The subway train ride turned out to be too smooth for Rohit. At first, Ragini was pouting, expressing her anger, but as the crowd grew, panic set in.
Until now, she had only taken the subway when she knew it wouldn't be too crowded. But today was unplanned. The crowd was severe this time, almost like the infamous local trains outside, that the world knew for their suffocating rush.
For Rohit, it was nothing new. It reminded him of his old days. The only difference was the train's slower speed, but he didn't complain.
The reason? Ragini had huddled against his chest , unable to cope with the press of bodies. And the longer the ride, the longer the warmth he enjoyed.
Sure, a few people threw him peculiar looks, but he didn't care. Instead, he flashed them a smug smile, as if to say, 'What you gonna do besides looking, suckers?'
At the fifth stop, they exited smoothly. Unlike the previous stations, this platform was less crowded as the central region of Delhi was meant for elites and very few seldom normal people would come here , especially at night.
He held Ragini's arm and guided her through the security.
Outside, the streets were eerily quiet. Not a single soul was in sight.
He glanced at Ragini and asked, "Should we call an Uber? Or someone from home?"
Ragini thought for a moment. Their house was barely fifteen minutes away by car, so a phone call was an option. But there was a better chance of finding a cab within five minutes if booked near the bus stop.
"Let's try booking the cab," she said. "If it delays, we'll call home."
Rohit nodded, booked the ride, and decided to stroll toward the bus stop. The city lights still glowed, and a few random vehicles rolled past. A couple of passersby showed themselves, but everything seemed under control. Everyone minded their own business.
Just before he reached the bus stop entrance, Rohit was yanked back, a knife pressing against his throat.
Ragini screamed, "ROHIT!" but her cry was cut short. A tall, masked man clamped a hand over her mouth and restrained her with his bare arms.
Rohit's eyes darted around. Two others, whom he had mistaken for harmless passersby, were returning back—a bald man and a bulkier one. He cursed himself. It had been a decoy to make him drop his guard.
The taller one held Ragini tight but Rohit still couldn't see who had grabbed him from behind.
"If it's money you want, we got plenty," Rohit said sharply. "Release us now if you know what's good for you."
The bearded man sneered. "Oh no, kid. We want more than that. And trust me.. 'it will be good.'"
The tall man holding Ragini spoke in a calmer tone, his voice familiar. "Look, we don't want to escalate. Just stay quiet and follow instructions. It'll be over soon."
Rohit glanced at Ragini. She nodded frantically, trying to keep calm. The tall man used that moment to gag her with a handkerchief and tied her hands behind her back.
Rohit's anger flared as he saw Ragini being manhandled. Her discomfort burned into his mind. But he forced himself to stay calm. He needed to figure out the purpose—and how many more men were involved.
Soon, the bulky man who was Kasim and the bald man stepped into the light. "Good job," Kasim yawned. "Now let's rest at the bus stop. We'll follow the cab you booked earlier. Just… the destination will be different."
"What do you want? Why are you after us?" Rohit demanded.
The bald man grinned, voice dripping with malice. "Simple, kid. A fat ransom for you."
The bearded one licked his lips. "And your mother… well, she'll fetch a better price than gold. First, we'll have our fun. Then the brothels can keep her."
That snapped Rohit's last thread of patience. Today, the world would witness the demon he had kept shackled. His fists clenched as he gave one final warning:
"You've really got the balls to say that? Don't you know you're making a 'grave mistake'?"
The group burst into laughter. The bearded man leaned forward with a smirk. "Oh, I've got really big balls, and I—"
Mid-sentence, his words froze. A cold shiver ran down his spine as he felt an iron grip closing around his groin.
Instinctively, he tried to slash with his knife—but his wrist was already pinned by the boy.
Then came a voice, low and venomous, hissing in his ear like a demon's whisper."Is this what you're proud of?"
"AAAAAARGHHH!"
