MORTALS OF EAST CLAN

"Rishi is dead, Aakash. He is dead" Maya shouted inching closer to the broken gangster taking his hand in hers and she whispered " You have to let him go"

She took the first aid box wrapping it in his wounded hands she took it near her face and kissed his hand.

"Rishi chose to die to save yours. Is this how you repay him? Are you going to destroy his sacrifice for nothing?" Tears fell on Aakash's hands as she held onto him.

Aakash's mad rage isn't doing anything to him neither Rishi. His revenging the murders did give no happiness to Rishi. All Rishi wanted while dying is to give Aakash a life he wished for himself.

"People don't choose to die, Maya. They die for repaying their mistakes. Rishi did die because of my mistakes. I just killed him" Aakash pulled himself away from Maya.

" Aakash you can't beat yourself up to it. It is not your fault. He is your brother. He loved you so much. He will never blame you for his death. Neither do us" Maya got moved her hands down his arms intertwining their fingers.

"You should, everyone should. I ain't worthy of forgiveness" Aakash's sudden outburst jerked Maya away. Aakash did read something in Maya's away.

Fear

He saw fear at the flicker of a moment.

"I...um.I am a monster. Just stay away from me" Aakash pushed her away with fear and anger.

Fear of hurting her due to his anger on himself for his failure.

He lost his friend

He lost his brother

He lost his family

He lost Rishi.

He has to send Maya away from this mess.

His mess.

Maya doesn't deserve him. No one around him.

" Just stop flirting around me like a slut and just go and do something for your father as he ordered. Tell him Aakash isn't going to stop. He will never stop until they breathe stops " Aakash spoke as he faced the sea and back to her holding Rishi's locket in his one hand buried inside pocket and another hand supporting his trembling mouth as tears fled down his eyes.

Maya couldn't help herself as she heard the words.

"Did you just call me...?" Maya took a step forward hoping those words will be words of mistake.

"DIdn't you just hear that? You came to me first as one, don't you remember? Well played Ms. Maya Aaditya prakash. Now just go and me your father's loyal dog " Aakash said after turning towards her waving his hands in the air. Tears stood still in his eyes as he spat those words.

"I hate you " Maya clenched her teeth.

"You crossed the line just rot in hell. I hate you" Maya threw the ring on him tears drowning her face. She turned to wipe her tears.

Stumbling the way out of his room she held her bag close to her chest as sharp pain passing through it. She loved him. She truly did.

"You know what some people die thinking that their life is valued less than their loved ones. They just give up their happiness, dreams, and everything just because...." She sniffled and continued

"only because they love someone so truly they end up sacrificing them. But you know their sacrifice just stays worthless because they did do a mistake of sacrificing for the wrong people. Rishi just did that" Maya walked away leaving Aakash in turmoil.

Mid noon sun shoots down the city sucking all of the energy, people dragging themselves covered with sweats all over the city. But nothing matters when we run for our very own survival. Every step we take counts as it adds every minute of life. So as the condition of Stephen, a 20year old boy running in the streets of Bombay in ragged blood - shirt with a broken bleeding arm for life. It is his third injury and fifth attempt to escape from jail.

Dealing with a gangster for smuggling at a young age for money with a little sister waiting for him at home with a fanatic alcohol addict father was all his life. Getting captured by police due to the failure of his smuggling deals was a rare occasion for him two months ago. But now with the arrival of the new DGP and all his strategies and sources he has been hunting down every big gangster and their hierarchy. Some tend to get free jail cards through political support or some through money. Only a few people even knowing the sequences still have the guts to run away from jail after a series of failures of attempt. All his attempts will fail in the second step. But this is his very first time he had made it to the outside world. He couldn't be happy or proud of his success plan because as soon as he got out of jail alarms caught him off guard. From the very minute, he has been running in the city hoping that at one point the police will lose him. He planned to leave the city and get help from one of his friends who worked with him last year now probably working for a new boss.

When he finally steps into some known area he searches for a hiding place and couldn't find one. But as soon as he spots a temple he runs inside trying to get away from the police as they wouldn't consider the temple as an option. He did lose the police but people started to panic and shout for help when they noticed the wounded Stephen. He fell to his knees and begged them to keep quiet while grunting over his pain.

