Shadow venom

Izaan rushed toward the ground.There, Anay Rana was drinking beer with his friends. Izaan's blood boiled — these monsters were celebrating with the same money that came from the blood of his friend.

He clenched his fists. Whether he had to kill, go to jail, or even face the gallows — he wouldn't back down.Today, either Anay Rana would die... or he himself.

He quickened his pace and ran straight at Anay, holding a pair of scissors.

Call it fate or sheer madness — Izaan succeeded in his aim.He stabbed the scissors straight into Anay's stomach.A thick stream of blood poured out, and Anay's eyes bulged wide with shock.

The boys around him froze at first in fear, but as soon as they regained their senses, they tried to pull Izaan away — but he didn't stop.

He yanked the scissors out and stabbed him again, deeper in the same spot.

Now blood was swimming in his eyes.

"You bastard..."That's all Anay could say before he collapsed to the ground.

"Quick, take the boss to the hospital!"One of the boys shouted.

"What do we do with him?"Another asked, holding onto Izaan, who was still glaring at Anay — as if he would burn him with his eyes.

One boy tightly grabbed Izaan's blood-covered hand.But Izaan still stared at the writhing Anay on the ground — and there was no fear in his eyes... only a strange calm.

Today Anay was writhing in pain — just like his friend had.

"Now laugh… laugh like you did that day.Mock me… the way you mocked him.Now suffer… suffer and die slowly, you scum..."

Just then, the sound of police sirens filled the air — a sharp wail that seemed to shake the earth.

All the boys panicked and ran in different directions. Izaan too snapped out of it and started to run. Behind him, police officers were chasing, and he was running for his life.

Many of the boys had already been caught.

Izaan began to run at full speed, but his body was exhausted. His breath was breaking, his legs were giving out.He felt like he'd collapse… or lose consciousness…

That's when a fast bike screeched to a halt right in front of him.

With heavy eyes, Izaan looked — a helmeted boy was signaling him to hop on.

Yug.

Without thinking, without saying a word, Izaan got onto the bike behind him.

As soon as he sat down, his head fell against Yug's back, and his hands instinctively clutched near Yug's neck.Only he knew how exhausted his body truly was.If Yug hadn't come… he'd be either unconscious in some alley… or handcuffed in the back of a police van.

Yug didn't say a word and turned the bike around.His face was calm — but he knew Izaan needed time.He simply waited, in the sound of the roaring engine, for Izaan to find peace.

Right behind them, Aniruddh followed on his own bike.

After some time, when Izaan's heartbeat returned to normal, he said,"Just drop me at the hospital… please…"

"Which one?" Yug asked.

"City Hospital…"

"Someone there?" Yug continued questioning.

"Nirbhay… my friend…"

"Oh… by the way, what happened to your hand? Are you hurt?" Yug asked with concern, noticing the blood on Izaan's hand.

"No… I… I… stabbed Anay… Anay Rana…" Izaan stammered.

Yug abruptly hit the brakes, and Izaan jerked forward, bumping into him.

"What did you say?"

"I stabbed Anay Rana… so it's better you drop me off at the hospital and stay away from me after that…" Izaan snapped.

Aniruddh, who had been right behind them, pulled up and asked,"What happened? Why'd you stop?"

"He stabbed Anay Rana…" Yug said, and Aniruddh looked at Izaan with wide eyes.

"Anay… Rana…" Aniruddh muttered, "Is he dead?"

"I don't know… but I stabbed him with a blade," Izaan replied, turning his face away.

"Are you insane? Do you even understand what you've done?" Aniruddh exploded.

"What else could I have done? Tell me — what? They turned our lives into hell… day and night, they'd beat us up for fun… used us like punching bags during their fights… spent our pocket money on their food… and today… today my friend Nirbhay is in the hospital because of them… they beat him so brutally… living like this is worse than death. Even if I go to jail, at least my friends will live in peace…"Izaan poured out all his pent-up rage.

Yug and Aniruddh just kept staring at him.

"I told you, we're friends… if you were in trouble, why didn't you come to me?" Yug placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I did… I came to the football ground… but you weren't there…" Izaan's eyes welled up.

"Calm down…" Aniruddh hugged him.

Izaan broke down, crying bitterly… all he needed was someone to hold him, listen to him, be there…

A little later, when he had calmed down, Yug and Aniruddh took him to City Hospital.

Nirbhay's condition was now stable. He was in the ICU, but the treatment was expensive — so Aviral and Kavin had already informed his parents.

