Episode 13

Death at Midnight

Episode 13: The Man in the Shadows

The city lights blurred past as the SUV sped through Mumbai’s streets. Inside, the air was thick with tension.

Aryan sat in the passenger seat, gripping his gun while his mind raced. Meera Sharma, still shaken, clutched the USB drive like it was her lifeline.

Rakesh, gripping the wheel, finally spoke. “Sir… Commissioner Khanna? Are we really saying that the head of the Mumbai police is behind all this?”

Aryan’s jaw tightened. “That’s exactly what we’re saying.”

Rakesh cursed under his breath. “And we’re just going to take his word for it? A man who’s spent his life fighting crime?”

Aryan looked at him sharply. “You think this is easy for me? I trusted him, Rakesh. But Meera has proof. We’re going to find out exactly what’s on that USB.”

Rakesh didn’t argue, but the doubt in his eyes was clear.

Nowhere to Hide

Aryan had one rule: never go home when being hunted.

His apartment was out of the question. The police station wasn’t safe. Every official safehouse was compromised.

He needed somewhere off the grid.

“There’s an abandoned lodge on the outskirts,” he said. “It used to be a police rest house before it shut down. No cameras. No records. No one will look for us there.”

Rakesh nodded and changed course.

They drove in silence for thirty minutes, the weight of their situation sinking in. They were fugitives now. If Khanna really was behind this, every cop in the city would be looking for them by sunrise.

The Evidence That Changes Everything

The lodge was as abandoned as Aryan had hoped—dust-covered furniture, creaking floorboards, and an eerie silence.

Aryan secured the doors and windows, then turned to Meera.

“Let’s see what’s on that USB.”

Meera connected it to a laptop, and files filled the screen.

Bank transactions. Confidential emails. Audio recordings.

One file caught Aryan’s attention.

A folder named "Midnight."

Meera hesitated, then clicked it open.

Inside was a recording.

She hit play.

A voice crackled through the speakers.

Commissioner Khanna’s voice.

“…It needs to happen tonight. I don’t care what it takes—Karan Malhotra dies at midnight.”

Aryan felt his blood run cold.

Another voice answered. “And the wife?”

Khanna: “Frame her. She’s the easiest scapegoat. Make sure the gun has her prints.”

Aryan’s fists clenched. The evidence was damning.

The man they had sworn to serve under was a murderer.

The Hunter Becomes the Hunted

A noise outside.

Aryan’s instincts flared. Footsteps.

He grabbed his gun and motioned for Rakesh to take cover. Meera shut the laptop, breathing heavily.

A shadow moved outside the window.

Then—BANG!

A bullet shattered the glass, narrowly missing Aryan’s head.

They had been found.

“RUN!” Aryan shouted.

They scrambled through the back door as more bullets tore through the walls.

In the darkness, a group of men emerged from the trees—Khanna’s men.

This wasn’t an arrest.

It was an execution.

Aryan and Rakesh returned fire, using the trees for cover. Meera ran ahead, clutching the USB.

A car’s headlights flickered in the distance. Salvation? Or another trap?

Aryan had no time to decide.

“We need to split up!” he shouted. “They can’t get that USB!”

Rakesh hesitated. “Sir, if we separate—”

“DO IT!”

Aryan ran in one direction. Rakesh grabbed Meera and pulled her toward the car.

Gunfire chased them into the night.

And Aryan knew—this was only the beginning.

To Be Continued…

(Next episode: Episode 14: A City Against Him—where Aryan is framed for treason, and the real war begins.)

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