Primal By Rahul Mishra (A short story)

Two women, one in her thirties and other a little older, they looked at the food served to them and at the waiter who had served it. Neel was looking at his shoes, trying to avoid their eyes. 

He was called by the manager. 

“Eat these.” The manager placed a plate full of green chilly in front of the Neel and took a big drag from his cigarette. 

“I’m sorry,” Neel spoke, his hands shaking. He was going to hold the plate but stopped.

Manager puffed the smoke out, “What I’m supposed to do with your sorry? Will it make these people happy?” 

He waved his hands towards the area where customers were dining.

“I’m sorry,” Neel mumbled again.

The manager placed hands on his ear and looked at Neel, “I’m not hearing anything. Just eat the thing I gave you.” He paused and greeted a customer who was walking by.

He turned and saw that the plate was still full. “You think I’m playing?” 

He went closer to Neel's face. “Oh common. Why are you crying now?" A waiter came to him with a register. He gave instructions to the waiter and came back to Neel. 

“Stop the show right now or I'll throw you out." He rubbed his head in annoyance.

"Okay that's enough, you're getting out." He instructed some guards. 

They held Neel and pulled him out of the restaurant from the back door. He tried to get back in, but one of the burly guards pushed him onto the trash bins.

“I don’t want to see your disgusting face again.” The manager went inside and the door was shut behind his back.

Neel got back on his legs and dusted his pants. He wiped away his mucus with the sleeve and took the cycle which was parked some distance away.

This was the third job from which he was fired within two months. 

He stopped the cycle near a Chinese food shop and bought some noodles and sauce to go with it.

After some cycling, he arrived at the temporary residence. This was an old and dilapidated building, in this Neel got a cheap room to stay. The rumor was that someone had killed a person there, but that didn’t bother Neel. He just wanted to have a roof on his head.

He took the lift and saw an old woman. He averted his gaze, but the woman was still eyeing him. The lift was slow. His hands began to itch. He turned himself to face the corner.

As soon as the lift reached the seventh floor, he rushed out running. He opened the door to his room and locked it from inside. Placed the noodle on the bed and went straight to his tv, he switched it on and played a Chinese action movie.

He recorded some fighting scenes with his phone. After finishing the whole movie and recording some nice bits he took the noodles and gobbled it down.

It was evening now. He could see the sky getting darker from the window. There was a closet attached to his bed. He opened it and took out his shoes. He rummaged through the clothes to find the towel but was unable to. His eyes went to the door. It was placed over it. He grabbed the towel.

The weather was nice, not too cold. Not too hot.

He took the cycle. The destination was Kanchan pond. A beautiful place where people rarely came. It was an amazing view, he stopped his cycle and tried to capture the amazing sight in his eyes. He placed the cycle on the grass. He took off his T-shirt and jumped into the water. He stopped moving, slowly descending into the depths of the pond. The water was going into his ear, he opened his eyes, looked around, and only saw dark water. There was nothing special about this, yet he found himself smiling. He began to move his legs and went to the surface again. 

He took out the mobile from his t-shirt's pocket and played the recording. He raised his legs one by one and moved them to get them warm and ready to practice. He enjoyed kick fighting and refrained from using his hands, this interest was something which he developed over the years. 

He placed the other camera to record himself. 

He practiced for almost two hours, sweat dripping from his face and his skin gleaming under the moonlight appeared as if a freshly sculpted statue was moving in perfect harmony and rhythm with the melody of nature around it. He sat down and smiled after watching the video he had recorded.

He packed everything and took his cycle into the bushes nearby. He came out wearing dark clothes, a newspaper cutting in his hands.

“A serial Killer is out killing people on their birthdays.” 

His face twitched. 

Today’s the day he was going to test his newly acquired skills.

XXXXX

There was a commotion inside the room, people were running in and out continuously. There was blood all over the floor, it was on the sofa and it was on the table. There were three corpses, two were male and one female, their condition better left not to be described. 

Rambha took out a cigarette, his hands shaking. He somehow placed it on his lips and lighted it.

He turned to the men who were waiting for him, “What the hell happened here?” 

One of them replied, “It was the boss’s birthday and he was celebrating it with his family.” 

Rambha nodded, “But I’m asking what this is? Why he is dead?” 

They all looked towards the man who was on the night shift that day, “I went to buy some burger for me.”

“Why would you do that?” one of the men raised a question.

He went silent. 

“Answer him please,” Rambha spoke again.

