Strangely Familiar

"The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine." - Mike Murdock

A few days ago

F-1078 - Rahil Kazmi

Undercover Agent

Suspect of Murder.

Suspended until further notice.

On 14th May of 2001, a Monday, Undercover Rahil Kazmi was found breaking into the Brickstone Mansion. He claimed his arrival was completely professional and it has something to do with his current case. However, the case involved a murder in the South of the city. No known evidence was found inside the Mansion. No action was taken against him.

On 25th September of 2004, a Saturday, Undercover Rahil Kazmi was found breaking into the Brickstone Mansion. He claimed it to be important for his present case. His claims were proved false as the culprit confessed to having no link with the Mansion. Mr. Kazmi though granted a clean slate, received a letter of final warning prohibiting him to use his powers unfairly or for personal purposes.

On 17th March of 2011, a Thursday, Undercover Rahil Kazmi was found breaching the ground of private property of the Brickstone Mansion. There was a sudden disappearance and possible murder of a man in his late thirties. Kazmi’s uninformed, undesired, and suspicious presence makes him a prime suspect. Undercover Kazmi is suspended from his position and taken under custody until further orders.

The case of Murder recorded in the Brickstone Mansion was dismissed as a false alarm and an attempt to deviate the administration from the actual culprit, as nothing was seen out of place and no corpse was found inside the Mansion. The current owner of the place is currently living far away in the Northern part of the country. Undercover Rahil Kazmi is still held as a suspect for wasting the administration’s time, and possibly misleading them. He is suspended, out on bail, and indefinitely banned from the city until further notice. If the Undercover steps as much as a foot inside, he shall be detained, and put behind the bars again for further punishment.

He closed the file and pushed it inside his bag.

Rahil Kazmi, in a long-clad shirt and plain hat with fashionable goggles, slinked into the Chief’s Office, unnoticed, to collect evidence against him. He was always known for his sharp mind, sneaky attitude, imperceptible expressions, and casual behavior. Hence why he was best suited for the role of undercover. He has been top-notch in his job until one day one of his cases urged him back to the same place as Brickstone Mansion and old memories emerged and reignited something in him. Since then, he made it his prime objective to go inside the Mansion at every chance he got but to no avail. His last attempt made him a suspect in a murder, or possible disappearance.

Tomorrow his case will be presented in the Court of Law where he managed to make himself a prime suspect. He wasn’t interested in the case nor was he intending to show up in court.

Having always been a man of logic, he was unable to comprehend the mystery of the Mansion and why his college lover left him for an uncanny place was beyond him. After the fateful night, his life took a sharp turn. His friends advised him to get therapy and move on with his life. Despite countless efforts to normalize his time, a part of his mind was stuck in the place and couldn’t get over it.

With authority, unwilling to listen to his mad tale, yes, they called it a mad tale. Most of them even presumed the incident affected him deeply and that he has lost his sense, and would have taken some action about it sooner if only his performance record hasn’t been extraordinary. He took matters into his own hands and started to bend rules. Though nothing significant reached his sight in his endless search, he ended up collecting information about Shaurya Lomhani, his rule, and his battle with The First Witch from the public library, categorized specifically under fiction.

However, Kazmi knew better than that. He tasted, swallowed, chewed, and even digested every bit of detail like a starving man in an attempt to unveil the mystery of the Mansion.

It was later the very day after he finished reading about Mage and their magical powers, a tornado hit the place creating an uproar, rising panic, and chaos among people. He stole the closest car and drove his way back to the Brickstone Mansion.

This was his best shot and he was not about to lose it.

Halfway across the road, and away from the disastrous coast, two people caught his sight. He wanted to ignore them and drive past to head straight to his destination having already waited enough but the girl jumped in front of the car.

He slammed the brakes hard, cussing loudly. The tires made a screeching sound causing the driver to suffer a massive jerk.

“I’m sorry but no one was stopping by.” The girl murmured an apology as Rahil Kazmi stepped out of the car.

“So you conveniently decided to risk your life?”

“I’m sorry. It’s just we lost our families in the disaster.” The girl’s voice whimpered, ducking her head down in embarrassment and defeat. She was trying hard to keep herself together. “No one is willing to stop and help. Please, can you help us reach the safe zone?”

“The safe zone?” He asked, perplexed. He did not know.

“It was in the news.” The man standing beside her said in a weary voice. “A few hours ago.”

“Stationed at the north to Jumbo Falls, there’s a camp of a bunch of rescuers, providing necessary aid and food.” She replied in a hurry, looking around as people were rushing everywhere like they lost all sense of direction.

“Are you opposed to grand theft auto?” Rahil Kazmi asked with his brows furrowed but holding such a light tone that one would say he appeared entirely at ease despite the prevailing situation. He wanted to frighten the two of them and be off on his way, but little did he know, it made a reverse impact.

“Not at all.”

The boy who was quietly standing beside the girl muttered, a wicked gleam in his tired eyes. It looked like he hasn’t slept the night at all. Rahil Kazmi assumed he just wanted to get out of the eye of the storm.

“Not today,” The girl added in light humor.

A part of him wanted to deny them and leave, but they were so young and did not look anything more than twenty. Deciding against his will, and subduing his dominating urge, he nodded.

“Hop in.”

He could make one exception, he thought. It’s not like Brickstone Mansion is going anywhere.

“Thank you, thank you.” The girl’s voice was filled with gratitude and sincerity as she climbed into the back seat with her friend who occupied the passenger seat. “Oh, and I’m Tia and this is my friend Ayaan.”

