Hi! I bet some of you thought I'm going to go on a long interlude again. 😂

Nah, don't worry. This time I'll finish the fic in a few more chapters. Once in for all. Won't disappoint you with more gaps of months.

🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

Anyway, Onwards!!! 💃💃💃

"Words in double quotes" - Talking

'Words in single quotes' - Thoughts

(Words in braces) - Telephone conversation

Chapter 58 - Ragini...Dead?

#Next day, 8 am#

Vivek sat with a grim face at his front step. It was almost time for the vehicle to arrive. The one that would take him to his destination. Vivek was currently waiting for the van that Ratan said would pick him up.

*flashback*

(Well hello! You called? I didn't think you would remember little old me.)

"Quit the small talk Ratan. Come down to business." He wished he could track Ratan with the mobile. But it seemed Ratan's phone was untracable.

(Fine fine. There is only 3 hours left now. I have kept my end of the deal and kept that pig from crushing you friend like a mosquito. You better have some good news for your friend's sake.)

"I've got the girl. Connect me to A. S." Vivek heard a chuckle on the other end.

There was some shuffling and soon, Vivek heard another voice over the phone. A voice which he has come to despise.

(Vivek, my boy. Finally you did it, eh? Heh...Once a killer, always a killer. You can't change Vivek.)

"Shut up! I had to do it only because of you!"

(It was your decision though. To save Laksh or kill Ragini.)

"Don't try to lay the blame on me! I'm sick and tired of your mind games!"

(*sigh* Oookay. Now bring the girl to me.)

"No." Vivek heard a growl from the other end.

(No? NO? What do you mean no!?)

"I can't take her out now and risk myself getting caught. Send your men tomorrow morning to my apartment, 8 am sharp."

(You dare command me!? You're nothing but a low-life!)

Vivek smirked. "Well, this low-life is the one who has the key to your life long quest. So you better listen to me. You will send your men in the morning. That's it."

(You just threatened me?! Do you really think I would not harm your friend?)

"Yes. Because if you do, I'll straightaway destroy the eye scan and Ragini's body. Let's see how you get them then."

(You...You...)

"Yea, I'm awesome. I know."

(You pesky little…ugrhhhhh! Fine! Tomorrow 8 am it is. I'll keep Laksh alive.)

*flashback end*

Vivek looked up as he heard the van approach. A masked man got out and came towards him. "Where's the girl?"

"Where is Laksh?" Vivek questioned back.

"Boss wants you to come with the girl's body to the lair. Only when he sees it for himself will he release Laksh."

Vivek nodded and went inside. Soon, he came out carrying a girl, bridal style. However, the girl's face was hidden with a veil.

"Remove the veil!"

"No. I'll reveal it in front of A. S. You have no business in this!"

“Remove. It!”

Vivek glared. “No!” The man stepped forward to do it himself, but Vivek stepped back. “I said no!”

However, the man ignored him and forcefully removed the veil to reveal the face of the girln

"Happy now, bozo?"

The man simply grabbed the back of his head and pushed him forwards.

Unknown to them, someone was watching them from his hiding spot. He had been appointed to keep watch over Vivek. On seeing the events play out, he dialed a number.

"Hello? Hello Sir. R1 reporting Sir."

#Mount College#

"Hey! Hey Karan! Karan, wait!" Karan looked up from his phone as he heard someone shout his name from behind. It was none other than Saara, arriving with her two brothers. "Karan, how is Kriti?"

"She...well, you can say she's trying. Its hard. But I know she will pull through. I know she's strong." Karan looked at the brothers. "Any news on Laksh, Ratan or the kidnapper?"

"Nothing." Ansh responded with a pensive face.

"Nothing?"

Ansh shook his head. "Zilch, nada, null. These guys have got some serious tech support. I couldn't track them, even after using each and every resource available in father's company!”

"Not to mention we haven't been able to track Laksh either. I checked his parent's house, his friends', his favourite clubs, even in the Kindergarten that we used to go as kids! I'm that desperate to find my best-friend!" Sanskar exclaimed.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Swara coming near them. 'Poor girl. I'm sure she will ask me about Laksh. What am I going to tell her? How can I answer her without worrying her further? Laksh, where are you bro?'

"Sanskar, did you see di anywhere? And what about Laksh?" Swara asked, once she was near them. Sanskar looked at her in confusion. He expected the second question. But what happened to Ragini? At once, he was filled with a sense of dread.

Ansh was wondering the same thing and was about to question her, but he felt his phone buzz, interrupting his thoughts. "Hello?"

(Hello? Hello Sir. R1 reporting Sir.)

