We need to meet," Dhruv urged, his tone desperate. "Tonight. We have to get this sorted out."
That night, Anika, her eyes wide with fear, had come to Dhruv's house. The fact that her parents were not there, the eerie condition of their house, had left her shaken to her roots. Dhruv's parents welcomed her with reassurances, but their expressions revealed their fear. They sat in the living room, the atmosphere heavy with tension. They whispered to each other, attempting to collate what they knew about Dashanan, what resources they had, and what their next move should be.
In a flash, the door was abruptly rapped. Before anyone had a chance to do anything, the door was kicked open, and a group of men in black suits rushed in. At the front was Inspector Robin, his face cold and calculating.
"We know you're here," Robin said, his tone flat and devoid of emotion. "We know about Dhruv's gifts. We know you're going to fight us. A mistake."
Dhruv's father stepped forward, his face pale but resolute. "Get out of our home," he demanded.
Robin ignored him [ *Mr. Sigma😎*] , his eyes locked on Dhruv.
"It's time, Dhruv. Come with us. Make this…easier."
"We will not let you take him," Dhruv's mother replied, her voice shaking but determined.
Robin just smiled, a cold, predatory smile.
"You have no choice."
"Anika, Dhruv, in your room!" Dhruv's mother spat, tugging them into the hallway. "Now! Go!"
Caught between protecting their families and the terror in their mothers' eyes, they slowly backed away, the shouts of angry voices and struggling fading behind them. They were trapped, cut off from their families, the cold reality of their predicament closing in.
They well knew Dashanan would not hesitate to take their loved ones hostage. They were pawns in a game of death, and the stakes had just become diabolically personal.
As Dhruv and Anika went back to Dhruv's room, the shouts behind them, a cold foreboding settled in their gut. They stood together, ears strained, muffled sounds of struggle reaching them. A series of loud, clear cracks split the air. Gunshots.
The noises were unmistakable, horrific. They shared a glance of sheer horror, heartbeats echoing as one.
A palpable silence followed, punctuated only by the desperate thudding of their own hearts.
They stood there, immobilized, for what felt like forever. Finally, the noises of disturbance beyond the room ceased. After what had felt like an agony of time, they slowly pushed open the door.
What they saw before them was a sight of unspeakable terror. The living room, which had been redolent with the warmth of family moments ago, was a bloodbath. Dhruv's parents, their faces etched in terror and defiance, were stiff on the floor, blood gushing around them. There hung a heavy atmosphere of the pungency of blood and the acrid smell of gunpowder.
Inspector Robin stood in the midst of the massacre, a satisfied, cold smile on his face. He looked at Dhruv and Anika, his eyes empty of all feelings.
"This," he told them, his voice icily calm, "is only a beginning. A demonstration. A reminder of the consequences of disobeying Dashanan. We, Dashanan, gave you these powers and will take it from you by any means. Take this as a convincing argument."