March to Glory (Part III)

Kritvik Bhatt

Aaryan, Aakash, and I were in between the gang fight, with everyone around us continuously kicking and punching each other. Some were in black shirt-pants, while some had red shirts with black pants. Aaryan had his hands on his waist as he turned backward at the two of us. “So, everyone’s busy right now—except us. That means we’re gonna be the variables.”

“Huh? What’s that?”

Aaryan turned his head frontward again. “Just help your pals and jump in others’ fights.”

“The hell, mate? Can’t we just sit down and rest for a second now?” Aakash asked as he turned his head leftward.

“Ya just had your first KO, pal. Ya shouldn’t even dare sit down.”

I nodded, and so did Aakash.

“Now, find alongside any teammate who might need some help, and then get into that fight, alright? If ya don’t, then just jump in a random one.” Aaryan then turned to us again. “Remember, variables are the most important guys in the fight. Because it means that we’re leading the game, at least for now, and we won’t like to let this lead go.”

“Lead?”

“We got more active members who’re fighting, mate,” Aakash said.

“Correct.” Aaryan then turned his head frontward. “Let’s fucking begin then.”

Aaryan suddenly turned his head leftward and started to walk toward two guys who were fighting each other—each with a different color of shirt, obviously. “If ya two need any help, call me out. And don’t run anywhere too far, alright?”

“I just feel bored now,” Aakash commented as both of us looked at Aaryan’s back walking away.

“Man, I feel like it’s too much. I wanna go home. My whole body hurts.”

“Yeah, mate. This shit is really painful.” Aakash then turned to me. “We should just fight together. I guess we make a good team.”

I smiled. “Man, it’s just that we kinda know when to substitute each other, for some reason.”

“Yeah,” Aakash then turned frontward. “Let’s get in that one. That guy’s fighting two guys together.”

“Okay,” I replied as both of us started to walk frontward. I noticed that guy in all-blacks who was fighting against two guys of Sons of Satan at once, for some reason. He just got hit with a punch on his face and stepped back.

For some reason, Aakash quickly dashed at them at once. He held the belly of one of the guys and pushed him toward the next one on the other side.

With my arms a little in the air around my body, I looked at him shockingly. I didn’t expect that he’d do that. For some reason, the guy he had held had his arms loose, so he punched him hard on his face. He then pushed Aakash to one side as the other guy behind him stood up.

“Ya fucking asshole!” He angrily said as he moved his leg up and kicked him damn hard on his face.

My eyes widened. “Fuck.” I sprinted toward them and held the first guy by my arm around his neck, and started to choke him. The other guy then punched me on my forehead. I held my forehead with my left hand and tightly closed my eyes as I held the first guy in my right arm as hard as I could as he moved his body right and left in desperation.

I pushed my arm in his neck and continued to choke that guy as Aakash suddenly stood up and kicked the other guy on his butt. The other guy turned to him and waved his fist at him again, which Aakash evaded by turning his head left. He then moved his fist up at him, which that guy blocked with his arm. He pushed Aakash’s arm away from his and kicked him on his waist. Aakash stepped a few steps backward. The other guy then walked to him, held him by his collar, and punched him on his face again. Then again. Then again.

In the meantime, the guy in my arms broke free, man. He bent his back frontward and coughed once as his feet started running. “Cogh!”

I looked at his back walking away for a second. I then walked to him, about to punch or kick him, but he quickly turned back with his arm up in air, hitting my chest. I stepped a little back as he turned to me and frowned angrily at me. “Cogh! No fucking dickhead ever choked me, ya know that?”

“I-I’m sorry, man,” I replied as I stepped back.

That guy suddenly jumped at me and punched me on my face again, obviously. Then again. Then again. This time, saliva flew out of my mouth. He then kicked me on my belly. I fell down on the ground.

Aakash then ran in front of me and tried to punch him, but that guy just bent his back backward. Aakash then kicked him on his waist, but he defended easily with his arm. Aakash successfully put his foot on the ground as the other guy moved his foot up and kicked him on his belly. He then kicked him on his waist sideway. But, Aakash got hold of the second kick, obviously.

My eyes were tightly closed as I rubbed my left cheek with my right hand and my belly on my left one, my right knee standing up. I then slowly tried to sit up, moving my back up. “Damn, man… Damn.” I took in a deep breath and exhaled it out. I then opened my eyes.

Aakash moved that guy’s leg backward, for some reason, but that guy didn’t budge too much. So, he pulled it sideway, and that guy jumped up on him. He held Aakash’s head by his legs and started to punch him on his head.

I stood up, glaring at him worriedly, closed my fist, and walked to him. I moved my arm back horizontally, for some reason, and jumped up, and hit him on his back.

That guy angrily frowned at me, smiling for some reason, moved his left leg a little away from his face, and then kicked him damn hard.

I jumped up again and waved my fist at him, which he obviously evaded by moving his back backward. But, in the process, he bent a little too back, and fell down on the ground. Aakash quickly stood up and I stepped by his side, kicking him on his face which he saved by moving his arm in front of his head.

Aakash then started to kick him on his chest. “Where’s the other guy that you were fighting?” He suddenly asked me.

“The guy from our team… that these two guys were fighting to… huff… is dealing with him,” I replied, taking in deep breaths. My forehead too was filled with sweat as I continuously kicked at that guy’s arms in front of his head.

“Awesome. Just what we needed.”

“Man, really.”

***

“Hey, dickhead! Get up!”

Akshay’s eyes opened slightly, then closed, and then opened a little again.

“Dickhead, y’are the head! Don’t fucking lie like that!”

Akshay took in a deep breath and opened his eyes widely. He then sat up.

