by UD Yasha
The footsteps behind me faded. I shuddered. That only meant two things. Either Mangesh was on the road. Or he had stopped because he had spotted either Radha or me.
Just then, Radha stepped on the road. I could see her only because she was in the beam of the headlamps just as they flicked on and off. My gaze moved left and right, at Radha and the car. The driver must have realized something was amiss because he turned his headlamps back on. Radha held her hands up against the blinding glare. To my horror, she stepped towards the car. She was still thinking it was Rahul.
My heart thudded away. It felt like the energy from my hands and legs was sucked out. I got to my feet and fired a bullet at the car, shattering its windshield. With that one move, the tension escalated.
A loud crack emanated from my right.
Mangesh had joined the party.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
I could tell that Mangesh had fired the gun from the road. That’s why I had not been able to hear his footsteps before. His partner’s car moved further forward. Its headlamps had lit up the entire road. He had turned on the high beam to blind Radha further.
In the distance to my left, another pair of headlamps flickered. Click, click. Twice. Just the way I thought Rahul would have flickered them in the first place. I ran towards the car, knowing that the harsh headlamps’ glare would prevent anyone in front of the car from seeing me because of the bright light. Whereas the view was perfect for me. I could see Radha and had a clear shot at Mangesh.
I fired my Glock. The bullet whooshed through the air but missed my target. Radha ran into the forest again. I fired once more, but this time, it was a blind shot. I missed again. I saw Mangesh running across the light beam of the headlamps and go into the forest, in the same direction that Radha had taken.
BANG.
The air in front of my face moved. It was Mangesh’s partner shooting at me. It was a close call. The bullet would have hit me if I was even one inch ahead. I was relieved but the feeling was fleeting because Radha was now in danger. I started for Mangesh’s partner’s car. That very moment, the car door swung open and his partner darted towards the forest.
The rain had reduced further and was now just a stiff drizzle, allowing me to have a clean shot at him. I squeezed the trigger, aiming for the man’s leg.
BANG.
I did not miss this time. The bullet cut through the cold air and smashed into his ankle. I was aiming for a spot slightly higher but it was enough to stop him in his tracks. He bellowed in pain.
More footsteps came from behind me. I turned around, holding my gun up high.
‘It’s me’, Rahul said.
I jerked my head in the direction of Mangesh’s partner. ‘Take him, and wait in the car. Keep the engine running.’
‘Not this time,’ Rahul said, crossing to the man who was squealing on the ground. Rahul knelt down and picked up the gun the man had dropped. ‘I’m coming with you this time.’
I thought about it. It was going to be futile to argue with him then. He was not going to back down. ‘Let’s go. Shoot the bastard on sight,’ I said, starting for the forest.
The rain had now stopped. Silence resounded. Rahul stayed five steps behind me. We walked for twenty seconds, both vigilant, trying to move softly on the wet forest floor while trying to spot any movement or sound.
A man emerged from the cover of a tree trunk fifty feet ahead.
I could recognize him as Mangesh even though I had only seen him for a few fleeting seconds. He dragged Radha with him, holding a gun to her head.
‘Siya Rajput,’ he called out. ‘Drop your weapon now.’
My fingers tingled as I held the Glock tighter. He had spoken to Radha. How else could he know my name? I could not feel my face for a moment. My worst fear had come true. Radha, no, not her. A picture of Radha’s grinning face from just three months back flashed in my mind. We were discussing places where she and Rahul would get married. She was so happy. She deserved so much more than her life ending so soon. I put my gun on the ground. I noticed Rahul doing the same thing.
‘Good job,’ Mangesh said, glaring at me. ‘Now start walking to your car. I don’t want any trouble. All you have to do to make sure you don’t act funny. I want to get away. And this woman here is my passport to escape,’ he said as he held Radha tightly around her neck with his elbow.
‘This place will be swarming with cops soon,’ I said, lying. I had no idea if Rathod had called in the raid of the warehouse.
