locking onto the speeding bike.

His mouth dropped open.

"Rudraksh!"

He hastily turned back to the old man. "Don't worry, okay? Everything will be fine." Squeezing his shoulder, he turned and sprinted toward his car.

As he pulled out of the parking spot, the tires screeched slightly, and he accelerated, chasing after Rudraksh's bike. The wind rushed past him, slapping his face, making his eyes squint and his teeth grit. The sounds of the night city blurred together in a cacophony of horns, engines, and sirens.

The policeman's bike pulled up alongside him, the officer's face set in grim determination.

As Siddharth's car came parallel to Rudraksh's bike, he shouted, "Rudraksh! Rudraksh! What are you doing, man?!"

"My brake has failed, Sid! I'm not getting control of it!"

Siddharth's heart skipped a beat as he watched his friend's desperate struggle to steer the bike to safety. "Don't panic, Rudraksh! Don't panic!" His foot pressed harder on the accelerator, the engine roaring as he tried to match Rudraksh's speed.

"There's a train track ahead!"

"What?!" Both friends' heads jerked toward the traffic policeman.

"Yes! A train track passes after one kilometer! We have to do something fast!"

Rudraksh's heart pounded in his chest as he clung to the speeding bike. The biting winter wind whipped his shirt wildly like a fluttering flag. His fingers went numb around the handlebars. He frantically tried to downshift, using engine compression to slow the bike, but the speedometer needle hovered at a terrifying level.

"Sid! If I die, tell my family that I love them! Also tell Karan that I'm sorry! You both have been amazing friends to me over the years! I love you all so much!"

Siddharth gripped the steering wheel tightly, shouting his lungs out, "Stop talking nonsense, Rudraksh! Nothing will happen to you!"

Sleek fingerprints appeared on the steering wheel as he pressed and released the accelerator to match the bike's pace. His eyes darted to the fuel indicator, and widened.

"Rudraksh! Is the tank full?!"

"What?!"

"Fuel! The fuel!"

"I've no idea!"

Siddharth scanned the road ahead. "Then try to take a U-turn! Drive until it runs out!"

"I-I can't! It's out of control! I'm gonna crash anyway!"

The bike's engine sputtered, its growl breaking unevenly as the speedometer dipped. Rudraksh's eyes shot wide. He pulled the handlebars, fighting the wobble, but the bike swerved out of line, zigzagging across the road. The wind screamed against his helmet. His grip tightened. The engine gave one last cough-then went dead.