Shadow venom - The Alchemists of Pain

It was night.A light drizzle still lingered, adding a chill to the air.Dark clouds drifted across the sky, and on the ground, a wide open field echoed with the screeching tires of bikes being spun wildly by the boys of Shadow Venom.

Sometimes a sharp brake on one end, sometimes the squealing rubber on the other — the roar and rhythm filled the night.

Everyone was bruised — someone's arm was bandaged, another had a cloth wrapped around his forehead — but their faces bore peaceful smiles.

Izaan had just returned from the hospital.His shoulder was wrapped, face slightly swollen — but his eyes sparkled.He stood at a distance, watching everyone — like he was living a dream.

And just then...Old memories began to drift before his eyes.

After school, the four friends — Izaan, Aviral, Nirbhay, and Kavin — were trudging wearily back to the hostel.One look at the mess food had already made their brains explode.Paneer that stretched like rubber... half-cooked rice... and rotis soaked in oil... Even a healthy man would drop sick after eating that.

"I'm starving, man..." Kavin groaned, rubbing his belly.

"Junior..." Izaan placed a hand on his shoulder.Kavin had joined school a month late, so Izaan often called him Junior.

"I feel like I'm dying... someone get me a pizza or a burger, please..." Izaan leaned his head on Kavin's shoulder, sighing dramatically.

Suddenly, Nirbhay stopped and his eyes lit up."I've got an idea! What if we sneak out of the hostel? We'll eat real food — fill our bellies and our souls!"

Aviral immediately glared at him —"And what if we get caught? The principal already has high BP thanks to our complaints. If someone sees us outside, they'll call our parents straightaway. Then say goodbye to pizza and your future."

Kavin crinkled his nose."Oh shut up, scaredy-cat! You're just afraid of your dad... I'm not!"

Aviral raised his brows and shot back —"Yeah? But you're still scared of your mom, right? Mama's boy!"

"I'm going. Who else is with me?" Nirbhay raised his hand.Izaan and Kavin instantly did the same.All three stared at Aviral — and after a moment of hesitation, he raised his hand too.

They all hugged him shouting —"You're our bro, man!"

"Alright, hurry up... we don't want to be seen by anyone," Aviral said.

A little while later, all four were seated at a corner table in KFC —In front of them were steaming Zinger burgers, pizza slices, french fries, and bottles of cold drinks.Their eyes sparkled like prisoners who'd escaped solitary confinement.

"Yummyyy…" Kavin said, dragging out the word as he licked cheese off his fingers.

"Behave, Kavin! People are watching," Aviral scolded, sticking to his usual etiquette police role.

Kavin glared at him."Shut up, Mr. Clean-Freak. One life and you won't even let me enjoy it."

They were just starting to dig in, when suddenly — a few boys came and sat at their table without asking.

Before the four could say anything, the newcomers handed their order to the waiter and comfortably made themselves at home.

Nirbhay, clearly irritated, said —"Hey, who are you guys? There's so much space, go sit somewhere else... no one likes uninvited guests."

One of the boys snarled —"We're not going anywhere. What are you gonna do about it?"His tone was outright threatening.

Izaan tried to calm things down —"Look, we don't want trouble. Just find another table. We were here first."

But just then, another boy snapped —"Big talk for such a tiny guy! Do you even know who we are?"

He grabbed his own collar and declared —"We're members of Gang of Hell, got it? So zip it and sit tight, or things will get ugly."

The moment that name was mentioned, the four friends froze.

They'd heard all about them — the fear, the cruelty, the dominance.They'd seen it in school.And now it felt like those shadows were following them everywhere.

One of the boys walked up to Izaan's chair and placed a hand on his neck.

"Listen up, kid. Our boss says you're joining Gang of Hell."

Izaan brushed his hand away and asked —"Why me?"

Another boy replied —"Because our boss likes your guts."

Right then, their order arrived.The boys tore into their food like nothing had happened.

After eating, as they got up to leave, one of them turned and said —"Hope you heard that, kid... see you at 10 PM tonight. Behind the school grounds. Or else..."

He left the threat hanging in the air, smirked, and walked out with the others.

As they left, the three friends turned toward Izaan.

He sat there silently, dragging his finger across the cold drink can —Like his thoughts were frozen in place.

When it was time for the bill, all four of them were left absolutely stunned.

All those Gang of Hell boys had charged their own bills under Izaan's name and walked out!

Without blinking an eye, the waiter slammed the entire bill on their table.

Kavin shouted in disbelief —"What kind of joke is this? This is daylight robbery!"

Nirbhay held his head and groaned —"We only had two burgers... why are we paying for a ten-person feast?"

Aviral, who'd been playing the role of the sensible one until now, gritted his teeth and muttered —"Those Gang of Hell guys shook up the whole KFC and dumped the bill on our heads... we're screwed, man."

Izaan took a deep breath and said —"Everyone, give whatever you can… or we'll end up washing dishes tonight."

The four of them began digging through their pockets.

They pulled out a handful of coins, some crumpled notes, and even a few old metro cards.

One of them handed over the lunch money his mom had given, another spent his next week's allowance in advance.

"The bill's paid," Izaan said, looking at the receipt."Now the real stress is that 10 PM meeting."

All four muttered in unison —"We're so screwed, man..."

The playful expressions were gone from their faces now.Reality had caught up.