A New India

Chapter 136: Escape

Alfaz had to act fast.

He knew now that the military was deeply involved in something that could once again change the entire region's balance of power, a nuclear test.

If this news leaked, he is sure a war will break out.

But the problem was, he wasn't the only one putting pieces together.

By now, word would have spread through his inquiries, the bribes, and the disappearances of people like Arif and Sajid.

The higher-ups would soon know someone was digging, and that someone would lead back to him.

Sajid's confession confirmed Alfaz's worst fears.

The test was real, and it was imminent. Worse still, powerful forces, foreign scientists and financiers were involved, making this operation far larger than anything Alfaz had ever imagined.

He needed to get this information out, and he needed to do it now.

There was no time to waste.

---

That night, in a cramped apartment, Alfaz sat down at his desk, the dim light of a single bulb casting long shadows on the wall.

In front of him lay a blank sheet of paper and a pen.

Next to it, a small pouch holding Sajid's documents, calculations, schematics, and logistical reports that all but confirmed the nuclear nature of the Chagai project.

He began writing.

Alfaz wrote quickly.

The letter was addressed to a trusted contact in Delhi, someone he knew through back channels, an operative in Indian intelligence.

The contact had no name, just a codename, Prithvi.

They had never met in person, but Alfaz had sent information to Prithvi before, information that had proven useful in the past.

This time, the stakes were higher than ever. The letter detailed everything, Arif's torture, Sajid's confession, the foreign involvement, and the clear signs of nuclear testing in Chagai Hills.

He didn't hold anything back.

The urgency weighed heavily on his chest.

He had to ensure this letter made it out of Pakistan safely.

The military had too many eyes, too many ears.

A direct transmission would be intercepted, so Alfaz couldn't send it through the usual military channels.

Once he finished, he folded the letter carefully and sealed it in an envelope.

The documents he had obtained from Sajid were copied and slipped into a second envelope.

These were the key pieces of evidence that would corroborate everything he was saying.

Taking a deep breath, Alfaz packed the two envelopes into a small diplomatic pouch he had acquired weeks earlier through bribes.

It was the only way to ensure the package could pass through military checkpoints without being opened.

After double-checking that everything was in place, he set out for his contact in Karachi, a low-level airport official who could sneak the pouch onto a diplomatic flight bound for India.

---

The trip to Karachi was tense.

Alfaz knew that the military's surveillance would catch up to him sooner rather than later.

Already, he had noticed more attention on his movements, officers who weren't usually around now seemed to be trailing him.

His phone lines seemed to crackle with the unmistakable sound of someone listening.

He traveled by night, taking a series of public buses to avoid being tracked.

Every stop felt like a gamble.

The roads were long, and every checkpoint felt like a trap.

His nerves were on edge, and paranoia had already begun to set in.

At every checkpoint, Alfaz could see soldiers looking over the passengers with suspicion.

He kept his head down, his forged papers ready.

At one particular checkpoint outside Hyderabad, Alfaz's heart raced as a young soldier examined his papers for what seemed like an eternity.

The soldier squinted at the documents, then at Alfaz's face, before handing them back without a word.

It was a small victory, but Alfaz knew he was cutting it close.

Any further delay would be deadly. Only on m v|le|mp|yr

---

Finally, after what felt like days, Alfaz reached Karachi.

His contact worked the night shift at the airport, managing cargo shipments for diplomatic flights.

He was a quiet man, unassuming, with little interest in politics or intrigue.

But he owed Alfaz a favor, a favor large enough that he wouldn't ask questions.

In the back room of the airport's cargo section, Alfaz met with him.

The man took the diplomatic pouch, glancing at it briefly before nodding.

"This will be on the next flight out. It'll reach Delhi by tomorrow morning."

Alfaz felt a weight lift off his chest.

The information was finally on its way.

But he wasn't safe yet.

---

With the package sent, Alfaz knew he had to disappear.

The military would soon connect the dots, and once they did, they would come for him.

He couldn't return to Rawalpindi. His home, his life, everything was compromised.

His only option now was to run. But where?

He made his way to the outskirts of Karachi, using the last of his contacts to arrange for passage across the border into Afghanistan.

Smugglers in this part of the country were used to ferrying people across borders in secret, no questions asked, so long as the price was right.

Alfaz paid a small fortune, but it was the only way.

---

The journey through the wilderness of Balochistan and into Afghanistan was grueling.

The smuggler's routes were dangerous and unforgiving, narrow passes through desolate mountains, where a single misstep could lead to death.

Alfaz rode in the back of a dusty truck, crammed between crates of smuggled goods, his face covered to shield him from the dry, biting wind.

The truck bounced along rocky paths for hours, the sound of the engine the only constant in the vast emptiness around him.

Every time the truck slowed down, Alfaz's heart raced, fearing the approach of military patrols or border guards.

The smugglers were professionals, but nothing was guaranteed.

---

After what felt like an eternity, the truck finally came to a stop in a remote Afghan village.

The driver turned to Alfaz and gestured for him to get out. "This is where we part ways," he said gruffly.

"From here, you're on your own."

Alfaz nodded and climbed out, his legs stiff from the long journey.

As the truck drove off, leaving a trail of dust in its wake, Alfaz stood alone in the cold Afghan wilderness.

For the first time in weeks, he allowed himself a moment to breathe.

He had escaped Pakistan, but he knew the danger wasn't over.

The information was on its way to Delhi, but the military would be hunting him now.

Alfaz was a marked man, with enemies on every side.

He looked out at the barren landscape, the vast mountains stretching into the distance.

His journey wasn't over, but for now, he had done what needed to be done.

The truth about Chagai Hills would soon reach the world, and maybe, just maybe, it would stop the nuclear test before it was too late.

For now, though, all Alfaz could do was run, and hope that somewhere in the shadows, he would find safety.

As night fell over the Afghan mountains, Alfaz Shaheed disappeared into the darkness, a man who had traded his life for the truth.