Chapter 1 The Impending DOOM

#PLEASE READ THE AUX CHAPTER FOR A BETTER UNDERSTANDING#

The setting is Dharavi, Mumbai, India. The sky was a dark blue color, with the sun setting on the horizon, casting an orange and red color hue into the blue sky. This created a wondrous phenomenon that the people present there were blessed to witness. Even though it was a scene that happened every day, seeing it with your own eyes would hypnotize you into thinking about the wonders of nature and its beauty. However, nobody there was free enough to feel its beauty; everybody had something to do. Some were on their way home, while others had night jobs, so they were preparing to go to their work. Children were playing in the park, and the aunties and women were sitting on the park chairs, gossiping about Mr. Sharma's son, who had failed in his 12th exams. Some were talking about Mrs. Vyas's daughter, who was wearing short top clothes that showed her petite belly,

But even then, there was a guy present there, looking at the evening sky, basking in its glorious light and enjoying the moment. Well, that's what others would have thought by looking at the 36-year-old guy who was not bad-looking but was not handsome either. He was the kind of person who you would confuse for somebody else, but after looking for a second, you would discard that thought and continue on your way. However, the man we are talking about was feeling something else entirely.

"Damn, man... What is going on with my messed-up life? I came to Mumbai thinking I'd make it big here and be rolling in money. I even told my parents and relatives that I was doing great here, but... nothing was going the way I wanted it to. I only faced losses every time I thought something good was going to happen. Then everything went to the pits. I told my parents that I got a job as an assistant manager at a Dior store, but here I am working as a courier guy, delivering packages here and there. And now, with fuel prices reaching the sky, I can't save any money..."

The simple, depressed man's thoughts came to an end as he felt his phone ringing.

~~ringtone~~

When the man looked to see who was calling him, he was stunned. It was a call from his old childhood friend, Akash. After a moment of contemplation, he finally answered the call in a happy tone.

"Hey, Akash! What's up, man?"

"Hey, Nabh! Man, you forgot about us when you went to Mumbai. You didn't even inform us that you were working at Deor as an assistant manager. That's a high-level job for someone like us. But it's cool, you got the job, man. I'm also fine, thanks for asking. How are you, Nabh? It's been a long time since we last talked."

"Everything is fine, Akash. Everything is fine. But how did you come to know about my job at Dior? Only my family knows that."

"Are you kidding me, Nabh? Everybody here in our small city community has come to know about it. Did you think your parents would keep quiet about you getting such a high-paying job? Everybody in our friend circle has come to know about your job, Nabh."

"Hahahah, well, that's good, hahaha," Nabh laughed in a fake way.

"Well, that's all good, but why did you call me, Akash? Is there any reason?"

"Nabh, why did you say that, man? You're making it look like I'm some money-hungry person who only calls when I need something." On the other side of the call, Akash replied as if he were hurt by what Nabh said. After 2-3 seconds, he continued, "Well, now that you've asked, my friend, we 7-8 people are coming to Mumbai to admire its beauty, and after that, we plan to continue our tour to Goa and then return. Knowing that you were working such a high-paying job, we thought you must be living in a big flat. I called you to know if you are comfortable with us sleeping at your place."

After hearing such a thing from Akash's mouth, Nabh was shocked. Here he was struggling to make ends meet with such a pitiful salary, and now his friends were talking about living with him. He also knew that they would be fully dependent on him for everything, from getting a taxi to taking them to every tourist place in Mumbai. While continuing his thoughts, he forgot to reply, and then Akash's voice came through the phone.

"Hey, Nabh, are you there?"

"Ah, ye...yes. When are you coming?" he replied while stuttering.

"Well, we'll be there on Wednesday by evening. Then we'll go to the famous Ganesh Mandir to pray, and Nabh, you have to come with us."

Nabh thought while feeling depressed and stressed, 'Just three days after is Wednesday.' But then he thought of asking his boss to pay him in advance, and somehow he'd manage. "Well, that's good. Come here, and we'll enjoy. I'll show you Mumbai's nights. And by the way, who is coming with you?"

"Well, Jigar, me, Sidharth, Manas, and his twin brothers Manav, Nayan, and Vinita."

'What? Vinita? What is she doing with them?'

"Why is Vinita also coming? I thought she already got engaged to that guy."

"Well, that's true, Nabh, but let me tell you this: this entire trip was planned by her, and she was also talking about some employee discount at Dior or something."

'Of course, it's that woman's doing. She knows that if she had called me personally, I would have said no to her face. She must be seeking revenge against me for being her ex-boyfriend and making her life hell after I found out about her cheating on me.'