"Someone call the ambulance" a lady shouted. The hospital will be the worst place and easy target for the police to reach him hence he again ran out of the temple. He ran as much as he could until his legs and body gave up. He stopped and sat near a beggar. Stinky smell and torn-out clothes the beggar and observed Stephen with utmost concern. Stephen gestured for water, beggar handed his half-broken plastic water bottle to Stephen motioning him to drink it. Poor quality of water was not new to Stephan but bitter and sour washed down his throat as he had it. It will be the least of his worries. He suddenly turned over as he heard a police jeep sound and flinched as someone touched his wounded arm. He slowly turned to see the beggar handed him an old faded-out randomly torn red colored cloth to cover himself. Gratefulness and sadness lingered over his eyes as he was unable to process his words to thank him. Stephen wore it over his head hiding his face and leaving his eyes as his cloth ended midway in his chest.

Again Stephen started running to save his life. The dark sky started to engulf his head. Growling stomach, wobbling legs, blurring vision but not diminishing hope he walked using his last pound of strength to reach a bus stop outside of Mumbai city.

From all the running and beating his body craved for rest. He slumped himself on the metal sitting under the cemented cracked bus stop. Hunger, tiredness, pain exploding in every part of the body gone unnoticed as he thought about his little sister, Lincy. If he couldn't get himself from this mess as soon as possible, then the police will take Lincy and his father. In name of investigation, only God knows what they will put them through, though his father is his least concern.

Born in poverty, born for a fanatic obnoxious father wasn't his or Lincy's choice. But they had to pay for it and illegal trades were the fastest way for Stephen to have a normal life away from poverty and fulfill his father's cruel deeds. As much as he hated his father he is the only person besides Stephen who can take care of Lincy.

Soon worry and tiredness consumed him followed by sleep. He lay down on metal seating scooting close to the warmth of the blanket, pulling his legs close to his chest, hands gripping stomach to avoid the feeling of hunger the cold weather making him shiver through torn out holes of the blanket.

A sharp pain passed through his back as he woke up realizing the very familiar beatings he had been receiving for the past month. He sucked in sharp breathe as he noticed the opposite person wearing khaki pants and a white shirt. Wearing a scowl, caressing the fire mark near his ears the policeman's eyes were fixated on Stephen's terrified eyes.

The policeman grabbed Stephen's wounded arm and led him into the police jeep. Stephen winced in pain as the police officer pulled Stephen's hands to the webbed window of the jeep locking him in a handcuff.

Aware of the fact that fighting him or pleading with him will agitate him more and this police officer will not forgive Stephen as easy he expected. Stephen knew that one day he had to repay him for his deeds. Stephen knew that this particular police officer did hold a personal grudge against him and in no way near to forgive him. Dead stares and clenching of fists didn't stop Stephen from trying to escape. He pulled and twisted the metal handcuffs but every effort ended in vain. He fought to gather all his strength.

More than escaping one question did scare him the most. To be precise, not the question but the answer scared him the most. Will he take him under his custody and press any of his old crimes? By doing so he can satisfy the revenge he had been holding for nearly 2 years. Or he might have heard about the escape and hand me to them due to his superior orders. Well, Stephen knew that it will not be a welcoming return to Mumbai central prison. Or the police officer had another way, beating Stephen up to his satisfaction and hand him to Mumbai central prison after 2 days along with appreciation. Everything seemed a failure to him.

Finally, Stephen gave up not only breaking handcuffs but hope too. He just let him dragged away by Policemen as the jeep arrived at Goregoan west police station.

Blood oozing out of his nose as the Inspector hit Stephen's face. Stephen's face fell, his arms tied to a rope pulling his weight back to air. He fell back as a wooden stick hit both knees, his head falling back crying for forgiveness. Stephen's painful screams all through the day don't go unnoticed by other prisoners. From the very minute Stephen arrived, he was been given third-degree treatment. Beatings all over his back mouth and hands tied to his naked body. Coldwater hit his face choking him for air every time his eyes started to droop.

The inspector pulled Stephen back to his legs by grabbing Stephen's wounded arm and twisted it to hear a scream from Stephen. Moving his hands to the side, the inspector was handed a wooden stick. His hands raised above Stephen's head and fell on Stephen's head breaking the wooden stick into two. Stephen's face hit the floor breaking the ropes that kept him in the air. Before his chest hit the floor Stephen's body was captured by another police officer.

" Have you gone crazy?" The other police officer asked the inspector.

"He is just a teenager. I am sure he hadn't done this to you with any intention or sort of revenge "

"I don't care he is just a teenager or an old man. She was just a little girl too. Fifteen bullets Aarav fifteen damn bullets. Not even a trained military officer cannot take those kinds of intensity. She did. She did take five minutes. My daughter did. Nothing is more painful than watching her lying on road, lying in faith that her dad will save her, will remove her pain, and take her home back. I did take her home back but just her body without her soul. Breathing her last minutes she looked into my eyes, that pain and that fear, these people infested them into her, I can never forget. I am not going to stop, If you are here to stop me, find yourself a way out " The Inspector left the room unable to restrain himself.

