Border of the sun

by Aditya Mewati

  Jack grabbed the doorknob and slowly pushed it open, not completely, just enough for him to peek outside. After ensuring that the coast has clear he completely opened the door and said, “It’s safe. And remember no sudden movements.” He slowly walked out of the door. They all silently followed him.

  The sky was still dark. Few lights on the third floor were on. Jack again looked around and found that they were the only people outside. He turned to Lilly and said. "We need to grab our bags."

  "Let's not worry about them now," Lilly whispered. The door on the third floor opened, and they all dropped on the ground. They stared in silent as the man with a gun on his shoulder strolled through the corridor. He opened the washroom door and went inside. They all sighed.

  "They contain our weapons and passport. we'll need them," Jack said in a formal tone. He was a person who always planned ahead. Lilly understood what he was talking about. Without the passports, they would be able to escape the building, but not the country.

  "But it's risky." she insisted even though she knew that it was hard to change Jack’s mind. He was a kind person who always stick to his plans, and now that he has planned that he will not leave without passports that squarely meant that he won’t.

  "Okay, then I'm going alone. You guys go ahead." He started for the stairs. She knew he won’t listen.

  "Wait..." she whispered and sighed. "I'm coming with you."

  "No, you can't. What about them? They don't have weapons," He said.

  "We can take care of ourselves," Mr. Walker said, "Or precisely speaking I can take care of them. You people go and bring our passports. I’ll take care of them."

  "Okay, Keep low," Jack replied and he started climbing the staircase. Lilly reluctantly followed him.

  "Follow me," Mr. Walker said and crouching he started heading toward the entrance. Slowly they edged toward the entrance. The wooden floor creaked under their weight. Everything will be alright, Karthik told himself. That was the time the worst things started, and the flower pot of his left shattered into pieces.

  Someone fired at us! He spun around and saw the guard on the third-floor shouting and firing. “They have escaped!”

  "Run!" He called and they broke apart. Flowerpots and other stuff kept shattering around them. Lilly, Karthik, and Javed plunged to left, but Mr. Walker turned right and ran into a staircase.

  Damn it, he thought and started ascending the stairs. More guards came out of the room. Two of them ran toward Mr. Walker. They fired at him as they ascended the stairs. He quickly grabbed the huge flowerpot and threw the flowerpot at them. It hit one of the guards and the guard lost his balance and rolled down the stairs. The other one kept firing. Mr. Walker rounded a corner and came upon the first-floor. He glanced at both the sides and saw an archway that led to the exit. He ran toward it and felt a sharp pain in his back. Then another pain in his head. I've been shot. Then he felt Hot liquid flowing down his neck and on his back. His own blood.

  Karthik and Piper stared in horror as Mr. Walker toppled over the railing and dropped on the ground-floor. His back was drenched in blood. He stared at them and just kept staring.

  Piper ran toward him, but Karthik seized her arm. "It's too late," he said and for the moment, she felt like she was staring at someone else. Not the Karthik she knew but someone else, someone much wiser.

  "This way!" Javed called and they ran behind him. Karthik was now ahead of them. He was a much better runner when it came to the matter of life and death.

  Javed fell on the floor. Piper skidded to a stop and looked back at him. Javed’s right leg was bleeding. She quickly helped him to his feet, and ducked under his shoulder and heaved him forward. Karthik never realized that what had happened behind his back. He just kept running.

  Lilly glanced out the door then looked back. "Hurry up," she called to Jack, who was pushing things in his backpack. They had heard the gun fires.

  I hope they are alive, Lilly thought. Jack bolted out of the room.

  “Take it,” He said handling her a Swiss-knife. Her favorite Knife.

  How could I forget about it, She thought, taking the Swiss-Knife from him. she pushed it into her pocket.

  "Let's move," he said and thundered through the narrow corridor. Lilly ran ahead of him. She ran for a few seconds and then skidded to a stop. Jack ran into her. "What's wrong?" he cried and soon got his answer.