'Well, that's what she gets for cheating on me with my own friend. Those two never let me in on the whole matter, but I am a very paranoid person. So, after noticing some changes in her behavior around me, I started watching her closely and uncovered the truth. But they didn't know that I was a very petty person. I made them both pay by revealing the whole thing to the brother of a gangster in our area and framed them as the scapegoats. I watched them both suffer, and just after two days, they got what they deserved. They were beaten up pretty badly, and I also leaked their conversation to Vinita's strict father, who cares deeply about his family's image. He made Vinita's life a living hell for 2-3 years.'

'I knew it was that woman's doing, even if she didn't know it was me who did it. But she still wants me to be nice to her? Dream on, woman. At the last moment, I'll just say I've reached my monthly limit and can't get the discount. I'll make her pay the full amount and watch her get humiliated.'

"Well, I'll be welcoming you guys with open arms, Akash. Just give me a call when you are near Mumbai, and you will find me there, don't worry."

As he was talking on his phone, some teenagers were approaching his way. They appeared to be the flamboyant type who thought the world revolved around them. He gave them a sidelong glance and told Akash, "Well, Akash, I have work to do today, so we'll talk later." Without waiting for Akash's reply, he ended the call. Just as he hung up, his phone rang again. Without looking at the caller's name, he replied, "Akash, just come to Mumbai, and we'll tour the entire..."

He was just about to continue when a voice on the other side of the call spoke up, "Well, well, well, what do we have here? It's been close to an hour, and you haven't completed your delivery. When are you going to do that? Do you think money grows on trees? Get your ass here and continue your job, or else I'll fire your shitty ass and hire somebody else! DID YOU HEAR THAT?" The voice on the other end spoke in a very angry manner.

While hearing this, Nabh immediately replied, feeling stressed, "Yes, boss. I'll be there in just 10 minutes."

The boss replied, "You better be, Nabh. You better be."

At the Blackdart Delivery Service Godown,

Nabh entered the godown, preparing himself for some harsh words, but to his surprise, the boss spoke to him in a very happy manner and seemed quite calm about it. "Nabh, my man, you're finally here. I've got just the job for you."

Nabh, hearing that, felt that something was not right. It was as if his instincts were warning him that something bad was going to happen. However, he pushed those thoughts aside, thinking it was already a good sign that his boss wasn't angry, and he quickly replied, "Yes, boss! Just tell me where I have to deliver the package, and I'll do it in a jiffy!" Nabh replied enthusiastically.

"Nabh, my dear boy, why ask such questions? Just ask where you have to deliver it. To answer your question, you have to deliver this package to a guy dressed in a black shirt and green pants in Malad, near the local bar in the north area. Don't worry; he'll give you a signal after seeing you. Get this job done, and I'll give you a bonus of 50k. What do you say?"

Just hearing the amount of money, Nabh would have agreed to do the job, but knowing that those places were not safe at this time, he was skeptical about it. However, he thought of his savings and agreed.

Nabh took the package, which felt quite heavy and was also big, so he replied, "Boss, the package is quite big, and it also doesn't have anything written on it. Wouldn't we get in trouble if somebody asked me about it?"

The boss looked at him with a hint of anger showing and replied, "Nabh, you dare argue with me? Are you some small boy who can't answer somebody's question with a lie..." The boss controlled himself and then replied with a smile, "And don't worry, take our tuk-tuk with you and safely deliver the package. Do you understand, Nabh?"

Nabh, realizing he was making his boss angry, nodded his head quickly, like a chicken pecking at seeds, and got to work. He swiftly placed the package in the tuk-tuk and left the godown.

As he left the godown, his boss made a call, and a person with a very heavy voice replied, "When is the parcel going to arrive? Don't forget who I am."

Then the boss replied flatteringly, "Hahaha, Bhaijaan, who doesn't know you? Worry not, the parcel is on its way and will soon arrive at your location, Bhaijaan. Just send the money to the account you always use."

Hearing that, the person called Bhaijaan responded, "Don't worry. When the package arrives here, my people will check it, and after making sure everything is alright, I'll send the money. Or are you accusing me of not paying the money?"

Hearing this, the boss's forehead became full of sweat, and he laughed nervously, "Haha, ha, ha, ha, Bhaijaan, don't joke like that. How could I even think of that? Don't worry, Bhaijaan, I sent the package with a guy with a clean record. Nobody's going to be suspicious of him, and you can do anything you like with it."

"Hmm, just do your work correctly, and you will get your money. What I am going to do with him is up to me. Just make sure nobody comes here sniffing after him," Bhaijaan replied.

"Hahaha, don't worry, I won't cause you any problems like every time," the boss reassured.