Sanskar's full attention was on Swara. "What about Ragini? Did something happen? Tell me!"

"I don't know Sanskar. Di and me had gone home together yesterday and she was there at dinner time as well. But today when I searched for her in the morning, she was no where to be seen. She won't pick up her phone either. I've been trying her phone for so long!"

"Where could Ragini have gone? The-" Sanskar paused when he heard a gasp from beside him. He turned to look at Ansh, whose phone dropped from his hands in shock. "ANSH? Ansh what happened?"

Ansh was in too much of a shock to answer. He came to his senses when Saara went and shook him. "Bhai! What's wrong? Bhai you're scaring me now. Tell us what happened!"

"Ra...Ragini. She...she's...she's dead."

All of them gasped at the news except for Sanskar. He just stood there dumbfounded. He still couldn't make sense of what he was hearing.

‘She's dead. She's dead. She's dead. She's Dead. SHE'S Dead. SHE'S DEAD!’ his mind was spinning with the words, yet he refused to believe them. ‘She can’t….she can’t be. It can’t be!”

"NO!" He let out a heart-wrenching scream. At once, he grabbed Ansh's collar and pushed him against the wall. "You're lying! It's just some sick joke of yours, isn't it? Isn't it!?"

Ansh himself had tears in his eyes. He couldn't find it in him to speak out the words and simply shook his head at Sanskar.

Saara was crying openly. However, she was trying to be strong for Swara.

Swara, who looked completely devastated as she cried imagining her sister's fate. She sounded like a wounded animal, whimpering in its last breath... hurting, suffering. It was as if she was dying from within.

Karan stood there beside them, with a hand over his face to hide his moist eyes.

"No no no! This isn't true. She can't be dead! She just can't be dead!" Sanskar's hands left Ansh's collar as he fell on the floor sobbing breathless.

Ansh dropped down beside him to support his twin. "Sanskar...Sanky, I'm sorry but that is the truth. The spy that I hired saw it with his own eyes."

"No Ansh! This isn't true. I would have know if she was dead! I would be able to feel it! She is my soul, my life!"

"Sanskar I...I know its hard but...but he said that he saw her dead body being carried away by Vivek."

That came as a second shock to the gang. Karan looked on in disbelief. He couldn't believe that Vivek could do that. 'But Ansh said his spy saw Vivek carry the dead body. How...how could you Vivek?!'

"Swara? Oh my God, Swara!?" they looked at Saara on her shout. It looked like Swara as unable to handle the news and fainted.

"I'm sure she isn't dead! She can't die! This is some trick of that bastard Vivek!" Sanskar balled his hands into fists. "Where is he!? Where did he take her!?"

"The spy said Vivek left with a masked man. He is following them on his bike."

"Get the address Ansh. Lets go! I’ll get my answers from him and get back my Ragini. She’s still alive. I know it!"

"I'll go inform father and get reinforcements." Saara spoke, composing herself. It wasn't the time to break down. They needed to find the killer. With a start, she remembered that someone needed to take care of Swara.

"Don't worry. I'll take her home. You three go." Karan spoke. The Maheshwari siblings nodded and left. Karan watched them go with a grim face. 'I still have faith that you haven't killed Ragini Vivek. I hope you don't disappoint me bro.' He looked down at Swara. 'As for you, let's take you home. Your family needs to know.'

#With Vivek#

Vivek felt the van stop at a secluded place. At one point of time, he had felt they were being followed by someone. He held the hope that it was one of their friends. However, that hope was brutally crushed when the masked man noticed their pursuer and took several turns to lose him.

"You stopped in the middle of no where. Where is your lair?"

The man gave a nasty grin. "Like we would chose an open place. See those  trees over there? There is an old mine behind it. We'll take the tunnel through there."

"Thanks for the info." said a voice from the back of the vehicle. The man looked back in shock to find another person in the van, appearing from the back of the seats. He had sneaked in when the guy had parked before Vivek's apartment.

Before he could do anything, he felt a punch to the head from Vivek. However, it was Vivek who let out a pained groan.

"Ow! What is your head made of? My hand feels like I just hit a truck!"

The man cracked his neck and glared at Vivek. "You're dead now! I wi-" this time, he was punched again by the other person.

"Damn! You're right Vivek. Does this guy eat steel or something?"

"Talk later! Use your fists now!"

Together, they were finally able to bring down the man and knock him unconscious.

They sighed in relief once the commotion was over. "Wow! I think I don't need to go to the gym for a week after this."

"Hahaha! We did it." Vivek gave him a loose side hug.

At first Prasanth hugged bback because of their success…only to suddenly recall his earlier enmity. "Get away! Only reason I'm helping you is because Samay asked me to. I'm still angry at you!"

