| |
While the police officers were rushing to prepare for an incoming attack, fetching their weapons and bulletproof armor, Arjun began to take charge, as he had been trained to do.
“As you say, Sir,” he said in a heavy voice to the commissioner, holding the phone to his ear.
“The president has sent the enforcement. It will arrive in half an hour. Until then, you must control the situation.”
The line disconnected. Arjun set the phone back to the base and, walking toward the exit, spoke aloud, addressing all the officers waiting for his direction, his voice full of seriousness. “Get ready. Spread everywhere in the city, and shoot on sight. Other police officers are on the way.”
Arjun charged out of the door. With the exception of the two guards at the entrance, all the officers rushed out of the station after him with their guns secured in the holsters attached to their waists. All wore helmets with lights to have a clear vision in the darkness of the storm.
As the officers rushed into their Jeeps, Rahul, Elisa, and Banjeet went back to theirs. “No one is allowed near the desert,” Arjun shouted over to them as they made to climb in. “We’re going to move all the nearby residents somewhere safe.” He paused only for a second. “We also have an order to shoot on sight, as the situation seems to be critical, and we won’t be able to see properly because of all that sand whirling around.”
Without wasting any more time, Arjun commanded the police driver to leave, and he pulled the Jeep out of the parking space and accelerated away, rushing toward the desert and toward the evil force.
Rahul, Banjeet, and Elisa didn’t dare follow for one reason: if Dansh, or any other of the evils, captured them or even possessed them, Arjun Rawat or any other officer would shoot them.
On the outskirts of the desert, only a meter away, the locals in their houses and stores were quivering in horror, hearing the ear-piercing sounds of the evils. Many police Jeeps from all manner of police stations had gathered, their sirens on, alerting everyone that law enforcement was there to protect them. Police officers got out of their Jeeps and stood around the street, holding their guns, securing the place.
Arjun’s Jeep stopped ahead of the other vehicles near a towering building with twenty stories at the corner of one-way street before the complex of about ten to fifteen apartment blocks started. He got out of the car, walked a few steps forward, and scanned the buildings and deserted road, his vision shifting from one building to the next, taking in the complex. And then, through a mic, over the commotion of the evils’ heart-wrenching screaming, he announced in a booming voice, “We all know this is a tough time for all of us. Based on classified information, we have perceived that this is an evil force moving toward us. However, we promise to keep you safe. Our duty is to protect you all. We only need you to cooperate with us.”
Arjun lowered the mic and stood for a while. He was hoping and waiting for the inhabitants to leave.
After a few seconds, people began coming out of their houses. Arjun waited for a minute longer, scanning the towering building and the small apartments nearby. Yet, only about ninety people were around him. It seemed as if the rest of the residents had refused to come out, staying at home, believing they were safe inside.
“We have an order to shoot on sight,” he continued, speaking into the mic once more. “Once the evil force reaches here, as well as the enforcement of trained commanders, we’ll have to kill everyone we find in this area.” Arjun didn’t want to say this because he didn’t want to scare people—people were already frightened—but it was for everyone’s safety. He needed the residents to understand the graveness of the situation. “Our mission is to keep everyone safe and alive. Yet, if you fail to cooperate with us, I’m afraid you will most likely die. The sand in the air prevents us from seeing clearly, so we can’t guarantee your safety. We will need to shoot everything that moves.”
At this, people rushed out of the buildings, sobbing in panic and terror. The road was now a loud commotion, not only with the sound of evils screeching but also the humans’ painful cries.
The evils were only about two to three miles away. Arjun and the other police officers saw about twenty trucks moving toward them. These were each full of fifty commanders. Arjun ordered these police officers to move all the people to a secure place and return ASAP.
The police officers began to take the civilians further back from the desert in their jeeps.
When they had moved about a mile away from the enforcement, all the jeeps halted. From here, the people would have to walk themselves.
“Come on! Hurry Up!” shouted the police officers, some getting out of their Jeeps. “We don’t have enough time. Rush!”
Everyone exited the vehicles in a hurry.
When they began to move, the police officers climbed back in their Jeeps and turned around, heading back toward the desert.
On the front line, all the commanders stood ahead of the police officers, as directed by Aarav Singh, their commander-in-chief. Aarav Singh was a tall, masculine thirty-five-year-old guy in a black uniform, wearing an open face balaclava, thigh guard over his jacket, sunglasses over his helmet, and a knee guard over his pants. He was now discussing a plan with Arjun via walkie talkie to make sure everyone was ready to follow his orders.
