The sun was swiftly losing its vigor, and Aanvik stood by the window with his blank eyes on the sky. He continued to pat the floor with his foot in vexation; he was not particularly enjoying the time waiting for the person he was least looking forward to meeting. He wanted to get done with the trouble as fast as his fate would permit, but at the same time, he wanted time to go still and hold the obnoxious guest from taking another step toward him.

The sound of the door opening behind him reached his ear, but he decided against the formality of turning around.

"Hello!" A male voice tickled his ear. "You left the door open."

"Thought I would," Aanvik replied nonchalantly. "For you."

The man smirked. "Nice."

"What is it, Roy?"

Roy walked in. "Having a bad time, huh?"

"I guess so."

"Waseef knows how to make it worse, doesn't he?"

"What do you mean?" The captain asked, slightly shifting his head to the right.

"He hates you."

"No, he doesn't!" Aanvik turned around at once.

"Oh, really? We all saw the show on the field the other day. He won't even look at his old friend. Not once. Poor, poor boy, Aanvik. Does it hurt?" A dramatic sigh followed the sentence.

"I am no circus monkey. Even if I am one, he isn't a spectator either."

The nasty grin on Roy's face spread as he carried on. "And the handshake after the match. He retrieved his hand like he had touched a burning stove."

Being at a loss for words, Aanvik's lips vibrated for a moment before going still. He knew it was true, and the incident had indeed stabbed him gruesomely. His right palm, all of a sudden, seemed to be assailed by a peculiar, cold sensation.

"Anybody in their right mind would believe my words. I know what Mayank is. He has abducted the poor kid and perhaps even killed him."

"He is not a monster! Do you even know how ridiculous you are sounding?" Aanvik was breathing hard; he could feel his soul flapping its desperate wings inside the cage of his gentle disposition.

"Where is he hiding, though?" Roy continued blithely. "You are his best buddy. You must be knowing something—"

"I would give the world to hear from him once."

"But Waseef! He doesn't trust you one bit."

"I am afraid I do." The voice broke in from behind, making the two turn to the source. Waseef stood with one hand on the knob and the other against the door frame, wearing a facial expression that was rather difficult to decode. "Sorry about that. Didn't mean to startle you," he added as his feet carried him inside. "Not a fan of eavesdropping either, but I thought I heard my name when I was about to pay my friend a little visit."

Despite the pleasant condition inside, the air seemed to grow humid for Roy. He gritted his teeth. "What do you mean by that?"

"I remember uttering a number of sentences. Which one went rogue?"

"You—"

Aanvik shook his head. With the sudden tide of delight in his mind, he could barely deter his speech from sprinting. "C'mon, Roy. Let's call it a day."

"You should've told me earlier that you have asked someone on a date," he snapped.

Amusement ignited Waseef's face. "And you know what, sir? We aren't looking for a third-wheeler."

Roy's frozen stare was tackled by Waseef's victorious one. "Have fun together then," he said, "and wait till I find out your partner."

Aanvik suppressed a chuckle while his friend shrugged.

"Oh, would you please not tell my fiancé, the South African vice captain, right-arm medium-fast bowler, three times I-cannot-pronounce-the-name-of-the-tournament champion, five feet and six inches tall, blonde, pretty, and most importantly, a person with far more important jobs to do, Kaitlyn Grace Williams, also known as Kitty, that I am dating her would-be brother-in-law Aanvik Kumar?"

Despite being aware of the fact that he was already caught in a nasty storm, Aanvik could not suppress the urge to join the game. "And would you also please not tell her that she has a terrible choice in men?"

Waseef did not seem to mind, which was confirmed by the mischievous smile that continued to stick to his lips.

With his body blazing in anger, Roy flew out of the room. The door shut with a tremendous bang.

"Trust me, buddy. He deserved it." A frown took over Waseef's face.

The other captain shook his head. "I know."

"So, how badly are we screwed?"

"If it is close to certain that we are going to be dead with the rising sun, we should at least live our lives till the stars fade."

"Do you know why I love you so much?" Waseef asked with a weak smile as he walked closer to his friend and gently placed his palms on his shoulders. "Because you are an idiot, and I love idiots."

