Kunal jerked back from the window, heart pounding like a trapped bird in his chest. The glint of light off a lens inside the parked sedan below wasn't imagination—it was confirmation.
"अन्तरिताः पश्यन्ति।"
(Antarhitāḥ paśyanti)
[They watch while concealed]
Ashoka's warning. The ancient manuscript. All of it was converging. Right here, right now, outside his Lower Parel apartment.
His first instinct: भयम्
(Bhayam)
[Fear]—cold and pure.
His second: grab the phone. His fingers trembled as he dialed Abhishek.
"भाई?"
(Bhai?)
[Bro?] Abhishek answered groggily, clearly half-asleep.
"अभी! सुनो!"
(Abhi! Suno!)
[Abhi! Listen!] Kunal whispered urgently, crouching low and backing away from the window. "There's a car outside. Unfamiliar. Been parked there a while. No lights. I think… I'm sure… they're watching me."
"क्या?!"
(Kya?!)
[What?!] Abhishek snapped awake. "कौन लोग?"
(Kaun log?)
[Which people?]
"The council guys?"
"पता नहीं!"
(Pata nahin!)
[I don't know!]
"But it fits. What you said about security… भाई, they've found me."
"ठीक है, शांत हो जा।"
(Theek hai, shaant ho ja.)
[Okay, calm down.]
"विंडो से दूर रह। लॉक्स चेक कर। मैं १५-२० मिनट में पहुँचता हूँ।"
(Window se door reh. Locks check kar. Main pandrah–bees minute mein pahunchta hoon.)
[Stay away from the window. Check all the locks. I'll be there in 15–20 minutes.]
"ठीक है। जल्दी आ।"
(Theek hai. Jaldi aa.)
[Okay. Come quickly.]
Kunal hung up, breathing shallow. He immediately called Ananya.
"Annie," he whispered. "They're here. Outside my apartment. Watching."
"What?! Already?" Ananya's voice rose in pitch. "The watchers from the text… Kunal, be careful! Don't do anything stupid. Stay inside. Lock everything."
"Abhishek's on his way."
"Good. अच्छा है।"
(Acchha hai.)
[Good.]
"Keep me updated. I'll dig online, try to find anything—surveillance patterns, council ties, anything."
The next twenty minutes were the longest of Kunal's life. He checked his locks. Again. And again. He peeked only once through the blinds.
The car was still there. A dark, silent shape. Like it was listening.
He didn't light a cigarette—too risky. The spark, the glow, the movement—it might give away too much.
A coded knock. Finally.
He checked the peephole. Abhishek. Jaw tense. Looking both ways. Kunal unlatched the door fast.
"किधर है गाड़ी?"
(Kidhar hai gaadi?)
[Where's the car?] Abhishek asked, slipping inside and heading straight for the window low and sideways.
Kunal pointed silently. Abhishek lifted the edge of the curtain and scanned.
"Dark grey Honda City," he muttered. "Tinted windows. Older model. Can't see the plates from here. Could be nothing—or everything."
He scanned the room. "We're checking for bugs."
He pulled a small RF scanner from his bag.
Kunal watched him sweep corners, vents, sockets.
While Abhishek worked, Kunal sent a secure message to Ananya. The act of doing something—anything—helped steady him.
Abhishek came back. "No hits," he said. "But if they're good, that means nothing. Could be using directional mics from the car."
He looked Kunal in the eyes.
"भाई, आज रात यहाँ मत रुक।"
(Bhai, aaj raat yahan mat ruk.)
[You shouldn't stay here tonight.]
Kunal nodded. His apartment no longer felt like shelter. It felt like a trap.
"Where do I go?"
"मेरे पास चल। छोटा है, पर सिक्योर है। होटल से बेहतर।"
(Mere paas chal. Chhota hai, par secure hai. Hotel se behtar.)
[Crash at my place. Small, but safer than a hotel.]
Just then, Kunal's phone buzzed—Ananya again.
'Might've found something. Cross-referencing "Crimson Star" prophecy timings with historical upheavals + secret councils. Could be tied to specific celestial events. Need more time.'
Abhishek raised an eyebrow. "अब एस्ट्रोलॉजी?"
(Ab astrology?)
[Now we're doing astrology?]
"Not in the horoscope sense," Kunal said, pacing. "Ashoka spoke in cosmic terms. Maybe the prophecy refers to real astronomical alignments… signs these groups watch for."
He looked at Abhishek. "Let's move."
As they packed essentials, Abhishek gave one last look through the peephole.
"गाड़ी चली गई..."
(Gaadi chali gayi...)
[The car's gone...]
Kunal rushed to see. The spot was empty.
Relief. For a second.
Then the deeper chill.
"They just watched," he murmured. "They wanted us to see them. No move. No message. Just presence."
"Chal," Abhishek said.
(Let's go.)
They stepped into the corridor like it was a battlefield. Cautious. Ready.
This wasn't about memory anymore.
This was war.
---
To be continued...