Disclaimer: I do not own lyrics of the song "Don't be cruel"
CHAPTER 1 - Disturbance in the night
It was a cold wintry evening. The street was dark due to poor lighting.
It was quiet lonely. One could see few stray dogs roaming around the street.
An old fashioned coffee shop stood at the end of the street. The atmosphere inside the coffee shop was totally different.
'Don't be cruel to a heart that's true...
I don't want no other love,
Baby it's just you I'm thinking of...
Don't stop thinking of me,
Don't make me feel this way,
Come on over here and love me,
You know what I want you to say.
Don't be cruel to a heart that's true.
Why should we be apart?
I really love you baby, cross my heart.'
An Elvis Presley song was being played in the background. The usual gentle murmur of voices could be heard above the grinding of the coffee machine. The strong aroma of ground coffee beans filled the coffee house.
A man was sitting at the farthest corner sipping his coffee. He strained to remember what had happened to him during past few days. He had no recollection of past events.
He didn't even remember who he was. And the worst thing was that he was constantly on run. Somebody was chasing him. Desperately seeking him. He felt like a fugitive on run. They wanted him dead for sure.
His mind was crowded with millions of questions. He could remember the near death accident which he had. Nothing before or after that. The car crash had totally wiped his memory.
As he sat there thinking what to do next, a bullet shell flew past his ear. The peaceful atmosphere was immediately disturbed. There was uproar from the customers. Everybody ran helter skelter in confusion and terror.
'Abhijeet pakdo usse. Haath se nikalna nahi chahiye', he heard deep voice. He saw one of the men who had fired at him. They were the ones who were following him since past few weeks. He ran at top speed out onto the street. He could hear voices behind him. 'Daya ruk jao. Nahi to goli mar dunga. Dekho tum CID se bach nahi sakte', somebody yelled.
He kept running. Somebody fired at his feet. He came towards the main road and saw a vegetable truck approaching. He jumped and got in. The driver didn't notice. Those who were following him fell behind. He let out a sigh of relief.
So finally he had got some answers.
His name was Daya and he was being chased by CID. But why? What had he done?
Half an hour later the truck driver stopped at a roadside Dhaba. Daya climbed down and started walking to look for shelter. He saw a Bunglow a few feet ahead. It was well hidden behind the tall trees. It appeared vacant. After making sure nobody was inside he pushed open an unlatched window and went inside.
'Aaj raat yahi ruk jata hoon. Kal kahi aur chala jaunga', he thought.
He found a mat and few blankets. He was just planning to sleep when he heard the latch of the front door turn. He hid behind the sofa. A girl came inside with lots of bags in her hand. She went straight towards the table and poured herself a glass of water without closing the door.
'Damn! Isse abhi aana tha yaha. Ab yaha bhi nahi reh sakta. Isse pehle ki ye dekh le main bhaag jata hoon. Darwaja bhi khula hai', thought Daya.
But as he stood up to leave, the girl turned and saw him.
'Aaaaaaaaarrrgggghhhh!', she let out a terrified scream.