  A seven feet, muscular man was standing in front of them. But what they found more astonishing and frightening was that we saw not carrying any gun with him.

  Even though she had a rifle in her hand, she felt afraid of him. He was radiating the unimaginable sense of confidence and power that made her stomach queasy. He almost brought back her childhood horrors.

  He stared at them, first smiling and then glaring. He moved forward. She moved back.

  “What are you doing?” Jack growled.

  “I don’t know,” She replied and kept walking backward, and without warning Jack started firing. The man did not flinch. He stood his ground.

  Jack stopped firing and waited for the man to fall on the ground. But nothing like that happened. In fact, to his surprise, the men laughed and bullets started popping out of his body. His skin started healing itself.

  "That's impossible!" Lilly cried in a profound astonishment.

  Jack grabbed her hand and tugged her away from the man. The man stomped on the floor behind them. What is that thing? They both thought as they ran away from him.

  32

  Karthik dived to take cover behind the desk at the entrance hall, the bullets pounding behind him and things kept shattering all around him. Piper and Javed had taken cover behind the pillars and now he could see the two guards approaching toward them and more were coming including their leader. Damn it!

  He felt something wet under his right hand. He raised his hand and found red drops smeared on it. Blood. But the big question was whose? He was pretty sure that he was not bleeding and then he saw it. Ramses. His blood smeared body lying just a few feet behind him. His stomach felt twisted into an ugly knot. First Mr. Walker and now Ramses. These people had nothing to do—

  A frame, which was on the opposite wall, shattered into pieces. He craned his head and glanced at the guards. They were just a few feet away from Piper and Javed.

  He frantically looked around him and spotted a shotgun lying on the floor. Ramses's shotgun.

  He picked up the shotgun and aimed at the approaching guards. His arms were shaking with terror. He aimed at the guard who was close to him. Right at the head. He was not sure whether he should kill him or not. Maybe shooting at his legs will do? He lowered his gun at the legs.

  Then back to the head. Back to legs. Head. Legs. Head. Legs.

  They were now very close.

  He pressed the trigger and staggered by the recoil. He was surprised by the force the shotgun had summoned. It felt like he would lost his shoulder. He had never used the shotgun before and was sure he will never use it again. How wrong he was.

  He regained his balance and gazed ahead at him. One of the guards was now lying on the floor. I Killed him! The other guard had taken cover behind the pillar.

  Karthik fired at him but missed. He fired back at Karthik. But Karthik dived behind the wall. Meanwhile, Piper and Javed had edged away from the pillar and had now taken shelter behind the wall in front of Karthik.

  More guards were now thundering toward them.

  "I'm going to Distract them. You guys just run as fast as you can to the car," Karthik said.

  "What about you?" Piper said straining to keep Javed on his feet.

  But Karthik didn't reply he just got up and started walking back and firing bullets. Piper Heaved Javed and carried him out of the entrance hall and into the dooryard. Karthik fired his last bullet and ran behind them.

  They got in the car. Karthik plunged behind the steering wheel and sat regaining his breath. Where is the key?

  He looked around and found the key resting on the dashbo
ard in front of him.

  "What are you waiting for? Drive!" Javed cried, holding his wounded leg.

  "What about Lilly and Jack?" Piper said feverishly.

  Karthik glanced at the hotel entrance and rear view mirror to his left shattered into pieces. He quickly dropped the leg on the accelerator and the car zoomed forward.

  What about Lilly and Jack? the line kept lingering in his mind.

  Lilly and Jack ran down the stairs. The huge seven-foot human followed them. Jack turned, and raised his gun to fire, but the giant pounced on him like a lion pounces on its prey. He grabbed Jack in his both hands and raised him up.

  “I’m goin to squeez yo lik a bug.” the giant squawked. His voice echoed in the staircase. “Lilly run!” Jack said. His face had completely turned red.

  “No way! I’m not leaving you behind!” Lilly said and raised her gun.

  The giant jerked his head in her direction. It seemed like in excitement of squeezing jack he had forgotten about her. But now he stomped toward her.