“I was thinking it would be good if I ate alone and don't bother them.”

Rambha waved his hand. The man went silent.

“Rao, come with me,” Rambha called a man who was talking to the police officers while walking towards the exit door. The man heard the call and came to Rambha.

“I was just asking these guys if they have a clue. They say it is the work of that guy.”

His legs paused, he stood still for two seconds, “That guy?” 

“Yes. The one whom we are searching for.” The lackey spoke in whispers.

Rambha looked back and saw police looking at him, he nodded at them.  

Rambha listened closely as the young boy who had recently joined the police force told him what they thought about the killer. 

"Brother, I think you should stay away from this one." 

Rambha snorted, "You're still ten years younger to tell me what to do." He paused and whispered, "Just give me the case files."

The boy looked left and right. 

He nodded, "I'll send it to you." 

Rambha stood and waved at his lackeys to move out.

He got into his car and the new guy followed him. His phone buzzed. "There's a mail from the [email protected]" 

Rambha took the laptop. 

"What's in it?" The man who was holding the laptop a moment ago asked.

"Nothing, just case files." Rambha's eyes were still on the screen. He told the other man to drive the car.

After half an hour, they reached a place where Rambha lived for now.

XXXXXX

Rambha placed the laptop aside and spoke, "They know his every step and his activities." He looked forward in a certain direction. 

The man turned his head to Rambha, "What do you mean?"

"They even send him directions." Rambha continued, he looked left and checked his hair. They were long.

"They are using him to kill the weed," Rambha spoke again.

The man just nodded.

A woman walked out of a certain house. She got into a cab. 

"Who was she?" The man looked at Rambha and towards the leaving cab again.

"I don't know her. I just like her smile." Rambha gave a simple answer.

The man grinned, "Have you ever talked with her."

Rambha said sighing, "No, I don't want to. It's good this way."

He went silent for a minute.

The man checked his watch, he had to go. He bid bye to Rambha.

"Time to see what you're like in person," Rambha whispered and drove the car away.

XXXXXX

Rambha walked through a smelly and dirty ally. He checked the address again and opened a metal door. He got into a dark saloon, with only a few lights and it was decorated with traditional ornaments. Smoke and the smell of many liquors permeated his nostrils. He turned and saw they were coming from the cracks of a door to another room. He could hear an old mellow song playing. He walked towards it and turned the doorknob. 

XXXXXX

The cigars were emitting smoke. The red haze coming from the lamps induced subtle drunkenness into the already intoxicated four men. Two were smoking a big joint which from the looks of it appeared to be freshly rolled. The other two were holding empty glasses. Their eyes fixated onto the false ceiling. One of them was wearing a birthday hat. He tried to reach for a bottle but found it empty. The man sitting beside him turned to his left and grabbed a bottle. He smiled and filled his glass and went on to pour the drink for the man in the hat. 

"You sly bastard. I didn't expect you to get the deal in the south." He spoke after pouring the drink.

"Don't talk about it. I was there and some guy with a big knife came to my face and explained it quickly. He then went on to prick my thumb and took my thumbprint on the papers."

"The old way of doing a contract. I like it, “The man smoking joint spoke, it appeared he was sleeping but he was well awake, he continued, “What’s the penalty? Finger or hand?" 

"No. The penalty is." The man in the birthday hat clicked his tongue and gave a wicked smile.

"No way." They all laughed together.

Screech!

The door opened.

They all stopped. Their faces towards the door. A man was standing there, his face hidden behind the shadows. He stepped forward.

"You guys are horrible. You didn't invite me to your party. I was waiting for this." The visitor spoke. 

He took the curtain from behind and rubbed his face, "Look I'm all good and clean. Can I also laugh with you people?" 

His facial muscles stretched. His lips turned into the shape of the crescent moon. 

"Who are you? How did you come in?" The man in the birthday hat stood up. He walked towards this uninvited visitor, "What's up with this smile?" He tried to push the visitor back.

"Please don't do this. I'm sorry." Neel spoke, trying to not fall on his back.

"Sorry? What is 'Sorry'?" The man replied with a snicker. 

Neel was hit by a sudden epiphany.

All the scums needed to go away.

He will send them away to nowhere. They shouldn't come back. His legs with heaven's wings will see to it. He will prevail, "You all are the same, you don't deserve to live," Neel shouted and moved his right leg to the front. The metal tip on his shoe made a shiny blur as it moved. He kicked the guy in the groin. The next moment he was onto the man who was still holding the bottle. He kicked him in the neck. The other two looked at each other. But they were late, Neel was already looking at them. He eliminated the two guys easily. 

