22 January, 2015

#SpecialFeature :: #Excerpt from Wings of Courage


*** Special Feature - January 2015 ***

Delivering Justice

Riding his personal bike that night, Saksham was wearing dark jeans below a black leather jacket. The person sitting behind him, wearing a full-face black helmet similar to Saksham’s, was Vinay Singh. He vaguely recalled it was the same guy who had taken the liberty to sit next to the rape victim, before Saksham and Asif were forced down the bus. The same guy who, per media reports, was the most atrocious of all rapists.
Ten minutes later, they reached a quiet wooded area. Saksham took the bike off the road, and on to a grassy trail. Some hundred metres down, he parked the bike and led Vinay towards a big tree. Saksham pointed to the cement slab encircling the tree trunk. “Take a seat,” he asked Vinay and took off his helmet. He did not care anymore if Vinay would recognize him as one of the passengers from that ominous night.
“Sir, how long are we going to be here?” Vinay asked nervously. “This place looks horribly dark.”
“Don’t worry; a police van should be here any minute. They will take you to your home town.” Saksham took out his phone. “Let me check where these guys are.”
Vinay obliged and took a seat on the pavement.
“Damn, no signal here,” Saksham looked at his phone and cursed, “let me go to the main road and make the call.” He took off his backpack and laid it down on a rock. With bike gloves on, he struggled to find the bag zipper in the dark. He finally dug out a pair of handcuffs.
“Wwwhat is this, Ssssir?” Vinay stuttered and shot up from his seat at the sight of handcuffs.
“Hey, it’s okay… don’t worry,” Saksham tried to calm him down as he approached Vinay. “I just need to make sure you don’t go anywhere.”
“I… I am not… running… anywhere.”
“I know, you won’t… but rules are rules. I can’t risk my job, you know,” Saksham reasoned. “It is just a matter of two minutes. If I don’t tell them where we are, how will they find us, and take you to your village?” He put a hand on Vinay’s shoulder and gently pushed him down. He put one loop of the handcuff on Vinay’s right wrist and the other on a metal loop cemented on the pavement. The metal loop was probably there for tying cattle.
“Ssssir, please make it quick… I am feeling a little scared.”
Saksham smiled as he took a seat back on the rock, next to his bag, about ten feet from Vinay. “Why are you scared?”
“The darkness, sir.”
“The darkness? I thought you loved it,” Saksham’s tone changed. “Wasn’t it dark just like this when you guys decided to prey upon that innocent girl?”
“Sir, I am not sure what you mean.” Vinay’s voice began to tremble. “Can you please make the call quick?”
“I won’t lie to you anymore,” Saksham said in a steady voice, “I am making no calls. And, no one is coming here to pick you up.”
“Who are you… what do you want?” Vinay looked shaken.
“Someone who has decided not to tolerate evil and injustice anymore. Evil was what you guys did to that innocent girl; and injustice is, a criminal like you not getting proper punishment.”
“What are you going to do?” Vinay shouted hysterically. 
“Shhh… easy,” Saksham took out a pistol from his jacket and demanded silence.
Vinay obliged, and lowered his voice, “Sir, please leave me. I am really sorry for what happened.”
Saksham paid no heed to his words. He tucked his pistol in the jeans pocket, reached for the bag, and took out a baseball bat. With bat in his hand, he stepped closer to Vinay.
“What is this?”
“A baseball bat any other day,” Saksham replied, “but tonight, a tool to deliver justice.”
Vinay returned a blank expression.
Saksham explained, “You guys had lots of fun raping that innocent girl. Now, I want to give you an opportunity to enjoy the other side of a brutal penetration.”
“What do you mean?”
“I may have trouble explaining this with words. So, why don’t you pull down your pants and lie down on your back. I will let this bat explain the rest in detail.” He gestured towards the narrower side of the baseball bat.
“YOU MUST BE CRAZY! Do you want to… rape me… with this bat?”
“Well… sort of. You know, justice must be served.”
Vinay shook his right hand wildly, trying to free himself. He yelled in anticipated pain as Saksham stepped closer to him, “YOU CAN’T DO THAT!”
“Shhhh…” Saksham was forced to take out his pistol yet again. “Don’t force me to end this sooner than I plan to.”
“Please leave me,” Vinay resorted to a softer tone. “The court has freed me… this is illegal.”
“Oh, a few months of mild punishment has suddenly made you aware of the law,” Saksham smirked. “Tell me more about the law… was that rape legal?”
“No… but… that was a mistake… and… they freed me,” Vinay cried for mercy. “I am sorry, sir… please forgive me.”
Saksham stayed unmoved. “It was not just rape; but the brutality of the act, your lack of concern for another human life, that has forced me to take this step. Crimes like yours don’t deserve mercy, no matter what you did before, or what you do afterwards.” Saksham took another step forward.
“Please sir… please… don’t do this.” Vinay sat down on the pavement. “I will die of pain.”
“Don’t worry… I will not be as brutal as you guys were.” Saksham pointed to the handle again. “I will try the narrower side first, before we move on to the broader side.”
“Please forgive me, sir! I will not do it again!” Vinay was lashing his legs as pulls the handcuff, trying to break free, just like the last attempt of an animal about to be sacrificed.
“That is exactly what I am trying to take care of… that you don’t do it again. More than that, I want to create an example that discourages other perverts too, so they think ten times before they dare touch a girl against her wishes,” Saksham sounded menacing. “You should be happy… your sacrifice will serve a much needed example our society needs. You won’t find a better redemption for your evil past.” 



About the Book

You must act! Your dreams may look unachievable, but giving up without trying is cowardice. It is against evolution, for evolution is not the result of endless worries, thoughts or discussions. Evolution is in action.” 
In those words, Saksham finds courage to step beyond his self-imposed ineptitude and begin a new life. 
This is the story of Saksham, a bright young man, and his quest for a more humane world. On his journey, he meets a wise philosopher who helps him unravel the complexities of today’s civilized human world, and a young beautiful woman who rekindles his passion for life. Their belief in him empowers Saksham to launch an attack against organized evil. 
As Saksham marches forward, he must choose between the comfort of his love and courage to follow his dreams. If he chooses the latter, he will need to adopt brutal ways to counter raw powers of evil. And… there will be no going back. 
‘Wings of Courage’ is a moving tale of passion and courage, for without them, our dreams may never come true.


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