"Take him down to the cell" Aarav ordered and walked away giving a glare to Stephen and moving to his friend.

Policemen dragged Stephen down to the cell where other prisoners are being held.

Coughing out blood Stephen was lying in a bed of his blood with broken arms. Grunting and crying in pain Stephen pushed himself to the corner of the cell to quench himself. Trembling hands drew back as cold water touched his open wounds. Stephen screamed in pain. Carefully lifting his upper body, clenching his teeth to endure the pain from the cruel beatings, he took a glass of water with his trembling hands. Taking a sip filling his throat with the sourness of his blood, the bitterness of water he puked his mixed disgusting liquid to the ground.

Enough of this torture he gave up by crashing into the floor and gasping for air. His wounds started to burn, body quaking, he slowly losing consciousness and he fell into a slumber.

Shivering and sobbing filled the cells neighbor to him all night. Sun rose with an unconscious Stephen inside the cell and it's been two days since Stephen was brutally attacked.

**WEST BENGAL**

" They took my men. Does it look joke to you?" Aakash woke up from the meeting kicking the chair away and slamming the table.

"Relax Aakash, You are not only the person with problems here. Moreover, It is not our mistake, you people are being predictable and getting caught. Above all, locked up and getting beaten up. Pathetic!" Valentine laughed at Aaksah's inability to do anything against either the police people and towards him. Even though, Aakash was one of the masters in the council. They never did anything back to him. He has been part of many smugglings across the country, captured by police, experienced torture days and nights but always ended up being rescued by his best friend Rishi. Now even Rishi will not be able to help him.

"Ingratitude Bastard" Aakash sneered.

Valentine continued to smirk because he knew, at this present time Aakash is capable of only cursing, he can never raise a hand against him due to lack of support and men.

"Aakash, I will arrange to get your men out. You need to import the weapons without any interference by police or media. Did you get that?" The head of the council ordered.

"I cannot I would prefer I won't " Aakash walked away from the meeting. Betrayal and anger weren't new to him but ignorance was. He expected the head of the council to be different from other members of the council but he proved Aakash wrong.

" Boss! If we are not going to import, we will be doomed. They will kick us out of the council" Samir, Aakash's driver and a trustworthy person asked.

"We are going to rescue our men from police with or without them" Aakash replied.

As soon as he got in the car, he was greeted by a despairing person, Salim, the eldest of the EAST CLAN.

" Our men are held in Mumbai Police station. Commissioner's special order after discovering drugs in the city he assumed we did it." Salim reported.

"Did we? Did we smuggled drugs?"Aakash spoke his eyes fixed on the road, rage through nerves trying hard to maintain calmness. Serene has never been his nature.

" No, they have accused us wrongly and he seems to be a new commissioner" Salim understood the struggle. But he had no courage or solution to come up with.

"Do the commissioner have Children?"

**MUMBAI**

"Sir, a commissioner on line"

After a few minutes of arguments, suggestions, and pleadings the phone call ended with the decision of releasing Aakash's men being held here.

As the constable was about to open the cell,

" I think you have to pay something for our loss" one of the members of THE EAST CLAN demanded.

"What? What did you lose by staying here?" The Inspector asked.

"Our freedom, our peace, and our respect which was lost when you dragged us by holding the collar from the market place" East clan member spoke.

" Stop saying those words, It never suits anyone of you people not even your head" Aarav warned.

"Do you want to see your Commissioner's daughter like your daughter? If so then keep giving threatening and ignore us. "Clan member smirked.

"What do you want?" The Inspector spoke through gritted teeth.

" Release of that Stephen boy" a Clan member demanded.

"What?"

"Yeah, he will be one of us soon. So. It would be better if you release him now or you have to lose someone else too" a Clan member warned.

"I am not letting him out. Rather I would shoot him now and take the damn responsibility" The Inspector declared.

"Make sure you make the right choice and for information, if you didn't let him out you are going to lose your job for not following your higher official's orders and reason for an innocent girl's death" a Clan member threatened.

Silence ruled over between them. The situation agitated both the policemen. They would have never thought in life that they will be pushed to a situation where they have to make deal with criminals who are less moral than themselves.

But Aarav realized that possibility of capturing them again will be more than the possibility of losing out their jobs. He knew that now he had to choose the fear of failure over morality and it doesn't feel right to him. But he also must follow his higher official's orders. There was a life threat to someone too.

"Release Stephen" Aarav ordered despite the Inspector's refrainment.