Before the bearded man could beg for mercy, he screamed at the top of his lungs as Rohit crushed his balls while locking the hand that held the knife. With a sharp twist, Rohit yanked his arm, snatched the blade, flipped the grip, and drove it deep into his fat ass.
He leaned closer and said with chilling intensity. "Go on.. finish the fuck, you were saying." The man screamed with a glutteral roar trying to break free but his hand was still pinned down by Rohit.
Rohit didnt waste any more time and yanked it free to again stab it again on the other bum and twisted it visciously.
The bearded man sprawled on the ground, screaming in raw agony like a squirming worm.
The street fell ice-cold silent. Everyone froze with horror in their eyes.
Kasim gulped, hesitation creeping into his voice. "Have you lost your mind, kid ? Who even 'does' this?"
Rohit raised his bloodied hands and signaled. "Come. Squashing bugs should not take much time."
The bald man roared as he took out his dagger, "You bastard! I'll rip you apart!"
He charged with wild strikes, but Rohit weaved effortlessly, dodging each blow until an opening appeared. His kick landed square on the man's jaw—knocking him out cold.
Kasim's eyes widened. Panic spread across his face. He hadn't expected his trained goons to be dismantled by what looked like a scrawny kid.
Rohit's eyes locked on Kasim. From his build alone, he could tell Kasim was the mastermind. He taunted, mimicking a crushing motion with his hand. "Your turn. Or are your balls smaller than theirs?"
Rage returned to Kasim's face. He pointed, "You are asking for it, kid." and tore off his shirt, revealing his muscular build, then charged with raw fury. He thought his body could endure anything.
Rohit watched with predator's focus. He had already read Kasim's weight distribution and sloppy intent for all possible moves.
Just as expected, Kasim led with a right-arm feint, but then swung left.
Rohit spat directly into his eyes, blinding him for a second. Blocking the jab with ease, he countered with a crushing punch, cross straight to his cheek, then slammed both palms against Kasim's ears, dazing him.
Still, Kasim manage to swung his right arm wildly with eyes closed, but Rohit blocked with his elbow, and followed with a brutal body shot to the ribs. Bones cracking sound emerged but the fight momentum didnt stop.
Kasim's left hook came in frenzy, but Rohit shielded it with his another arm block and struck back with a sharp elbow to the jaw from his right, dislocating it.
By now, Kasim's body was failing. Rohit unleashed a storm of rapid punches to his stomach, target his ribs and wrecking his solar plexus in process.
At this time, Kasim's pressure points had all been punctured, his body weighing heavily upon him. On the surface he still looked intact, but inside he was drained and unable to draw any strength as his frame tilted forward in slow motion.
Rohit seized the opening, gripping his shoulder firmly, he smashed Kasim's face with his full strength. Without pause, he spun and drove a rotating kick straight into his diaphragm.
The entire clash unfolded so quickly that, within mere seconds, the fight had escalated into a full-fledged battle and had already reached its conclusion.
At the end, Kasim's body was thrown out like a rag doll.
It was so unbelievable that even the taller guy and Ragini, who had been watching the scene, stood frozen with their jaws hanging open.
Rohit's breath came ragged. His untrained body paid the toll, even though his skills remained sharp. His bones ached from impact and his frame shook from the strain. His mind warned of the Internal injuries that would surely follow if he continue.
But he wasn't done. The audacity of these men, their plan.. their words.. ignited a madness in him.
Kasim groaned, trying to move, but his body refused. "I'm sorry," he begged, half crying. "Please… forgive me. It won't happen again."
Rohit spat on him again, straddled his chest, and rained punches down on his face without pause. His own knuckles split and bled, but he wanted to beat the life out of him. Kasim's eyes had already rolled white, yet Rohit's rage only deepened as he couldn't stop, or wouldn't stop.
The tall guy screamed from across the street, "Hey, you fucker! Stop it if you know what's best!"
