Bhagavan 3
As Neethu anxiously spilled out everything that had happened, Santhosh listened in silence.
“Why are you so quiet, Santhosh? If he hadn’t shown up, I’d be dead. You know that, right?”
“No, Neethu. I knew nothing would happen to you.”
“How?”
“I was the one who sent the email to People Welfare. The moment you ended up on night duty as just a two-person team, I got suspicious. So I emailed them. I know for a fact that if a message goes to them, nothing bad ever happens. But what truly surprised me was that he showed up in person.”
“I honestly see him as a god.”
“Anyway, let it go. Just be a bit more careful from now on.”
“I’m still terrified when I think about Dr. Michael.”
“Unnecessary fear.”
“How can you say that?”
“When an email goes to People Welfare, a problem doesn’t just get half-solved. It gets finished completely.”
“Meaning?”
“Michael will get what’s coming to him very soon.”
—
Inspector Bharath looked up at the Principal.
“What happened, sir?”
“Dr. Neethu took the night shift yesterday. Since she was alone, I went on rounds toward that block. She wasn’t in her chamber, and I had a bad feeling. Thinking she might be checking on patients, I checked the ward. That’s when the security guard told me six men had entered the block. Hearing noises from the conference room, I went in to check. Six men were trying to assault our doctor. I warned them, but they wouldn’t listen. Left with no choice, I had to shoot.”
As Deshpande explained, Bharath watched him closely and asked, “Whose pistol was that?”
“One of those six men’s.”
“Do you hold a revolver license?”
“I do.”
“Alright. Put all of this down in a written statement, sign it, and hand it over.”
“Will do.”
—
Dr. Michael glared angrily at Deshpande.
“Why did you spin a story to the police, sir?”
“Michael—”
“Tell me, sir!”
“Things are taking a different turn. Don’t dig into this any further—just drop it.”
“How can I just drop it, sir? She’s still alive!”
“Be careful, no matter what. I’m only telling you this for your own good.”
“Does that mean you know who killed those six men?”
“I do.”
“Who?”
“It’s better for you if you don’t find out.”
“Sir, I’m not just a doctor; I’m a criminal. Nobody plays games with me.”
“I understand, but I’m speaking for your own safety. Don’t poke around in this matter too much.”
“Alright,” Michael said, standing up. He walked down the corridor.
*‘I’ll send that killer upstairs real soon,’* he thought to himself.
His phone rang.
It was Ramsingh.
“Speak, Ram.”
“The tablets have arrived.”
“Very good. Where are they now?”
“In the container.”
“Where are you taking them?”
“To our theater.”
“Very nice.”
“What about distribution?”
“Shall we hold a meeting right there?”
“Hmm.”
“While you’re at it, call Dass and tell him to come over.”
“Sir…”
“Why so quiet as soon as I mention Dass’s name?”
“The guy is extremely ruthless, sir…”
“There’s a job that needs to be taken care of, and only he can finish it.”
“Alright, sir.”
—
Dass was well over six feet tall and built like a tank. His face was perpetually stern. If a contract was given to him, he had never missed a target. Torturing and inflicting agony before delivering the final blow was something he thoroughly enjoyed.
Dass stared at Michael sitting across from him.
“What’s the job?”
“A hit.”
“Who’s the target? Where is she?”
“Her.” Michael handed a photograph to Dass. It was Dr. Neethu.
“A woman?”
“Yeah.”
“My payment?”
“Take it.”
—
In an apartment building at the heart of the city, one flat sat secluded from the rest.
Sitting in front of the TV, Bhagavan watched with a faint smile as Deshpande claimed responsibility for all the killings.
“Have some tea, buddy,” Guna said, walking up and handing him a cup. Bhagavan took it.
“What, watching the Principal?”
“Yeah. He puts on a great act.”
“Well, you were the one who threatened him.”
“Guna, sometimes I wonder: why is the world so afraid of me? Do you know the reason?”
“The swift death we deliver.”
“Exact. If you instill the fear of death in every wrongdoer, they won’t commit crimes. But what does our system do? It investigates so slowly that the criminal will probably die of old age before the trial ends.”
Guna laughed.
“Buddy, one more thing.”
“Yeah?”
“Vani called.”
“Hmm.”
“She was really upset.”
“What can I do about that?”
“She loves you more than life itself. How can you completely disregard her like this?”