"And," he continued in a low tone, "I am sorry, boy. This time I had been an idiot too, in a different way. You are right; it was ridiculous of me to think that you had something to do with their disappearance."

"Sometimes I wish I knew how to get mad," replied the other captain as he slid into his arms. "But it's alright. I am glad to have you back."

"I am aware of what—" he added, following a brief pause, in a voice that was slowly being dissolved by tears. "Of what you are going through." No more words abandoned him as a saline taste conquered his tongue.

With a feeling of each and every vein being shrunk, Waseef led his exhausted gaze toward the outburst of colors in the evening sky. The moribund rays of the sun seemed to jeer at the dead weight of secrets buried in him. The crack in his heart burned fiercely, and the bitter sensation of guilt was no comfort.

**********

The dark veil spread across the sky supplied the creature below with cover, with additional protection being offered by the dense bush of plants unfamiliar to him. Concealing himself did not turn out to be as easy as he had assumed; the constant buzzing of mosquitoes and anxiety that came along with the desperately sought job provided the pit of misery with its own share.

Lines appeared on Mayank's forehead for the umpteenth time since he had placed himself on the spot. He had never been a fan of waiting, and it was getting late. Doubts began to fill his mind as minutes continued to crawl past him. He neither wished to stay in the place any longer nor wanted to turn his back on the work assigned by Vaibhav. He knew he would not get along well with the other two, one of whom was nowhere to be seen after the last job. With his fingers finally clutching to the soil of the world he had dreamt of for so long, he was not going to dive back into the life he had merrily abandoned. For a moment, Mayank could not be more annoyed with the little trouble he had picked up on his way. He knew he had to get rid of the worm.

A shiver slid down his spine as traces of movement appeared at a distance. With a sprinting heart, he lowered himself, waiting for the figure to walk past. After what appeared to be an eternity, the sound of the footsteps grew loud enough for Mayank to assume they were sufficiently close. He held back his breath, not allowing it to give away his position.

Louder. Louder. And then the sound ceased.

Barely a second later, his hand rushed for his eyes as the illuminated bush breached his cover.

It took a while for Mayank to expose his gaze back to the world. The stranger, however, refrained from displaying any sign of impatience. The all-rounder's face was dyed by a conflation of bewilderment and exasperation. The curious observation on the other's part added to the displeasure.

The fairly long woman with a single braid hanging from the right stood erect with her lips stretched from mild amusement. Backed by her bizarre presence on the dark and lonesome rural path, she looked ominously beautiful.

"Looking for something?"

Mayank narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"

"I am only trying to help you." The air vibrated with her delicate laughter.

"Mind your own business."

"Are you sure you were doing the same?" the woman asked. "I know why you are here, Aavin."

Mayank let his blank stare stick to her eyes for a moment. "How do you know my name?"

"I know Vaibhav's name too." 

The all-rounder rolled his eyes as he got up on his feet and walked closer to the woman. "So you must know what I am here for."

She cautiously stepped backward.

"Give it back," Mayank said. "The thing you stole."

"It's not here with me."

"Where is it, then?"

"A short walk away, if you want to follow."

Mayank raised an eyebrow. The celerity on her part was suspicious. "Lead the way then," he said nevertheless. 

"You will regret attacking me from behind. Remember that."

Mayank rolled his eyes again. "I am neither stupid nor spineless. I will behave as long as you do."

Without further ado, she turned around and continued to walk. Mayank followed her in steady steps, letting a wise yet modest gap persist between them. The night was graciously showering its peculiarity on his brief way toward the uncertain destination, while the strange company along with her occasional furtive glances led the experience to the zenith. A familiar, spiny wave shook Mayank from time to time, inspiring a doubt to linger in his mind. A nagging voice inside whispered it was all a nightmare, and in no time, following an unforeseen wicked blow, the apparent reality would dissolve.

But the protracted nightmare refused to let go, and a hut was soon in sight.

"Almost there," she said, only to be tackled by sheer silence on Mayank's part.

The entry was uneventful; with each sense honed, he stepped into the place, followed by the woman. The beams from his torch quickly surfed the area.

"Bring it out," hissed Mayank, his vision piercing the one standing before him.

The words induced a fragile smile on the lady's lips. "Why do you need it so badly?"

"I was sent for this. The faster I get done with this, the better for us."

