Chapter 1

Start Note

This series is for readers who felt that the earlier ones were short of length. 'The Last Second' is the translated version of Tamil Novel "Kadaisi Theekkuchi" by Rajesh Kumar and runs to 50 chapters. This is again going to be another science fiction.
You are free to follow this in the FB page SDs Narratives.

The Beginning

It was 12:30 AM and the December rains were relentlessly drenching the suburb area for hours together.  The police booth on the state highway, like any other day, looked gloomy. A couple of electric bulbs in the booth did not help much as they were covered with thick dust. The check post was the brightest area at the moment in the 10km radius.

Senior cop Velu, who was seated with his legs stretched on a table was enjoying a Tik Tok video in his mobile. Constable Mohan was his companion for the night. They duos were in uniforms and the first half were covered with sweaters as the cold constantly tried to pierce into their bodies. The walkie-talkie on the desk screamed at frequent intervals. Mohan stood up from his seat and walked towards the cupboard in the corner of the room. He took a flask and kept it on the table.

Mohan turned to Velu and asked, “Sir… Tea??”

Velu, without moving his eyes away from his mobile replied, “hmmm” in affirmation.

Mohan took couple of glasses and filled those with tea. Just then, the landline phone on the table rang. Velu without moving away from his position signaled, “Mohan…”

“Will check sir”

Mohan walked to the phone and attended the call.

“Hello?”

“Sir… This is Maari.. The railway guard of the Athipalayam level crossing”

“oh.. Hold on”

Mohan turned to Velu and said, “Sir.. Maari on the line “

Velu’s eyes moved away from his phone and turned to Mohan.

“Hmm...it is going to be a busy night “

Mohan continued his phone conversation.

“Go ahead Maari… What made you call us this late? Any problem?”

“I will leave it to you to decide whether it is a problem. Shall I continue?”

 “Oh ya “

“A few minutes back, I closed the level crossing gate as an Express train has to cross the gate. A Van rushed towards the gate expecting to cross before I close it, but couldn’t. The Van driver stopped the van before the gate and walked to me along with his companion. The driver asked me as how long does it take to open the gate. I told him that it would be anytime between 10 to 15 minutes. The other guy took a 500 Rupee currency from his pocket, handed it to me and asked me to open the gate as they have an emergency. I replied that I cant do so as I have to stick to the procedure”

“And??”

“The driver took a couple of 2000 Rupee currencies, thrusted into my hands and asked me to open the gate. I was astonished by his action.”

“What did you do?”

“As they didn’t give me a valid reason, I had to suspect their intention. I responded that the closed gates will not open until the train crosses. They argued couple of minutes and I gave the same response. By that time, a few more vehicles lined up in the queue. They had to abruptly stop the argument and went back to their van. Now it is over to you. I suspect something fishy. Once I open the gate, those vehicles should cross your point. Hope you will take care”

“Ok.. Do you know what type of van is it?”

“It is blue coloured.. not sure which model..”

“Did you note down the registration number?”

“As it was dark, I could see only the first digit.. it is ‘8’ “

“OK.. We will deal with it. Thanks for the information”

“and sir… ?”

“Yes… “

“If they happen to be rogues or criminals, hope you wont reveal my name”

“Not at all.. This is not the first time. You have helped us in the past a few times which has ended up in arresting a few criminals. We haven’t revealed your name anytime. So, don’t worry about that. In this case, the folks in the van has not given a valid reason to open the door. Now, leave it to us.. we will take care”

 “Ok sir”

“One last thing.. How were those fellas?”

“They were young.. may be around 25 to 30 years.. Though they were dressed in formals, I have reasons to suspect them”

“Ok Thanks Maari… We will take care of the rest.. Good night”

The call was disconnected and Mohan took couple of minutes to narrate the details of the conversation.

Velu, after listening to Mohan said, “Something is wrong with those folks… Have you got all the details”

“Yes I did”

“Ok then”

Velu and Mohan emptied the tea glass and came out of the booth. Mohan pulled down the thick bamboo gate and blocked the road.

The rain had slowed down to drizzles by then. Still, Mohan and Velu took the cover of an umbrella. In the next few minutes, they could see headlights of vehicles approaching.

“Mohan!!! Let the two wheelers and the cars pass. Stop the van.”

“Ok sir”

Once the vehicles reached the barricade, they slowed down and stopped. Mohan let the two wheelers and a car. Then came the van and Mohan stopped it. The driver of the Van peeped out.

“Sir??”

“Park the van to your left away from the road”

“Why sir?”

“What do you have inside the van?”

“Water Cans. Do you like to check the invoice?”

“Not now… Park the van to your left. “

The driver and his companion looked at each other. The driver said, “Sir… We have to deliver these water cans for a marriage early morning. It is not the right time to harass us”

“We don’t want to hear anything now… Open the back door”

“Sir…But..”

“What?”

“The water cans are lined up and packed tight. If we open the backdoor, it might fall out.. It would be another headache for us to get it in order again”

“I want you to get down first and open the door right away. We don’t want to hear any nonsense from you anymore”

The driver took a couple of currencies from his pocket, handed it to Mohan and said, “Hope you are expecting this… Can you let us go?”

Mohan smiled at him and turned to Velu.

“Sir… This guy is trying to bribe.. “

Velu said, “Pull those guys out and seize the van… Let us find out what they are up to”

As they were talking, the Van’s engine roared and began to move.

Mohan noticed it and screamed, “Hey.. you.. stopppp.. “

In the next couple of seconds, it picked up speed and dashed the bamboo gate. As expected, the bamboo gate broke into a few pieces and the van passed over.

Velu, who was watching, screamed, “Mohan… Come on… They shouldn’t get away.. “

Mohan and Velu jumped into the SUV parked near the booth. Mohan drove the car it zipped through the state highway following the van.