**Depiction of violence. Read at your own discretion**
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As she looked around her, all she could see was chaos. The bewitched sight in front of her eyes could make anyone turn numb. She had stopped for a while to have a quick look around her surroundings which were smeared with blood. Her eyes were horrified when she saw a man slashing a woman in front of her eyes as blood oozed out of the woman's mouth and she dropped dead on the ground, lifeless. This sight in front of her was the result of communal hatred which had now turned into a bloody war. She was horrified and her eyes were unknowingly welling up. As she again looked around herself, she felt her body turning limp at the sight of numerous dead bodies lying in the once beautiful streets of Calcutta and no one was there to claim these bodies as people who were still alive were running here and there to save themselves.

The smell of fresh blood took control of her nose and she was horrified. The shops and houses were set on fire and all she could feel was fear gripping her every second.

"Bondita, chalo! Humein bhaagna hoga!" shouted Anirudh as he pulled her towards himself by her arm.

Both of them were walking peacefully in the street when suddenly the surroundings turned violent. And before they could make anything out, they saw people with sharp edged swords, guns, rods, sticks marching the streets like madmen and slashing every soul that they encountered. This violence was nothing but communal hatred that was ebbing in the hearts of these people. Neither did they live peacefully, nor they let anyone live at peace.

Anirudh and Bondita, held onto each other after that and had started running as they knew that they cannot fall prey to this. Nonetheless, both of them were more worried about each other's safety. After running for a while, Bondita had suddenly stopped to have a look around herself and Anirudh was perplexed. He knew she was horrified but they had to run now.

"Pati babu.."

She uttered in a meek voice and her eyes were filled with tears.

Anirudh quickly wiped them away as his eyes brimmed with tears just like her. He held her hand tightly as he said," Tum daro mat, Bondita. Kuchh nahi hone dunga main tumhe!"

With their hands entwined they started running again, hiding occasionally behind objects when they encountered men with swords. Both of them were horrified and exhausted from the constant running and were panting heavily. They knew they had to live in order to change the world. They couldn't die at the hands of these people who were as merciless as a butcher, spreading hatred in the name of religion.

They stopped for a while and looked around themselves, trying to find the lost beauty of this city in the bloodshed. Both of them were stunned at the sight of shops and houses burning. People were running here and there to save themselves and they were even stepping on the dead bodies of their own people who were once alive. A while ago, everyone was smiling, walking happily on the streets. Children were laughing and playing amongst themselves. But now those children had dropped dead.

Bondita covered her mouth with her saree to control a sob when she saw a child, merely 2 years old, constantly hitting his dead mother with his tiny fists, trying to wake her up as his wail echoed in the street. But no one was there to pick up that child as everyone was running here and there. Bondita took a step forward towards the child but as a gunshot echoed in her ears, her body turned numb at the sight of the child dropping dead on his mother's body. Even Anirudh was frightened by whatever he had witnessed a few moments ago.

As the man who shot the child looked towards them, Anirudh stood in front of Bondita like a shield and Bondita clutched onto his kurta from behind. Anirudh was well aware of the danger.

But when his eyes finally recognized the person standing in front of him, his face turned pale. He knew him well. He was no one other than his rival, Anunay.

As they tried to run, they were caged by men who had sharp edged swords in their hands.

Anunay had a grudge against Anirudh as he had lost all his prestige when Anirudh had slapped him once for disrespecting a lady barrister. Anunay couldn't forget the humiliation he faced at the court and after that day, he had turned his face away from his most loved profession. He had become a part of this brewing hatred, killing people without even thinking twice.

The duo held onto each other not wanting to let each other go at any cost. The man standing in front of them emitted fire from his blood red eyes. Anirudh held Bondita closer to himself and his mind had stopped working. The series of events flashed through his mind and all he could think about was protecting his everything, his Bondita. But he was alone. Even if he screamed for help, his voice would just get distorted in the thin air which had the smell of fresh blood.

"Kya laga tha tumhe, Anirudh! Main bhool jaunga sab?!" asked Anunay as he took slow steps towards him and Anirudh was not even blinking a little. He looked at him straight in the eyes.

"Maine us din jo kiya uska koi afsos nahi hai mujhe!" shouted Anirudh on top of his voice and by cue, Bondita's hold on him tightened.

Anunay looked at him with blood shot eyes and made a hand gesture to his men. One of them held Anirudh and the other held Bondita and pulled them away from each other.

"Bondita!"

"Pati Babu!"

Their cries echoed in the air. Both of them were trying hard to free themselves but now more men had held Anirudh. Bondita was finding it hard to break herself free from the grasp of the two men who were holding her, constantly trying to free herself as she wailed. And here Anirudh was helpless, trying his best to get out those hands which were wretched. All he wanted was to protect Bondita right now.

He screamed her name again and again, trying to break free from the clutches of those men who now had him pinned to the ground. His Bondita was in pain and he couldn't take it.

Anirudh was still pinned to the ground but he roared as he looked at Anunay,"Tumhari dushmani mujhse hai! Meri Patni ko jaane do yahan se!"

Bondita shook her head violently as she screamed," Nahi, Pati Babu! Kahin nahi jaungi main!"

She again struggled but she was already out of breath due to the constant running and all the eerie scenes were taking a toll on her senses right now.

Anunay looked at Bondita and said," Mujhe tumse kuchh lena dena nahi hai! Tum chaaho toh bhaag sakti ho. Mujhe sirf tumhare Pati se baat karni hai!"

