Ram's toe was moving up and down as Atul went over the plan one last time. He gulped before opening his eyes as he looked at the paper in front of him.

"The three of you are going to pick random features, don't worry you have them down" Atul continued as his eyes paused on Ram's face for a second. "Dhwaraka has no surveillance cameras. So, we have to make sure that every camera on our way there picks up my image. I will change at the station so that nothing can be traced back to us. At two am we will enter the witch's house and be out in five minutes. This knife will be used, make sure that you are never holding it with your bare hands. It will be left in her body."

"You will go straight for her heart as Ram and I restrain her and Meghna muffles her. We will have gloves that will be burned as soon as we get back and our hair will be in shower caps. No clues except for shoe marks on her floor that lead to the nearest surveillance camera. Amir's features will be caught on roll with her blood on his pants. He will be framed. The supply will be cut and the boss will be in jail. Amir's alibi would lead them right to the factory. It will go down forever." Piyush stared at the walls as he recited the lines that had been drilled into his head. Ram searched his eyes but there was nothing to be found, no emotion, no giveaway.

"Good. We are leaving in ten. Check that we have our essentials on us."

Ram scrambled and got on his feet. His hand patted the bulging bag as his back hunched further. He was all set yet as he looked at the mirror, breathing seemed like an effort. His eyes were still the same deep colour. The baggy red t-shirt was paired with khaki pants. Foundation had made his face neck and bare skin a shade darker. The shoes were fitted with soles that made him a few inches taller. Hair extensions loomed over his eyes. The only trait that was his were his eyes and these eyes would have to witness a murder in a few hours. He closed his eyes as he bit into his tongue and let the metallic taste hit his tongue.

"I am going. Leave after about thirty minutes, separately."

The trio could see his back moving out the tiny door. Ram felt himself sink into the concrete floor. As the clock ticked on, Ram's fingers drew circles on it and the cuts the rough surface bore on his fingers were not paid any attention. His eyes were still as they stared at the door, the door he would soon have to walk out of. How had life messed him up so much?

"Ram? Ram!", Meghna shouted as she took his arm in hers and gave it a jerk. "Snap out of it. It's time to go."

The oversized khaki pants were no longer worn by a boy. That part of him was ripped apart that day. Ram gulped as his feet moved mechanically to their destination. There is not much that he remembers of that journey. All he saw blurry images of people moving past him, thousands who did not spare him a second glance.

Mere minutes had passed since the trio arrived at the railway station. They were in position. A few metres from them they had spotted Atul behind a burly man. Atul was stroking his beard as he put his weight on his left leg and tapped the right one. The mannerism and bold features were perfectly impersonated. Ram could still spot characteristics that were off and gave away the act but these were only visible from up front. The position of each camera had been taken into consideration so that there were tell tales. It was professional down to the toe.

"May I have your attention please: 11003 Dadar-Sawantwadi Tutari Express. The scheduled arrival is ten PM is reported running late by one hour fifty minutes. It is expected to arrive here at eleven fifty PM."

The trio glanced at each other. Without a word, Piyush and Ram made their way to the public toilets as Meghna seated herself on a nearby bench.

"We have to turn back. The journey will take about four hours give or take. The milkman starts delivering at 5 am. We will be cutting it close, too close for my taste."

Piyush grabbed Ram by the elbow and started moving. The people were talking in the background. Ram could hear Meghna's feet dragging behind him. A signal that she was there. Ram searched Piyush's eyes but there was nothing to be found there. The older just kept moving forward. He let him go as the reached a dim lit corner. Atul was already there, this was the blind spot of the cameras.

"What are going to do? The milkman will be doing rounds at about five am. We can do this another day right?" asked Piyush.

"We are doing it today. We don't know what Amir or the witch would be doing or for that matter if she'd be in the village any other day. The information we have, the plan it is based on cost me a lot of favours and doing this any other day could potentially put us in jail. Besides, we will be in and out in five. Even if the milkman spots us, the description he will give the police will be Amir's and three nonexistent accomplices."

