A Crimson Birthday
“You done?” Indresh asked, walking up to Aarav’s desk.
“Just a minute. I’m sending you my report for this week,” Aarav replied, eyes fixed on his laptop as he typed hurriedly. “Don’t rush it. Do it properly,” Indresh said.
His phone buzzed. He took it out, checked the message, and murmured, “It’s Karan,” before typing a reply.
“Do we have to buy the decorations and the cake on the way?” he asked, still tapping on his phone.
“I finished the decorations last night, and the balloons this morning. We just need to pick up the cake on our way,” Aarav said, typing more carefully now.
“How will your mother come from the airport?”
“She’ll take a cab,” Aarav replied. “Done.” He clicked the shutdown option, unplugged the charger, wrapped it, and put it in his bag. When the laptop powered off, he closed it and zipped the bag.
“Shall we leave?” he asked. “Yeah,” Indresh said, still typing.
“Where is Karan?” Aarav looked around as he stood. “He’ll meet us in the parking lot,” Indresh replied, slipping his phone into his pocket. “Let’s go.”
“Where have you been?” Indresh asked, irritation sharpening his voice as Karan hurried toward him and Aarav, who were waiting beside the car in the parking lot.
“Sorry, really sorry, Aarav,” Karan said, slightly out of breath. “There was a dreadful error in the new build I got from Balu in the US. Took some time to find the root cause. Anyway, did you have to park the car so far away? If I knew, I would’ve asked you to pick me up at the gate.” He flashed a playful smile.
“Just cut the crap and get in,” Indresh snapped, unlocking the doors before sliding into the driver’s seat.
Aarav, who had stayed quiet through the exchange, got into the backseat with a sulking expression.
“I’m really sorry, Aarav. Don’t worry—we’ll make it in time,” Karan said as he took the front passenger seat.
“I checked. The shop replied that the cake is ready, so there won’t be any delay there,” Aarav said as the car rolled out through the campus gate.
“See? So it wasn’t that bad that I got late.” Karan chuckled.
Indresh shot him a cold, dark stare. He steadied himself and muttered, “Just shut up,” before shifting gears aggressively and weaving through traffic.
Aarav stepped out when they reached the bakery and walked inside to collect the cake.
The moment he was gone, Indresh turned to Karan. “Tell the truth. Why were you actually late? Balu pinged me during lunch—he said he released the final build at noon today and there were no issues at the customer site.”
Karan looked at Indresh for a beat, then shrugged with a teasing grin. “Oh, you knew? Fine. I was chatting with that new girl in marketing. Lost track of time.” He glanced down at his phone and scrolled through social media casually.
“You’re impossible,” Indresh sighed, turning toward the window.
“He’s back,” Karan said when he noticed Aarav returning. Indresh unlocked the doors.
“Let’s go,” Aarav said as he got in and shut the door.
They drove off. A moment later, Karan nudged Aarav with excitement. “Hey, did you see the new video of that masked guy? He’s become a nationwide hero now. The police still haven’t been able to locate or catch him, even after all his appearances. He’s taken down so many thugs terrorizing the city.”
Aarav didn’t respond.
Karan continued, “There’s a fan page for him on X. They post videos people take whenever he shows up. The page already has around ten million subscribers, including people from outside India.”
“He’s gotten that popular?” Indresh asked, eyes on the road.
“Yeah,” Karan said, thrilled someone finally engaged with him. “But many still doubt the credibility of the videos. Some claim it’s all fake. Yet, many others believe him. You heard about that bomb blast in Pune three days ago, right? A lot of people are clamouring in the comments that the government should have collaborated with the masked guy to prevent such attacks. Others argue that if he truly had powers, he could have acted alone—stopping the culprits before the incident, or immediately after”
“His powers are real”, Aarav said quietly, staring out of the window.
Karan looked at Aarav surprisingly, “How do you know?”
“I….No it’s nothing. I just have hunch.” Aarav replied.
“A hunch, huh?” Karan smiled sarcastically and turned back to his phone.
Indresh stopped the car in front of the gate of Aarav’s house. Aarav handed the cover with the packed cake to Karan and stepped out to open the gate. Once the gate swung open, Indresh parked the car inside.
“So this is your house, huh? Nice, how did you het such a lonely house in this city?” Karan said as he and Indresh stepped out.
“We bought it recently. We had just moved here from Chennai, and the previous owner was someone my mother had worked with,” Aarav said, unlocking the front door. “Come in.”
Karan and Indresh followed him inside.
“Wow, you did well with the decorations,” Karan said, looking around.
The living room was softly lit with warm fairy lights and garlands of marigold and jasmine draped along the doorway. A cluster of gold and white balloons gathered near the curtains, gently swaying in the fan’s breeze.
“Did your mother message you?” Indresh asked.