  She aimed at him but didn’t fire. Jack was still in his grasp. She was afraid that if she fired the bullet will not only hit the giant but hit Jack. She now knew that the giant can regenerate but Jack can’t.

  Struck in her thoughts, she never saw the giant heaving Jack up over his head and throwing him in her direction. Jack dived into her stomach and of both them fell on the floor.

  The giant went over to them. Jack and Lilly grimaced in pain and rolled on the floor. Her stomach seared with pain, and Jack’s head throbbed as if someone was beating it with a hammer. Lilly tried to get up, but before she could get to her feet, the giant grabbed her hair in his left hand and heaved her up.

  She grimaced as he lifted her from her hair. The pain was beyond her enduring limit. He swung her and laughed as her face turned red with agony. Jack tried getting to his feet, but before he could do anything, the giant placed his leg on Jack’s shoulder.

  Then something came to her, and she pulled out the Swiss-Knife from her pocket and slashed it through her hair. She dropped on the ground. The giant threw the strangled hair aside and dashed at her. Lilly acted quickly and the dug the Knife in his eye as he bent down to pick her up. The giant squawked and lost his balance.

  She quickly lifted the gun from the floor and fired at the giant’s feet. He staggered backwards and fell on the floor.

  Lilly pulled Jack to his feet and together they ran for the exit. The giant struggled and climbed to his feet. His left eye was bulging and lots of blood was oozing out of the cavity. Then a foam started forming... slowly his eye regenerated. His legs regenerated, and he let out a ferocious growl.

  33

  The car rounded a corner, screeching on the road. Karthik, behind the steering wheel, was panting hard and was nervously glancing at the rear view mirror. He had heard a growl. A ferocious growl. Although, he had no idea about what kind of animal is capable of making such imposing sound. But Karthik knew one thing for sure that whatever thing made that sound was damn close to them. He increased the speed.

  “What was that?” Javed asked. But Neither Karthik nor Piper had an answer to his question.

  Daybreak was drawing close. As he gunned the engine, out of nowhere, Lilly and Jack plunged on the road.

  The car stopped with a jolt; Lilly and Jack hurried toward them. Piper opened the door, admitting them in.

  "Quickly, hit the road," Jack said feverishly as he hurled himself in the car.

  "How did you got out?" Karthik asked.

  "No time to explain. Just—"

  They heard a dull thud and then breaking of glasses. The huge man, around seven feet tall, had jumped down from the second-floor window and had landed on the ground, unharmed. Karthik stared at him in utter bewilderment as the man approached the car. There were holes and red marks in his clothes. Karthik had no why he had holes on his cloth. But he had few wild guesses. The holes were made by the bullets. Even inside his mind, the guess sounded stupid and lousy.

  The man stopped few feet away from them, blocking their path as if he could stop the big car with his hands alone. No matter seven feet or eight feet tall, the confidence the man radiated made Karthik chuckle, which turned into a hysterical laughter. What a silly guy. He thinks he could stop me? Huh?

  But, a chill ran down his back. The hair on his nape stood up when Lilly said to reverse the car. Something in her voice told that he should fear that tall guy. He obediently shifted the gear to reverse, and the car started moving backward.

  The tall man realized what Karthik was doing, and started trundling behind them. His heavy foot striking the ground, arms moving around his sides, soon he was gaining on them.

  Karthik realized that if they kept going like this, the man would easily catch—he did not want to imagine what the man was capable of doing.

  He yanked the steering wheel and the car whirled. The tires screeched on the asphalt road.

  He shifted the gear to drive mode, making the car zoom forward. It was much easy for him as he was driving the car forward. The tall man was still running behind them. For a moment, Karthik thought that the car would outrun the tall guy. But to everyone's horror the tall man redoubled his speed, and now he was just a few feet away from them.

  Karthik dug his feet into the accelerator but it was futile. The car was already at its maximum speed. Karthik was now holding the steering wheel so tightly that is hurt his fingers. The car rounded another corner and an another deserted road came into view.

