Noir~ ANUPRE FF P11~PG5 22/02/20 - Page 4

Originally posted by: PrincessRitz29

The intensity of the characters are on point.

Loved the title 👏

I hope Anurag survives abhi toh he needs to fight all the upcoming Kasautii's in the chapters 😛

I can't wait for the upcoming chapters and twists.

Loving how their bond is growing.

Keep it up 👏👏👏

Yas! gonna read the other fic now 😊

I'm super sorry for taking so long with this update, I've been super busy- but, i'm finally back, thank you for being patient x

Part 8~ A Place Of Solace

Prerna was anxious, there was simply no other way to put it. In the weeks that had passed since she had last seen Anurag, Rodriguez had been exceptionally kind to her. He had gone out of his way to compliment her, ask her how she was and had even ordered food every night so she wouldn’t have to cook. Tonight, he had planned a surprise for her, so she sat in the back of the car with a silky scarf around her eyes, his warm hand holding hers and the welcome breeze blowing her hair as the driver drove them to their destination.

Rodriguez had stretched his arm over her to open her door, the loud sound of cars beeping didn’t scare him, but it would scare her. Shoving her down, he held her out of the car as the driver continued to speed, ripped the scarf from her eyes and smiled sinisterly. “Now, now” he tutted “This doesn’t have to go badly” he cooed in her ear.

His body was so heavy on her chest and the wind hitting her with such a brutal force made her struggle to breathe.“Rodriguez” she grabbed his collar to hold her head up from hitting the ground “What are you doing?”

“Oh baby, I want to ask you the same thing,you think I haven’t been told about that man you keep seeing? Did you think I was stupid? I always have people watching and for so long you seemed so trustworthy,but now” he ran his fingers over her cheek “Now I can’t trust you, you know what that means?”

She shook her head fast, the lump in her throat as she swallowed made her eyes burn. “Please don’t” she screamed as he got up and shoved her from the car, her body hit the ground hard as she rolled out of the busy road and down a hill, she gripped onto a barrier tightly, legs swinging around. “Help” she sobbed, but she knew it was unlikely that anyone would hear her.

Rodriguez now stood over her “I loved you and you betrayed me” he held onto her wrist “I loved you and this is how you repay me?” Pulling her from the barrier, he released her and watched as she bounced onto the rocks and her eyes rolled back “I loved you Prerna, but not anymore”.

±±±

“No, you don’t understand” Anurag growled as he shoved his hand through his messy raven hair “I can’t do it, I just can’t”.

“You wanted this case, you wanted to be the man that brought the mafia down, now what? This is a great opportunity and you know it, train Prerna as someone who can take Rodriguez down, be her support system, everyone in this precinct knew you didn’t want her to be guilty and now because of her memory loss, she isn’t, you have a chance to make her a better woman, feed her a lie about who she is and what her job is and use her to bring that man down” Jim poked his chest hard “She could be the key to finally finishing this, Rodriguez will want her if he knows she is alive, so get her ready and rebrand her as someone else, this is it son, the moment you’ve been waiting for, are you really going to shy away because you’re afraid you may end up liking her?”

He scoffed “I’m not afraid of liking her” he ignored his boss’ eye roll. “I just, you know what, fine, fine” he held his hands up “I’ll do it, okay, I’ll do it” storming through the double doors he headed toward her room.

Prerna looked up from her bed and grinned “Morning” she had gotten quite used to these visits from Anurag, somewhere she felt as if she knew him, he was so familiar, but maybe that was just the kind of person he was.

“Morning” he chose not to sit today “Look, there’s something I need to tell you, something I wasn’t sure was right” he pinched the brim of his nose “Your name is Prerna Sharma, you’re an undercover agent for the force, you got found out and someone tried to kill you, but now we think we can use this on someone, a different case, a man called Rodriguez,he had a wife, she looked exactly like you and he murdered her, at least that’s what we think, I don’t want to put too much pressure on you Prerna, I know this must be hard but you may be our only chance to end this, to end him” he sighed “I understand if you don’t want to”.

Prerna stood up from the bed “Do you want me to?”

Her eyes were so soft, so kind and so alluring. Looking away, he shrugged “Not my decision to make”.

She bent her head to the side “But you care about me, I know you do, and I know if you’re asking me to do this, then you know I’ll be okay”.

