CHRISTOPHER — EPISODE 4

Christopher — Episode 4

Written by Kingson

[ The entire land fell silent.

Even the wind seemed afraid to move.

Michael’s hand remained locked around the police officer’s wrist while the frightened child stood behind him trembling. Around them, villagers watched in complete shock.

Nobody had ever touched the police before.

Not here.

Not and survived.

The officer groaned in pain.

“L-let go—”

Michael slowly released him.

The officer stumbled backward immediately, furious and humiliated.

“You bastard!”

He reached for his gun.

But before he could pull it—

“STOP.”

The voice came from Laxman.

The officer froze instantly.

Laxman stepped forward calmly, fixing his sleeve while studying Michael with quiet amusement.

“You move fast,” he said.

Michael stayed silent.

Laxman smiled faintly.

“And brave too.”

Father Joseph quickly stepped between them.

“Inspector, he meant no disrespect. The child was frightened—”

Laxman raised a hand.

“No no… let him speak for himself.”

His eyes never left Michael.

For several long seconds, nobody moved.

Then finally—

Michael spoke.

“He hurt the boy.”

Simple.

Direct.

The crowd looked nervous immediately.

Even Sakhare stared carefully at Michael now.

Nobody talked to Laxman this casually.

Nobody.

But instead of anger—

Laxman laughed softly.

“You know what I like about outsiders?”

Silence.

“They don’t understand fear yet.”

His smile slowly faded.

“But they always learn.”

The threat settled heavily over the crowd.

Father Joseph’s hands tightened nervously.

He could already feel disaster coming.

Then suddenly—

An old man from Evid Village stepped forward emotionally.

“We are tired of this!” he shouted.

All eyes turned toward him.

The old man pointed at the police angrily.

“You take our lands! Our crops! Our money!”

Gasps spread instantly.

His wife tried pulling him back in terror.

“Stop! Please!”

But years of suffering had finally broken him.

“We live like beggars while monsters like you feast on our blood!”

Laxman’s expression became empty.

Cold.

Without warning—

One of the officers struck the old man hard across the face with a rifle.

The man collapsed into the mud.

Women screamed.

Children cried.

Michael’s fists clenched immediately.

But Father Joseph grabbed his arm quietly.

“Not now,” he whispered urgently.

Michael looked at him sharply.

Joseph’s eyes were filled with fear.

“If you fight them here… people will die.”

Michael slowly forced himself still.

Meanwhile, Laxman crouched beside the injured old man calmly.

“You know the problem with poor people?”

The villagers stood frozen.

“You mistake suffering for importance.”

He stood back up slowly.

“This land now belongs to the government until further notice.”

Shock spread everywhere.

“No!”

“You can’t do that!”

“This is our home!”

Laxman ignored them completely.

His eyes shifted toward the mountain in the distance.

Toward Demon Mountain.

For just a moment—

Something strange crossed his face.

Almost greed.

Then it disappeared.

“Clear this area within three days,” he ordered.

“And if anyone refuses…”

He looked back at the crowd.

“…they disappear.”

The police jeeps started again moments later.

Mud splashed across frightened villagers as the convoy drove away.

But before leaving—

Laxman looked at Michael one final time.

And smiled.

Not friendly.

Interested.

As though he had finally discovered something worth playing with.

—

The moment the police disappeared, chaos exploded.

People shouted angrily.

Women cried openly.

Some blamed Evid Village.

Others blamed Aelm.

The fighting almost began again.

Until—

“ENOUGH!”

This time it was Sakhare.

Her voice cut through the noise sharply.

“You still don’t understand?!”

Tears burned in her eyes.

“While you fight each other… they take everything!”

Nobody answered.

Because deep down—

Everyone knew she was right.

Sakhare pointed toward the disputed land.

“You want a temple.”

Then toward Evid Village.

“You want a church.”

Finally she pointed toward the crying children nearby.

“But they need food. Safety. Education.”

Silence spread slowly.

Father Joseph lowered his head quietly.

For the first time—

Even some villagers looked ashamed.

Michael watched Sakhare carefully from a distance.

There was anger in her voice.

But also pain.

Real pain.

Not performance.

Not acting.

And somehow…

That made him remember Rebecca again.

Rebecca also spoke like that sometimes.

Fearlessly.

Even when she shouldn’t have.

The memory darkened his expression instantly.

Sakhare noticed.

“You keep disappearing,” she said quietly while walking toward him.

Michael frowned slightly.

“What?”

“Your eyes.”

She stood beside him.

“Sometimes you’re here.”

Then softly—

“Sometimes you’re somewhere else.”

Michael looked away.

The last person who understood him that quickly…

Had died years ago.

“You talk too much,” he muttered.

Sakhare smiled faintly.

“And you hide too much.”

Before Michael could answer—

A loud bell echoed from the church.

Villagers turned immediately.

A young boy came running down the road terrified.

“Father Joseph!”

The priest hurried forward.

“What happened?”

The boy struggled to breathe.

“They burned it…”

Fear spread instantly.

“What burned?”

The boy pointed toward the farms near the forest.

“Our crops…”

Gasps filled the air.

People began running immediately.

Michael followed silently behind.

Smoke rose heavily into the sky by the time they reached the farms.

Fields of crops burned violently beneath the afternoon wind.

Years of hard work disappeared in flames.

Women collapsed crying.

Men screamed helplessly.

Children held each other in fear.

Father Joseph stared at the fire in horror.

“This wasn’t an accident…”

Michael crouched near the edge of the field.

Examining footprints.

Boot marks.

Several people.

Organized.

Deliberate.

His eyes narrowed slowly.

Then he found something half-buried in mud beside the crops.

A police badge.

Burned slightly by the fire.

Michael picked it up silently.

And for the first time since arriving—

His anger became personal.

Far away…

Inside a dark police station office…

Laxman sat calmly drinking tea while flames reflected across the window behind him.

One officer spoke nervously.

“Sir… what if the villagers suspect us?”

Laxman smiled faintly.

“Good.”

The officer looked confused.

Laxman leaned back comfortably.

“Fear grows best when people lose hope.”

Then slowly—

He looked toward Demon Mountain outside the distant window.

“And soon…”

His smile deepened.

“…they’ll leave the land willingly.”

The room fell silent.

Because every officer there understood one thing.

This was never about villages.

Never about religion.

Never about peace.

Something far bigger was hidden beneath the mountain.

And men were willing to kill for it.

]

END OF EPISODE 4

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