Chapter 10

 Chapter 10: Jung Ka Ant (जंग का अंत, “The End of the Battle”)

Posted on May 31, 2025, at 10:00 PM IST

Barish thodi dheemi ho chuki thi, par Bastar ke jungle ka andhera ab bhi Priya ke dil mein ghar kiye hue tha. Woh akeli thi, uski sniper rifle ab ek bhoj ki tarah uske kandhe par latki hui thi. Mandir ke dhwast hone ke baad, Priya ne apne aap ko jungle ke ek kone mein chhupa liya tha, par har awaaz—patton ki sarsarahat, hawa ka jhonka—usse Nagin ki phunkaar ki yaad dilati thi. Uski team khatam ho chuki thi—Vikram, Bison, Anil, aur baaki sab, ek ek karke maut ke haathon mein chale gaye. Sirf Priya bachi thi, par uski aankhon mein ek khali pan tha, jaise usne apni rooh wahan mandir mein hi chhod di ho.

Jungle se nikalte waqt, Priya ke pairon ke neeche zameen ab bhi kaanp rahi thi, jaise mandir ka vinash jungle ke dil tak gaya ho. Usne apne radio se ek distress signal bheja, aur kuch hi ghanton mein ek military chopper usse lene aaya. Chopper ke andar, Priya ne apne haathon ko dekha—khoon aur mitti se sane hue, uske chehre par barish aur aansuon ke nishaan. Ek jawan ne usse ek blanket di, par Priya ka dil ab bhi thanda tha.

Base camp par, Priya ko ek senior officer, Colonel Rawat, ke samne pesh kiya gaya. Colonel ka chehra sakht tha, par uski aankhon mein ek chhupa hua dar tha. “Inspector Priya, tumne jo dekha, jo kiya, woh sab classified hai,” usne kaha, uski awaaz mein ek sakhti. “Operation Naga ek galti thi—ek experiment jo kabhi nahi hona chahiye tha. Tum yeh baat kisi se bhi nahi kahogi. Tumhari team ke log… officially, unki maut ek naxalite attack mein hui hai.” Priya ne kuch kehna chaha, par uski awaaz uske gale mein hi atak gayi. Colonel ne ek file uske samne rakhi, jismein ek non-disclosure agreement tha. “Sign karo, aur apni zindagi mein aage badho,” usne kaha.

Priya ne sign kiya, par uska dil is baat ko nahi maan raha tha. Woh base camp ke bahar ek chhote se gaon mein chali gayi, jahan se jungle ka ek door ka nazara dikhayi deta tha. Gaon walon ke beech ek ajeeb si charcha thi—kuch logon ne jungle mein hari roshni dekhi thi, jaise koi shakti ab bhi wahan zinda ho. Ek buddha aadmi, jiska naam Ramu tha, Priya ke paas aaya aur dheere se kaha, “Woh mandir… uski shakti kabhi khatam nahi hoti. Nagin mar gayi ho shayad, par uski rooh ab bhi wahan hai.”

Priya ne jungle ki taraf dekha, uski aankhon mein ek nayi bechaini thi. Uski ungliyan ab bhi uski rifle ke trigger ki yaad mein kaanp rahi thi. Nagin ki aakhri siskari ab bhi uske kaano mein goonj rahi thi, aur woh hari roshni jo gaon walon ne dekhi thi, Priya ke dil mein ek naye khauf ko janm de rahi thi. Kya yeh jung sach mein khatam hui thi, ya yeh sirf ek naye shaitan ka aagaaz tha?

Jungle ka andhera ab bhi Priya ko pukar raha tha, aur uske jawab uske paas nahi the.

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English Translation of Chapter 10: The End of the Battle

The rain had slowed, but the darkness of the Bastar jungle still lingered in Priya’s heart. She was alone, her sniper rifle now a burden on her shoulder. After the temple’s collapse, Priya had hidden in a corner of the jungle, but every sound—the rustle of leaves, the gust of wind—reminded her of the Nagin’s hiss. Her team was gone—Vikram, Bison, Anil, and the others, all taken by death one by one. Priya was the only survivor, but her eyes held an emptiness, as if she had left her soul back in the temple.

As she emerged from the jungle, the ground beneath her feet still trembled, as if the temple’s destruction had reached the jungle’s core. She sent a distress signal through her radio, and within a few hours, a military chopper arrived to extract her. Inside the chopper, Priya looked at her hands—stained with blood and dirt, her face marked with rain and tears. A soldier gave her a blanket, but her heart remained cold.

At the base camp, Priya was brought before a senior officer, Colonel Rawat. His face was stern, but his eyes betrayed a hidden fear. “Inspector Priya, what you saw, what you did—it’s all classified,” he said, his voice firm. “Operation Naga was a mistake—an experiment that should never have happened. You will not speak of this to anyone. Your team… officially, they died in a Naxalite attack.” Priya wanted to say something, but her voice caught in her throat. The Colonel placed a file in front of her, containing a non-disclosure agreement. “Sign it and move on with your life,” he said.

Priya signed, but her heart couldn’t accept it. She left the base camp and went to a small village nearby, where she could see the jungle from a distance. Among the villagers, there was a strange buzz—some had seen green lights in the jungle, as if a power still lingered there. An old man named Ramu approached Priya and whispered, “That temple… its power never dies. The Nagin may be dead, but her spirit is still there.”

Priya looked toward the jungle, a new unease in her eyes. Her fingers still trembled with the memory of her rifle’s trigger. The Nagin’s final whimper still echoed in her ears, and the green lights the villagers had seen sparked a new fear in her heart. Was this battle truly over, or was it just the beginning of a new evil?

The jungle’s darkness still called to Priya, and she had no answers.

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Notes for Chapter 10

• Sci-Fi Elements: The lingering green lights in the jungle hint at the unresolved sci-fi mystery of the naga energies, suggesting the experiment’s fallout may not be over.
• Gore: This chapter takes a break from gore, focusing on the emotional aftermath, though the memory of the Nagin’s death lingers.
• Bollywood Aesthetic: The old man’s ominous warning and Priya’s haunted gaze evoke the dramatic, suspenseful tone of 1970s Bollywood horror, leaving the story on an eerie note.
• Foreshadowing: The green lights and Ramu’s warning set up the open-ended conclusion, hinting that the Nagin’s legacy might not be fully extinguished.

Plan for Chapter 11 (June 1, 2025)
Title: Nayi Shuruaat (नई शुरुआत, “A New Beginning”)

• Priya returns to her hometown, trying to move on, but nightmares of the Nagin haunt her.
• She discovers a small green vial in her gear, a remnant of the temple, that begins to glow at night.
• A news report mentions mysterious deaths in Bastar, with villagers claiming a “new Nagin” is responsible.
• The chapter ends with Priya deciding to return to the jungle, determined to end the threat once and for all.

I’ll post Chapter 11 tomorrow at 10:00 PM IST. Let me know if you’d like any adjustments to the tone, pacing, or specific elements (e.g., more gore, sci-fi details, or Bollywood drama) for the upcoming chapters, or if you’d like to refine the open ending in Chapter 12 further. The story is setting the stage for a haunting continuation!