“How can you have so much faith in me? You don’t even remember me” this made him feel worse.

“Because you visit me every day, you make me laugh and you look at me like, like” she gulped “I don’t know, like maybe I mean something to you and that’s why I want to do this, I want to be the woman that you knew, the woman who was lucky enough to have you” she couldn’t deny her attraction to, not just his body, but his mind, the way he spoke and how he carried himself. “I’ll do it”.

Unable to stop himself, he reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear “Thank you”.

±±±

Anurag sunk to his knees as the drugs hit him,he never wanted to return to this, but the guilt he felt made him want nothing more than his own death. Every night he was still plagued with nightmares and every day he found a new crime scene either due to the serial killer who had taken the law into their own hands or the mafia who had ruined lives. Prerna was a place of solace, every day when he’d sit beside her hospital bed, he didn’t have to be tough and rough, or cold and distant, he could just laugh. Maybe he was crazy for wanting her to himself for a little longer, he wasn’t ready to share her with the world yet, especially not with Rodriguez. No one wanted to believe Prerna was innocent more than he did, but the facts didn’t add up and regardless of her memory loss he couldn’t just ignore the kind of woman she probably once was.

Prerna hummed quietly as she flicked through channels, being back in her home felt…odd. This house didn’t feel like home,the things didn’t feel like hers, she felt very alone. Losing her memories had meant losing a part of herself, she shouldn’t have felt so low, she was lucky to be alive, but no matter how many times she reminded herself of that, it just wouldn’t stick. So, she decided to reach out to the only man who she knew would help, grabbing her house phone she dialled the number on the notepad and hoped he would pick up.

“Hello” Anurag spoke in a dull tone.

“Uh hi” she fidgeted on the sofa, suddenly nervous “Is now a bad time? Because, I can just-“.

“Prerna” he sat up straight “No, sorry, is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, so now isn’t a good time to talk?” She tried to hide how sad that made her feel.

“No, it is, sorry” he swore under his breath “How does it feel to be home?”

“Uh, weird, I haven’t gotten used to it, but I will, how is being home for you? No, wait, sorry, I don’t know what I’m saying” she laughed.

Anurag couldn’t help but grin “Being home is fine for me, I can imagine it must feel quite empty, sometimes my house feels empty too”.

Prerna smiled “Are you just saying that, so I’ll invite you over?” Her laugh was playful “I’m joking, you’re always welcome here”.

It was strange to see Prerna without Rodriguez’s influence, but he enjoyed this new playful side to her. “You know,you should never invite strange men to your house, especially one you haven’t known for long”.

“Thanks for the warning, but I think I know you well enough by now, even if I don’t remember you”.

“Far too trusting” he admonished “I could be dangerous”.

Prerna tugged her lip with her teeth “Turns out dark and dangerous is just my type”.

Anurag knew that all too well, especially after Rodriguez, but tonight he wasn’t going to think of that, tonight was just about them. “That sounds suspiciously like flirting to me Miss Sharma”.

“Glad to see your detective skills are still at its best, but on that note, I’m off to bed”.

“Was that an invitation?” He knew this was dangerous territory, he knew he shouldn’t be indulging in this, but he didn’t seem to care.

“I would say yes, but a certain detective said not to invite strange men into my home, so it’s out of my hands, night” she hung up and smiled, a lot more comfortable after speaking to the man she just couldn’t seem to stop thinking about.

Part 9~ Finding Home In His Arms

Anurag flicked the cigarette from between his fingers, stood from the wall he was leaning on and began to roll his shirt sleeves up to his elbows “Part of going undercover means being ready for an attack at all times” he stepped closer to her, his jaw clenching at the soft look in her doe brown eyes. There was nothing he hated more than lying and building their relationship on a foundation of falsities could only lead to deceit one day. Regardless he would train her for whatever was to come, deep down he knew endangering her this way was wrong, but in his desire to understand if she had been Rodriguez’s partner in his illegal work or just an unwilling participant pushed him to keep going, for his own sake he had to know if she was the good person his heart wanted to believe her to be.

Prerna gasped when he walked around her, arms winding around her stomach “What, what are you doing?” The heavy scent of aftershave intoxicated her, his muscular arms around her felt more like home then the house she’d slept in last night.

