Chapter 8

 Chapter 8: Shikaari Ya Shikaar (शिकारी या शिकार, “Hunter or Hunted”)

Posted on May 29, 2025, at 10:00 PM IST
Mandir ke khandaron mein barish ka shor ek khooni jung ka saath de raha tha. CoBRA team ke sirf teen log bache the—Commandant Vikram Rathore, Priya, aur Inspector Arjun “Bison” Yadav—aur Dr. Anil Kulkarni, jo ab bhi energy core ke aaspaas explosives laga rahe the. Hari roshni se chamakta crystal ab bhi dhadak raha tha, aur Nagin ki phunkaar har pal unke kaano mein goonj rahi thi. Yeh jung ab shikaari aur shikaar ke beech ka antar khatam kar rahi thi—kaun shikaari tha, aur kaun shikaar, yeh ab saaf nahi tha.
Vikram ne apni INSAS rifle uthayi aur Priya ko ishara kiya, “Core ke charon taraf explosives lagao. Yeh hamara aakhri mauka hai.” Priya ne apne sniper scope se ek baar phir Nagin ki talash ki, par barish aur cloaking tech ne usse har baar chhaka diya. Bison, jo apni LMG ke saath taiyaar tha, ne gusse se kaha, “Sir, yeh shaitan humein jeene nahi degi. Ise abhi khatam karna hoga!” Par uski baat poori hone se pehle, Nagin ne apna agla hamla kiya.
Woh ek bhoot ki tarah barish ke beech se ubhari, uski hari-chandi aankhein roshni se chamak rahi thi. Uski dum ne Bison ko pakad liya, aur ek pal mein usne apna zehar uske chehre par chhidak diya. Bison ki cheekh mandir mein goonji, par woh kuch hi palon mein ek siskari mein badal gayi. Uska chehra pighalne laga—uski aankhein, naak, aur honth ek saath zameen par gir gaye, jaise koi acid ne usse kha liya ho. Uska jism ek grotesque puddle mein badal gaya, khoon aur pighla hua maans barish ke saath beh gaya. Priya ne apni aankhein band kar li, par woh manzar uske dimaag mein chhap gaya.
“Bison!” Vikram ne chillaya, par ab waqt nahi tha shok manane ka. Nagin ab core ke aur kareeb thi, uski aankhein crystal ki roshni ko apne andar samet rahi thi. Anil, jo ab bhi explosives laga raha tha, ne ek chhota sa detonator uthaya. “Sir, main ise distract karta hoon,” usne kaha, uski awaaz mein ek ajeeb sa sukoon. “Yeh meri galti thi—Operation Naga ko maine hi design kiya tha. Yeh aurat… yeh meri behen thi. Unhone usse chheen liya, aur is shaitan mein badal diya.”
Vikram aur Priya ek pal ke liye stun ho gaye. “Anil, kya bol rahe ho?” Vikram ne kaha, par Anil ne usse chup karaya. “Ab waqt nahi hai, sir. Main ise rokunga.” Usne detonator dabaya, aur ek chhota sa dhamaka hua, jo Nagin ke ek taraf ke panje ko uda gaya. Nagin ki cheekh mandir mein goonji, uska cloaking ek pal ke liye band ho gaya, aur uska roop saaf dikhayi diya—ek aurat ka chehra, par saanp jaisa jism, uski aankhein ab bhi gusse se chamak rahi thi. Par yeh dhamaka Anil ke liye aakhri tha—Nagin ne apni dum se usse pakad liya aur uske jism ko do tukdon mein kaat diya, uska khoon core par chhitar gaya.
“Anil!” Priya ne chillaya, par Vikram ne usse pakad liya. “Ab nahi, Priya. Yeh hamara mauka hai.” Nagin ab zakhmi thi, par uski gusse mein ek nayi taakat thi. Usne apne panje se core ki taraf hamla kiya, par Priya aur Vikram ne apne explosives ke saath apni position li. Unhone bache hue C4 ko core ke charon taraf lagaya, aur Vikram ne detonator apne haath mein liya. “Yeh iske liye nahi bachega,” usne kaha, uski awaaz mein ek thandi sakhti.
Par Nagin ab aur khatarnaak ho chuki thi. Uski cloaking ab bhi kaam nahi kar rahi thi, par uski tezi aur gussa badh gaya tha. Usne apni dum se Priya ko pakadne ki koshish ki, par Priya ne apni sniper rifle se ek goli uski aankh par maari. Nagin ki cheekh phir goonji, par woh ruki nahi. Woh ab core ke bilkul paas thi, aur Vikram aur Priya ab uske samne khade the—do insaan, ek shaitan ke khilaaf.
Barish ab bhi gir rahi thi, aur mandir ka core apni aakhri dhadkan dhadak raha tha. Vikram ne Priya ki taraf dekha aur kaha, “Taiyaar ho?” Priya ne sar hilaya, uski rifle ab bhi Nagin par tani hui. “Haan, sir. Ab yeh khatam hoga.” Nagin ki aankhein gusse se chamak rahi thi, aur uski phunkaar ek wade ki tarah goonji—yeh jung ab ant tak jayegi.
English Translation of Chapter 8: Hunter or Hunted
The roar of the rain in the temple ruins accompanied a bloody battle. Only three members of the CoBRA team remained—Commandant Vikram Rathore, Priya, and Inspector Arjun “Bison” Yadav—along with Dr. Anil Kulkarni, who was still setting explosives around the energy core. The crystal, glowing with green light, continued to pulse, and the Nagin’s hisses echoed in their ears with every moment. This battle was erasing the line between hunter and hunted—who was the hunter, and who was the prey, was no longer clear.
