Guide of a monster

Sukh abruptly ended the call, leaving Parm bewildered and perspiring. His mother emerged, concern etched on her face. "What happened?" she inquired. Parm reassured her, "I'm okay, Mom, just need to handle something. Don't worry about your grandson."

His mother, unconvinced, observed tension on Parm's face. Before leaving, Parm entrusted Balbir with looking after her. Riding his bike around 4 pm, he reached the police station, greeted by a gathering of college staff and students. Attempting to enter, officers halted him, demanding permission. Recognizing him, Officer Kamal permitted Parm's entry, identifying him as the uncle of the accused.Parm confronted Officer Kamal with a mix of anger and desperation, the police station's sterile lights casting an eerie glow on their faces.

Parm: "Where is my nephew, Kamal?"

Kamal, unfazed by Parm's intensity, gestured toward a cell.

Kamal: "In a cell, where he belongs."

Parm, clenching his fists, shot back.

Parm: "He's just a 19-year-old kid. How can he be a criminal?" Spotting Sukh and other students, Parm queried Sukh about the incident. Sukh, terrified, remained silent, and Sukh's father snapped, instructing Parm to ask the police about his nephew's crime. Kamal, holding a photo of the brutal crime scene, maintained a cold demeanor.

Kamal: "Your nephew killed this man. A father of four."

Parm's shock was palpable, but he challenged Kamal with a desperate plea.

Parm: "He's not in his senses! How can you destroy a kid's life?"

Kamal, displaying a hint of detachment, explained his perspective.

Kamal: "I see a clear bloodlust in his eyes, Parm. A normal kid can't commit such a gruesome act in broad daylight."

Parm, almost pleading, questioned the consequences.

Parm: "What's gonna happen to him?"

Kamal, indifferent to Parm's distress, outlined the grim possibilities.

Kamal: "He's not a teenager anymore. Life sentence or maybe death. It's up to the judge."

Parm, gripping the cold bars of the cell, made a desperate request.

Parm: "Find the killers of his parents. They made him this way."

Kamal, with a hint of annoyance, responded with determination.

Kamal: "I will find them."

Parm, almost accusingly, probed further.

Parm: "Or are you afraid you'll get killed if you try?"

Kamal, meeting Parm's gaze, asserted his commitment.

Kamal: "Trust me, I will find them."

Parm, granted permission to see Karan, left Kamal with a final plea.

Parm: "Let me see my nephew."

Surprisingly, Kamal agreed, and Parm proceeded toward the cell where Karan awaited Karan, seated in a corner, glanced up, his eyes reflecting a mixture of defiance and uncertainty. Parm, despite the chaos surrounding them, spoke with an eerie calmness.

Parm: "I told you, don't get into any trouble, son. Your grandmother is worried sick about you."

Karan, his gaze fixed on the floor, responded with an unsettling calmness.

Karan: "I don't know, Uncle. I couldn't stop myself. He mocked me, and I just wanted to kill him. But, believe me, Uncle, I enjoyed it. Get me out of here; I want to kill more."

Parm placed a hand on Karan's head, his touch a bizarre blend of comfort and ominous reassurance.

Parm: "Son, everyone out there is calling you a monster. But I don't care. I've been the guide to a monster before, and i will gladly guide you

Karan looked up, his eyes meeting Parm's with a disturbing intensity.

Karan: "Get me out of here, Uncle. I want to kill my parents killers and whoever comes in the way

Parm, maintaining an unsettling composure, leaned in closer to the cell bars.

Parm: "I'll get you out, Karan. But remember, I won't just set you free. I'll guide you, be the beacon in this darkness. You're not alone in this, no matter what they say."

The air in the cell felt heavy with the unspoken understanding between uncle and nephew. Parm's promise to guide Karan, despite the horrors he had unleashed, hung in the air like a sinister oath.

As they shared a momentary gaze, a twisted smile crept across both their faces. Parm's final words echoed with a chilling certainty.

Parm: "I will be the guide of a monster."

The gravity of those words lingered, leaving a haunting impression of a bond forged in the shadows, promising a journey into the abyss that lay ahead.