“When someone grabs you like this, drop all of your weight downwards to make yourself heavier, your aim is to move so fast from one side to another that it makes it holder for your attacker to regain their hold if you can, then throw your head back into their nose, but you have to be fast or they will move and you’ll injure your neck because there’s no landing” he released her, stepped back and tried to ignore just how good it felt to have her body so close to his. “If I came toward you to choke you, like this” he placed his hands around her throat, not missing the way she flinched and tears filled her eyes “Am I hurting you?”

“No, I” she shook her head, “I guess it just doesn’t feel like the first time someone has grabbed me there” she grabbed his hands when he went to drop them, eyes meeting his “It’s fine, honestly, I’m fine” her smile felt fake, she wasn’t exactly sure what the memory was, but hands around her throat felt far too familiar to be imagination. “Anurag, you’d tell me if someone had hurt me, right?”

The innocence seemed to seep off of her, reaching to him till it choked all of his efforts to reach out and hold her. He nodded, bedraggled hair lifting in the cold wind “If I knew, I would, if you’re not feeling up to it we can stop and do it again another day” he offered.

“We can continue, wouldn’t want to take away any opportunities you have to touch me” a warm blush heated her cheeks at her words, she wasn’t sure why being around him made her feel so free, but with him, she could truly be herself without any worries that he would judge her.

A smirk curled the corner of his lips as his hands found her throat once again “Now, all you have to do is pull my thumbs away, make a C with your index finger and thumb around my thumb, pull and lift your knee or foot to kick me as you do, I’m going to tighten my hold and you try and get me off of you, okay, you ready?”

Doing as he had instructed, she tugged at his thumbs, foot coming up to twirl around his knee and pull sharply, a yelp releasing from her ruby red lips as he fell to the ground causing her to topple forward and land above him, hair tangling around the button on his collar and her forehead bumping into his chin. She grinned, melodic laughter making her body shake above his “Whoops”.

Anurag wrapped an arm around her waist “Any excuse to be on top of me, hmm?” His other hand moved to untangle her hair from his button, then he groaned “Prerna” he hissed, almost painfully, “Please, stop moving, you’re making my job a lot harder”.

“What? Oh” her face dropped “S-sorry” rolling off of him, Prerna jumped up and held a hand out “Who knew the big, bad Detective would be so affected by me” she giggled again as his hand rested in hers, causing her to bump into him when he finally stood to his feet. Lifting her head, she swallowed harshly “Anurag, I”.

“Sh” he placed a finger on her lips, “Let me just have this moment, this road we’re going down is dangerous, it goes against every rule in the book, but goddamn it when you look at me like that” he blew out his cheeks, “When you look at me like that, I couldn’t care less about the rules, but I can’t become that man, I’ve broken too many already, too many rules and too many people, you can’t be another one” his hand cupped her cheek, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, then he stepped back and straightened his clothes. “Perhaps it would be best if someone else took over your training?”

“No, please” she held his hand in hers, interlocking their fingers. “You’re the only person I really feel like I know, ever since I lost my memories I don’t even know who I am, but when I’m around you” she sighed, “When I’m around you I like who I am, I don’t feel like a stranger in my own body, maybe I don’t know you at all, but I want to, please don’t take the only thing I know away from me” tears burnt at her eyes, face dropping so she wouldn’t have to see the dismissal eyes.

“Are you set out to ruin me?” He rasped, tipping her chin up. “I am not a good man, this is your fresh start” a chance for her to be good again, is what he wanted to say, but he wouldn’t. He didn’t want to taint her with the murky waters of his past, she could be better than she was, better than the woman who was Rodriguez’s wife, better than her husband and most importantly, better than him. “Be good, that’s all I want for you, be good for me” he begged, forehead against hers.

Prerna reached out to place her hand at the back of his neck “Then stay so I can prove to you how good I can be”.

With her words his entire resolve to walk away fell at her feet, he had so much he wanted to say when his phone buzzed in his pocket “Basu” he answered, voice still thick with emotion.

Jim trembled as his eyes ran over the bloody walls, bodies hung upside down from what seemed to be a long kebab spit “Basu, it’s” he coughed, face paling at the cuts on the many bodies “There’s been another murder, three men betting on women, known for their work on the black market selling arms and drugs, but the bodies, they, they were-“.

“Don’t” he snapped, hand rushing through his hair as his eyes pinched shut, “Don’t say it, Jim”.

