CHAPTER 14

Later that day, as the sun began to sink beneath the jungle canopy, Veer noticed the boss pacing near the fire, his face twisted in anger. His usually cold demeanor had given way to frustration, his movements sharp and aggressive. The other thugs gave him a wide berth, clearly aware of the storm brewing in their leader.

Veer strained his ears as the boss raised a phone to his ear, his voice low but unmistakably furious.

"What the hell is taking so long?" the boss growled. "We were supposed to be out of here by now. Do you have any idea how risky this is?"

There was a pause as the person on the other end of the call responded, their voice muffled but sharp. Veer crept closer, his body tense as he tried to catch every word. The boss' next response was louder, filled with barely restrained rage.

"I don't care about your excuses. You told me we'd get the payment the moment we delivered the girl, and now you're telling me we have to wait *more* days? That wasn't part of the deal!"

Another pause, and then the boss exploded. "The hell with that! I'm not dragging this out any longer. The longer we stay here, the more danger we're in. This jungle's a nightmare, and my men are starting to lose their nerve."

Veer could hear the faint voice of the man on the other end of the call, trying to calm the boss down, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. The boss began to pace again, his footsteps heavy, his voice rising in frustration.

"No! I don't care about the delivery point being 'farther.' I don't trust your intel. You want me to risk everything for an extra day or two? Forget it!"

Suddenly, the boss stopped in his tracks, his expression shifting from anger to something far darker. Veer saw his grip tighten on the phone as his jaw clenched.

"What did you just say?"

There was a beat of silence, and then the boss snarled, his voice deadly quiet but filled with rage. "Special forces? You said they were close to the parents? Why the fuck didn't you tell me that sooner?"

Veer's heart raced. Special forces? Could they be the key to taking down this entire operation? He listened intently, every word from the conversation a potential weapon in his mental arsenal.

"I don't care who's after them or how close they are. If they get to the parents, this entire thing is over. We lose everything," the boss spat. "Tell me right now—how long do we have?"

Another brief pause.

"Two days? Fine. I'll keep the girl alive, but if I don't see the money by then, you'll be answering for it."

With that, the boss slammed the phone shut, seething with anger. He stormed back toward the thugs, barking orders to tighten security and redouble patrols.

Veer's mind spun as he absorbed the new information. Special forces were close to the girl's parents, and the traffickers were running out of time. This was his chance.

That night, as the thugs settled back into their anxious routines, Veer turned to the girl, his voice a whisper in the dark. "We have two days. Special forces are looking for your parents, and if we can get to that phone and contact them, we can end this."

The girl's breath hitched, her voice trembling. "But how? The boss keeps the phone on him all the time."

"We'll have to wait for the right moment. When the thugs are distracted again, I'll take the phone. I'll call for help. Just stay calm and trust me. We're almost there."

As the night stretched on, Veer's mind raced, formulating the final steps of his plan. The stakes had just risen, but so had his chances of escape. The boss' arrogance and the traffickers' growing fear would be their downfall.

And when the moment came, Veer would be ready to act.

The night had descended into a tense, unsettling calm as the traffickers gathered outside for their sparse dinner. The children were huddled together, forced to eat in silence under the watchful eyes of the guards. The fire crackled in the center of the clearing, casting flickering shadows on the anxious faces of everyone present.

Veer sat with the other children, his eyes never leaving the thugs. His mind worked relentlessly, piecing together everything he had learned earlier that day. The conversation between the boss and the man on the phone replayed in his head. Something about a delay in payment, the boss's frustration, and a terrifying revelation—special forces were closing in on the girl's parents. This was no ordinary trafficking operation; it was connected to something bigger, and the girl was at the heart of it.

As Veer's thoughts raced, a low, guttural roar suddenly cut through the night. It was the same primal sound that had rattled the camp before, but this time, it was much closer. The firelight flickered as the thugs froze, their bodies tense, weapons drawn.

A man's scream echoed from the darkness, followed by the distinct sound of a body collapsing. Two of the guards near the jungle's edge had been attacked—Veer could hear their cries of pain, and within moments, their voices went silent.

The boss, who had been sitting near the fire, bolted to his feet, his face twisted in panic. "Raka!" he shouted, his voice trembling with both fear and anger. "Get over there! Find out what the hell is going on!"

Raka, the boss's right-hand man, nodded, though there was a flicker of fear in his eyes. He motioned for a few of the other thugs to follow him, and they began cautiously advancing toward the jungle's edge. The children, sensing the rising danger, instinctively pressed closer to one another, their terror palpable.

Then, from the depths of the jungle, something emerged. At first, it was just a shadow, a blur in the darkness. But as it came closer, its glowing eyes reflected the firelight—two piercing, luminous orbs that sparkled like shards of ice. The figure stepped into view, revealing a white tiger, its fur streaked with blood and its body coiled with raw muscle. In its mouth, it held a severed human hand, dangling lifelessly from its powerful jaws.

The sight of the tiger, injured but still fierce, sent a wave of panic through the camp. The thugs raised their weapons, shouting orders to one another, but their fear was clear. The children whimpered, clutching one another in terror as the massive predator took another step forward, its eyes locked on the humans before it.

Raka tried to steady his nerves, but the sight of the bloodied tiger unnerved even him. He raised his gun and fired a shot into the air, hoping to scare it off. But the tiger didn't flinch. Instead, it let out a menacing growl and lunged forward, faster than anyone could react.

Chaos erupted. The thugs screamed as they fired their guns, bullets flying in every direction. The tiger leaped through the fray, moving like a ghost, its movements too swift for the men to track. In a blur of white fur and claws, it lashed out at Raka, raking its sharp claws across his left arm. Blood sprayed into the air as Raka stumbled back, clutching his wounded arm, his face contorted in agony.

