Chapter 3: The Action.

Evening: Jungle -

RAJAT and PURVI under the tree almost jumped up at the voices of goons. They stood up and leaned to the tree holding each other's hand ready to run in any worse case. They could hear two persons talking that were supposed to be RAJESH and KISHOR'S voice.

Kishor: Where did the two disappear in this jungle?'

RAJESH in a frustrated tone: I don't believe I lost the two again?'

KISHOR: We have to catch them anyhow. If I return without that officer's brother then my boss will shoot me on sight.'

RAJESH: This time even my boss will kill me for sure.'

KISHOR: They wouldn't have been far away. You go that way and I will go this way.'

RAJESH nodded and the two went to opposite directions.

As soon as the two gang leaders went away RAJAT said to PURVI: It will not be safe to stay here long. There men must have been around here.'

PURVI: It's getting dark. We have to find a safe place to hide before getting a way out of the jungle.'

RAJAT showing her injured ankle asked: Can you run with that?'

PURVI nodded confidently. RAJAT and PURVI making sure there were no goons around them, run as fast as they could through the bushes.

The two were so busy looking behind for any signs of goons that they didn't realize that ahead of them the ground was four feet down from the surface they were running on. They were too fast to stop themselves to a halt and before they could react, PURVI trips at the edge. RAJAT without wasting a second pulled her wrapping an arm around her so that she doesn't hurt her head at the fall.

They both fall on the rough ground side by side with RAJAT's arm around her protectively.

After a second PURVI gets up looking for the bruises on her elbow that was burning. RAJAT remained still on his place without moving.

PURVI look at his closed eyes and asked: Are you ok?'

After a long second he answered: I am feeling sleepy.'

PURVI this time looked concerned at him and asked: Let me see.'

She checked his head injury and said: It must a minor concussion because of the tiredness and the head injury.'

RAJAT held her hand rising it up off from his forehead and opened his eyes to ask: Are you a doctor?'

PURVI: I am a last year medical student.'

He leaves her hand and again closes his eyes.

PURVI worriedly said: This is not the right time to sleep. They are following us everywhere.'

RAJAT could sense fear in her tone as he opened his eyes and stood up.

PURVI looked up at him.

RAJAT gave his hand to her: Let's go. We have to find a way before they get us again.'

PURVI stared him for a second and stood up holding his hand. It was started to get dark. The two walked a little further when they heard the noises of few goons who are talking back of their leaders to give up the search.

RAJAT and PURVI immediately slid between the giant stones behind some bushes. Both sit there silently leaning to the rock waiting for the goons to move away from there.

Soon the darkness covered the sky and PURVI realizes he has fallen asleep. She looked at her hand still held in his and then at his face, glowing through the full moon on the sky. A slight smile appears on her face without her knowledge.

Next Morning:

TARIKA pulled her car aside the road seeing two vans with doors open parked suspiciously on the road. She got down from her car to check the two vans. There were no whereabouts of the owner of the vans.

She saw the same ropes on the road in front of the other van. Her suspicion grown as she looked at the direction of the jungle, RAJAT and PURVI ran to last day.

She followed her instinct and walked into the jungle taking her gun out. After walking 10 to 15 minutes, she sensed something behind her and turned around pointing her gun at the target to see the same.

A man in his mid 30's in a black suit turned at the same time pointing his gun at TARIKA.

TARIKA tightened her grip on the gun as both at a time asked: Who are you?'

None of them answered out of suspicion.

TARIKA asked first: Where is RAJAT?'

The man asked confused: Who is he?'

TARIKA remembered, the kidnapper clearly mentioned RAJAT's name on the call. If he is not the kidnapper then who is the man with a gun in the jungle?

She stared the man top to toe thinking, by his appearance and clueless expression, he doesn't look like kidnapper.

She once again asked him: You didn't kidnap my brother?

ABHIJEET flabbergasted: Why would I kidnap your brother when my own sister has been kidnapped? Wait! Your brother is kidnapped?'

TARIKA asked with same surprise: And your sister too? You are really not the kidnapper?'

ABHIJEET: Neither you?'

They looked at each other a bit disappointed and relieved too as the two downed their guns and pulled out there ID flashing in front of each other at the same time saying: CID officer ABHIJEET from Mumbai/TARIKA from Bangalore.'

Looking at each other and the ID's the two felt the atmosphere bizarre.

After a silent moment both again asked at the same time: How did your brother/sister got kidnapped?'

TARIKA shut her eyes while ABHIJEET looked here and there to avoid the awkward timing. It is first time ABHIJEET felt uneasy around a lady as his heart pounded a bit.

ABHIJEET break the silence saying: My sister was on a college trip to the jungle for camping. I think she got kidnapped from there.'

TARIKA looked at him and remembered the flashback.

Flashback: Green Warehouse –

Waiting for almost an hour, TARIKA left the warehouse. Getting in her car she dialed a number.

A girl received the call: yes ma'm.'

TARIKA: KAJAL, I need you to check something for me.'

KAJAL: what's it?'

TARIKA: Can you check out the whereabouts of an engineering student of M.D. college of Bangalore name RAJAT who lives in the college hostel. It's urgent.'