"Main kahin nahi jaungi apne Pati Babu ko chhod kar!" screamed Bondita as she looked at Anunay with angry eyes which were again filled with tears.

Anirudh was helpless here. He was not able to protect her. He was not able to hold her and calm her inner demons down.

"Thik hai! Toh apni aankhon se dekh apne Pati ko marte hue!"

These words struck as thunder to her ears.

She screamed," Nahi!"

But these people now pinned her to the ground and she had held her head up. Then she witnessed the most dreadful sight in front of her.

Four men had held Anirudh as he struggled hard to free himself, his eyes only landed on Bondita. All he could think about was Bondita. He didn't care about himself. He was not struggling because he wanted to be safe , rather he wanted to protect Bondita. He struggled hard, trying to break free. His eyes were filled with tears and horror as he saw his Bondita struggling and constantly screaming his name out.

Anunay pulled out a sword and took slow steps towards Anirudh. Bondita's face had lost all its color. Her lips were quivering in fear. She was continuosly screaming. As she tried to free herself, her bangles broke in the process. Her wrists bled as blood trailed its way out of them.

Anunay stopped abruptly," Itni aasaan maut nahi dunga main tujhe!"

He pulled out a dagger now. He was now standing in front of Anirudh. He placed the sharp dagger on Anirudh's left wrist and slowly ran it along his wrist and Anirudh felt immense pain shooting through his body. Bondita was constantly screaming as she saw him in so much pain.

"Maafi maang abhi!" roared Anunay.

Though Anirudh was hurt, he smirked and roared," Nahi! Jab maine kuchh galat kiya hi nahi hai, toh maafi kis baat ki!"

He shifted the dagger from his wrist and ran it upwards along his arm at a slow speed, making blood gush out of his arm and now his kurta was all red with blood. Anirudh groaned but his eyes still emitted fire. Anunay enjoyed this, he wanted this exactly. He wanted to see him in pain.

Bondita was shattered and helpless at the same time. She now felt the fear of those people who ended up losing their loved ones in front of their eyes. Her mind had stopped working and her energy had drained out now. Her constant crying had made her vision blurry now. She couldn't believe in whatever was happening in front of her eyes. Her sobs echoed through the dead streets.

She witnessed it in front of her eyes.

That wicked man had punched Anirudh on his face and then had held his hair tightly but Anirudh was still looking at him straight, not even blinking a little. He had then attacked him the the sharp sword, slashing him as blood spattered on his face. Anirudh looked at him again with a subtle smile. He had then hit him on the head with a brick as blood oozed out of his head and he dropped on the ground. He took the sword and raised it high in the air and then 'slash'.

He stabbed Anirudh numerous times as his own face was red with his blood. Anirudh's eyes remained wide open but this time they had lost the energy to blink even if he wanted. He couldn't blink anymore...

They left him there and then.

Anunay looked at Bondita, pointing a gun towards her but he stopped.

"Main kya karunga ise maarkar! Pati ke bina jeete jee mar jayegi yeh!"

Bondita was lying on the ground numb. She had witnessed it with her eyes. Her heartbeat had stopped, the wind stuttered now, making her aware of its presence. She saw him lying on the ground, he was not squirming a little. She was sitting at a distance from him. She could only look at his face which was red with blood, his eyes were wide open but his face had a subtle smile. He throat had dried and tears were not coming out of her eyes anymore.

She slowly walked towards him like a doll. Her face had no expression. She stumbled near him.

"PATI BABU!!"

Her deafening scream echoed through the thin air. She grabbed his kurta and shook him violently trying to put him back to life.

She uttered," Utthiye na! Dekhiye na apni Bondita ko!!"

"Aise beech majhdhaar mein nahi chhod sakte aap mujhe!!"

"Utth jayiye na!!"

Suddenly, she stopped and placed his blood red face on her lap and began clearing the blood from his face with her saree as she uttered," Naraaz hai na aap mujhse! Isiliye nahi jawab de rahe!"

"Koi baat nahi! Aapki Bondita bhi ziddi hai! Jab tak aapko uttha nahi degi, woh rukegi kya!"

Her cries could make anyone's heart wrench.

A few people were running in their direction, trying to save themselves and in the process they were stepping on the bodies. As the crowd approached them, Bondita covered Anirudh and people ran over her.

She uttered between sobs," Jaanti hun main! Aap ziddi hain! Isiliye aankhen nahi khol rahe!"

She had lost her senses. To her, her Pati Babu was still alive.

She struggled hard and pulled his lifeless body a little near a wall as she placed his head close to her chest as she uttered again," Yahan hum shaanti se baat karte hain!"

Her state cannot be described in words. She was cradling him like a maniac in her arms, kissing his forehead fervently as her saree had turned red with his blood.

She looked at his face again and uttered as a lone tear trickled down her face," Achha! Toh aap sona chaahte hain! Thik hai!"

She slowly patted his head with her palms, brushing his hair occasionally like a mother. Her tears were falling on his face and his lips had lost their color. She was shivering. Deep down she knew her world had shattered, but her subconscious mind made it hard for her to believe what she just encountered.

She patted his head gently, pulling him close to herself.

And then.

As a gunshot echoed in air and her head oozed out blood, she dropped lifelessly on him..

Everything was red.

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Hey dear readers, this was a tragedy. I never thought that I would put up a tragedy in my collection. I'm not good at writing tragedies, so bear with me this time.
What are your views? Please let me know.