“Now it is up to me to stop it before it kills everyone”
Nalini was desperately trying to reach her parents who went to their ancestral land in Punjab.
Everything happened in a flash and Kumar was not sure what was going to happen next.
Bandopadhay was trying to reach the rest of the Amol Gupta and the cabinet through militaries secure channels.
“Mayday, Mayday” came a call and there was no response from the other side.
Hasan, Kishore Mangat, Ayyapa, Kumar, Nalini, Grace and Kanishka were holding onto their seats and were watching each other
Antonov was up in the air, the red dust all over them and Bandopadhay was struggling to keep it afloat.
He saw black smoke rising in the air, he feared that one of his engines might de down.
Then he saw it, one of the rear engines of Air India was burning and he plane lurched
Vindhya Range, Maharashtra
Shehalwat was pulled out from the rubble by his office staff. He was barely alive.
He tried to stand up. It was impossible.
He pointed out to the phone in one man”s pocket.
He gave it to him and immediately he made a call.
“Do no let anyone in. Stop everyone.”
The man on the other side said, “Sorry, Sir But people are already in”
“Stop them. If they resist, shoot them. They killed our friends in Tamilnadu, Telangana and Karnataka. The ones who tried to protect them”
A girl crossed the fence with her mother was behind the line in the northern fence.
Once the crowd sensed that the border was about to be closed, people panicked and started running towards the southern fence.
The girl heard shooting, she was pushed around, she was one of the few who made it, and unlucky ones were those who were caught in the buffer zone and the red dust rising in the air behind her. Her Mom was nowhere to be seen. It abruptly hung in the air between the Northern fence and the southern fence.
The man talking to Shehelawat told him, “There are people in the buffer zone”
“Shoot them all and burn them” came a curt reply
Her mom was caught in the melee.
She was nowhere to be seen. “Kiara, Kiara”, her mom shouted.
“Prepare to takedown the Navy ships, prepare the men” Shehelawat said.
Epilogue
A shattered India.
The southern buffer zone was closed. People were desperately trying to get in.
Families were separated.
Armies that were locked in cities broke free from their captors.
The President”s whereabouts is still unknown.
Where did Amol go?
Who initiated the first attack that took CM”s life?
------------- To be continued -------------
Mitron Dilliwala Page 8