The man wearing hat felt his knees go weak and he slumped down, his voice hoarse, "I didn't want to run away. I was afraid!" 

Neel tilted his head, "What are you talking about?"

The man took out a knife "I'll serve the penalty. Just don't kill me." 

Neel moved a step back, "Put that thing away, you will get injured." A deep concern was reflected in his eyes.

The man ignored Neel's ramblings. He grabbed his tongue and pulled it out. He placed the knife on it, "Look, I'll pay you!" 

There was a sudden scream. The man placed his hands on his lips, and tried to move towards Neel but vomited blood instead.

"You're gross," Neel began to cry. "Why did you cut your tongue?"

Tears began to come out of his eyes. He shut his eye closed and showed his tongue to the other man, "Idiot!"

He clicked his shoes to get the blood off them. He then kicked the man who was still spitting blood on the head.

Finally, it was quite for him. He looked around to see if any towel was there, he found one and rubbed his face. 

"Nice and clean." He spoke to no one.

He took the bottle of whiskey and gulped one mouthful. 

"Nice." 

He was enjoying the quietness and pleasantness of the situation. He tiptoed around the limp bodies and went near to the stereo, he was looking for a song to play, something mellow. A thud reached his ears. He turned towards the door. A man was standing there. 

Rambha took out his sword, "After all this, I don’t feel like killing you. Why don’t you just come with me?"

Neel dropped the bottle and went into a battle stance he learned from the video today.

Of course, Rambha had no intention of letting him go. But a confrontation here could result in him being injured, and he wanted to avoid that.

But Neel laughed in his face, “That’s something you should’ve said before taking those swords out. Now that you’ve seen what I can do, you’re going to try and talk your way out of this?”

Well, he was not wrong. Rambha also smiled.

‘So it’s going to be this way after all. ’

Then, he would give it all he has. Rambha's eyes became filled with bloodlust. His eyes quickly scanned the man in front of him up and down.

‘His shoes have a dagger in them?’

Before he had realized it, the man was holding his leg out pointing in his direction.

‘Well… whatever. ’

It did not matter what weapon he was holding. Only how he will use it. Rambha finished a brief analysis. The enemy liked using his legs, a mid-range fighter who can fight short range too.

 “This uncle will teach you a few things.” Rambha flicked his swords to the front.

Neel panicked and didn't move from his place.

 ‘Of course.’

Rambha moved behind Neel in an instant. His back was completely exposed.

‘It’s over.’

He had expected a difficult fight, but this was a lot more boring than he thought. The difference in experience ended up being the deciding factor, after all.

‘Die!’

Rambha's sword stabbed straight towards Neel's ribs.

Clang!

One sword and one dagger clashed and sparked. Rambha's eyes widened.

“How?”

Neel was blocking the sword with the dagger attached to his shoe.

Rambha looked up at Neel’s face in surprise.

Neel opened his mouth with an expressionless face, “You are a cheater.” In action movies he saw, attacking from the back was considered cheating.

“What are you talking about?" Rambha asked.

Unable to understand Neel’s words, Rambha felt an unknown sense of terror wash over him

XXXXX

Deal With the enemy!

Ba dumb Ba dumb

Neel's heart was beating fast, he heard a voice in his mind.

The enemy with murderous intent had been detected. Ensure your safety by dealing with this enemy.

The voice was telling him to remove the enemy in front of him.

‘This wasn’t all for nothing.’

He let Rambha make the first move. He tested Rambha's skills to measure them, and the results were as expected. The moment Rambha struck with killing intent, the thought popped up.

 ‘I got lucky. ’

And thanks to that, Rambha was startled as if he had seen a ghost.

“How, how did you?”

All that was left was to deal with him.

‘If I’m going to fight.'

It was his turn now.

'I have to attack.'

The two men put strength behind their daggers, attempting to push towards the other. Their strength was evenly matched.

‘Should I try something else?’

Neel quickly slammed his foot in Rambha's belly.

“Uwaaaak!

Having focused on the clash of daggers, Rambha was caught off guard by the sudden surge of pain shooting from his stomach and backed off.

Neel did not give the man any room to breathe. His movement increased.

As Neel rapidly chased after the man, Rambha was surprised once more.

‘He got faster!’

