C46 The Case That Shouldn’t Exist

The next morning began with a strange sound outside the house.

“Moooo.”

Aisha slowly opened one eye.

“Moooo.”

She groaned and buried her face deeper into the pillow.

“Arjun…”

From the other side of the bed, Arjun’s sleepy voice came.

“…What.”

“Your girlfriend is outside.”

He blinked awake.

“What?”

“Moooo.”

They both froze.

Arjun sat up immediately.

“Oh no.”

Aisha pushed herself up, hair messy, blanket still wrapped around her shoulders.

“Please tell me that’s not—”

“Moooo.”

They both rushed to the window.

Standing proudly outside the gate was the same brown cow from yesterday.

Calm.

Patient.

Clearly waiting.

Aisha burst out laughing.

“Oh my god she came back!”

Arjun rubbed his face.

“I fed her once.”

“Congratulations,” Aisha said proudly. “You’ve been adopted.”

The cow mooed again.

Arjun sighed.

“This is harassment.”

Aisha leaned against the window frame, watching him.

“You should feed her again.”

“No.”

“She walked all the way here.”

“Still no.”

The cow mooed louder.

Aisha looked at him innocently.

“She’s calling you.”

Arjun groaned.

Five minutes later he was outside feeding the cow another small piece of jaggery while Aisha watched from the balcony, laughing like it was the greatest entertainment she had ever seen.

“You’re encouraging her!” he called up.

“Her name is Lakshmi now,” Aisha replied proudly.

“It is not.”

Lakshmi mooed again.

Aisha clapped.

“See? She agrees.”

—

Later that morning they headed toward the hospital again.

Lakshmi followed them halfway down the street before finally wandering toward a nearby field.

“Traitor,” Arjun muttered.

Aisha grinned.

“She’ll be back.”

“I hope not.”

But as they reached the hospital entrance, Arjun’s expression slowly changed.

A familiar black SUV stood parked near the side of the building.

The same one.

The one from yesterday.

His jaw tightened slightly.

He glanced around.

Two unfamiliar men stood near the vehicle speaking quietly.

Aisha noticed the change in his face.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he replied calmly.

But his eyes had already begun scanning the area.

Inside the hospital Aisha went straight to work while Arjun sat in his usual corner with the laptop open.

Except this time he wasn’t looking at maps.

He was watching the hospital entrance.

Every person who walked in.

Every vehicle that passed.

After about thirty minutes, two men entered the hospital carrying a long metal case.

Arjun’s eyes locked onto it instantly.

The same type he had seen yesterday.

The men walked toward the back corridor of the hospital.

Not the wards.

Not the patient area.

The storage side.

Arjun quietly closed his laptop.

Stood up.

And followed.

He kept enough distance to avoid being obvious.

The corridor they entered was old and dimly lit.

Mostly used for storage rooms and maintenance.

The men stopped near a metal door at the end of the hall.

One of them knocked twice.

The door opened slightly.

Someone inside pulled the case in quickly.

Then the door shut.

Arjun stopped at the corner.

What the hell is going on…

He waited.

Listened.

But everything went silent.

A few minutes later the two men walked back out of the corridor casually and left the hospital.

Arjun remained still.

Something about that room bothered him.

He waited until the hallway was empty.

Then slowly walked toward the metal door.

There was no sign on it.

Just a small rusted lock and faded paint.

He gently tried the handle.

Unlocked.

The door creaked softly as he pushed it open.

Inside the room were several wooden crates stacked along the walls.

Medical supply boxes.

At least that’s what they looked like.

But something about them felt… wrong.

Arjun stepped inside.

He moved toward the nearest crate and slowly lifted the lid.

Inside—

Long metal cases.

The exact same ones he had seen earlier.

His pulse quickened.

He opened one carefully.

For a moment he simply stared.

Then his expression hardened.

Inside the case was a neatly arranged row of firearms.

Brand new.

Illegal military-grade rifles.

Arjun immediately closed the lid.

His mind was racing now.

Weapons… inside a hospital?

This wasn’t small-time smuggling.

This was serious.

Very serious.

He stepped back quietly and closed the room door again.

At that exact moment—

“Arjun?”

He turned quickly.

Aisha stood at the other end of the corridor.

Holding a patient file.

Looking confused.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

For a brief second his mind went blank.

Then he walked toward her calmly.

“Looking for the washroom.”

She blinked.

“The washroom is the other direction.”

He nodded casually.

“Good to know.”

She narrowed her eyes slightly.

“You’re acting weird today.”

“Am I?”

“Yes.”

Before she could question further, a loud voice echoed from the hospital entrance.

Someone shouting.

Then another voice.

Angry.

A nurse rushed down the corridor toward them.

“Doctor Aisha!”

“What happened?” Aisha asked immediately.

“There’s a fight outside the hospital!”

Aisha hurried toward the entrance.

Arjun followed.

Outside the hospital gate several men were arguing loudly.

Two vehicles stood parked awkwardly near the road.

And among the crowd—

Arjun recognized one of the men from earlier.

The same group.

The man glanced toward Arjun.

For just a second their eyes met.

Recognition flashed across his face.

The man said something quickly to the others.

Then all of them got into the vehicle and sped away.

Arjun stood still.

Something in his chest told him one thing clearly.

They knew.

Someone knew he had seen something.

Beside him, Aisha watched the departing vehicle curiously.

“Village drama,” she sighed.

But Arjun’s eyes remained fixed on the road.

Because now he knew something she didn’t.

The hospital she worked in every day…

Was hiding a weapons smuggling operation.

And somehow—

He had just walked straight into it.