Ram gulped again. He shut his eyes and the creases that formed on his eyelids and forehead were in gnoses as he drew in air through his mouth. This was the first time fear had gripped him so visibly the day had arrived at the brothel could not even compare to this. That incident had a silver lining, Shyam's future, there was no guilt. This was different. The plan was going wrong and they had just started. Ram forced his eyes open and took deep breaths. He looked at Meghna's face, it was strong, she was strong. Ram remembered their story. He would do this for them and for the hundreds of children who would perhaps have to go down this path if this didn't happen. After all no one had really cared, he wouldn't have to do this if they did, if the police did, if the so called 'customers' did. He was not doing something wrong, was he? He told himself these words over and over again till he almost believed them. Yet, he still gulped.

Atul was back in front of the cameras, showcasing his acting skills. He yelled at someone while having a conversation on his phone, was sarcastic and let that smile of his glimpse. The act went on for two hours as the trio just sat on a bench pretending that nothing was looming over their teenage heads. They laughed at the worst puns and got their hands somehow tangled up in a bag of chips. They were themselves for two hours, just background characters in Atul's act.

"May I have your attention please: 11003 Dadar-Sawantwadi Tutari Express will arrive at eleven fifty five PM on platform number two."

The trio jumped up. The wait was over. Within hours, they will have put a stop to the one place that snatched their childhood from them, forever. Ram forced his feet to moved forward. Robotic steps lead him into the train and then after an hour or so, the same movements were copied as they boarded a bus. Not a word was spoken throughout the whole journey. In fact Ram recounts them as fused voices of people and yet more people. He recalls the last few minutes of the journey though. They had got off at the nearby bus stop, the red bus went on ahead. Ram could hear their feet moving alongside him but his eyes remained focused on the mud road. Each step was heavier, more difficult than the one before.

They walked through the ground and made their way towards the settlements. Ram could see the seven year old boy's face as he assured him that their saving would be enough for Shyam. That was the milkman's son. A smile made it's way onto Ram's face as he recalled this sweet memory, a memory that reflected the young boy's innocence. That smile however, could not stay there for long, something was clenching his hard, it was getting harder to breathe. What would happen if the milkman caught them red handed? Would this measly disguise be enough for him to not recognise him? If he recognised Ram, would Atul let him live to see the light of the day again? Ram bore holes into Atul's back as the wind caressed the leaves and the moonlight made them glisten. Their rumbling voices were enhanced in the silence. How red would they be tainted by the time they decide to leave? Ram raised himself on his heels and turned around. The forest was so welcoming. A quick run and he wouldn't have to be a part of this.

"Ram, Ram" Meghna whispered in his ear. " We are doing this ok? We have come too far to turn back now." Ram looked into her deep eyed, searched them and nodded. His eyes moved to her trembling hands. He slipped his hand into hers, their fingers intertwined for the first time. That slight warmth, those feeble hands kept him going. "You ok?" "Hmm" she replied as her eyes shut close and their feet kept going. They had reached her door.

Ram remembered this door. Every crack, every crease and carving was etched in his mind. He had gone back in time, back when he thought that this woman made people's lives better, back when her brown eyes were deemed motherly and beautiful by him, seven years ago when the nine year old kid he could no longer find within himself was trusting and innocent. He had played this scenario in his head a hundred times, where he did something different but now none of that mattered. Now, he just looked at Atul's hands as they fiddled with the lock, as that man smiled and said, "Today, she will pay for making me into this.

They tiptoed their way into the room. She lay there on the bed, her hands resting over her stomach. Moonlight entered through the window adjacent to her bed. Her face was flooded with the gentle light. The folds around her eyes, her full white head made her seem so at peace; she looked like just another serene grandmother. Atul tapped her shoulders. He had by then, his gloves on and the knife in hand. She opened her eyes and the knife carrying hand loomed over her eyes. Her eyes widened before she shut them tight. Her lips were now moving rapidly murmuring prayers. Atul's eyes widened in excitement, the corners of his mouth tucked up. "This is for my childhood and theirs. This is for the innocence of hundreds you took away." He said as he plunged the knife straight into her heart.

**My dear reader, I love writing stories because they have the power to bring out emotions from people I miles and miles away from me. These words are my happiness and to know that it brought out the slightest emotion out of you would mean the world to me. Maybe it just lifted you lip a tiny bit or made lines appear on your forehead, please let me know for that is the sole purpose of these words. Leave a comment, your thoughts, anything. A vote would mean that you enjoyed reading it. It takes seconds and yet means the world to me, the teenager behind the keyboard