No. Michael is dead? How the f*ck did that happen?
Before I can even process it, Raghav glances around. “I think you arrived with what… hundred armed men?”
I don’t answer.
“Unfortunately, it looks like only a handful of them are still breathing.”
He’s right. I don’t even need to look around to know it. The rest are gone. How the hell did this happen? But I refuse to show my fear. I straighten despite the gun at my head and meet his gaze.
“You still underestimate me.” I seethe.
Raghav raises an eyebrow.
“Oh, right.” That same infuriating smile returns to his face, the one that tells me he knows something I don’t. “Parag and Singhal. The mighty reinforcements. You’ve been wondering where they are, haven’t you?”
The question lands like a bullet. I’ve been wondering that since the first call failed. They should have attacked by now. They should have been here. Where the hell are they?
“They’re not coming.” The b*stard’s smile only widens.
And this time, the shock hits me harder. What the f*ck did he do to them?
PARAG REDDY
Forty Minutes Ago
We are barely three miles from the southern approach to RK Estate when everything goes wrong. One second, our convoyis moving through the winding mountain road. The next, every vehicle screeches to a halt.
I shove open the door of my jeep and step out. In front of us, the road is gone. A massive wall of mud, uprooted trees, shattered rocks, and debris blocks the entire path.
“What the f*ck is this?”
I walk a few steps closer, my eyes moving over the destruction. This wasn’t here yesterday. I had men scout every route leading to RK Estate. Every road, every blind spot, every possible choke point. They had reported there was no obstruction, no reason we wouldn’t be able to reach the estate from this side.
At first glance, it looks like a landslide. But it’s too perfect, like it was staged. Almost as though someone wanted this road blocked.
Singhal jumps out from the passenger side and joins me, his eyes sweeping over the blocked road. Behind us, dozens of armed men begin stepping out of the convoy with rifles and shotguns in hand.
I grind my teeth. “We leave the vehicles here.” Several heads snap towards me. “We move on foot.”
The men immediately begin preparing themselves. If the road is blocked, we walk. Nothing changes. Raghav dies tonight. I’m about to issue the next order when I notice Singhal suddenly stiffen beside me. His head tilts slightly, and his eyes narrow as if he has heard something.
And that’s when I hear it too. The faint sound of boots moving through the rubble. Not one man. Not a few. But an entire army.
My entire body goes rigid.It’s a trap.
“TAKE COVER!”
My roar explodes through the valley. And then all hell breaks loose. Gunfire erupts from the darkness as bullets come at usfrom every direction, ripping into our convoy before half our men even realise what is happening. The windows explode, glass shatters, and our men drop beside the vehicles, some without even getting the chance to raise their weapons.
“CONTACT!” “CONTACT!”
In less than a second, the entire valley transforms into a battlefield. I dive behind my jeep as bullets hammer into the vehicle, and my entire body shakes from the force of the impact. Around me, our men scramble desperately for cover. Some make it. Many don’t. The attackers are everywhere. Hidden behind therocks. Buried within the tree line. Positioned along the elevated ridges overlooking the road.
They have perfect kill zones and firing angles. These are not random gunmen or hired shooters. These b*stards know exactly what they’re doing. I raise my weapon and return fire. But for every man we hit, three more seem to appear.
What the f*ck? How was Raghav ready for this? He shouldn’t have known we were coming. Nobody outside the three of us knew the plan. Yet somehow, it feels as if these men have been waiting here for us all night.
The gunfire only grows more intense. Bodies begin dropping everywhere. My men and Singhal’s men fall one after another. And still the bullets keep coming. I look towards Singhal, who is hiding behind a thick tree trunk, firing back relentlessly. Even from here, I can see the disbelief on his face, because he’s thinking exactly what I’m thinking.We’re getting slaughtered.