The tiger didn't linger. With a final snarl, it turned and disappeared back into the jungle, leaving the camp in disarray. The thugs were left trembling, their guns still raised but useless in the face of such a powerful force.

Raka fell to his knees, blood dripping from his torn arm, his breaths ragged. The boss, pale and shaken, barked orders at the men, trying to regain control of the situation. "Secure the perimeter! No one leaves this camp! And someone get Raka to the medic!"

The children, now more frightened than ever, huddled together in turmoil, their young minds struggling to comprehend the nightmare unfolding before them. Veer watched it all with a calculating eye. The thugs were scared, their morale shattered. Raka, the boss's enforcer, was injured, and fear gripped the camp tighter than ever before.

As the chaos settled, Veer knew one thing for sure: the jungle was no longer just a threat—it was an opportunity. If the tiger could strike fear into these hardened criminals, then he could use that fear to his advantage. The time for escape was drawing closer, and the balance of power was beginning to shift in his favor.

He glanced at the girl, who sat trembling nearby. She was his key to unraveling the operation, and now, with the thugs distracted and disorganized, Veer felt a surge of hope. The pieces were falling into place, and soon, he would make his move.

But for now, he would wait. The night was far from over, and the real battle had only just begun.

The children were quickly sent back to the cottage, their faces pale and their bodies trembling with fear. Veer, though battered and exhausted, stayed close to them, offering what comfort he could. His mind was racing with plans, but for now, the priority was to keep them calm. He sat down with the group, trying to ease their anxiety with gentle words. The little ones huddled close, their wide eyes filled with confusion and terror.

He glanced at girl, who sat apart from the others, staring vacantly into the darkness. Her expression was hardened by a mixture of fear and something deeper—resentment, perhaps, or regret. Veer could sense she needed to talk, so he approached her, keeping his tone light but careful.

"Hey," he said, sitting beside her. "You know, this place could really use better service. No Wi-Fi, no room service... If this was a hotel, I'd demand a refund."

Sonia blinked, her expression softening just a little. "You're really trying to crack jokes right now?" she said, her voice tinged with disbelief, though a faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"Well," Veer shrugged, "I figured it couldn't hurt to try. Gotta keep the spirits up, right?"

For a moment, they shared a fragile laugh, the tension between them easing just a bit. Veer then asked, "What's your name? I never got a chance to ask."

"Sonia," she replied, her voice quiet but firm.

"That's a nice name," Veer said. "How did you end up here?"

Sonia hesitated, her eyes darkening as she looked away. "It's my fault," she muttered, her voice tight. "I was so angry with my mom. She's always busy with work, never home. And my dad... I only get to see him once a month, if I'm lucky. That day, we had a huge fight—me and my mom. I stormed out of the house, furious, told her I was going to my friend's place. My driver was taking me there when these men... they came out of nowhere. Big guys, with guns. One of them had armor. They took me."

Veer listened quietly, his heart sinking as Sonia's voice quivered with the memory. "I thought I'd be safe in my car, with the driver, but it didn't matter. They overpowered him, and I couldn't do anything. It's like... they were waiting for me." She clenched her fists, her anger and helplessness palpable. "I hate this. I hate them."

Veer nodded, understanding the pain of powerlessness all too well. Sonia then turned to him, curiosity in her eyes. "What about you? How did you get kidnapped?"

"I came out of a black hole," he whispered to himself. But to Sonia, he gave a softer, more palatable story. "An uncle told me he'd give me candy if I came with him. Seemed like a good deal at the time," he said with a faint grin, hoping to lighten the mood. Sonia smiled, but her eyes remained sad.

Just then, a little girl who had been sitting close to Veer approached him, her small hand tugging at his sleeve. Her innocent, tear-filled eyes met his. "Brother," she said softly, "will you really help us get out of this nightmare? I want to go home."

Veer's heart tightened. He knelt down to her level, brushing a stray tear from her cheek. "I promise," he said gently, "I'll do everything I can to get us out of here. I want to go home too."

The children, though still scared, seemed to find a sliver of hope in his words. After comforting them as best as he could, Veer knew it was time to act. He had to move quickly while the camp was still reeling from the tiger attack. His plan was simple but dangerous: steal the boss's phone and contact Sonia's parents. That could be their way out.

He waited until the children had settled, their fear slowly giving way to exhaustion. Then, silently, he slipped out of the cottage, careful not to make a sound. The night air was thick with tension, the jungle still and ominous after the earlier chaos. Veer moved through the shadows, navigating the camp with precise steps, avoiding the patrolling guards and sleeping thugs.

The cottage was larger than he had initially realized, and the boss's quarters were on the far side. As he neared the room, his senses heightened. Two guards were patrolling nearby, but they seemed more concerned with keeping an eye on the jungle than with anything else. Veer waited until their backs were turned before slipping inside the boss's room, which, luckily for him, wasn't locked.

The room was sparsely furnished, but Veer's eyes immediately fell on the object he was looking for—a bulky phone sitting on the table. It was an old model, large and heavy, with buttons and a retractable antenna. It looked like something out of the 90s, and for a moment, Veer couldn't help but wonder if he had somehow time-traveled. But he shook the thought away—this wasn't the time for speculation. There were plenty of thugs who still preferred old-fashioned, untraceable phones in modern times.

Whatever the reason, it didn't matter now. Veer carefully picked up the phone, his mind already moving to the next step—getting back to Sonia without being caught. This phone was their lifeline, their one shot at getting in touch with someone outside of this hellish camp.

Now all he had to do was make it back, unseen and unheard, and their escape could begin.