“They’ve been cooked” he swallowed back vomit, “Maybe it’s a copycat” he tried to keep his tone calm.

“The world is never that kind” he turned away from a concerned Prerna and buried his face into his hand, the stress of the years seemingly taking its toll on his features.

“There is one more thing, your name is carved onto their thighs, I’d say I want you off of this case, but if this is him again” he sat down. “Then only you can keep this city safe”.

“Send me the address, I’m on my way” and without turning back, he was in his car and speeding down the fork road.

4 months too long, I know, I hate me too, dontcha worry! For a new AnuPre FF check out Beneath The Veil! Updates for both are weekly.

Res.

Have to read from.begining

I read the entire thing and it is such a good story! Please let me know when you update!

Originally posted by: rp5127

I read the entire thing and it is such a good story! Please let me know when you update!

Thank you so much for taking the time to do that! Aw, thank you, that means a lot to me! I'll be sure to PM you, I'm hoping Tuesday/Wednesday, but we'll see:)

Part 10~ Some Prices Are Non-Negotiable

The stench had been entirely too much, it had driven Anurag outside and to his knees, as nausea climbed his throat and made him wretch till he had nothing more to throw up, he fell back against the brick wall with a pale face and his shirt drenched in sweat. Reaching inside his jacket, his hand shook around the lid of the vodka bottle as he threw it to the side and downed the drink.

Jim halted as he saw him, a frown marring his face at the stench of vomit and alcohol “Basu” he snapped, holding his hand out to him. “This case, these victims and me require you to be at your best, if it’s too much then-“.

“It’s not” he growled, allowing his mentor to pull him to his feet. But, it was. Only he knew the years of terror he’d faced at the hands of one of the biggest mafia bosses he’d ever come across, he was young then, dumb in the way that he thought he could change the system and make it better, but good men died young, so to save his life he’d turned bad. Rodriguez’s uncle had been more monster than man and it had taken every last bit of energy he had to wipe him out, now his nephew had taken over the empire and probably cloned his tactics of messy murder that left no trace. Perhaps that was why he’d taken Prerna’s behaviour so personal? He didn’t want to witness another woman rotting from the inside out due to the Santiano family, victim or vice she was still a danger, either because he had to protect her or destroy her and neither really sat well with him.

Snapping his fingers before his face, the older man shook his head “The similarities to this case and that one are too similar, bets are that whoever has been going around killing mafia men and their wives is being sent a message from this copycat, my bets are it’s someone from the Santiano empire, they want this do-gooder to know they won’t go down without a fight, seems they’ve worked out a method to his madness and are sending a response back and unfortunately we’re the middlemen, we either pick a side or drown with them both”.

“No” he slammed his fist against the crackling rubble, “I will never side with the mafia and I will never side with a murderer who thinks rape and blood means justice, more bloodshed does not wipe away what has been done, it just spreads more misery, we will find both and we will bring them down” he shuddered, “I won’t allow a repeat of last time”.

“Then you know what you’ve got to do, it’s time, son, Prerna has to go in, we either bring them down, or they’ll bury us down under”.

His words echoed in Anurag’s head as memories surged up his spine and took control of his head, then he was back there, a brown bag over his head and a hose down his throat till he couldn’t breathe. His fingers ran over the scars on his chest, lines and lines of days he’d spent being imprisoned by the worst of the worst and now, there was a possibility that there was someone else out there trying to become the man who nearly brought him to his knees and the only way to win was to put the woman he had come to enjoy being around at risk. But he would not let her die, that was his vow, no other innocent could die because of him.

+++

Prerna huffed loudly at the slamming of hands-on her door and the constant alarm of her bell “I’m coming, I’m coming, gosh” she pulled open the door, “Where’s the fire?” Upon getting no response, she stepped out into the chilly air and placed a hand on his chest “Anurag?”

He gazed down at her sadly, hand cupping her cheek as his voice cracked “It’s time”.

She stepped back “I’m, I’m not ready” this couldn’t be happening, she had no idea how to protect herself, if she got caught, she’d be dead in seconds.

