For he who sheds his blood with me today, shall be my brother...

"Gather all my Men, General ", said the prince with a tone of finality to his most trusted of the men. "All gather around ! All men gather ! for the prince wishes to have words with you o brave soldiers of Gederland", roared the general's voice in the otherwise quiet forest. All the soldiers gathered around the boulder that prince Ulrich was standing on.

"Our position in the battle is not hidden from you o brave men. We are heavily outnumbered and surrounded by the enemy forces on three sides. I see just two paths from here. Either we fight and perish or we retreat and live the rest of our lives in shame ! What shall it be?? Tell me my men ! For you have fought with such gallance and bravery that it would dwarf the deeds of the gods themselves ! I wish to hear from ye ! "

"FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT !", boomeranged the voices of the soldiers as they shouted in unison.

"Very well ! I had expected none less from you brave souls. We fight today , we fight for our lands. Lands that our forefathers have walked on. We fight for the lands that have nurtured our families for generations. We fight today for everything that we believe in. I fight today to redeem my pledge to my nation and my Father. You shall fight today for your sons and their sons and many more generations of Gederland which shall walk these lands as free men. For every drop of blood that we shed today, thousands of our men and women shall remember us. They will remember us as a few brave men who stood against tyranny. They shall remember us as few who stood against many and did not retreat, not even in the face of certain death. Behold for you are to become a part of legends and folklores as few brave men who laid down their lives so that their people could live without fear.Yes, true words I speak. None of us shall return to the comfort of our homes today, for we fight for something greater, something more important. We fight for our freedom and the freedom of our people ! And what greater honour for us than to die as free men fighting on the batlle field . It has been an honor to have fought by your side and it shall be a greater honor to have dies by yours, o brave men ! For he who sheds his blood with me today, shall be my brother..."

CBI Chronicles - I

He sat thinking on a bench in the park, right behind the tree. This hid him from the people's view. Not that anyone would see him at this time in the night. But the paranoia inside him always made him extra aware and extra careful even when doing most trivial of the chores. He thrived on anonymity. It was like nutrition for his psyche. Even the slightest hints of recognition from people unnerved him and he quickly disappeared when confronted with such situations. The condo in which he lived had no tell tale signs of occupation. He bought everything on his own from the super market. He didn't even have a newspaper subscription. He though it would attract unnecessary attention if he went out for a few days and the newspapers kept accumulating. Such was the meticulousness of his thoughts.

His sense of awareness was at its most heightened state. It was the first time that he had committed a mistake and now he feared being discovered. His victim had escaped. He cursed himself for not being extra careful while handling her. He chewed onto his lips as he got up and walked at a frantic pace looking around for the girl. The taste of blood inside his mouth had a therapeutic effect on him. It calmed him. He chewed the inside of his lips even harder, the pain and the fear made him feel mortal. He took the right from the park's exit. "Think, where could she have gone in such a state.", he told himself. He had made shallow cuts all over her legs with the special blades he had himself created. Earlier, the State Police Department had found bodies of two victims on separate occasions. Both were girls in their twenties. The autopsy had revealed the cause of death due to extreme blood loss and trauma. The common thing between them was that their whole body had shallow cuts, which were made in a particular fashion. Almost art like.

Along with the bodies the police had also found similar kind of notes, the one with the last victim read;

"To what people call the end, I call it just the beginning,
  The lives worthless, have ended in glory,
  For vain bodies have been converted into pieces of art,
 And this be just the beginning, and the morgue's will be full in no time.
 For soon, I shall give the world my next masterpiece."
   -- divinus artificem
  
In the meanwhile, back at the bureau Special Agent Melissa Rovers flipped the note over and over. Something was gravely wrong here she felt. Just then Agent Vincent knocked at her cabin door.
"Boss, I think you will want to take a look at this. The surveillance department just found something. And they believe it might be connected with the twin murders."


...to be continued...

The Dark Night !

Its dark...My eyes try to align themselves to the sudden dearth of light...Ears already numb from the sudden and severe attack of tunes. I see a swarm of bodies, swaying and gyrating to the thumping of the beats. The social recluse inside me resents the sight of so many people. But nevertheless, I push and shove to find a place to stand. All around me I see people high on music and alcohol and some of the more adventurous ones have taken their share of dope. For a man who achieves his highs from meditation and pranayams (breathing exercises), this world is alien.


The energy inside the packed room is palpable. Its Saturday, after all. After working so hard throughout the week all people want to do is get rid of their frustration and anger. The absence of lights is soothing, the anonymity almost cathartic, the music overwhelming. Its a recipe to wash away your woes, and people don't mind paying the price. This whole crowd resembles one big organism, trying to find its way. I see feet moving and hands waving all around. I feel lost. Absence of alcohol inside me makes things worse. I don't feel light like others, and the constant intake of red bull has only heightened my awareness. I concentrate on the music, it indeed is good. The heavy beats give it an almost trance like feeling. My mind finally feels at peace, drowning in the music I have found my high. My feet start moving and I too feel overwhelmed now. Though the absence of spirits in my veins is a dampener, but I feel better.


As the music reaches a crescendo, the crowd experiences a collective orgasm. The music has stopped, the people are tired but still they want more. The synchronised swaying gives way to cacophonous and distorted rumbling.


I too make my way out. All around me, I see a variety of faces. But the one thing common between them is contentment. They all seem exhausted, but happy at the same time. Who said you couldn't catch a glimpse of Ecstasy for a price. Sure you can !