So much for Justice: Part 2

DISCLAIMER: The characters, their names, and the events in this story are entirely a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, dead or alive, will entirely be coincidental. The following story contains scenes of extreme violence, brutality, blood and gore and may be unsuitable for sensitive readers.

     Although it was dark, they still moved in the corners of the houses, and they moved fast. After about seven minutes, they stopped behind a wall in a pitch-black alley. “Ok, we’re here,” said Sameer. “Here?” Ray was confused. “That guy lives in this shithole of a place?” Sam said, “There is a huge wall here. Beyond the wall is a big garden. We must cross it quick and break into the house.”

     The two helped Ray reach the height of the wall. He slowly raised his head and peeped. They were right; there was an enormous garden with a few plastic chairs scattered here and there. A big lawnmower on one side, and in the centre of the green flatland, a mansion with three floors above the ground.

     “Ok guys, so there is a clear field, but we gotta move fast,” Ray whispered to the other two. “Now, you help me jump down, and I’ll grab you a couple of chairs.” They did as they were told. Ray landed on his feet, but slipped, for he had landed on something soft and squishy. There was intense barking and he felt a sharp pain in his left leg. Apparently, he hadn’t bothered to look straight down from the wall, for there was the guard dog, fast asleep. Ray had landed straight on him.

     The dog had already driven his teeth till Ray’s bone. Blood was saturating the grass. Instinctively, Ray removed a knife from his pocket and drove it straight into the canine’s eye. There was a horrible howling noise. Then, split-second later, Ray removed it and stabbed the thing right through the neck, and then turned the knife ninety degrees. The dog fell shaking in a pool of dark red blood, and then lay very very still. Ray lay on the ground, with a trembling leg that had already lost too much blood.

     A second later, Sam and Sameer landed beside him. “Bro, what the actual heck happened?” Ray replied, “I was stupid enough to not see down. Landed straight on the accursed dog. How did you two get past the wall?” Sameer replied, “Adrenaline. Did you hear that howl? The neighbourhood must be awake by now. We have to move.”

     Sam and Sameer both helped Ray get up and together, they moved to the nearest window at the house. “Ok, let’s go,” “Wait wait wait wait wait,” Sam was interrupted by Sameer. “The noise came from this direction. They will come this way. Let’s circle the house and enter from the other side.” “Good idea.” The boys moved quickly.

     When they had just crossed a wall, the main door opened with a creak, and two servants, scared and carrying long sticks, got out. The boys moved even more slowly and reached a window on the other side of the house. One of the servants screamed. “Perfect,” said a bleeding Ray. “Now everyone is awake.” Sameer reassured him, “Everyone will be going that way, Ray. We are clearer than ever before. Ok… now, we need to check if this window is clear. This time, I’ll go.” He got to his toes and with his fingertips, climbed on whatever little surface the base of the windowsill provided. “Everything clear. One of you give me a small rock. Sharp one.”

     Sam found a stone and handed it over. Sameer tapped the thing with moderate force on the glass. Then, when it started cracking, he lowered his force. Then, at last, the glass broke silently, but fell on the floor inside, making a noise. Sameer quickly turned his hand, and opened the window from the inside. The three boys silently got in, Ray between the two, being helped by Sam from outside and Sameer from inside.

     When the three were finally inside, they heard panicked voices echoing throughout the house. “The dog is dead!” Said a fat female voice. “Somebody sliced its neck, see!” Someone retched. A little girl starting crying. But none of these noises troubled Ray as much as his leg did. He looked down and saw, in the dim light, his flesh hanging loose from his leg, that was now numb. The pant was so soaked in blood that he could see the red tint on the black pant. Sameer saw his hesitation and tore off a sleeve of his own shirt, which he tied across the wound. “Hey man, you didn’t have to do that,” said Ray. Sameer put a hand on his shoulder and said, “We’re in this together. Alright?” Ray nodded. “Good. So let’s get moving.”

     They put on their hoods and moved in silence. While they were on the staircase, all the lights in the house suddenly lit up. The women of the house screamed. There were angry voices of men. “You five, check around the house. The six of you check every corner in the house. I want whoever this is, caught. I’ll kill him. He killed my dog, I’ll cut him in half!” The voice of an angry, rough man was audible in the distance. Sam urged the others to “Move! Move!”

     They reached the first floor without encountering anyone. Sameer said, “That boy keeps speaking loudly about how he spies on girls all throughout the neighbourhood. He definitely has a room on the top floor.” They moved to the second floor. An extremely old woman was standing there, who froze on seeing them. She opened her mouth to scream, but Sameer quickly rushed over and covered her mouth with his hand. “Shh shh shh shh shhhhh. I know you’re scared,” he said in Marathi. “I’m going to let go now. We won’t do anything to you if you stay silent. But if you scream, we’ll kill you too. Got it?” The woman nodded. Sam let go of her mouth. She stood there perplexed. The three boys left her behind, Ray praying wildly that they would not have to kill another human that night.

     They reached the third floor and walked straight. On the way, Sameer peeped in through the keyholes of all the doors. At the third door, Sameer looked at the others and nodded. They both held their crowbars tightly. Ray, his knife. Sameer slowly turned the handle, and then opened the door in a flash.

     The room was empty. The three boys quickly went inside and closed the door behind them. A large bed stood in the middle of the room. A gaming setup in front of a wall. The other two walls filled with pictures of bikini-clad Bollywood and Hollywood actresses. There were footsteps approaching and the three hid under the bed. The gruff voice of an old man was speaking in Marathi, “Adi, this is not safe. You get back into your room and stay there. I will send some servants to protect you.” “But grandpa,” a hateful voice spoke. “I don’t care about safe. I want to be in the middle of the action!” “Shut up and stay inside!” The door opened and an old man was seen pushing the fat boy inside. “Don’t you dare talk back!” The door closed with a bang and the boy was left alone inside.