Vivek rolled his eyes. "It would be a miracle if you aren't angry at someone or the other, even for a moment! Sometimes I feel like anger is your only emotion.”

“My hand is itching. Mind if I punch you?”

Vivek snorted and looked down at the body lying lifeless beside him. "Are you sure this plan is safe?"

"As far as I know, Samay's plans have never failed." He took off the mask of the man and put it on himself. "Now, I just need to exchange my clothes with him. You take her and get out. Let me change my get up." Vivek nodded and moved out.

#With Karan#

Karan parked his car in front of  Swara's house. Slowly, he nudged Swara awake. "Hey...hey, are you feeling better now?"

Swara looked up to his eyes in sorrow. Karan felt like smacking himself in the head. 'Of course she isn't fine idiot! She just lost her sister.'

He helped her sit straight. "Swara....I know it must be really tough for you. But we must tell your family about Ragini. They deserve to know."

Swara nodded silently and got out of the car. They both entered the house looking devastated.

"Swara? Karan? Shouldn't you be in college?" asked Samay, looking up from his phone. Nikhil was sitting beside him, eating chips, while her mother was cutting vegetables.

"I hope you aren't bunking classes again Swara!" Shramishtha warned. However, before she could say anything else, Swara came and hugged her tightly. "Swara? What happened bacche?"

"Maa...Maa di...di is no more!" saying that, she broke down crying again. Karan looked at the brothers. He expected them to be shocked and grieving. However, he saw Nikhil give a look towards Samay. Both looked like kids caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar, without their parents' permission.

Shramishtha blinked...then blinked again. Soon her confused face turned into one of anger and she twisted Swara's ear. "There is a limit to every joke. How could you joke about your sister's death?! My goodness! You are becoming notorious day by day!" She took the vegetables and placed them in Swara's hands. "Now cut these. I will be right back from the shop. Behave!" saying that, she left before Swara could stop her. Swara went near the two Pratap brothers.

"Samay... Nikhil… I'm not lying. Ragini Di has been murdered by Vivek. Tell them Karan!"

"One minute Swara.” Karan spoke, glaring at them. “I think these two know more than us. Am I wrong, Samay?"

Before anyone could speak anything, someone came out from inside. "Hey! Nice to see you all! Is it lunch time already?"

Swara and Karan looked like they just saw a ghost.

In a twisted kind of way, they actually did think they saw the ghost of Ragini.
"Di?! You...How did...You should...He said...the spy…Vivek didn’t? But…but…" Swara couldn't handle the pressure and she fell down unconscious onto Nikhil, knocking off his packet of chips.

Ragini gasped. "Chutki! Chutki wake up!" exclaimed Ragini in panic, coming inside towards Swara.

Nikhil groaned. "Heyyyy. I was still eating you know. Atleast faint with care."

Ragini bonked him on the head. "Stop thinking about your bag of chips Nikhil! Get me some water damn it!"

After sometime...

Karan massaged his head with his fingers. "So let me get this straight. Laksh was  kidnapped by A. S and wouldn't let him go unless Vivek brought him Ragini's dead body? So, you decided to get a fake Ragini to act in her place?"

"Yep! That girl is still alive. We've just given her a sedative which would slow her heart rate to an extent that it would seem like she is dead. It's effect should wear off in a few hours or so." Nikhil explained, still looking longingly at the pieces of chips lying in the floor.

"But how did you find someone who looks exactly like Ragini?"

"We didn't Karan. We just used someone who we knew could enter into this life threatening situation, and come out of it like it was a piece of cake. We needed someone trained enough, who could get out herself." Upon Karan’s questioning gaze, he pointed at Samay. "That is why Samay called his friend. She wasn't in Delhi and so we made Vivek blackmail A.S into giving us more time. She reached here by 6 am through the flight and we explained the plan to her."

"Won't the enemy know that she isn't Ragini when he sees her face?"

Samay smirked and took out something from a box near him. "See this? This is a realistic mask. She's wearing one of these to look like Ragini."

Karan now understood the matter. However, the biggest question was a still left. "Who is this friend of yours by the way? She must be either totally crazy or extremely brave to agree to this situation."

At that, Karan saw Samay looking worried. Nikhil was no different.

Ragini smiled at him. "You know her well Karan. Very well I might say."

Karan raised his eyebrow in confusion. "Eh? There aren't many girls that I know who know how to fight or use weapons. Who co-" suddenly, his thoughts came to a halt. He stood there frozen, thinking over what he himself just said.

