Justice

*There is justice in this world. Sooner or later everyone gets his share."

"Cathy, what are you doing? Come back here. We're going to be late for the party."

"Fuck that party. Let's have a party of our own," she whispered playfully, lifting her sweater just enough to tease.

I chuckled and gently pulled it back down. "We'll have enough time for that later. Our presence is important. The Captain will be enraged if we don't show up."

She frowned. "Let him be. I don't care."

"Come here." I pulled her closer, pressing my lips against her soft, pink ones. She let herself melt into the kiss for a moment before pushing me away with a mischievous grin. Laughing, she darted off the bed.

I bolted after her—only to be met with a sudden, powerful splash of water that sent me flying.

A malicious voice rang in my ears. "Looks like our hero was having a wet dream."

His devious smile cut through me like a blade. I jolted awake, hatred burning in my eyes. Before I could react, his hand cracked across my face, the sting followed by a crushing weight—an ice slab slammed against my head.

"This should cool you down a little," he sneered.

He grabbed my hair, yanking my head back, his wicked smirk mere inches from my face. "Who's Cathy?"

"Fuck you!" I spat in his face.

He wiped it off slowly, unfazed. His grin widened. "She's dead, isn't she?"

He strolled to the chair across from me, settling in with deliberate ease. "Oh, a poor romantic, wandering the streets of Goa with nothing but a broken heart and guilt weighing him down. I'm starting to feel sorry for you."

I glared. "I did what was right. You're young—you still have a lot to learn. Like manners."

His left eyebrow twitched upward. "Are you saying I'm mannerless? Fine. Let me show you just how refined I can be."

He pulled two cables from the table, pressing them against my damp skin. A surge of electricity coursed through me, every nerve igniting in agony. My muscles seized, vision fracturing. For the first few seconds, I could almost see death reaching for me.

"Am I still mannerless?" he screamed over my convulsions.

He cranked up the intensity. My body twisted, my screams swallowed by the crackling energy. Darkness closed in at the edges of my sight. Then, suddenly, it stopped.

"WHO THE F—"

The door creaked open.

"ENOUGH!" a voice thundered.

My torturer froze, turning sharply. The man from earlier stood at the threshold, his presence suffocating the room.

"Why?" the torturer demanded.

"Mother is calling you."

"Tell her I'll come later."

"It's urgent."

A tense silence.

"Tell her I'm coming in five minutes."

"GO!" The man's eyes flared.

My torturer hesitated, then exhaled sharply and stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

The newcomer stepped forward, pulling up the chair in front of me. He leaned in, his voice a low command. "Look in my eyes."

I forced myself to meet his gaze. Fierce and filled with wrath, his eyes burned through me, cutting deeper than the sharpest of blades.

"You shouldn't have slapped my brother."

"He was molesting foreigners."

"So what? Thousands of foreigners get molested here every day. Are you going to save all of them? You tried to be a hero, and now you'll face the consequences."

"Who are you?"

"Why?" He chuckled. "Why do you want to know? Are you a journalist?"

"Consider it a dying man's last wish."

His lips curled into a smile. "So, you've accepted your imminent death. Fine. If that's what you want. My name is Abhinav, and he is my younger brother, Avinash. We have quite an age gap, but that's not relevant. And before you start assuming—I'm not a criminal. I'm a businessman. I have a flourishing empire, powerful friends both here and beyond. I don't usually resort to violence; I prefer to keep matters peaceful. But when someone threatens my family, they see a different side of me. That's all you need to know."

I scoffed. "So, you've spoiled your younger brother to the point where torturing someone his brother's age feels normal to him. Arrogance like yours will drag you both straight to hell."

Abhinav exhaled sharply, his amusement fading. "I don't need sermons from a dying man. And frankly, I don't care to know anything about you. My brother will be back soon—to finish what he started. Do me a favor."

"What?"

"Don't resist. Just die." He smirked and stepped out, shutting the door behind him.

And an absurd darkness filled the room.

I struggled against the ropes, my wrists burning as I pulled with all my strength. But brute force alone wouldn't free me. My eyes darted around, but the room was completely dark, swallowing everything in an abyss of shadows. Frustration threatened to consume me, but I forced myself to take a deep breath and wait for Avinash.

Then, an idea struck me.

A chair stood in front of me. I reached out with my feet, dragging it closer, my movements slow to avoid drawing attention. My fingers fumbled along its frame, and to my relief, wires still clung to it. A desperate, dangerous plan formed in my mind. I carefully touched the two wires together. Nothing. I clenched my teeth. Then I remembered—Abhinav had switched off the power. A curse rose in my throat, but before I could think further, the door creaked open.

