One man - determined to save...
G Raghuveera Rao is a man of principles and honour. A man of integrity and valour. A man now desperate enough to make a deal with the Devil himself, if that is what it takes to save his son.
One favour - destroy to s...
Glaring sunlight and oppressive silence greeted him when he opened his eyes. Rising from the bed, he reached for his mobile and jerked awake when he saw that it was close to noon. A quiet Sunday afternoon could only mean one thing, the family had stepped out for lunch. It had been a regular practice when he had been stationed at home and could spend Sundays with his family, one which freed them from the culinary restrictions placed by his mother and wife. Those were happy days though today he felt lost and lonely, wondering what it meant that he had been left behind for a family lunch.
The rational part of him admonished him, he was responsible for his exclusion because he had been stupid but he wallowed in self-pity for a while, till he decided that it was better if his family maintained their distance for some more time. It would lead to unnecessary questions if he looked as bad as he felt.
A look at the bathroom mirror proved him wrong; he looked worse than he felt. With pasty skin, large bags under his bloodshot eyes and sporting a scruffy grey beard, he was a sight, more likely to cause horror than pity. Pushing his emotional turmoil aside, he decided to focus on making himself presentable.
An hour later, after a hot shower and a shave, he looked and felt better, despite the nicks on his face. With a stiff right shoulder, he had been forced to use only his left hand, which had gotten rid of the scruff but had left behind a few cuts. A small price to pay for the improved looks, he decided.
His good mood continued when he managed to make himself a decent cup of coffee. Coffee had to be a panacea.
The joy lasted till he stepped into his study and found Luc waiting for him. All the thoughts that he had pushed to the back of his mind now rushed to the fore and he remembered what he had to do.
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"Aha! My favourite human of the moment."
Those words stung. Raghuveer was not enamoured to learn that he was the Devil's favourite, it rattled him.. Attempting to get his emotions under control he walked inside and towards his desk. Perversely, he did not like the Devil in his house yet there was nothing he could do, he had made a deal and he would have to see it through.
Lucifer stood by the window that faced the back garden, a narrow strip of green grass and few wildflowers. The sun shone through the window, creating a dusty halo around him and Raghuveer wondered how he had once thought him to be handsome. Luc was still handsome but the smile was now more like a sneer and he disliked arrogance that radiated from him.
"What do you want?"
His voice was sharper than he had intended but Raghuveer did not care. He had killed six people, in as many days. The niggling doubts and the faint stirrings of remorse that had haunted him in the initial days were now tougher to ignore. He could only hope that today when he killed for the last time, it would be enough. It had to be, he determined, it had to be worth selling his soul and his morality to the Devil.