If he would have paid attention to his surroundings, he would have noticed Nikhil moving towards the door and moving out quietly, while Samay slowly backed away from him.

'Someone brave, sly, cunning, skilled in weaponry...and someone I know means only one person.' Finally everything clicked into place in Karan's head. "You...You mean to say That You Used. My. GIRLFRIEND MAYA AS BAIT TO TRAP THAT PSYCHOTIC KILLER!?"

Samay smiled nervously. "She's capable of it. I've seen her in action. Besides, Maya agreed herself an-"

"YOU DARE PUT MAYA'S LIFE IN DANGER!?" Karan shouted, picking up the knife that was with the vegetables, making Samay panic.

"Karan, I'm still your friend remember? Buddy-buddy right?"

"DIE!"

"Karan listen we...I didn't...She was..." Samay stopped trying to explain himself and began running towards the door.

Swara woke up groggily at the exact moment to watch it all play out. "What..what's going on di?"

"Ah! Swara you're awake! As for them, I can explain. Nothing to worry about!" Ragini smiled at her.
Swara could care less about the rest of the world. All that mattered was that her sister was alive and smiling in front of her. "Sure Di. In fact, with everything that happened today, I don't think anything would surprise me more."

#With Ansh and Sanskar#

Both twins stopped their bikes once they reached the spot where Ansh's spy was waiting. "I'm sorry sir. But they were too intelligent. They escaped my eye."

Sanskar grabbed his collar. "You good-for-nothing punk! You were given one job! One single job! You couldn't even do that!?"

"Sanskar, leave him. Its not his fault."

Sanskar let him go with a push. "How are we supposed to find her now? We need to save her!"

"Sanskar she is de-"

"Don't you dare say she is dead! She isn't dead! I know it!"

"How Sanskar? He said he saw it with his own eyes." Ansh tried to reason with his brother. He wished for Ragini to be alive as well. But they needed to face the truth.

"Because I'm alive Ansh. If something had happened to her, I would feel a part of me dying as well. I know she is alive. We just need to find her."

Ansh was a rationalist. He trusted facts more than intuitions. However, looking into his brothers eyes, he couldn't help but feel that Ragini was indeed alive. His brother’s faith was awestriking. He nodded. "Then lets go find her. I think Kriti would be the one person who would be of help to us. Vivek won't block her calls."

Sanskar got back on his bike. "Then lets go pay her a visit." He spoke in determination. 'This time I won't leave you live Vivek. This time I'll kill you! I'll. Kill. You!'

#With Vivek#

Vivek walked with the fake Ragini (Maya) in his arms. Prasanth had disguised himself as the person sent by Ratan’s boss to get him.

They both silently moved through the mine until they reached a door. Entering,  they found four individuals there. One was the boss, sitting comfortably on his chair, while Ratan stood beside him. There was a big brute holding Laksh.

Vivek looked at Laksh carefully. Apart from a few scratches and bruises, he looked fine. It looked like Ratan had kept his promise and kept Laksh away from harm.

"So that is the girl, eh?" A. S turned to person beside Vivek, which he thought was his man. "Oi you! Bring her near."

Prasanth hated the tune used by him, but nodded, keeping up the guise. Vivek handed the body to Prasanth who brought her near the boss.

Ratan went and checked the pulse. After a moment he nodded, satisfied. "She's dead."

Laksh gasped on seeing her face. "Ra-Ragini… Ragini!?”

A. S chuckled. "Finally dead. Go put her in one of the coffins. Smash her face so that it is unrecognizable and throw the body into the river. Go!"

Prasanth nodded and left. The boss turned to Vivek. "I believe you have the eye scan and finger print?"

"How do I know you won't betray me and kill both me and Laksh?"

"Vivek my boy! You've made me very happy today. You've got me what I wanted for years! I have no animosity against you or your friend now. Go do what you want." He motioned the brute to leave Laksh. At the same time, Vivek threw the things that A.S wanted towards him.

Laksh moved towards Vivek in anger. At once, Vivek pulled him into a hug. "You okay bro?"

Laksh jerked away from the hug. "You killed her?! How could you!?"

"I had no other way! I needed to save you!"

Laksh tried to hit him. But since he was still weak, Vivek managed to knock him out. That was the only way he could take both of them out.

Vivek took one last glance at A. S and left, slinging an arm around Laksh to take him outside. 'I wonder what the boss's face would look like once he realizes that the eye scan and finger prints are fake.' He smirked. However, his face turned serious when he remembered about Maya and Prasanth. 'I hope they both get out alive. I won't ever be able to forgive myself  if something happens to them.'

*********************************
To be continued...

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~ 🌹 Mona 🌹