Avinash stepped inside, a hammer in one hand, a handful of nails in the other. A cruel smile stretched across his lips.

"The party is about to get a lot more fun."

He knelt by my feet, placing a nail on my toe. The cold metal sent a shiver up my spine. Then, without warning, he brought the hammer down. Pain erupted, white-hot and searing, but I clenched my jaw, refusing to scream. He frowned.

"Still acting tough?" He placed another nail on my other toe and slammed the hammer down again.

This time, I couldn't hold back. A raw scream tore from my throat.

Avinash's smile widened. "That's more like it."

He pressed the first nail deeper, the sensation unbearable, and then, as if to twist the knife further, he poured salt onto the wounds. My body convulsed involuntarily, a choked, agonized cry escaping me. I barely noticed the warmth spreading down my leg until Avinash cursed.

"You bastard! You pissed on my shoes?" His expression twisted with rage. He raised a hand and slapped me hard across the face. "Lick it off."

He undid my ropes and shoved me to the ground, his boot pressing against my cheek. "I said, lick it."

I lifted my head slowly, feigning obedience. Then, in a sudden movement, I sank my teeth into his shin. He screamed and staggered back. Before he could react, I kicked his leg out from under him. He crashed onto the floor, cursing. Seizing the moment, I grabbed a nearby nail and, with all my strength, drove it into his left eye.

His screams echoed off the darkened room's walls. He flailed, the hammer swinging wildly in his grasp. I barely dodged in time. He tried again, but I caught his wrist, twisting it until the hammer fell from his grip. In one fluid motion, I snatched it up and brought it down on his skull. A sickening crack filled the air, and blood splattered onto the cold concrete.

Gasping for breath, I staggered to my feet. My vision swam, but I forced myself to focus. I stumbled to the wall and flipped the power switch. The garage remained dark, but I could hear the hum of the circuits coming back to life. An orange Lamborghini was parked nearby.

An idea formed, reckless and final.

I dragged Avinash's limp body onto the car's bonnet and secured him tightly with the same ropes he had used on me. Blood dripped from his face as he groaned, barely conscious. I climbed into the driver's seat, started the engine, and revved hard. The roar was deafening.

The garage door stood between me and freedom. I didn't hesitate. Slamming my foot onto the accelerator, I sped forward. The metal door crumpled under the impact, and the sound of destruction filled the air. The guards outside turned toward the noise, weapons raised, but when they saw Avinash bound to the bonnet, they froze. Their eyes flicked between me and their bloodied master, uncertainty clouding their expressions.

Then Abhinav appeared, his face twisted with fury. "OPEN THE BLOODY GATE!"

The guards hesitated, then obeyed. The moment the path was clear, I shot forward. The city blurred past me. Then, a phone call appeared on the car's screen. Abhinav.

I accepted it.

"LEAVE MY BROTHER ALONE!" His voice was frantic. "We can talk about this. Please, just come back. I promise I won't hurt you."

A hollow chuckle escaped me. "Don't worry, Mr. Abhinav. I have told your brother."

"What?"

I smirked. "Don't resist. Please die."

"YOU—"

I ended the call.

The beach came into view, nearly deserted at this hour. I pressed the accelerator harder, the engine roaring. Just before impact, I threw open the door and jumped. Sand burned against my skin as I rolled to a stop. Avinash's scream filled the night air.

The Lamborghini crashed into a jet ski, and then—

BOOM.

A fiery explosion tore through the darkness, sending debris raining down. The inferno reflected in the ocean waves, a final judgment upon a man who had inflicted nothing but suffering.

I pushed myself up, wincing. Near the shore, a boat rocked gently on the water. I approached it, gun in hand, and aimed at the driver.

"Take me to Kerala."

The man nodded, hands trembling as he started the engine.

I sighed. "Don't be afraid. I'm not a bad person. In fact, I just killed a very bad man. Name was Avinash."

The boatman's eyes widened. Then, to my shock, he lunged forward and hugged me, sobbing.

"Thank you, sir. You are not human but an incarnation of God. Seven years ago, that monster destroyed my daughter's life. He took her honor, then her life. My wife died from grief, and I… I lived, but I was already dead inside. Tonight, my daughter's soul finds peace."

He fell to his knees, his hands clutching mine.

I pulled him up gently. "There is justice in this world. Sooner or later, everyone pays for their sins."

The man smiled through his tears. As the boat drifted into the moonlit waters, the last remnants of the burning wreckage sank beneath the waves, leaving behind nothing but silence...