The grin was still adhering to its spot. "What's the hurry?"

The wails of demonic instigation were growing louder for Mayank. His fist was clenched, as if to deter an infernal blast. "Bring it out."

The woman kept her eyes glued to the guy for a moment before heading toward the tiny, disheveled bed in a corner. Her hand disappeared under the bedsheet and slid back to visibility a second later.

The object was held by its chain as she walked back to her previous spot. Mayank observed the miserable necklace with eyes glistening from curiosity.

"If I were Vaibhav, I would have been grateful to you for stealing this thing."

Her tender laughter once again shook the surroundings. "Maybe it's important to him."

"I don't care," he said as his fingers claimed possession of the object. The woman did not resist. "Are you sure you don't want to mess with me?" he asked with an eyebrow held up by suspicion.

The woman shook her head. "No, take it."

"Remember that," uttered the all-rounder in a dark whisper as he turned around to his right for the door.

"You are leaving?"

"Do we have any unfinished business here?"

"I am kinda surprised, I must say. You didn't even try to do anything to me."

"You had been a good thief. And I don't have my murder warrant yet." He did not bother to wait for a reply. The exit was approached in ecstatic steps.

"Wait!" she cried from behind.

With eyes narrowed from acute irritation, Mayank looked back. "What's the matter with you?"

"You are a good guy, Aavin."

"What?"

"I mean, it was just the two of us. You could have done, well, pretty much anything to me, you know." The woman stepped closer. A moment later, Mayank felt the tip of a knife softly press against his chin. "Not that you would have gotten away with it."

The mist around her indication began to evanesce for Mayank. "And you think that makes me a good guy?" he asked in a rather bemused tone. "Have you ever met a normal man?"

The lady smiled as she put the knife down. "Not many of them, I am afraid."

Mayank, without replying, walked out of the hut. The job drained less energy than he had expected to put behind it, and he could not quite figure out if the penny that it spared was added to his jar of satisfaction or disappointment. He tried to shake off the lingering apprehension as his feet carried him back to Vaibhav's place. With little to no rush of blood, it was difficult to process the fact that he had managed to pull it off in a decent fashion.

The house was heavy with the dearth of life. The kid had to be fast asleep.

Vaibhav observed him keenly for a moment before receiving the retrieved object. "Did everything go well?"

Mayank nodded.

"Off you go then," said Vaibhav, grinning.

Mayank's eyes found the sleeping kid as he walked into the dimly lit room. He stared for a moment before stepping closer to the bed.

The boy was quivering.

Hesitation led Mayank's hand to imitate Fayzan as it reached out for his forehead. His body was awarded a light bump as the contact was made. Fever.

Responding to the strange sensation that was tingling his mind, the all-rounder hurriedly pulled his hand back while desperately trying to spot a presentable excuse for getting into action. With a few marks on his forehead, he grabbed the soft quilt and pulled it over the boy's body.

"You do love him, don't you, Aavin?"

Mayank's heart skipped a beat as he turned around at once to face the source of the words, only to find Vaibhav standing by the door with an oddly tender expression veiling the sternness on his face.

"Th-the last thing I need is for him to wake up and—" He struggled to conceal the crimson hue of embarrassment on the tip of his nose. "And I can't deal with this trouble now. I need to get some sleep."

"He has been lying like that since this evening. Has got a fever."

"Hm."

"He has skipped dinner too. But you should come and eat."

The all-rounder's eyes went back to the boy in a rather furtive fashion. "I'm not hungry," he said in a soft voice.

Vaibhav smiled. "Sure about that?"

He offered a nod.

"Alright then," he said before walking away. "Look after your brother."

The final word seemed to pierce his heart. Mayank nevertheless put off the light and stepped toward the bed in a calm manner. With a mind that was still racing against itself, he gently placed himself on the surface. The merry-go-round of thoughts kept up its battle against the nerves that were craving peace. The fuel ran out after a period of time, and his entity was grasped by slumber.

An invisible factor yanked him back after seconds, minutes, or hours. He could not tell. With remnants of the other world swirling in his head, he sensed a known warmth against the spine. A few fingers were once again clutching his T-shirt.

His mind was still jammed with wild thoughts, and the moment could legally pass as a nightmare.

He was allowed not to fight back.