     The boy, Adi walked over to the window and kicked the wall so hard that even the floor shook. Sameer silently pulled out the Nerf gun from his utility belt. Ray looked in horror, that the rubber bullet had a tightly attached piece of sharp, rusted iron. Sameer aimed the thing at the boy’s thigh and shot. There was a squelching noise as the blade penetrated the flesh of his fat leg. Then the boy squealed like a pig and fell back on the floor. The three boys quickly scurried and were on their feet in an instant. Ray locked the door and Sam went over and put his hands on the boy’s mouth.

     Once the door was locked, Ray walked over to the scene. The boy was on his back, his horrified eyes looking up. Sameer took off his hood. “Remember me? Remember that girl you thought was your property? What you did to her…” he started shaking, his eyes bloodshot. He removed his hammer and drove the blade further into the boy’s leg. Dark red blood splattered everywhere. Adi squealed again. This time, muffled by Sam’s cold hand. “How many girls have you… How many times before this… But now, you have laid your demonic hands on my sister you bastard. And that means you have crossed paths with me. Today it is payback time.” He used his leg to turn the fat boy over and hit the back of his head with the hammer. Once. Twice. Thrice. Blood sprayed everywhere. Ray looked at the horror unfolding before him, then looked down… only to see his shinbone. He looked around. Colours were appearing in front of his vision. It was beautiful. Then he fainted.

     Ray woke up to Sam sprinkling water on his face. “You good?” Ray nodded slowly. Looked around. The boy’s head was opened on the floor, lying in a pool of blood and brains. “Ray’s lost too much blood,” Sam said to Sameer. “I can see his bone, man. We have to get him to a doctor.” “What about the body?” Sameer asked. “Do you seriously think that’s more important?” “Of course Sam! A boy turned up seriously wounded the same night there was a robbery at a rich businessman’s house. Of course it is important. Anyone will be able to solve that riddle.” They considered it for a while. At last, Sameer said, “Ok Sam, I’ll help you carry him till the gate. From there, you will take him to a hospital, and I’ll take the body in the other direction.” Saying so, he picked up the boy’s body, or what he had made of him. At that moment, there were footsteps heard.

     The door handle turned, but in vain. There were voices outside. “Adi! Adi we heard a scream. Everything alright?” The boys froze. There was immense banging on the door. “Adi! Adi!” The man’s voice became louder. “Break down this door!” There was some scurrying and then the door banged from the other side. Once. Twice. Thrice. Each time with increasing intensity and power. Sam and Sameer held their crowbars tightly. Sam said, “Stay behind us, Ray.” The door gave way on the eighth blow.

     Two terrified men fell in with the door, and were both hit in the head immediately by the two boys. A man in his fifties, a woman in her forties and a servant with a stick stood behind the door. The servant waved his stick in the air and missed Sameer’s face by inches. He ducked, got up close to the man and grasped his neck tightly. The man dropped his stick. Sameer pulled him close to the window. Ray closed his eyes, and when he opened them, Sameer stood alone at the window.

     The man in his fifties lunged at Ray, but Ray pushed him back. He fell and hit his head on the floor. The wife rushed to aid him. Sam shouted, “Maage wha! Maage wha! Move back!” He waved his crowbar. “Everyone move back!” The woman backed up against the wall. Sam picked up Ray, and rushed out of the room, closely followed by a defending Sameer. They jumped down the staircases and reached the ground floor without encountering anybody else. Sam redirected the other two to the room from where they had entered, as the main door was too risky. He got out from the window, and with Sameer on the inside, helped Ray get out. Once the two were safely out, Sameer started climbing, but at that instant, the door behind him flew open. There was a loud bang and the next thing Ray knew was that Sameer had fallen on the grass beside him, the back of his head open.

     Apparently, the fallen father had gotten up and chased them; for there he stood, with a rifle in his hands. “You broke into my house! You killed my boy! I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!” Saying so, he started reloading. Sam lifted Ray and started running towards the perimeter. “Wait,” said Ray. “What about Sameer?” “He’s dead, Ray,” panted Sam. “It was a headshot.” There was another loud bang. Sam yelled and fell forwards, dropping Ray. He had been shot in the back. “Sam! Sam, no!” “Ray,” he whispered with whatever breath he had left. “Run. Ray, run.” “No no no no no no no, Sam!” He stopped breathing. “I’m sorry Sam,” Ray sobbed. “He followed my blood and.. I am responsible.”

     The man was now standing above Ray. He struck his head with the stock of the gun. Ray fell down on the grass. “Before I make your bodies disappear,” the man said. “Tell me. Why did you kill my son?” Ray was shaking violently when he said, “He… he was dirty. He laid his hands on our sister. Twice.” “So? He was my son! He could do anything he wanted!” Ray looked up in his red eyes weakly and whispered, “You… you are a m-monster.” The man only laughed and pointed his gun at Ray’s face. Ray’s right hand fell something hard on the ground. Not caring what it was, Ray used his full force to push aside the gun with his left hand, and then throw the thing at the man’s face.

     The thing, a rock, hit him on the nose the same time as the bullet hit the ground inches beside Ray. Ray got up, turned, and ran. He must have covered a few metres before his shinbone popped out and dangled loosely from his knee. Ray fell. The sight and the sensation were terrifying. “It’s not my fault,” he shouted, but it was too late. He had already fallen to the ground. He heard footsteps coming from behind. He stumbled to get up, but his leg was trembling very badly and bleeding all over the grass. Now all was over.