“No, Guna. Poor Vani. It’ll never work out.”
“Why?”
“Death could come for us at any moment. Don’t you think so?”
“Well…”
“People like us shouldn’t crave an ordinary life. If we wish for that, we won’t be able to stay focused on anything else.”
“Hmm.”
“When I close my eyes, I still see Raghavan—the guy who ran to the hospital carrying his little sister. Back then, I wasn’t Bhagavan. I was Raghavan. The Raghavan who got beaten up by everyone. The Raghavan who stood helpless and crying, unable to save his only sister. Society doesn’t care when someone cries. I realized society only fears us when we strike back. I forged my own set of rules. No one should suffer in this society the way I did. We must stand by those who suffer, and take out those who inflict the suffering. That’s all Bhagavan is. I like Vani too. If she calls you again, tell her to find a good man, get married, and live happily. Got it, Guna?”
Bhagavan asked, and Guna nodded.
“Yeah.”
“Guna.”
“Hmm?”
“We need to buy a few more weapons. See to it.”
“Alright.”
“What about that doctor…?”
“Neethu?”
“I’ve arranged for her to be monitored. If my guess is right, they’ll send someone again to kill that girl. Even if we take out the hitman, the one sending him will just hire another. So I gave orders to bring the sender directly to me. They’ll be here shortly. Grab the pistol. It needs to be loaded.”
As Bhagavan spoke, Guna looked at him in awe.
“When did you plan all this?”
“Yesterday, you fell asleep right after you arrived. But I was thinking. We need to think a step ahead before the enemy even plans his next move.”
As Bhagavan spoke, the doorbell rang.
“Go open the door.”
Guna opened the door.
Pathran was standing there. Slumped against his shoulder, semi-conscious, was Dass. Stepping inside, Pathran set Dass down on the sofa and looked at Bhagavan.
“Greetings, boss.”
“Yeah. Who’s this guy?”
“I was watching the doctor girl. This guy was standing outside her house, staring right at it. He looked shady. If he went inside to attempt the murder, we’d have to step in and save her. I can’t time things perfectly like you do. What if I missed the window? So, without letting him do anything, I just nabbed him and brought him here.”
Bhagavan smiled as Pathran spoke.
“What did you do to him?”
“Just delivered a chop to his neck, that’s all.”
The doorbell rang again.
Two men entered and bowed respectfully to Bhagavan.
“What happened?”
“We brought him.”
“Good.”
“Where is he?”
“In the car.”
“Bring him up here.”
“Yes, sir.”
Barely six minutes later, they tossed Dr. Michael heavily onto the sofa.
Michael looked around, bewildered. Catching sight of Dass, he froze in shock.
“Dass!”
“Hmm.”
“What happened to you?”
As Michael asked, Bhagavan smiled faintly.
“He’s just passed out. Don’t worry.”
“Who are you? Why have you brought me here?”
“Dr. Michael, before you find out who I am, I’m going to give you a chance. Do you want to confess all your crimes to the police and reform your life?”
“You rascal! You have no idea who you’re talking to!” Michael yelled.
Guna flared up in anger, but Bhagavan silenced him with a glance and asked with a subtle smirk:
“So… you won’t reform?”
Asking this, he walked over to Dass.
In a split second that no one saw coming, he pressed the pistol against Dass’s forehead and pulled the trigger. Dass slumped to the floor, twitching. Michael recoiled in sheer terror, springing to his feet.
“Hey…!”
“What’s the matter, sir? Scared? Take a seat.”
“W-who are you?” Michael stammered, his speech slurred with fear.
“Well, look at that—turns out you actually know how to speak respectfully,” Bhagavan said, eyeing Michael.
“Medicine is such a noble profession. Being a doctor, how could you do things like this?”
“Listen…”
“Sir, there’s an incinerator up on the terrace. If you drop a dead body inside that burner, it turns to ash in five minutes.” Bhagavan turned toward Pathran.
“Pathra.”
“Tell me, boss.”
“Turn him into ash.” He pointed at Dass, and Pathran nodded.
Witnessing all this, Michael suddenly clutched his chest, writhing in pain.
“Take… take me to… a hospital…” Michael gasped for breath, but Bhagavan ignored him completely.
Turning back to Pathran, Bhagavan pointed at Michael and said:
“Turn him into ash, too.”
*(To be continued…)*