‘Then it’s your job to keep them away. Otherwise she dies. My instructions are simple,’ he said, and flicked his gun to beckon us to start moving. ‘No talking now. Walk straight to the car.’
Radha’s safety was my only concern then. I obeyed Mangesh’s command, turned around and started for the car. Rahul was a couple of steps behind me. Mangesh and Radha were fifteen steps behind us.
I knew Mangesh had no reason to keep his word. We knew what he looked like. We knew how he sounded. We were liabilities. He needed to get rid of us. We were going to die even if we followed his every command. The only way to get out of this alive was to kill him.
I wondered if I could reduce the distance between us. I took smaller strides and walked slower. Within fifteen seconds, the forest cleared and I could see both the cars. I was sure the distance between us had been reduced from twelve to about eight steps. Any more and Mangesh would get suspicious and order us to walk faster.
I stopped. I would have gained one more step because of the sudden pause. I turned around. ‘Which car?’ I said and made a visual confirmation of the distance. Eight steps. I was on course. I began walking again.
‘My man’s car,’ Mangesh said as we stepped onto the tar road.
His man was lying motionless on the road. He was dead, or would soon be if he did not get immediate medical attention.
‘Step away from the car and stop there,’ Mangesh said.
Rahul and I followed his command once again. There was going to come a point when Mangesh would get in the car and release Radha. He was probably going to use that time to take a shot at us. His biggest challenge was hitting all three of us while trying to turn the car around. I guessed he would have reckoned the killing part was going to be easy. But he did not know I had a secret weapon jammed in my chest holster. A Glock 26. It was smaller than my first gun of choice—the Glock 19.
Mangesh stepped closer to the car. He was still holding Radha close to him. I calculated the time the maneuver would take. I would need approximately a second and a half to pull the Glock 26 out of its holster and take the shot. Mangesh would need just a second to push Radha away, get in the car and take the shot. He would go for either Rahul or me first and then take Radha. He was going to kill us because I was going to need half a second more than him. That was all the difference between life and death.
I took half a step to my right towards Rahul.
‘Leave her now,’ I said out loud. I leaned to my right and mouthed to Rahul, ‘Cause a big scene when he pushes Radha away.’
Rahul looked confused for half a beat. But he got the message. Or at least I hoped.
‘I keep my promises,’ Mangesh said, putting his hand on the door handle.
I observed him closely. Mangesh pushing Radha away was my cue to pull out my gun. Luckily, the rain had stopped and I could look at his hand and the way it moved. It was going to happen anytime now. I realized I could cut down the half a second lag to a fourth of a second because Mangesh was not paying attention to me. He was more focused on carrying out his plan to precision.
Then it happened.
Faster than I had thought. My instincts took over.
Rahul shouted out loud the moment Radha was pushed. I pulled out my Glock 26 and squeezed the trigger twice. The window of the half open door was smashed to pieces. Blood smeared the windshield. I had hit Mangesh both times. The first shot had ripped through his shoulder and the second had smashed into his hand. I was flooded with relief.
But just
then, I realized something was extremely wrong.
I had pulled my Glock’s trigger twice, but there had been three gunshot sounds.
My world came crashing down when I knew what had happened. Radha had fallen to the side. She yelled in pain. Mangesh had fired his gun.
And his bullet had hit Radha.
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Everything around me was spinning. My vision blurred but I could see Radha clearly. She was on the ground, holding her shoulder. Her face had gone white. Her mouth was wide open as she screamed. More than pain, it was the magnitude of what had happened. The actual pain would come later. Then, the screaming would get much worse, just like the shuddering of her body.
I ran to her.
‘Quick, give me your belt,’ I said to Rahul, holding out a hand as he ran next to me.
It took him a heartbeat to understand what I was saying but he unbuckled his belt and put it in my hand by the time we reached Radha.