“Yes, her flight landed on time. She’ll be here in half an hour,” Aarav said.
Karan unpacked the White Forest cake and set it on the teapoy at the center of the decorated room.
Indresh’s phone started to ring.
“I’m sorry, it’s from the office. I have to take this,” he said, already stepping out the front door as he picked up the call.
“So, do you want any candles on the cake?” Karan asked, slowly removing the wrapping under the box.
“No, it will ruin the taste. The writing on top isn’t smudged, right?” Aarav asked, adjusting the pillows on the couch.
“No, it still looks good. ‘Happy Birthday, Mom. Love, Aarav.’”
“Good.”
“…make it twenty,” Indresh said as he returned inside, ending the call.
“What happened?” Aarav asked, rearranging the drapes.
“Nothing. Just a chat with Vinod about that Foxwood project,” Indresh replied, glancing at his phone.
The doorbell rang.
“She’s here!” Aarav said excitedly. “Everyone, be ready.”
He straightened his shirt with his hands and hurried to the door.
As soon as his mother lifted her head after removing her walking shoes, Karan opened the popper and all three shouted, “Surprise!”
Aarav’s mother jolted in shock. “Wow—what! What is all this?” she asked, wide-eyed.
“Happy birthday, Mom,” Aarav said, giving her a peck on the cheek.
“Thank you, Aarav,” she replied with a graceful smile, kissing him back.
“Come in, I’ll introduce you to my friends,” Aarav said as the falling confetti settled.
But as they approached Karan and Indresh, the grace on her face slowly faded. Her expression shifted to fear—fear mixed with caution and a trace of anger.
When she locked eyes with Indresh, she saw an index finger lift to his lips—a silent signal to stay calm, to make no sudden movements.
“This is Karan—he’s a tester in our company. And this is Indresh,” Aarav said proudly. “They’re my closest friends here.”
Both men greeted her with a Namaste.
“Hello, Aunty,” Karan said.
She slowly brought her hands together in a Namaste, but the subtle fear in her eyes remained.
“Come, Mom. Let’s cut the cake. Hand over the knife, Karan,” Aarav said.
Karan passed her the knife. She took it carefully and began to cut the cake.
“Happy birthday to you…” Aarav began singing, gently clapping. The others joined in. His mother cut a small piece and lifted it toward Aarav.
Her cautious look deepened.
“Look happier, Mom,” Aarav smiled, leaning forward to take the bite.
She suddenly froze—head tilted, as if hearing something outside.
Before Aarav could react, she lunged forward. A bullet tore through the window, slicing through the air straight toward him. A curved wave of energy burst from her core, sweeping backward as she shoved him to the ground and fell on top of him.
At the same moment, another wave of energy exploded from Indresh toward the rest of the room.
Karan was thrown backwards hard, crashing into the window and shattering it to pieces.
Furniture splintered. Decorations tore apart. Balloons burst. Confetti scattered in the violent air.
Aarav slowly opened his eyes, pain searing through his back from the fall.
“W… what happened… here?” he whispered, shaking with fear. He felt something hot and wet on his hand. He raised it to see. It was covered in blood.
He looked toward his mom, who was slowly standing up. His face turned to extreme shock and fear as he saw her bleeding stomach covered in blood.
“M… mom?”
“D… don’t move, Aarav. Until I say,” she said as she got up and turned toward Indresh.
“Rudransh, my little brother, long time no see. You’ve grown up well,” she said with a sarcastic smirk on her face.
“Thank you, sister. I can’t say the same about you,” he replied.
Aarav’s face turned completely confused. “What are you both saying? Indresh, help us get to the hospital,” he said as extreme fear, confusion, and anger covered his face.
“Stay calm, Aarav, and save your energy. I am fine,” Mother said to Aarav, who was lying on the floor behind her, as she faced Rudransh—whom Aarav knew as Indresh.
“It was clever of you, Yodhi, showing your face in Himachal Pradesh to divert our attention,” Rudransh said as he tied his hands behind him and stood confidently in front of Aarav’s mother. “We almost fell for it before I saw your picture with him on his lock screen wallpaper.”
Aarav looked at their faces, more confused.
“Who are you talking to, Indresh? My… my mom’s name is Avanthika. And forget all about that—please take her to the hospital. She’s losing a lot of blood!” Aarav shouted.
Yodhika suddenly turned toward Aarav and yelled, “Keep your mouth shut, Aarav! And don’t listen to a word he says!”
“And that ‘adopted’ trick—who gave you that idea?” Rudransh asked.
Fear crawled upon Yodhika’s face as he uttered the word. Aarav’s confused eyes turned toward Yodhika. “W… what is he saying, Mom?”
“D… don’t listen to him,” Yodhika whispered with fear and anger in her voice.