The guy who had woken him up was crouched down just beside him, in the middle of the fight. Akshay tried to stand up as he said, “Y’are the co-leader, dickhead! Don’t fucking lie down like that! Get the fuck up!”

He nodded as he stood up.

The other guy stood up too. “Who did that to ya?”

“Aaryan.”

“Vikram’s right hand?”

“Fuck yeah,” He said as he turned his eyeballs to him. “Find him for me.”

That guy turned his head right and left. “He must have gone in the middle somewhere. Let’s see him there.”

***

Aakash and I were still kicking that guy who lay on the ground continuously. He, for some reason, wasn’t defending himself now. He had his head tilted leftward to the ground and his arm lay on the ground just beside his head.

“It’s enough, I guess,” He said.

We both then stopped kicking that guy. “Damn, man. I hope he’s alright.”

“Me too, mate.”

I gulped in as I looked at my fist. “I… I never thought I could kick or punch people so easily.”

“You’re just angry because your body is hurting a lot, and that’s it, mate. Don’t overthink that shit too much.”

“S-Still, man, I…”

“Stop it, mate,” Aakash replied, looking straight at me.

I too turned my head to him.

“Everyone has some amount of aggression in them.”

I took in a deep breath from my lips and exhaled it out. I then nodded.

Aakash then turned backward and glared at the fight going on. “But for real, mate, these guys… it’s literally too much.”

I then turned my head leftward and glared at Akshay walking calmly beside me, walking to the front. On his right was one of his pals, maybe. I glared at his back as he walked away and went past Aakash. Aakash then turned to me, noticed me glaring at him, and then turned to me again. “Hey, Kritvik?”

“Yeah?” I turned to him again.

“What about that guy?”

“Man, he seems like he’s walking toward Aaryan, for some reason.” I then turned to him again, and so did Aakash.

We both looked at him as he stepped beside Aaryan and kept his palm on the chest of the other guy who was fighting against Aaryan.

Aaryan turned to him. “Good morn’, asshole.”

“I gon’ take my revenge now.”

Aaryan smiled. “Ya talk too much, pal, and that’s why ya fucking shit when it comes to fighting.” Aaryan turned to him and moved a punch toward him, to which he stepped back to evade.

“AYEEEE! The policemen are here! Clear this whole fucking area!”

I frowned as I turned my head to the street on the other side of all those guys who were fighting.

“THE FUCKING POLICE ARE HERE!”

HI-LOOO! HI-LOOO! HI-LOOO!

The sound of police-cars’ sirens filled the whole place. Suddenly, all the fighting stopped, obviously, as people turned to the street. There was no apparent moment for a second as people silently heard the sound of the sirens coming at them.

Then, suddenly, a car appeared running on the street. It suddenly stopped just some steps away from the edge. Some policemen in khaki uniforms got off and closed back the gates of the car. They all turned to the fighting, with their sticks in their hands.

“Where the hell do you all kids think you are?!” The old man in his fifties shouted. He, obviously, had white hair and a mustache, with some of his head partly bald. “Go home!”

Some younger ones walked behind him as both the gangs started to run here and there.

My eyes widened at that chaos as people suddenly ran here and there. Some guys were holding other members behind their backs as they ran.

The angry policemen were walking to us as they hit others running here and there with their sticks.

Aakash turned to me. He seemed just as afraid as me as he said, “Mate, we fucking gotta run away now!”

Aaryan suddenly dashed at me, held my arm, and started to pull me. Aakash turned to the front and started to run beside him as fast as he could. I too ran, but obviously, I was slowing him down. For some reason, I was so scared that I kinda froze and my mind went numb.

Vikram and Amit looked at each other as people ran right and left around them. “I guess I ain’t ever getting a chance to avenge, eh? Lucky ya,” He said with a smile as he turned back and started to run away.

“Motherfucker, it’s not like I’m dying,” Vikram said, but just to himself as he too started to walk away from the scene hurriedly.

All three of us were running damn hard on the dark street, the park some dozen steps away from me. Rohit, for some reason, too was running just behind us. “Motherfuckers! Wait for me!” He said from four-five steps away from us.

“Asshole, we don’t have time to fuck around here, alright?” Aaryan replied. “Just fucking run.”

“I agree!” Aakash replied as he ran just beside him.

I was running behind the two of them, with Aaryan holding my hand. “Damn, man! I-I-I’m done! I need water!”

“Shut the fuck up, asshole! Ya ain’t a fucking baby!” Aaryan shouted back. “Ya can fucking wait for that shit!”

We all continued to run and run and run. Some distance away, Aaryan turned left into a street, and all of us followed him. Then a right, and then a left, and we zigzagged through the streets just like that for some time.

I then fell down on the ground. I panted heavily and my chest rose up and down. “HUFF, HUFF! HUFF, HUFF!”

Aaryan stopped, and Aakash too stopped some steps away from us and turned back. Rohit caught up with us finally and stopped right behind me, looking down toward me. “What the fuck, motherfucker?!”

Aaryan too panted as he moved his hand up on his waist. His open lips then turned to a smile. “Ahahshahhahshahaa!” He laughed.

Aakash too looked at him and smiled. “Are you gone nuts or what?”

Rohit smiled too as he crouched down. “This motherfucker is just like that. He starts laughing for no fucking reason!”

“The way we fucking ran from there, pal! It was just so thrilling, right?”

“You call that thrilling?!” I crouched up on the ground and turned up at him, shouting, “We could have gone to jail, man!”

“They don’t take you to jail for this shit, asshole,” He replied with a smile.

“Pfft!” Aakash laughed.

“Motherfucker! Ahahshshahaa!” Rohit too started to laugh out loud.

I too smiled and turned my head down in embarrassment.

“Ahshshdhdhshahhjajha!”

“For real, mate! This guy’s…”

“Yeah, asshole!”