Just as Mr. Kazmi was about to step inside the driver’s seat, a gust of heavy wind propelled a sharp disc to slice right at the edge of his arm. He fell in agony as blood spurted out of him, staining his shirt. He crouched on the ground and tried to put pressure on the area using the other hand. Soon after a piece of cloth was wrapped around his arm.

“The news said the storm rolled up the coast.” Tia fought the wind as she got hold of the Older Man.

“Must have rolled back down.” Ayaan said, protecting his eyes from dust.

“We need to find shelter.” Mr. Kazmi said, his expression reflecting pain.

“He’s right. If the tornado approaches this way, we are sitting ducks. Let’s get inside until the strong wind rests. We need a roof over our heads.”

Ayaan yelled in between breaths, a heavy blow of wind crashing his face as he looked around in haste. Locating, he pointed out the nearest shop in front of them and lead the group inside. Rahil Kazmi was grunting in pain, he was unable to walk steadily and was continuously supported by the duo on each side.

Soon after they reached inside the shop only to find it was vacant. Presumably, the workers have already evacuated the place to a safer zone. Ayaan looked around the shop to find something that could help them. Rahil Kazmi’s wound was deep, chances are they affected the artery. He wouldn’t survive if he doesn’t get aid.

Running his hands around boxes of the abandoned shop, shuffling the material inside, his hands gripped a belt, and clutching it within his grip, he quickly ran towards the wounded man and bend down to sit next to him. He could use a belt. It couldn’t be that hard, he thought.

Mr. Rahil Kazmi, in his half dazed saw what the young ones were up to.

“That’s fantastic, Ayaan. A tourniquet can prevent blood loss and any other traumatic injury.” Tia exclaimed as she saw him getting to work.

“Put a clean cloth here and hold it,” he commanded. He put the belt around his arm and over the clean cloth to seal his wound completely before tying it up as tight as he could manage. Ayaan was not a professional but he assumed this was the best he could find.

The victim winced in pain as he saw the blood flow was controlled to an extent though it did not entirely cease. The plan was a complete long shot but it was worth trying, he supposed.

Tia approached the entrance and hooked her gaze outside the door. “It’s still outside.” She turned around and added, “We must leave while we still have a chance.”

“C’mon, Sir, I’ll take you exactly where you want to be,” Ayaan spoke in a low tone, helping to lift him by holding his other arm.

If only Rahil Kazmi weren’t feeling a little disoriented, he would have guarded him with a suspicious look and noticed the perpetuating confidence lingering in his voice. However, his brain couldn’t effectively register his words being heavily clouded by an agonizing experience. He couldn’t process it further, only nodding his head in agreement.

Present time

“Hello, Romeo!”

Rahil Kazmi’s eyes flung open at the whisper. It was her affectionate name for him. Realizing that no one alive knew the word, apart from the man himself, he jerked and jolted up, taking support from the wooden edge of the bed, the quilt hanging to the floor as he looked around haphazardly, trying to adjust his vision. Moving his hand around clumsily, he tried to locate the switch and turned it on. Soon the light spun in a flash bolting across the room.

His heart was beating against his chest, the remnants of which can still be felt inside his ears as light beats roamed around his eardrums.

Wide-eyed, lips parted, the sweat was trailing down his forehead in a relatively chilly room, thanks to air ventilation, the rooms were never warm. Easing his heartbeats, he wore a startled look.

“I trust you are doing well?”

She walked leisurely reaching his bedpost.

He felt his brain unable to register like it was suffering from a minor setback. He couldn’t fathom what was happening around him.

“After all this time,” she proceeded to talk, least affected by the lack of response, and spoke candidly, “one would think you would feel happy to see me.”

“After all this time,” he closed his eyes trying to savor the moment, and whispered for the first time, his voice resounding in his ears. “Am I dreaming?”

“As flattered as I am to know you dream about me.” She chuckled softly, her girlish grin that he remembered so well was back. “I am here to deliver a message.”

He ceased the trance he was in and soared out of the bed. He reached out his hand to touch her and make sure she wasn’t a figment of his continuous imagination but could not dare. His hand dropped by his side only adding layers to his struggle to clear his head.

She smiled and handed him an emerald stone. “Shake it twice within your grip and it will pave your way to His Majesty.”

If he did not know any better, one would say, Mr. Rahil Kazmi, would say he stood there gawking at her. There was so much he wanted to say and ask but silence possessed him as he held his hand out, and felt the weight of the stone on his hand.

“I hope you make the right choice, Rahil.” She gave him a tiny smile.

He saw the air around her changing its form as she started to disappear in front of him. He cried out her name and stepped forward to close the distance where she once stood but nothing caught within his grip.

“No, Shaina.”

It was the last word he yelled and darkness claimed his senses.

He woke up in anxiety even worse than before augmented with uneven breaths. His ears were drumming, syncing with the beats of his heart. It took him good two minutes to calm himself down. It was hard to distinguish if the incident really happened, or if was it just his mind playing tricks on him.

His mind kept calculating the probability until something peculiar crossed his sense. Glancing at his fist that was still clenched with one green stone, he let his free hand examine it determining its shape, and size, peeking at it curiously. Holding it to this eye level, he let the light shine through it.

Sitting down on the bed once more as the memory started to surface, he gulped a glass of water in the hope to renew a sense of vitality, and then proceeded to walk out of the room. He needed to get to the bottom of this.