I'm devious~ cruel~cunning and addictive~
Anthony Hopkins.
"Are you gonna put it to test", asked the shortest man of the three. "Your idea", he added in a nasal voice.
The three of them were standing in a dark alley. Out of sight of might be dwellers or passers-by.
"Yes,", answered the tall man who was wearing a long overcoat with it's collar upturned as a shield to fight against the freezing cold. His voice was so frosty that the other two men felt that as if they were standing on a glacier in the middle of Arctic. A chill would run down their spine whenever they think of the cold-blooded he would carry his plan...
But who were they to disobey him...
"Do you think that what you are doing is right?", the elderly third man who was silent until now asked hesitantly. There was a fear of unknown in his voice.
The tallest man gave a sardonic laugh which raised the hackles of his companions. "When have you ever started thinking about what is right and what is wrong, Ramlal" he emphasized on Ramlal. His dangerous tone silently seemed to be conveying his message to them in it's rawness "Don't try to cross me ever, or you'll pay for the consequences".
"Do you even remember what we do? What we have done? And how do we live?", he bit out with a clenched jaw. They fell silent as if taking a moment to ponder over his words. The shortest one of them was Shyam who had once cut off a man's nose just because he wasn't asking forgiveness from their boss by rubbing it in the dirt infront of him...
"And right or wrong, have I ever cared about that", he sneered. "I've made up my mind and it won't be changing now", he added coldly for his companions benefit who were trying to judge his expressions, by blinking owlishly in the dark to no avail. There was a screaming finality in his voice that brook no nonsense and demanded everything...
"Yes...but ...still...we have never dragged ...an innocent soul... in our battles in the past too", Shyam protested haltingly and wiped the perspiration from his forehead. He was so much gut-wrenchingly afraid of the tall man that his shirt was sticking with the sweat pouring out from his body considering it was freezing cold outside.
The tall man's lips curled derisively. "Then the world should get ready to welcome another transformation from an innocent to an embittered soul", he sneered. "Because by the time I will be finished with her she won't even have the tattered remains of her innocence left to hold onto", the last line he muttered to himself in a low voice.
A deafening hush fell over the two of his companions. The silence felt like a death knell to them because they knew that the tall man who was also their boss was a ruthless man and devious to the core. In the past they have never ever questioned their boss they haven't found any reason to do.
They both knew that they weren't innocent men but criminals and that too completely and utterly hardened to the core. They were practical, emotionless, ruthless and trained to be a killing machine. They had no idea about where they were born? From where they had come? And who had brought them to the gang? They only knew that they had to give their two hundred percent loyalty to their boss. And that they had given it, never asking, never ever thinking about their own life too...
They were all partners in crime and they had committed such heinous crimes that a normal human being couldn't even get to think of them. So at this stage their being evasive and showing remorse and hesitation in adding another dirty deed to their already laden book of sins was really a laudable matter and completely astounding even for them...
They were pondering over why they were acting so ridiculously out of habit. Maybe too much of a wine before coming here or maybe the years of being reckless and living dangerously catching up on them...
"Have I got your oath that what we are discussing now will not be disclosed further to any party", asked the tall man in a commanding voice...
He was never called with his original name. He had even forgotten when was the last time that someone had called him with his original name which was Arnav. He had many names. He was called Big Brother to his close friends, the Cold One to his partners and the Devil Reincarnated to his enemies.
At the time being he was certainly looking like a frost-bitten and emotionless human-statue calling the shots...
"There is no remorse, nothing in his eyes", thought Ramlal. The faceless and nameless mummies that he had once seen lying in cold glass coffins during a mission in Egypt danced across his mind's eye. "How can a person be so cold, so unfeeling that when his glance hits you, one would think that instead of the holes where his eyes dwells there are pools of coldness and evilness that will consume you and you will never find a way out from there" he shuddered to even think of a person's fate who would be to weak to fall in those bottomless pits.
Ramlal was the elderly one of them and he had his shares of sins and remorse. They called him the softy Ramlal because he was the only one in their midst who carried somewhat a soft heart. Once a person was brought to them who had dared to sell their secrets to the rival party. His original punishment had been to cut off each and every part of the body by their rule book.
But Ramlal had intervened because in the past the betrayer had been a very old and loyal member of the gang and many times he had saved the life of Arnav.
In the end it was decided that they won't dirty their hands with that man's blood and so Ramlal had thrown him between a pack of hungry dogs. It was then that Ramlal got the title of softy. Because it was the most soft punishment that have ever been meted out to their enemy from their side in their entire life...
"Ramlal do you take the oath", Arnav's impatient voice called to him and he pulled out the plumber on his deep thoughts.
They both were looking silently looking towards him. Tracing his dry lips with the tip of his tongue in a nervous movement Ramlal paused for a moment and then hesitantly nodded his head in agreement...
"So now it's decided that Ramlal will first start to lay out the foundations for trap according to the plan", Arnav clicked his fingers impatiently. "And in the meanwhile Shyam will keep an eye on the prey by remaining near her vicinity", his shadowed eyes were lit with an unholy glint which went unnoticed by either one of them in the darkness. Satisfaction oozed from every pore of his body. He truly felt as if a great burden had been dislodged from his shoulders.
Arnav gave a mocking salute, "It's time to go we will only meet again after our mission has been accomplished".
They all nodded to each other and turned to go. First Shyam went then Arnav who instantly turned on his heels and went striding on long and powerful legs, his overcoat billowing in the chilled winter air. He was soon swallowed by the darkness. A walking, talking carcass of a man...
But the still figure of a man watched him go with a frown. Ramlal was really worried...
In the meanwhile not faraway a young girl of about 20 was watching Alice Of the Wonderland and popping popcorns in the mouth carelessly, never having a tiniest bit of idea about what horrors were awaiting her in real...wonderland!...
P.S: Hit the like button buddies and comment to your wish if you think that the first chapter is worth it. š
Thanks! I will certainly soak up all your given encouragement to produce another chapter worthy of your reading! šš Buddy me for PM. š³
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