Rohit turned. The man was bellowing while choking Ragini, her face twisted in horror.
From the start Rohit knew this coward wasn't a real threat, but those words paired with Ragini's terror made him change course.
Still, he didn't want to leave Kasim behind. His mind had already registered him as a threat that needed to be eradicated for good, but that could wait.
He searched his pocket, took out his phone, and slid it under his own body. Then he shoved Kasim's unconscious form aside and advanced toward the taller man.
Rohit's said menacingly, "I recognize your voice. You're that YouTuber boy who got slapped, right?"
Sohail's eyes widened, his breath catching. "What? No—no, you're mistaking me for someone else."
Rohit smirked as he moved forward with deliberate slow steps. "You think you can escape by harming her? Go on, try. Put a single scratch on her, and I swear—I'll find you from the deepest hole you crawl into and tear you to shreds."
The conviction in his tone broke Sohail. His hands shook, but he clung to Ragini all the same. "Please don't come near! I didn't want to be part of this.. they forced me! Just… don't come near."
Meanwhile, the bald man stirred. Still half-dazed from Rohit's earlier kick, he cracked his neck with a grimace and spotted the knife nearby. Seeing Rohit's focus locked on Sohail, he gripped the weapon and stalked forward like a predator.
Neither Rohit nor Sohail noticed the ambush.
Rohit, instead, slowed his advance, processing Sohail's plea. For a fleeting moment, relief touched him as his intimidation was working. He said coldly, "Good. Then leave her, and I may grant you mercy."
But Ragini's eyes suddenly widened. Gagged, she could only scream muffled sounds. Even Sohail looked startled.
Rohit spun just in time to see the bald man lunging with the dagger. It was too close to dodge. He blocked with his left arm, hissing as the blade tore across his flesh making a deep gash.
Blood spilled out, but there was no time to falter. The sight of it emboldened the bald man as he slashed wildly, forcing Rohit back step by step.
Then he stabbed forward, but Rohit caught the knife hand with his bleeding arm, wincing as steel scraped past his palm.
Snarling, Rohit drove a brutal elbow into the man's jaw, that sure gave a cracking sound.
The bald man staggered back. Rohit didn't hesitate. He head-butted him with savage force, making him dazed.
Then he grasped his neck and with a roar, slammed his skull into the floor, just like people use to break a coconut. The man's eyes rolled back, his body went limp..
Sohail's legs shook violently as panic overtook him. He shoved Ragini aside. "Fuck… I'm out of this!" he screamed before bolting for his life.
Ragini stumbled, but Rohit caught her. He pulled her close and loosened the gag.
She was trembling, her cheeks streaked with tears. The violence she'd witnessed terrified her, but deep down, she knew he had done it all for her. Without him, only God would know what nightmare awaited her.
Then she saw his arm. Blood soaked it completely, the wound seeping fast. "Blood… blood?" she cried, her voice breaking.
Rohit gave a faint smile, hugging her close. "It's just a scratch. Don't worry," he lied, sitting down as he fumbled for his handkerchief and tried to tie a knot. His strength was fading fast, and the effort failed. Pain and blood loss weighed down his body like lead.
Ragini, deeply concerned, crouched beside him and grabbed his wounded hand. Tears streamed down her face as she tied the cloth around his arm, her hands trembling as she struggled to stem the bleeding. From her purse she pulled out another handkerchief, knotting it over the gash on his palm while sobbing through her efforts.
Exhausted, Rohit leaned back and let her tend to him, a weak smile crossing his lips. He was glad she hadn't broken down in the face of violence as he had once feared.
Just then, the Uber they had booked appeared at a distance. But the driver, seeing bodies on the ground, slowed to turn away. Ragini leapt up, shouting, "Hey! Stop..Help! Help!"
The car finally stopped.
Rohit felt dizziness wash over him and his vision getting blur. By the time Ragini and the driver returned to his side, he had already collapsed into unconsciousness.