Then Bhaijaan ended the call, and the boss, with a sinister smile, muttered, "Fuck you... What, Bhaijaan? Don't think I fear just anybody. Your days of ruling have come to an end, Bhaijaan, and that Nabh, always causing me problems. It's like hunting two prey with one arrow. Let him be gone for good. Hahahahahahahahahahah..." His laughter came to an abrupt halt as he was shot in the back of his head.

~Thud~

As his body fell, some guys entered through the window, all clad in full black clothing.

The guy at the front spoke, "Search for the parcel. You will easily find it. It's big and in white packaging."

The guy to his left replied, "Boss, are you a fool? If it's easy to notice, why do we have to search for it?"

The guy on the right replied, "Chote, did you forget that the boss always watches CID (an Indian TV series) and always wants to play the role of ACP? So shut up and do as the boss says, or he will make us do THAT."

"He will make us do THAT?" he asked, sweating as he inquired further.

"Right, so do as he says," the guy on the left instructed. As they chatted, the Chota Boss approached them and said, "I just got a call from the informer. The parcel is on its way to Malad in a tuk-tuk. Let's go and get it. And when the boss gives me a promotion, I'll make sure to make you both know what it means to make fun of me. Now, let's go and get that package from that delivery boy, and get him to sleep. Then, we'll deliver the package to our boss, and then..."

The guy on the left interrupted him to stop him from speaking further, and he made his way to follow Nabh in his jeep. Seeing this, the guy on the right also sat in the jeep, but the Chota Boss was lost in his imagination. The horn of the jeep brought him back to reality, and he thought of a way to make himself look cool.

"Well, I was just checking your ability. Now, let's go and get what's ours. Hehehehehe," and he laughed maniacally. The two in the front knew their Chota Boss was a lost cause, so they simply drove.

While all this was happening, Nabh had no idea that his life was awaiting its impending doom. Just minutes away from reaching the drop-off point, a jeep overtook him recklessly on a narrow road, with the deep ocean on one side and high walls on the other. Seeing the rash driving, he cursed the driver, but suddenly, the jeep in front of him abruptly stopped. Nabh hit the brakes and stopped as well. A fat man got out of the jeep, slowly approaching with a seemingly harmless smile. He came to the tuk-tuk's window and asked,

"Brother, our jeep came to an abrupt halt, and I don't know what to do. Since this place isn't safe to wait at night, can you help me? As a tuk-tuk driver, you must know a thing or two about cars. So, please help me. I'll even pay you just for checking it," the fat man asked Nabh.

As Nabh considered it an easy way to earn some money, he agreed to help. The delivery address wasn't far, and he just had to check the jeep, which seemed like an easy task for some extra cash. He got out of the tuk-tuk and began walking towards the jeep. However, suddenly, he started sweating, and a feeling that something was not right washed over him. But as the person looked fat and seemingly incapable of harming him, he brushed off his unease as stress getting the better of him. He continued walking in front to check the jeep quickly.

However, just two seconds later, he felt a sharp, searing pain coursing through his body from his back. He reached to touch the source of the pain and looked at his hand, which was stained with blood-red. Realization hit him as he registered the excruciating pain of being stabbed, and his body began to fall face-first onto the road. As time seemed to slow down, he saw everything in slow motion and thought to himself...

'why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why WHY WHY his life is like this it's as if the world hates him it's as if the life itself hates him IT'S AS IF GODS HATE HIM...........'

...as if that was the moment when his life thread had been cut, his entire body shut down, and he slowly closed his eyes, succumbing to the darkness. While this was happening, the fat man asked his Chota Boss,

"Chota boss, what do we do now?" he asked, not knowing what to do next. Then, the Chota Boss emerged from the jeep with his hands covered in blood, holding a dagger and a gun with a silencer on it. Seeing this, the fat man grew nervous and stammered, "Boss, what is this? What did you... do to him?"

Looking at the fat, obese man, the Chota Boss said, "Well, I just got rid of a fool, and now it's your turn, fatty. Get ready to meet your maker because nobody will come in my way of becoming the real boss with this package." As he was monologuing about his greatness, Bhaijaan arrived like a gust of wind in his fast car, running over both of them. The Chota Boss couldn't even complete his imaginary story as he was sent to Yamlok (the hell of the Hindu religion) to meet Yamraj (the ruler of death and one who judges souls in Yamlok) for a chat.

The one who had orchestrated this didn't look back at the scene. Instead, he simply waved his hand, and some people came to dispose of the bodies, tossing them into the ocean.

And that's how the story of Nabh Rathod came to an abrupt end. Or was it truly the end?

## And what was in the package that everybody was fighting for? curious, then add this story to your library so you do not miss that.##