  "He is close!" Javed cried, looking behind.

  "I Know. I know." Karthik spat. He pushed the accelerator. Now, the giant was just one foot away from them, and he pounced on the car and grabbed the back bumper.

  The car abruptly came to a halt. Karthik flew forward, Banging his head and hitting his nose to the windshield. The rear end of the car started moving up. The man was lifting the car up. The car kept tilting forward, its rear wheels spinning vigorously in the mid air. Everyone tumbled inside the car.

  "Do something!" Piper told Karthik as she rolled in the car.

  "I can't," Karthik cried, pressing his palm on the windshield, and lifting himself up.

  Then something happened. The man's skin started bubbling and he started shrinking. But he didn’t let go of the car’s bumper.

  "What's happening to him?" Piper asked. She was now lying in an awkward position in between Karthik and Javed.

  "I think he is becoming normal!" Lilly said;

  "I've got this," Jack said. He squirmed in the passenger seat, aimed at man's head and fired. Glasses shattered into pieces. Piper and Javed covered their ears and eyes in order to protect themselves from the splinters.

  The man let go of the bumper and stumbled back, and as soon as the rear wheels touched the asphalt road the car bounced forward. The shrinking man cried in pain and dropped on the road.

  Few seconds later, Lilly looked back, waiting for the man to stand up. Bullets to pop out of his head. But nothing like that happened. He was dead, at last. The car slowly moved forward.

  “What happened here?” Lilly asked in bewilderment. Her hair was now completely disoriented.

  “I think that serum doesn’t last for a very long time,” Piper said, “And I know what Gun Katz is planning to do with the X-virus.”

  “You know?” Lilly said.

  “Yes,” Piper said, “He is planning to create a powerful army that can regenerate itself within a matter of seconds.”

  “But if he has created the serum then why did he abduct Dr. Sharif?” Karthik asked.

  “Maybe I know that answer, too,” Piper said, “I’ve heard a lot about Dr. Sharif from Dr. Alex Bill. As far as I know about him...Gun Katz is planning to use his knowledge and my file to enhance the serum so that its effect will last forever. He is planning to create an army that will never lose any battle.”

  Silence fell over them, and they all savored it. Their last few hours were full of tension.

  “Our mission again failed,” Lilly m
uttered. Everyone including Javed stared at her. “First we failed to protect Mr. Ford,” she went on, “And now we...”

  “It’s okay,” Jack said, placing his arm around her, “We’ll fix everything.” He looked around. “Where is Mr. Walker?”

  “He,” Piper said, “He...”

  “Died,” Karthik said, finishing her statement.

  “What?” Lilly cried. “He died?”

  Piper morosely nodded. “He was a brave old man.”

  "What now?" Karthik said, glancing at rear view mirror.

  "To the airport," Jack said, "Let's leave this place as quickly as we can."

  Karthik turned on the GPS.

  Now, the dark buildings were silhouetted against the orange glare. Streetlights were fading away. The wrecked car silently trundled toward the rising sun.

  34

  "He will be okay," Karthik told Piper, placing his hand over her hand and squeezing it.

  She nodded, but not lifted her eyes from the porthole of the private jet. The sky outside was bright blue with clouds. They had been traveling for more than twelve hours.

  "It's just... he has lost his parents and his uncle," she said and blew her nose. "And we just left him..."

  "Javed will be okay," Karthik said and he believed it, every single word of it. "Lilly said that the United Knights will take good care of him..."

  "But, But, he is just a kid," Piper sobbed.

  "Trust me, He will do fine." He lifted his hand and moved it around her shoulders, embracing her. She didn't pull away; that was a good sign; in fact, to Karthik's surprise, she moved close to him and placed her head on his shoulder. It was a damn good sign!

  Lilly was staring at them from the corner of her eyes. They look like newly married couples, she thought, and a feeble smile crossed her face. Am I jealous? But why? She didn't knew and raked her mind to find a valid answer.

  Her hair was now completely uneven. She decided that she will need a haircut after landing in Sydney.