Her body was soaking wet with blood. I looked into her eyes. They reminded me so much of maa. Radha does not deserve this. She should not have been here. She cannot die. She has so much to live for. What was going to happen to their lovely married life and the beautiful children they would have?
I strapped the belt as tightly as I could near her shoulder, trying to create a makeshift tourniquet.
‘Pull hard,’ I said to Rahul, giving him one end.
In case of a gunshot injury, the key was to reduce the blood supply to the wound. The outer part of her right arm was hit. It did not have a critical organ or a major artery. But any gunshot victim is always at risk of bleeding out. As far as I could tell, the bullet had grazed her skin and not ruptured any large arteries. However, the wound was large enough on its own to result in a massive blood loss.
‘I’ll get the car,’ Rahul said and bolted away.
‘It’s going to be alright,’ I said to Radha, tightening the belt. ‘Just stay with me. You’re going to be fine. Keep your eyes open.’
Our car screeched to a stop next to us. Rahul and I picked Radha up and put her on the back seat. Rahul got behind the wheel while I scooted in the back and put Radha’s head on my lap. I needed to keep her awake.
‘Give me your handkerchief,’ I said to Rahul. ‘Rathod also keeps a napkin in the glovebox. Give me that as well.’
Rahul handed both things to me. I pressed the napkin hard against the gunshot wound. There are only a few ways to stop excessive bleeding and they all involve applying pressure to the wound. I used both hands to press Radha’s shoulder to reduce the flow of blood.
I closed my eyes as Radha screamed. Applying pressure to the wound would have sent pain pulsating through her body. I held my hands firm to prevent them from shaking. Seeing Radha writhe in pain made me think of the worst that could happen.
‘I know this is hurting but it’s necessary. I need to keep pressing it,’ I said, knowing how badly it would be hurting.
‘The nearest hospital is ten minutes away in Lonavala,’ Rahul said. His voice was shaking now.
‘You need to call the hospital and tell them we’re coming,’ I said.
Rahul stepped his foot on the accelerator as he pulled out his phone and made the call. The ringing across the line echoed in the car cabin. I hoped the hospital was well equipped to handle a gunshot wound.
We whizzed forward. The call was answered in six seconds, just as we hit the highway. Rahul explained the situation to the lady who answered the call. She seemed to be dazed at first. I had lost track of time but I knew it was late in the night. Luckily, two trauma surgeons and an anesthetist were on call among other doctors. The hospital was just off the Pune-Mumbai highway, so I guessed that kept the doctors alert round the clock, especially at night when freight traffic was heavy on the highway.
I patted Radha’s face, trying desperately to keep her awake. The pressure I was applying was not helping in that. Her body was trying to find a way to cope with the pain. The best way to deal with it was for the mind to become unconscious. The pain was so intense that she had even stopped screaming and now just a low soft moan escaped her mouth.
‘We’ll be there in two minutes,’ I said looking into Radha’s bloodshot eyes, hoping to get some reaction. But I doubt she even heard me because of the pain that was ripping her apart second by second.
Rahul’s handkerchief and Rathod’s napkin were soaked in blood. It was not a great sign as it meant that Radha was still bleeding profusely. I pushed harder into her shoulder. Rahul bustled past heavy trucks and the odd car. I could see the large red cross of the hospital about a kilometre away. We were pushed to the left because of the car’s kinetic energy as Rahul swerved right sharply at a crossroad. We sped rapidly towards the hospital. Its sign disappeared behind other buildings as we got closer.
Radha heaved loudly, drawing my attention towards her. She moved violently on my lap. Then her breaths became short and shallow. The moans escaping her mouth got softer.
‘Radha, please stay with me. You can't close your eyes. We’re almost there,’ I said and patted her cheek with one hand while continuing to apply pressure to the gunshot wound with the other.
The ambulances outside Grace Hospital in Lonavala glinted red and blue on the drops of rain pebbled on our windshield. The hospital staff had the make and number of our car so they rushed towards us as soon as we entered the hospital premises.
