Chapter 1

She was running, hard, fighting for breath. It was a make or break situation. If she let go of this, there would be no other chance, forget choice. It would the most defining night of her life, no not night, moments of her life. What she did in the next few minutes would change it forever. She ran past all those staring wide-eyed at here. The sharp iron piece in her hand had people stepping back as they let her run. Except for the three of them giving her a chase.

As she kept running, she knew she didn't have a chance, unless some miracle came and saved her. Images floated in her mind in kaleidoscopic fashion. It was her mother, talking to her about the angel that she was, and the princess that she would be. Then it was her abusive father, with a huge sickle in hand. The images moved to college, where he stood, with a little black graduation hat on his head, hand-streched, on his knees. Then came the more gruesome ones. The dark mistress, lips bristling, looking like a lioness waiting to pounce on its prey.

Then it was that of Ramlal Choudhury, a blade in his hand, and lust on his face. Then was Dev Raman, the suave cool British-Indian, a smile on his face, and then drifting to that of Ramesh Dada, the shopkeeper outside the chowk. She was running out of breath as she was running out of thoughts. As she ran, she banged into him. All he said was, " I'm sorry Deepa, you won't regret this", and with one bang of the fist, knocked her down!