On the Run

Chapter 32 : Freedom

2:00 am, Singhania Holiday Home, Anjuna, Goa.

"Nandini! Nandini! Please wake up! Please!" I kept crying out to her, as I put pressure on her bullet wound.

"Nandini! Please...Stay with me...Why did you do it?! Why did you save me?!" I screamed in a choked voice, as I saw her eyelids closing.

She was losing consciousness at an alarmingly rapid rate, and my chest was becoming heavier and heavier as her breath became more labored.

I shook her head slightly in order to prise her awake, but she seemed completely unresponsive.

"Nandini! Please...Someone, please call an ambulance!!" I yelled, as I wiped the tears that were fogging up my eyes with my blood-stained hands.

In the next second, I saw Cabir yank his cellphone out of his pocket and dial a number.

"Yes, it's an emergency! We need an ambulance at the Singhania mansion in Anjuna immediately! A girl has just been shot..." I heard bits and pieces of Cabir's conversation.

Dhruv came towards me and put a hand on my shoulder.

"You've got to be strong, buddy!" He said in an attempt to console me, as he put pressure on her wound as well.

I wiped my eyes again, and for a split second, my eyes fell on Mukesh Singhania, as the police dragged him away, while he was still reeling in pain from the gunshot wound in his leg.

All of a sudden, I felt a vicious rage within myself. It was like something I'd never experienced before. Not even when I'd found my father's corpse in my own home...not even when I'd found out that Nyonika was behind it all. This time, I felt like my heart had been ripped out, in the most violent way possible.

Before I knew what I was doing, I found myself getting up from the floor and marching towards Mukesh Singhania.

As soon as I reached him, I landed a massive blow on his nose, breaking it in one go! Before he could even utter another word, I hit him again on his right eye, leaving a large black patch as he screamed in agony.

The policemen tried to hold me back, but I wiggled out of their grip.

"If she dies, I swear, I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU! " I found myself growling repeatedly as I beat Mukesh Singhania senseless.

After a few blows, he was all but knocked out, but I wasn't thinking straight and continued my violent rampage, as the police officers tried to block me from attacking him again.

A few seconds later, I heard Cabir behind me, as he placed his hand on my shoulder and turned me around.

"Manik! Stop! Stop all this! Think about Nandini...she needs you right now!" He said, in an urgent voice.

In the next moment, I snapped out of my primal rage and looked at Nandini's limp body on the floor, now devoid of any movement whatsoever.

Fear engulfed me once more, as I dove down to the floor and took her hand in mine.

The police finally carted off Mukesh Singhania from there and shifted their attention towards attending Madhyam.

"Manik, the ambulance will be here in twenty minutes!" Cabir said.

"Twenty minutes?! Are you crazy? We can't wait that long! We have to take her to the hospital right now!" I screamed.

"Okay! Toh phir main abhi gaadi nikaalta hoon! Chal!" Cabir replied.

"But Cabir, our car is almost half a kilometer away..." Alya said quietly.

I grunted in frustration! Nandini was losing too much blood! We had to get to the hospital as quick as possible.