Five paramedics pulled Radha out in one swift motion and placed her on a stretcher. A doctor put an oxygen mask on her mouth. Her stretcher was wheeled inside the hospital. Rahul veered the car into an almost empty parking lot, a rare occurrence at Indian hospitals. We stepped out and made a dash for the Casualty department.
Chapter Sixty
A female security guard ran behind us as we entered Casualty. I did not know why she was running at first but I found out soon. She said, ‘The doctors have taken her directly to the operating theatre.’
‘Do you know which one?’ Rahul said.
The guard shook her head. ‘I just overheard them talking.’
We reached the hospital’s reception and caught a young attendant with a buzz cut in the middle of a yawn. He quickly put a hand to his mouth. The metal tag on the breast pocket of his shirt told us his name was Rishi.
‘They just brought in my fiancé. She was shot. Her name is Radha Rajput. The guard outside said she was taken in for an operation.’
Rishi got up. ‘Yes, I know. Can I please see some identification?’
Rahul stepped forward with a clenched fist. I put a hand on his shoulder and said, ‘I’m her sister, Siya Rajput.’ I rummaged in my tote bag and pulled out my driving license.
Rishi examined it and said, ‘Sorry for that. But we need to confirm the identity of patients’ emergency contact in a case like this. We have to be extra careful.’ He peeled out a form and said, ‘Please fill this up.’
Even I lost it at that moment. Going through such formalities was the last thing I wanted to do when Radha was inside. I glared at Rishi and said, ‘I’m a lawyer. I know what’s supposed to be done. We’ll fill this up but please get us a doctor whom we can speak with.’
‘I’m on it,’ Rishi said and rolled his chair to the back end of his booth.
I scribbled out the form. Rishi emerged a minute later and said, ‘Please go to the third floor. There’s a doctor’s booth over there. They will tell you everything you need to know.’
I ran upstairs and found the booth Rishi was referring to. There was no other patient but a nurse walked up to us. She took us to a small waiting area. We could see the corridor leading up to the operating theatres just beyond it. A glass wall with blinds separated the two.
‘The victim was taken into the operating theatre,’ the nurse said. ‘It’s probably going to take a while. Please stay seated here,’ the nurse said and turned away.
‘Can we speak to someone who knows what’s happening?’ Rahul said.
‘I’m afraid no one is available. The two on-call d
octors are inside the operating theatre. We’ve called two more to attend to other potential incoming patients. For now, you’ll just have to wait. We’ll let you know the moment we can.’
Rahul and I saw the nurse return to her booth. We sat still next to each other and waited. Rahul buried his face in his palms and broke down. I fought the tears from coming. Radha would have wanted me to be strong for Rahul. I rubbed his back as he leaned forward, keeping his elbows on his knees.
‘I’m afraid I won’t ever see her again, Siya,’ Rahul said.
I stayed silent. Nothing I would say was going to make him feel any better. I was not in a state myself to make him feel better. But I just wanted to be there for Rahul and for that, I had to ensure I held my own.
I got up and filled a glass of water for him from the water cooler. He had stopped crying when I had returned. But his eyes were puffy. I had never seen Rahul this way. He wiped his face on his shirtsleeve.
I pulled my phone out and texted Rathod.
I killed Mangesh. Radha was shot. She’s at Grace Hospital in Lonavala.
We sat still without saying much. The minutes ticked by. There was no sign of the operating theatre opening. There was no text from Rathod either. What the hell was happening?
I got up and walked around the waiting area, trying to distract myself. Just then, the doors of the operating theatre opened. A male doctor, who was probably in his mid-forties, pushed past the glass door and walked out.
‘Are you here for Radha Rajput?’ he said, his voice deep.
Rahul joined me at my right elbow. ‘Yes, please go on.’
‘The operation was successful. She’s out of danger,’ he said.
A smile broke on my face. Rahul said something that I could not make out. The next instant, he was hugging both me and the doctor together.
