Ab iski body kaha dalu " I hissed, my palms rested on my torso in an attempt to sue the frustration away .

Looking at the lifeless body of him.

My elder brother or deceased elder brother.

A hysterical laugh bubbled in my chest .

​"Weak fucker," I spat.

I swung my foot, my boot connecting with his temple with a dull, sickening thud. His head snapped to the side with no resistance, as light as a hollowed-out pumpkin.

The world always bows down to the power .

No blood relation, no humanity.  Just power and money .

"Rest in hell " I whispered, my tone dropping an octave.

I scanned my surroundings. We were covered in by the oppressive wall of the dark forest, standing on a stretch of highway that the world had long ago forgotten.

This is the 'shortcut' to the Haveli the path I always bragged about before our long drives back to Lucknow.

​Irony is a bitter bitch.

​Then, the sky broke.

A cold drop hit my forehead .

​"Fuck," I hissed, the rain already beginning to wash the grime toward the gutters. "Baarish hone bali hai ."

I pulled out my phone, the screen’s glow ghostly against the dark woods, and dialed the only number that could make this disappear.

"

Kaam ho gaya," I murmured into the receiver, my voice as flat as the horizon.

​Without hanging up, I grabbed his limp hand and dragged him toward the edge of the road. With a practiced motion, I severed the fuel line of his car, the scent of petrol sharp and pungent against the damp earth. I flicked my lighter.

​BOOM.

​The spilled fuel ignited in a hungry roar. Within seconds, the car was a skeletal cage of orange light, the heat searing the skin of my face. As the fire caught his clothes, a scream tore through the sound of the crackling flames.

​A girl came sprinting toward the wreck, her face a mask of horror. "Khade kya ho? Use bachao!" she sobbed, lunging toward the heat.

​I caught her wrist mid-air, jerking her back with a force that sent her hair flipping across my face. In that split second, the heavy scent of smoke was replaced by the delicate, jarring fragrance of roses clinging to her crochet top.

"Pagal ho gaye ho kya ,vo jal raha hai .just save him ."

"Murda ko kya bachana ."

​The rain began to intensify, the downpour turning the fire into a hissing, steaming beast. Her eyes widened, reflecting the orange glow of the burning car. "You... jaanbhuj kar..."

E

​I didn't blink.

I simply nodded, my grip tightening as she began to struggle. "Kaafi jaldi samajh gayi ,aap ."

​"Mene... kuch nahi dekha," she sobbed, her voice breaking. "Let me go. Please."

​"Tsk. Tsk." I leaned in, my voice a dangerous whisper that barely cleared the sound of the rain. "Ab aap humare saath chalengi."

​I couldn't afford a single witness

If word got out that I  had slaughtered my own blood for 'Nawab ' title , the streets of Lucknow would ruin with my reputation  .

She was a burden I hadn't planned for, a witness I might eventually have to kill her too for  forever.

​"Mein tum jaise paapi ke saath kahi nahi jaungi!" she hissed, her defiance shivering through her as the sky finally opened up in a relentless deluge.