In 2019, Out of New Delhi . . . DEVOURED

. . . He listened carefully to the voices and heard Jairaj ask someone to hold his gun, possibly to take a turn stomping Rudraksha before dispensing the inevitable death to both of them. Rudraksha wriggled his right hand inward, in the direction of the voice, needing to be certain the gun rested on the ground directly underneath the gangster’s head. It occurred to him, oddly, in this orientation, the weapon would remain dry. Jairaj himslef offered encumbrance to the trajectories of any drops trickling downward from the sky. All that came between the welkin and a bullet fired perpendicular to the Earth would be the head of the indefatigable vanquisher of Thar. If things proceeded as Rudraksha surmised, Jairaj’s myth of invincibility would forever be shattered . . .