Izaan approached.Kavin stood up and asked, "How are you?"

Izaan didn't reply. He just stood there with his head down.His heart just wanted to cry.His entire future looked dark.He couldn't see a way out.What could he possibly say to his friends?

Yug placed a hand on his shoulder, and tears welled up again.

Aviral rushed to him and asked, "What happened, Izaan? Did someone say something to you?" — hinting at Yug.

Izaan shook his head and hugged Aviral.Yug quietly withdrew his hand — sensing Aviral's disapproval.

"You okay?" Aviral gently stroked his head.

Izaan nodded and whispered, "The treatment has started, right?"

"Hmm…" Aviral patted his back and sat him down beside him.

Izaan grabbed Yug's hand too and pulled him to sit nearby.Aniruddh also sat beside Yug.

Aviral didn't like it, but seeing Izaan's condition, he said nothing.

Ten days later, Nirbhay was discharged from the hospital.All the boys were sitting at the football ground.

Everyone's faces were somber.Aniruddh's father had used his political connections to save Izaan completely.

Then came a shocking truth —Anay Rana was Aniruddh Rana's stepbrother.The son from his mother's first marriage.Aniruddh's father had never accepted him.Though he was his wife's firstborn, to him, Anay was nothing.

At that moment, seven boys sat there —Izaan, Aviral, Nirbhay, Kavin, Yug, Aniruddh, and their friend Ved… Ved Raichand.(Whom you've already met earlier in the story.)

Ved scanned everyone's expressions.Then he took a deep breath and said:

"Anay Rana isn't dead… he's alive. And he'll be back soon, fully recovered.Then what will you do? How long will you keep running?Eventually, you'll have to face him… and you already know what that could lead to…"

"So what should we even do? We're weak… we can't fight… they're too many… we'll lose no matter what…" Kavin said, nearly in tears.

Ved stood up.Looking up at the sky, he said:

"They're powerful because they're a gang… and we're scattered. A single finger can't break a stick — but a fist can.That means we must come together… for ourselves, for our people, for our friends…We need to form our own gang."

"Our own gang?"Everyone looked shocked.

"Yes… our own gang.Just like five fingers come together to form a fist — only then can you land a solid punch — the same way, the seven of us will unite as a gang…And then we'll crush them together."

"But we're just seven…" Aviral objected.

"So what? That's how gangs start. I've seen it in the movies…" Ved said with a grin.

"I'm in for forming a gang…"Aniruddh raised his hand first.

"Me too…"Yug nodded in agreement and raised his hand.

"Same here…"Izaan said softly, avoiding everyone's eyes.

Nirbhay raised his hand without a word.Then Kavin looked around hesitantly…and raised his hand too.

Now all eyes were on Aviral.

He thought for a while…then reluctantly raised his hand.

"So now think — what should our group's name be?"Nirbhay asked.

"I already have one in mind…"Ved raised his hand to stop him.

"What name?"They all asked together.

Ved said in a deep, dramatic voice:"Shadow Venom."

All of us stared at him, stunned.

"What kind of name is that?"Kavin asked with a grimace.

Ved, in a serious philosophical tone, explained:"Shadow — because we'll be each other's shadows. A shadow never leaves the body — not in storms, not in chaos.And Venom — because we'll be poison to our enemies. The kind that acts slowly… but always kills in the end."

As soon as he finished speaking,a calm but determined expression spread across all our faces.

"Izaan…"Ved lightly shook him, bringing Izaan back to the present.

"Huh?"He jumped slightly and wiped his eyes.

"What happened, man? Why are you crying?"Ved asked, peering into his eyes.

"Nothing… just lost in thoughts…"Izaan made an excuse, his voice trembling a bit.

Ved stroked his head gently and said with warmth:"Come, eat something… the others already finished. We need to head back."

Izaan silently nodded and went to sit among his friends.He picked up his plate and started eating.

"Now we need to focus on our treasure and new members…"Aniruddh said while eating.

"Shouldn't we go look for Yug?"Izaan blurted out.

Everyone looked at him.

Aniruddh smiled —"I know you're worried about him… but don't worry, he'll be safe.Right now, we need to focus on current matters — we have to protect our friends."

Izaan nodded slowly in agreement.

Everyone finished eating and got up.

Aniruddh called out —"All sword captains and vice-captains, stay back — the rest of you can go."

Then he told the remaining boys —"You all go to the meeting room, I'll be there in a minute."

After that, he walked away with Izaan.