Vikram raised his INSAS rifle and signaled Priya, “Set the explosives around the core. This is our last chance.” Priya scanned for the Nagin through her sniper scope, but the rain and cloaking tech kept outsmarting her. Bison, ready with his LMG, growled, “Sir, this devil won’t let us live. We have to end her now!” But before he could finish, the Nagin struck again.
She emerged like a ghost through the rain, her green-silver eyes glowing with light. Her tail grabbed Bison, and in an instant, she sprayed her venom on his face. Bison’s scream echoed through the temple, but it quickly turned into a whimper. His face began to melt—his eyes, nose, and lips dissolved onto the ground, as if consumed by acid. His body turned into a grotesque puddle, blood and melted flesh washing away with the rain. Priya closed her eyes, but the image burned into her mind.
“Bison!” Vikram shouted, but there was no time to mourn. The Nagin was now closer to the core, her eyes absorbing the crystal’s light. Anil, still setting the explosives, picked up a small detonator. “Sir, I’ll distract her,” he said, his voice eerily calm. “This was my fault—I designed Operation Naga. This woman… she was my sister. They took her and turned her into this devil.”
Vikram and Priya were stunned for a moment. “Anil, what are you saying?” Vikram asked, but Anil silenced him. “There’s no time, sir. I’ll stop her.” He pressed the detonator, and a small explosion went off, blowing off one of the Nagin’s claws. Her scream echoed through the temple, her cloaking disabled for a moment, revealing her form—a woman’s face on a snake-like body, her eyes still burning with rage. But this explosion was Anil’s last act—the Nagin grabbed him with her tail and sliced his body in two, his blood splattering onto the core.
“Anil!” Priya screamed, but Vikram held her back. “Not now, Priya. This is our chance.” The Nagin was wounded, but her rage had given her new strength. She lunged at the core with her remaining claw, but Priya and Vikram took their positions with the explosives. They placed the remaining C4 around the core, and Vikram held the detonator. “She won’t survive this,” he said, his voice cold with resolve.
But the Nagin had become even more dangerous. Her cloaking was still down, but her speed and rage had intensified. She tried to grab Priya with her tail, but Priya fired a shot from her sniper rifle, hitting the Nagin in the eye. The Nagin screamed again, but she didn’t stop. She was now right by the core, and Vikram and Priya stood before her—two humans against a devil.
The rain still poured, and the temple’s core pulsed with its final beats. Vikram looked at Priya and asked, “Ready?” Priya nodded, her rifle still aimed at the Nagin. “Yes, sir. This ends now.” The Nagin’s eyes burned with fury, and her hiss echoed like a promise—this battle would go to the end.
Notes for Chapter 8
  • Sci-Fi Elements: Anil’s revelation about designing Operation Naga and the core’s role in powering the Nagin deepen the sci-fi horror. The controlled explosion to disable her cloaking ties into the tech-driven narrative.
  • Gore: Bison’s gruesome death—his body melting into a puddle—and Anil’s brutal slicing in half deliver intense slasher horror with vivid, visceral imagery.
  • Bollywood Aesthetic: The Nagin’s dramatic emergence in the rain, her rage-filled screams, and Anil’s tragic revelation evoke the theatrical drama of 1970s Bollywood horror.
  • Foreshadowing: The Nagin’s increased aggression and the team’s final stand set up a climactic showdown, with the core’s overload as their last hope.
Plan for Chapter 9 (May 30, 2025)
Title: Aakhri Jung (आखिरी जंग, “The Final Battle”)
  • Vikram sacrifices himself to detonate the explosives, wounding the Nagin severely and causing the core to overload.
  • Priya takes a final shot, hitting the Nagin in her remaining eye, blinding her.
  • The core’s overload causes the Nagin to melt from the energy surge, her body disintegrating into a puddle of venom and flesh.
  • The chapter ends with Priya escaping the collapsing temple, the Nagin’s final scream echoing as the structure crumbles.
I’ll post Chapter 9 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 reaching its explosive climax!

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