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Chapter 1: The Slayer
They call me Aayush Bhatkar. On the surface, I'm just another teenager going to an average school, getting average grades, living an average life. Nothing special, nothing remarkable. You'd probably walk past me on the street and never look back.
But that's only one side of me.
When the sun sets, and the shadows stretch longer, a different version of me awakens. A name whispered in the underworld. A name most fear.
The Slayer.
They gave me that name. I didn't ask for it. But I earned it.
You see, while others my age are cramming for exams or texting their friends, I'm out there—taking down the scum of the city. My mission? Eradicate every last gangster that infects this city like a disease. My current body count? 396. Four short of four hundred. Still think I'm average?
Tonight's target is a kidnapping case. I'm on a rescue mission—someone important was taken. My partner, Sanjay, is in my earpiece, feeding me live data from our scanner tech.
"Yo, Slayer, you close?" he asks.
"Approaching the site. How many targets?"
"Six heat signatures—maybe more inside the mansion. Be careful. The place is rigged with motion sensors."
"I like a little challenge," I mutter, tightening my grip on my twin retractable sticks. I pull my hood over my head and press a button on my belt—camouflage mode on. Like a ghost, I slip past the fence and approach the abandoned mansion.
Cracked windows, rusted gates, weeds choking the once-elegant path—this place reeks of secrets and blood.
I kick the front door open. Hard. The old wood groans and shatters inward. Four men stand near the staircase, startled. One of them—probably the leader—grins with a twisted confidence.
"Heh. Only one kid? You're in over your head," he sneers.
"Only four? Heh. You are," I respond coldly.
I flick a shard of glass from my glove and toss it. It slices across one thug's face, blinding him. I rush forward, duck low, and drive a stick into another man's gut. A scream. I twist. Swing. Another falls, his head cracking against the wall.
Three down. One remains—the leader.
He draws a knife, slashing wildly. Amateur move.
I spin, block, parry—and sweep his legs. He crashes down, gasping for breath. I place a foot on his chest and lean in.
"Where's the hostage?" I growl.
He stays silent. I press harder. He spits at me.
Wrong move.
Sanjay's voice buzzes in my ear. "Back room. Heat signature's isolated."
I head deeper into the mansion, leaving the leader to groan in pain. A wooden door creaks open to reveal a small boy tied to a chair. His face is bruised, but his eyes hold fire.
I toss my sticks aside and approach slowly.
"You okay?" I ask.
He nods weakly.
Just then, the leader stumbles in behind me. He growls, "You think it's over?"
He charges. I meet him halfway. Bare fists.
His punch is slow—I grab his wrist and twist, slamming him to the ground. My boot lands on his face. Silence.
"Bye," I whisper.
I untie the boy. He gasps, breathing hard. "Th-thank you…"
Sanjay walks in. "All clear. What about the bodies?"
Before I can answer, the boy suddenly jerks up, eyes wide with panic.
"Run! Now!"
A high-pitched beep. My instincts flare. I grab the boy and yell, "MOVE!"
We dive as an explosion rips through the mansion behind us, lighting the night sky.
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[Chapter 1 Ends]