"I don't know if we'll live to see the sunrise," a villager whispered, tears carving tracks through the grime on his face. "These monsters have already slaughtered half the village. Oh God… please have mercy."
In the center of the courtyard, three young children huddled together, clinging to an old woman.
"Grandma, I'm scared," they cried in unison.
The old woman tightened her embrace, her frail arms forming the only shield they had.
"We will be saved," she murmured with quiet conviction. "Whenever Adharm outweighs Dharma, God descends to restore the balance. I have faith."
Nearby, an old man leaned heavily on a thick wooden cane, gazing up into the pitch-black sky. A faint, defiant smile tugged at his lips.
"Perhaps," he said calmly, "God is waiting for us to make the first move against injustice. If we fight and still fail—then we can complain."
"Hey! Who told you to speak?" a terrorist barked, marching toward him.
"Look at this darkness. The moon is gone. Tonight is Amavasya—the night of the dance of death! Do you hear me? Jai Mahakal!"
He laughed hysterically, his voice echoing through the courtyard.
"Tonight, in this jungle, tantriks, aghori, dark occultists—everyone is hunting for forbidden powers. Spirits, witches, demons…"
He chuckled, then howled with madness.
"He will come. Tonight itself. And all of you will die. Every sin you've committed will be paid for—today. You will all die! Aaa… hahaha!"
He reversed his rifle and slammed the buttstock into the old man's shin.
"You senile fool! One foot in the grave and you still won't shut up?"
Nature seemed to hold its breath.
The sky was a moonless void, allowing the stars to pierce the darkness with unsettling clarity. Wolves howled in the distance as the wind rose, whispering through the village. Inside the ancient Kaal Bhairav temple, shadows ruled—except for a single beam of starlight illuminating the idol.
Suddenly, the heavy flower garland slipped from the deity's neck and struck the stone floor with a soft thud.
A sign.
Through a narrow gap in the temple gate, a sniper scope glinted.
Kashi lay prone, perfectly camouflaged, his breathing slow and measured.
The radio crackled in Commander Iyer's earpiece.
"Sir, Team Garud in position," Virendra whispered. "I count forty-five to forty-six hostiles patrolling the village. Advanced weapons. The rest appear to be guarding the perimeter."
"Copy," Iyer replied. "Team Guru?"
"In position, sir," Husain Ali confirmed.
"Good work."
"Sir, Team Dhanno reporting," Vijay cut in, his voice sharp with adrenaline. "Two tangos neutralized at the main gate. Moving in."
"What? Vijay, hold position! Do not rush!" Iyer hissed.
"Sorry, sir. Can't wait any longer," Kashi replied—and cut the feed.
Iyer exhaled slowly, frustration weighing heavy on his chest. He keyed the mic again, his voice turning steel-cold.
"Operation Tiranga is live. Green light to engage. Kill them all—but leave Nazim alive. Kneecap him if you must. I want him breathing."
On the ground, Vijay plucked a dry stalk of grass, rolled it between his fingers like a cigarette, and clenched it between his teeth.
"Vijay, I thought you'd quit smoking," Kashi muttered. "Then what's that supposed to be?"
Vijay smirked.
"Brother, when the tension's this high, who knows if you'll get another chance to smoke?"
"What nonsense are you talking?" Kashi shot back.
Vijay laughed softly.
"Relax, bhai—just kidding." He jerked his chin toward the darkness ahead.
"Come on. Are we going to stand around chatting, or move?"
"Come on, Dhanno," Kashi said grimly. "Let's break them."
Seven suppressors coughed almost simultaneously. At the gate, terrorists crumpled before their bodies hit the ground.
"Engage! Engage!"
From the tree line, Team Garud thinned the outer guards with surgical precision. On the opposite flank, Team Guru abandoned stealth, unleashing unsuppressed fire and hurling smoke grenades into the narrow streets.
Chaos erupted.
Kashi vaulted through the main gate and scanned right.
He froze.
A body lay slumped against the wall—or what remained of one. The face was gone. The torso shredded beyond recognition by heavy-caliber fire.
Kashi shut his eyes for a heartbeat, rage coiling tight inside his chest. Then he raised his hand and signaled forward.
Inside the command house, gunfire rattled the windows.
"Janab! The Indians are inside!" a terrorist screamed, rushing toward Nazim.
Nazim snarled, grabbing the man by his collar.
"They breached the perimeter? Get to the hostages! Use them as shields! Make one mistake and I'll kill you myself!"
He shoved the man away and tore open his duffel bag. From a silver case, he pulled out a syringe filled with glowing purple fluid and jammed it into his arm.
Nazim gasped as the substance surged through him. His pupils dilated violently. Sweat poured down his face.
"Damn it…" he muttered, hiding the puncture mark beneath his sleeve.
The gunfire outside was closing in.
Nazim strapped on his explosive-laden tactical vest, grabbed two Tavor X95 rifles, and kicked open the balcony door. With a feral roar, he sprayed bullets into the darkness.
Elsewhere, Virendra reached the rooftop of House No. 12—the suspected holding site for villagers. He signaled two soldiers forward.
"Command, Garud here. Need immediate backup at House Twelve," he whispered.
They descended the staircase silently.
Suddenly, a door below burst open.
Rat-tat-tat!
"Take cover!" Virendra shouted.
They dove onto the landing. One soldier screamed, clutching his bleeding shoulder.
"Stay with me!" Virendra returned fire, pinning the enemy.
"Sir, House Twelve is a kill box! One casualty—we're pinned!"
"Hold," Iyer replied. "Gorakh is moving to assist. Team Dhanno, Team Guru—status!"
"Sir… Team Guru," a strained voice crackled. "Two down. Hostiles using hostages as shields. No clear shot—"
The line went dead.
"No… not today," Iyer muttered, gripping his hair. "We cannot fail today."
"Sir, Team Dhanno here!" Kashi's voice thundered through the comms.
"One kill, two wounded—but we're pushing hard! As long as we stand, we don't stop!"
"Status on the hostages?" Iyer demanded.
"We've cleared half the sector," Kashi shouted over the roar of gunfire.
"But the enemy is loading the rest into trucks! They're trying to move them out! We are engaging now—"
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UPCOMING: AFTERMATH AND DOUBT...