Grabbing her so she’d be closer, he held her face “I believe in you, you can do this, more people have died and if we don’t crack this case then many more will die too, you’re our only way in, I swear I won’t let anyone harm you” he held out a necklace, “As long as you’re wearing this I can see and hear exactly what you can” he interlocked their fingers, bringing her hand to his lips. “I’ll be with you every step of the way” guilt ate up at him, he knew she wasn’t prepared, but there was no other way, he tried to soothe himself with the thought that as she had been bad once, this was kind of karma, but something within him refused to believe that the woman who made him laugh could ever be responsible for anyone being in pain.

Blinking away tears, she nodded “Okay, okay, if you think I can do this then I believe you, I promise we’ll get him, no matter the cost”.

“The cost matters” Anurag almost growled, “The cost is you and you matter, goddamnit, you matter to me, you understand that? I won’t pay that price” pulling her into him, he held her shaking body tightly, he hated this, hated placing her in danger, but orders were orders and if he wanted to truly find out her part in Rodriguez’s plans then he had to test her.

Prerna lifted her arms beneath his and gripped his shoulders with all her might, inhaling the musky scent of his aftershave that smelt more like alcohol then it usually did “Some prices are non-negotiable” she murmured into his jacket. If this was the job she chose then she had to have once been ready to put her life on the line, if that was the case then she’d do it again, even if her reasoning was different now, she just hoped if she lost her life that it would at the very least bring him peace, demons haunted him and she’d do anything to make them stop.

The Lift + Beneath The Veil has also been updated

Part 11~ A Special Gift

Miguel pushed his tongue into his chin, a sardonic grin spreading across his blood filled lips “So, you found me” he stated clearly, the Spanish accent adding a distinctive purr to his voice that drilled over each syllable. “Hm” he sat down, two blades in his hands that brushed against each other “Should I be impressed at your ability or angry at the intrusion?”

Anurag’s head lulled forward, bruised eyes half shut and his nose bent more to the left. The torture had been agonising, but he knew it was nowhere near over. Groaning as his head was pulled back, his chains rattled, dry lips crusty and torn to such an extent that even his tongue surfing across them was painful.

“You’ve been silent till now” he rounded him, knife beside his cheek as he came to a stop, “Loyal” his hand gestured to something, “And I admire loyalty” he grabbed his chin, “But only when that loyalty is to me”. Closing the blade, he knelt beside him “For all your effort I have something for you” he pulled the cloth from atop the iron casing. “I never allow my guests to leave without a present, I even got it specially fit, hope you don’t mind if I do the honours myself?” Pushing his leg between the iron plates, he dragged it upwards, sneering at the way the bladed spikes tore at his skin as he did so, grabbing the hammer beside him, he shook it “Now, every time I knock, I will ask a question, no answer and I will hammer the nails in, are we understood?”

Turning his head away, he gulped excruciatingly, tears welling in his golden orbs at the thought of what was to come, but he would not say a word. He wasn’t a traitor and he wouldn’t let a man like him get the upper hand. “You’re a killer” he spat distastefully, dry blood colouring his cheeks and forehead in a reddish-brown. “I will never give you what you want, mark my words, I will tear apart everything you have worked so hard for, I will personally avenge your victims and I will ensure the last meal you eat is not another human you cooked, but your own rotting skin, then we will see how much cannibalism suits you, will you die starved or use yourself as your last meal?”

Looking around at his men, he coughed out a harsh laugh “You hear that? Anurag here thinks he can kill me, me” he pointed to himself, then stared back at his captive “It is you who is here tied up, not me, but I do look forward to the tables turning”. He slammed the hammer down, chuckling when he swore under his breath and turned his head, sweat coating his skin “How did you find me?” Not waiting to get an answer, he did it again, hitting down on it so hard that he could see the rod through the other side of his leg as a piece of skin hung off. “How” his teeth grit, “Did you find me?”

Taking heavy breaths, he swallowed back bile and faced him, a slick smile curving his mouth “Miguel Santiano, I am many things, I will remain many things, but I will never be your victim” kicking his enclosed leg out, he knocked him back, dropped the previously undone chains from his arms and stomped his leg down onto his face, churning it till his wretched screams died down to nothing.

Prerna held her curly hair to one side “Could you tie the back?”

Snapping out of his memories, he walked forward silently and began to tie the string on her burgundy crop top. “Are you sure about this?” He whispered, “You can always say no” and goddamnit he wanted her to say no, his job left him in a position where he couldn’t ask her to refuse, but he also couldn’t turn her down if she changed her mind. He knew that family and the limits they would go to, somehow he would lose her, either in the way of her losing her life or her losing her good, he wasn’t sure which one was worse, he hoped he wouldn’t have to find out, but then again when had life ever been so kind?