“All the tricks you pulled to save this devil’s life will perish here along with you,” Rudransh said as further darkness fell upon his eyes.
Yodhika gave out a sigh and smirked. “You think that I can’t take you out and get out of here? How many men you got outside? Five? Six? Did you forget who I am?”
“No, I am not that stupid to have such childish thoughts. But that is only if you were healthy. But you’re almost on death’s door with that injury, and to save that runt over there, I am a little confident,” Rudransh smirked back.
Yodhika jolted as the searing pain in her stomach increased to an alarming level, and she started to feel blur in her eyes. “This is nothing.”
She suddenly lunged forward and took a huge leap toward Rudransh, letting out a huge cry. Rudransh stopped her midway by grabbing her neck and holding her in the air.
“You think I’d be scared of your half-assed attack? You can’t even produce an Urja from your core now.” He tightened his grip around Yodhika’s neck.
“R… Rudr… ansh, those voices we keep hearing… it’s not true. D… on’t… listen to them,” Yodhika said, struggling in his hand.
Rudransh’s face turned red with anger. “You dare talk about it out loud?” He paused. “We hear it because we are the chosen ones. But you fell into that traitor Rudhra’s trap and strayed away from our path.”
He slammed her to the ground with anger. She gasped heavily on the fall as further blood splattered from her stomach.
“Indresh! No! Please stop this! If you hurt her anymore I… I WILL… FUCKING TEAR YOU APART!!!” Aarav yelled with all his power.
Rudransh turned his gaze toward Aarav. He took his hand off Yodhika’s neck. He slowly got up and walked toward Aarav.
“D… do… n’t… to… uch h… im…” Yodhika said in a faint voice, half-conscious, as her hands tried to reach out to him.
Rudransh ignored her and continued to walk toward Aarav. He crouched down as he reached Aarav, who was struggling to get up from the floor, but either due to fear or due to his broken back, he could not move his legs.
Rudransh looked with his calm eyes. “Say my name. Rudransh,” he said as he wrapped his hand around Aarav’s neck and suddenly applied extreme force.
Aarav’s eyes rolled up as the air in his lungs found no way out.
“D… don’t… p… lease… I… am… s… sorry… a… bout f… fa… ther…” Yodhika said in an extremely faint voice from a distance, lying on the floor covered in blood as tears flooded from her eyes.
Rudransh turned toward Yodhika and said with a smirk as his grip held tight around Aarav’s neck, “You think this is about father? You know we are not that kind of family, right?” He paused as he looked back at Aarav, who was flapping his hands and legs on the floor, struggling to catch some air. He continued, “This is about letting everyone from our land know what we do to deserters. Some of them have been thinking about straying from our path, inspired by you. They think they can get away like you.”
Aarav’s struggle slowed.
“N… o… ple… ase…” Yodhika pleaded.
“Now say my name!” Rudransh yelled at Aarav, increasing the force of his grip exponentially.
Aarav lost almost all his consciousness. The world around him stilled. Time slowed. He felt his soul leaving his body.
It came out of the earth. It then travelled further. He saw a large sphere in front of him filled with infinite galaxies. It travelled further. A larger sphere appeared in front of him with infinite spheres. It kept travelling.
“Oh, he can’t talk anymore,” Rudransh said as he loosened his grip from Aarav’s neck, whose movements completely stopped.
He checked Aarav’s pulse and got up.
“Y… you… f… uck… ing… mo… nster…” Yodhika said with the last of her energy as her face was fully covered in tears, and the blood around her covered a lot of the floor.
Rudransh walked toward Yodhika. He kneeled down on one knee, wrapped his fingers around her neck, and increased pressure slowly.
“Goodbye, sister. Join your son and have peace in the afterlife,” he said as he applied his full force.
Yodhika, who had lost all her will, did not struggle. Instead, she looked at the corpse of her son to have it as her last sight.
She stopped breathing.
Rudransh took his hand off her neck. He stood up and let out a heavy sigh. His unfazed eyes turned toward Karan, who lay unconscious throughout the ordeal.
He took out his phone and dialed a number. Rudraaj answered from the other end.
“It’s done,” Rudransh said.
“Good. Now clean things up there and move on to the next phase,” Rudraaj responded, with no change in his tone.
“Roger,” Rudransh said and cut the phone.
He entered a text on his phone: Light it up, and hit send.
A moment later, small spheres were shot into the room through the window. They burst and spat fire into different points of the room. The fire started to spread.
He took one last look at his sister and nephew. Then he walked to Karan’s unconscious body, lifted him, and carried him on his shoulder as he walked out of the house.
Within minutes, the whole room was engulfed in fire.
About 500 meters away from the house, the woman in the windbreaker came out of the shadows of an alley. “I was late, huh?” she said, disappointed in herself.
(To be continued)
Karun G Nath 
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