KAJAL: give me just five minutes, I will call you back.'

TARIKA: ok.' she hangs up.

TARIKA waits in her car looking at her watch. After 10 minutes she received the call from KAJAL. \

TARIKA: yes, KAJAL. Did you find anything?'

KAJAL: yes, it's been two days RAJAT has gone to a college trip.'

TARIKA: Are you sure?'

KAJAL: yes ma'm. I have confirmed it from the college and college hostel.'

TARIKA: thanks, KAJAL.'

KAJAL: sure ma'm.'

Present: Jungle -

TARIKA looked up at ABHIJEET: RAJAT too get kidnapped from his college trip.'

ABHIJEET looked her back: What kind of co-incident is this?'

TARIKA took out the anklet she found at the warehouse and showed it to ABHIJEET: Is this belongs to your sister?'

ABHIJEET looked at the anklet in her hand carefully and remembered he is only gifted the anklet to his sister. He spoke up: yes, it is my sister's. Where do you get that?'

TARIKA: I found it at the discarded warehouse where the kidnappers called me.'

ABHIJEET: If they kept my sister at the warehouse then why did they call me at the old mill and whom they kept captive at that mill?'

TARIKA: If they kept your sister in the warehouse then why did they call me at the warehouse and where is RAJAT?'

ABHIJEET took out the broken wrist watch and showed it to TARIKA: I found it at the old mill. If is it your brother's?'

TARIKA looked at the watch and said: I don't know.'

ABHIJEET a bit surprised: You really don't know?'

TARIKA: We don't live together and it's been 5 years since I have last time seen him. So, I really don't know.'

ABHIJEET could sense her uneasiness so he didn't question her further about it.

ABHIJEET: Looking at the suspicious van on the road and ropes on the ground it seemed like either one of them escaped and went into the jungle.'

TARIKA: I think both of our siblings are in the jungle because there were two vans and there is something is amiss.'

They again looked at each other.

ABHIJEET: if they are in the jungle, we must hurry then.' TARIKA nodded.

But the two didn't move a bit as they glanced at each other.

TARIKA saw three men behind ABHIJEET at a distance while ABHIJEET saw two people behind her.

The two nodded at each other and turned back to back of each other. TARIKA stood facing the two men and ABHIJEET facing the three men pointing their guns at them.

Three guns pointed at ABHIJEET and two guns at TARIKA.

ABHIJEET in his CID commanding voice asked the goons: Who are you?'

Just to hear two gun shots echoed the jungle with the screams of two people.

ABHIJEET turned around to see the two men on ground holding their bleeding leg where they got shot were screaming in pain.

ABHIJEET looked shocked at TARIKA'S action with open mouth not believing, she just shot the two guys while the other three goons were startled too.

TARIKA walked near to the two people and collected their guns from ground they dropped while getting shot.

ABHIJEET asked in shock: That's reckless! How could you shot them without knowing who they are?'

TARIKA looked back at him: Looking at their appearance, the illegal guns in their hand, the two suspicious kidnapper vans out of this jungle and at the current situation they doesn't look like civilians at all. Does they?'

The only words ABHIJEET could utter were: That's cruel.'

TARIKA pulled ABHIJEET forward shooting at one of the three goons behind ABHIJEET who pointed his gun at ABHIJEET but this time she just aimed at the gun at the man's hand which instantly dropped from his hand as soon as her bullet shot at his gun.

ABHIJEET was too shock to react as he turn to see her heading to the three goons.

TARIKA ducked down from the first man's blow going behind him while throwing one of the gun she collected from the two people at the second man aiming on his head who was about to approach towards her. And then pushed the first man on the ground from behind pinning him to the ground before he could react and shouted at ABHIJEET: Won't you do anything?'

ABHIJEET who was too shock to react, comes out of his shock at her voice looking clueless at TARIKA and then at the two goon who were preparing to run away.

TARIKA handcuffing the man she pinned to the ground again shouted at ABHIJEET: Go get them.'

ABHIJEET ran and manage to get a hold of them giving some nice blows to them.

Now, five of the man was sitting in line on ground in front of two CID cops.

TARIKA wrapped the bullet injuries of the two men with their own shirts as ABHIJEET stared her in utter astonishment.

ABHIJEET: Do you really need to shoot them at the first place?'

TARIKA: At that time they were criminals and I did my duty as a cop. Now they are patient so I am doing what I should do being a doctor.'

ABHIJEET: Doctor?'

TARIKA: I was a doctor before turning to officer. I use to be in forensic department of CID.'

ABHIJEET got another shock.

TARIKA without looking at him extended her hand to him asking: Give me your handcuff?'

ABHIJEET realized it is not with him: it's in my car.

TARIKA looked over her shoulder at him: you are no use.'

She asked the other two men to take out their shirt and tearing their shirts she tied four of the remaining persons hand at their back.

After tying their hand TARIKA took the handcuffed guy at her point.

Seeing that ABHIJEET wondered now what she is up to as his heart thumped thinking is it really safe to stay with this reckless lady alone in the jungle.

He missed his friend more than anything at the moment murmuring: I shouldn't have come alone. I should have brought DAYA with me. DAYA, I am missing you. Where are you?'