Her eyes flew shut at the sensation of his fingers on her back, fingers pricking her palm as she held back a moan “I’m sure, it’s, it’s for the betterment of us all, right?”

“Right” he nodded, shaking away the dryness on his tongue. But the thing was, he wasn’t sure that was the case for her. Stepping back, he brushed a hand lacklustrely through his hair “All done”. The tension was visible in his every step, it pushed his back down till his spine almost crumbled beneath the pressure and he sagged across the area as he watched out for anyone watching.

“Do I look okay?” She twirled around, her long skirt that draped over her feet spinning around with her, then she was brushing her hands over the lengthy material “I’ve always liked this shade of red, I think it’s a good choice, apparently red catches more eyes, so maybe this will catch his?”

Anurag frowned at that, didn’t she know she was eye-catching enough already? No matter what she wore, people looked her way, unfortunately, it was those looks they were counting on tonight, he hated to do it to her, rip her from a person to an object just to gain Rodriguez’s sexual attraction, but she was their only way in. He had tried not to look at her too much tonight, but now as she stood there waiting for a response, he couldn’t stop his eyes from trailing over her figure “Beautiful” he cleared his throat, hand running down his tired face, “You look beautiful”.

Her smile at his response took his breath away as she rushed toward him “Really?” Her eyes glistened, “Thank you” she dropped her head shyly. “I’m nervous, what if I mess up?”

“I won’t let you” he promised, hand taking hers. “All you do is walk past, drop your purse and look around, he will see and pick it up, okay? Now, what is your name?”

“Kashish” her shoulders dropped. “Okay, I can do this, if anything goes wrong, you’ll be there, right?” She hated to ask, hated to put another burden on him, but she was terrified and knew she wouldn’t be able to handle it alone.

“Always” he cupped her cheek. “Now, go”.

+++

Rodriguez sipped his whiskey, eyes dormant on the dancers “I’ll have that middle one tonight” he turned to the man beside him, “She’s making me work up an appetite” he laughed.

Prerna flipped her hair so it bounced onto her back, eyes on her phone before she looked up, then turned her head to survey the area, her purse dropping from the string around her waist.

The glass shattered onto the table, his hands rubbing his eyes “Oi, is that?”

“Ain’t that your wife? Now I know what you saw in her, that woman is fineee” his friend nudged him.

Slowly rising to his feet, he grabbed the strewn purse, his skin hued with green. This could not be possible, she could not be alive! How had she even survived it? What on earth gave her the right to dress like that? To walk past him like he was nothing? Oh, when he found her, she would pay, no matter the cost, even if it was her. He wasn’t the kind of man to leave a job half done, so he intended to finish her just as he had tried to do once before. “Failure is not a language I speak” he crumpled the bag in his hand, a ferocious glare holding the dancers still as they watched him storm out of the building.

Relaxing into the seat as the car zoomed away, she sighed “Did I do okay? I tried not to look directly at him, what if he works out that-“.

She was cut off by Anurag’s lips on hers as the car pulled to a halt, one hand wound around her waist, the other on her cheek, then he was pulling her onto his lap, resting her back on the wheel so he could get better access to run his tongue down her throat, nibbling the thin skin on her neck.

“Anurag” she groaned, eyes rolling back and her hand tugging his hair. It had felt like an eternity waiting for him to finally kiss her, now he was doing it, she couldn’t help but lose herself in him.

He pulled back “Prerna, I, shit” he bent his head back. “That shouldn’t have happened, I don’t know what came over me, I’m so sorry”.

Turning her head away, she tried to calm her breathing. A part of her had known this was coming, their attraction made everything so complicated, but didn’t they both deserve to be happy? So what if that meant they had to be around each other to achieve that! Her hand flew up to cover her eyes at the flashing lights blinding her from his side window, then, before she could respond the lights doused them in amber and the car approaching slammed into their door, pushing them further into the bars on the bridge till the car flipped and tumbled over the rocks.

Their screams echoing around the empty river, merging with a heinous cackle as an older man stood over watching them fall. Placing his arms on his hips, he smirked: “The tables always turn, Basu, now they’ve turned on you”.