Up until now, he had felt that his speed was matched by Neel’s; maybe he was just a smidgen faster.

But seeing Neel suddenly speed up a level, Rambha could not afford to lose a moment of focus.

Neel closed the gap in an instant and stabbed his dagger into Rambha’s thigh.

“Argh!”

It was an attack that slipped past Rambha’s defense that had been focused on his upper body. He was bleeding now.

 ‘Good enough!’ Neel thought. Bleeding would make the fight much easier.

But Rambha held his pride as a high-ranking mob enforcer!

His resistance was not at all low. He leaped after Neel with his sword.

Slash- slash-

Neel dodged the sword by a hair’s breadth and counterattacked towards Rambha’s vitals. Even With a wound on his thigh and belly, the man skilfully blocked Neel’s counterattacks.

Clang, clang!

Both of the fighter’s brows moistened with sweat.

‘The speed is about even!’

‘Our speed’s the same!’

The two men praised the other’s speed and continued their ultra short-range battle of speed. A single misstep would mean defeat; the duo mercilessly attacked each other with attacks meant to kill.

Slash, slash, slash, slash- slash!

A spectacle that would drain the blood of those watching, it was truly a fight to the death.

‘I have to break the balance. ’

Rambha focused. His eyes red with killing intent.

Neel looked into Rambha’s eyes and flinched.

‘What?’

Fear was visible on his face. His movements became sluggish.

‘He's losing focus!’ Rambha became assured of victory. On the other hand, Neel’s eyes were trembling.

‘What’s happening to me?’

After meeting Rambha’s eyes, it suddenly felt like he had been submerged in deep water. His body felt heavy as if he was struggling to move underwater. The speed that he was so proud of was cut drastically.

Slash!

Slash!

The stalemate had been broken. Rambha’s attacks began to land. One by one, wounds started appearing on Neel’s body.

‘This, this can’t be!’

Neel was in a panic.

‘Is he not fatigued?’

But if not, how was his speed possible?

Neel could not finish his thought. His panic quickly turned into terror. Rambha was charging straight at him from the front. Neel swung his leg at Rambha’s eyes with all of his speed as a final resort.

Slash!

Rambha quickly twisted his head but was scratched by the dagger on his cheek. But this amount of damage was in his calculations. He had thrown his entire body into the deciding blow, anticipating to dodge the desperate counterattack.

The two men had fought in a world where time had slowed down. In their final moment, Neel frowned in realization.

‘Shit.’

Stab.

Rambha’s sword dug itself deep into Neel’s chest.

“Cough!”

Neel widened his eyes in pain. At that moment, the two men knew it was over; the victor had been decided. Blood seeped out of the corner of Neel’s mouth. He smiled with a blood-filled mouth. Of all the days, he just had to meet this man today.

‘I have shitty luck…’

His legs came to a halt. As he gasped for breath, Rambha whispered something into Neel’s ear.

“There was no malevolence in your violence.”

Rambha saw the light fading from his eyes, then pulled the sword from his chest.

Neel’s body slumped to the ground, like a puppet with its strings cut.

Collapse!

Rambha grimaced at the corpse. Killing a human being left a bitter taste in his mouth, even if the opponent had instigated it.

Rambha sheathed his sword back. He placed his hand at the places where Neel had kicked him. There were two wounds.  

He walked out of the building. Tiredness hit him like a tsunami. His legs were shaking and he nearly fell on his face. Somehow managed to get into his car. He checked the wristwatch, it was covered with blood. He cleared the dial with the seat cover and sighed in relief.

XXXXX 

"There is still some time left," Rambha whispered and drove his car to a known destination. On the way, he saw lights he never paid attention to. The distance was covered quickly as if he was in a trance.

He switched off the car light and waited.

A door from a certain house opened, a woman walked out. She was receiving her order from a delivery agent. She took out something from her wallet and gave it to the delivery agent. She looked at the product, her face beamed with a sharp smile. 

"This is too cruel," Rambha whispered and struggled to keep his eyes open. 

The woman was holding something in her hands. That thing made her happy, Rambha wanted to know what it was, he wanted to talk to her and get to know her name. But he can't, it was meant to be this way. Rather, it was better this way. Seeing her face, Rambha smiled, probably the first time in his adult life.

The woman began to talk with a neighbor.

It was probably for the best he didn't know her. 

 "Even though my hands are red, can't I live for a few more moments?" A small whimper escaped his lips.

He closed his eyes. 

XXXXX