Reva

Lost and found

I always scan the crowd. It's kind of a habit and I don't plan to get rid of it. Why should I? It has been helpful. Always. That's why I ride shotgun.

We were heading back to the headquarters which was in the southern area of the city. So to get to that place, it meant entering the main areas of the city, which was crowded for most part of the day. So Abby suggested that we leave as early as possible, for the sake of avoiding the traffic. I packed all my belongings and we were set to go.

We left at 7:30 am. There were hardly any vehicles on the road and so, we took it as a promising sign that we'll reach there without having to face much of traffic. I was looking out of the window and scanning our surrounding when Aurobindo's phone rang.

"Aurobindo Chatterjee here." He answered in a no-nonsense tone.

I couldn't hear what the person on the other end was speaking, but I knew something was up when I saw his expression change from relaxed to grim.

"Okay. Ring up the headquarters and tell them to deal with it. Also, you need to get out of there. He's dead but you're not so if you don't want to end up like him, then I suggest that you leave. ASAP." He hung up and stepped on the accelerator. Another death.

"Who was it this time?" I asked.

"The source who had alerted us about Reva's presence in the city." He said in a very serious tone.

I nodded. "Are we still heading for the headquarters?" I asked.

"Yes, I don't think that it'll make any sense in going to the murder scene now. The crew that is supposed to deal with it will deal with it.
"That guy was out source so that means that we are in danger too, even if indirectly. So, a big no to visiting the crime scene." He finished.

I knew the topic wasn't open for discussion anymore as I sensed finality in his voice. I left it to him. I was just thinking about who could possibly know about our connection to that source to kill him, when suddenly Abby made a three point turn and started driving us back in the direction from where we had come. I noticed his steel grip on the steering wheel and his focus on one particular thing.

"What happ--" Aarav stopped when both of us saw what, rather who, the reason for this sudden change was.

Abby was following a man and not just any man. He was one of those two men who had attacked Aarav the other day. I double checked for confirmation. Yes, he was the same.

We were trying to make sure that he does not become aware of us as we shadowed him. He led us back to the eastern part of the city; few houses down on the same street where Reva was found to be staying, when our source had found her.

His Toyota stopped in front of a warehouse, now turned in a double-story kind of thing. The area was a bit isolated and so to avoid the risk of being detected, we parked our car on the curb and got out of the car to follow the man. I clicked the safety of my gun off. If anybody was to stop me from getting Reva back, then they were going to get killed today.

The man climbed out of the car and then moved to the stairs of the warehouse. We followed him. I took the lead, my gun ready to remove every human obstacle and I observed that the boys had followed the suit. We moved towards the backyard. It didn't hold the beauty of any flowers or plants; rather it was just rugged and dry land that we were standing on. It was hardly nine in the morning so the heat wasn't killing us yet.

                  

We kept an eye out for any unusual movement as we searched for a way to enter the warehouse. There were a few windows on the first floor, but we didn't have a ladder to climb up there. Then Aarav pointed out to a pipe.

"I'll climb it and have a look," Abby whispered.                                                      

"No, I'll climb it, since I'm better at such stuff. You guys are good shooters so stay on the ground." With that I headed towards the pipe. Climbing the pipe wasn't much of a problem. I then proceeded to move closer to the window nearest to me. The cement ledge, few inches below the window, helped me in securing a safe stance.

What I saw when I peeked in, didn't shock me in the least. There in the dimly lit room, was Reva, pacing around anxiously. The man we had been following, entered the room while I was busy staring at her. With the way the man continued speaking rapidly, it seemed like he was reporting something. Abruptly, she turned to look out of the window, only to find me deftly moving out of her sight, too late.

I knew she had seen me. I could tell. Her eyes had met mine before I had moved out of her sight. It was almost like she had expected me to be there. I had a feeling that her face was familiar, not because I had seen her pictures or had gotten glimpses of her from far away; but because I had a feeling that I knew her in some other sense altogether. But now was not the time to ponder on this topic. She had seen me, and we needed to catch her but at the same time, we were in danger of losing our lives.

"Run!" I yelled at Aarav and Abby.

"No, you come down first!" Aarav yelled back. This time Abby was forced to forget that I was his best friend, so he grabbed Aarav's hand and ran. That was the protocol. If we were to encounter any kind of life-threatening situation, we had to escape, even if one of the members was left behind.

The distance between the ledge and the ground was not much and so, I jumped. I landed on my feet and hands on the ground. As I got up to look around, I caught sight of Aarav and Abby escaping.

Three men came from the other side of the warehouse. I aimed at them one by one, shot two, and missed one. I did not go for a second round to shoot the third guy and ran for my life.

"Aaarrgghhh!" I cried out in pain. That bastard! He had shot one of my legs. I stumbled and then fell. At least Aarav and Abby are safe. That was the last thought that crossed my mind before I lost myself to a comatose state.

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Hello people!
Long time, no see and all that because of my lazy butt and me! xD
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'm extremely sorry for such a late update!
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Love you all! Xoxoxo
-uncensored thoughts
(Palak Johar)