However good we may be, there is always someone better than us. We all know that in our minds, but, refrain to acknowledge.

It was the same for Asher. 

He thought that his plan was an omniscient one with a room for no flaws at all. Although, it was the best solution that he has found but the stern truth still remains," Nothing can really be the best, there is always something better than the best."

And Asher was about to be hit by the harsh reality.

[ Central Market Complex, Inside a shop in a desolate alley ]

Thinking of making a little more money while he was at it, Asher sold his desktop to a second hand buyer. 

Just to make sure of the fact that nothing useful can really be discovered by the people, who were following him, he kept the internals of the CPU with himself.

That way, when they finally reach the shop while tracing his tracks, they were sure to hit another dead end.

After getting the message that the car he booked earlier has reached the location, Asher changed into formal wear inside the shop and headed out with his luggage and the pizza boxes he stole.

As he neared the car, Asher spoke in an abrupt manner," Yoo dude! let's go, let's go. Man! I'm already five minutes behind the clock."

A little startled, the driver replied while turning towards Asher," Huh! Ooh! you booked it? The verification..."

As he was placing his luggage, Asher suddenly interrupted the driver mid-sentence, saying,"625#00"

Closing the door as he sat, he spoke in a single breath," Old railway lines, hurry!"

Starting the car, the driver asked," Bro, what the rush?"

While taking his phone out from his pocket, Asher answered," Dude, if you don't want your bro here to get single by tonight, then hurry up."

Looking at the interior rear view mirror, the driver making a smug face responded, bubbling with enthusiasm," Aah! bro's on a date. But what's with all that baggage?"

Asher :" No dear, your bro's late for the date.

As for the baggage, when someone runs straight from preschool to part-time and from part-time to date, hehe...., that someone is always carrying a baggage."

The car jerked a little as the driver suddenly accelerated. The phone fell from Asher's hand as a result.

As Asher dunked under the seat, the driver asked," What's wrong?"

" My phone fell down.", a voice came from under his backseat.

While he kept searching, Asher thought to himself," Damn! The whole road is flooded with cameras, it seems I won't be getting up anytime soon before I reach my destination."

Driver :" Did you find it?"

Asher :" Nay! No luck yet."

[ After half an hour ]

Asher :" Gotcha!"

Driver :" You found it, good, it seems we have reached our destination too."

Asher :" What's your name bro?"

Driver :" Sam."

Asher :" Well then Sam, wish me luck."

[ At this moment, inside Grata's house ]

Colonel, over the phone, shouted in a brittle voice," What? Are the cameras allergic to him or something! Fucking find me something at any cost!"

" Hey officer! watch your tongue", Grata cut in the colonel unpredicted.

A little stupefied, the colonel ended the call saying," Don't bother calling again before you actually find something."

It felt like his whole body was trembling as the back of his neck became hotter by the moment. He started sweating like rain and felt a knot in his stomach. It wasn't long before he realised that he was having an anxiety attack.

Trying his best to suppress his condition from being noticed by the people present in the room, turning towards Grata the colonel uttered barely above the whisper," Mam, may I use the washroom."

Grata responded with a soft glimmer," Why not? It is right in the corner down the second hallway."

Without wasting a single breath, the colonel left immediately after he heard her.

"He must have been holding it for quite sometime.", Richa giggled.

" Young people these days, they don't even know when to be shy and when not to. Hey girl, tell your boss to be a bit more lite minded, okay.", Grata added.

"Yes mam.", the lieutenant replied bashfully while sipping the tea.

While they were continuing to chat, a sound of something large falling and a death cry came from the direction of the washroom.

The trio rushed towards the direction from which the sound came.

Arriving, they saw a half fainted colonel lying on the ground, while a gasping tone sounding, " lion....lion...", kept coming from his mouth.

There was a fierce figure about two feet tall standing with its two paws on the colonel's chest.

The cinnamon coloured beast looked into the eyes of a now tearing colonel. The large and sharp pointed fangs came to visibility as the beast opened its mouth, hairs apart from the colonel's face.

His voice died inside his throat as he tried to scream. In front of impending death, the colonel closed his eyes as he felt his heart slowing down gradually.

A slimy and wet sensation of his face being wiped by a sliced aloevera leaf over and over made him open eyes slightly.

"... a chow chow!", he heard a voice but couldn't make the whole of it as his senses were fainting.

"Woof! Woof!", the colonel felt a little something in his mind while he heard the voice.

" Ronald baby! stop making the uncle cry.", Grata glared at the cinnamon beast.

As he felt the paws being lifted off from his chest, the colonel raised his head a little and peeked from the corner of his eye.

Not seeing the death reincarnate in front of his face he gave out a sigh of relief.

The next moment the lieutenant went towards him and helped him up. " Sir, it's just a chow chow. Not a lion.", the lieutenant said while comforting him.

" Yeah! that's right. Little Ronald here is our son. He loves guests, so he gets over excited if he spots one."

The colonel turned towards the coming voice, only to find the beast that was about to cause him a heart attack, now in Richa's lap, licking her face incessantly.

First Lieutenant :"Sir, that's a chow chow. They are reputed for being aloof and aggressive towards strangers but this one is unexpectedly friendly."

Grata :"Yup. Ronald is really good natured and ( looking towards Richa )since she takes him to all those social activity campaigns, he has grown really fond of people."

First Lieutenant :"Ooh mam! Don't worry about it. Our sir has always been like that. The same thing happened last time in Florida when he faced a tibetan mastiff."

Richa :"Heh! What kind of a stud are you? You look like a giant black mountain and get cold feet in front of these cute fur balls."

Ronald ( looking straight into the colonel's eyes ) :"Woof!"

Turning his face towards a floor, the colonel made such a peculiar facial expression and even a more peculiar sound that it became next to impossible for the rest present in the room, to figure out either he was laughing or crying.

[ Ding dong.....Ding dong.... ]

" Who is it now?", the words came out of the colonel's mouth like a broken horn. Suddenly he touched his throat as the thought ran through his mind," Ooh! My voice! It finally came out."

Opening the door, the colonel saw a police officer standing in front of him and another leaning on the car door with his head inside the window, listening to something over the walkie talkie.

" Who is the one that just called?", the police standing in front of the door asked."

"Ooh! that would be me. Sorry it was a misunderstanding.", Richa replied from the inside.

" Lex! We got a real problem here.", the other officer spoke while jogging back towards his partner.

" What?", turning towards his partner the officer in front of the door replied.

" A body has been spotted on highway 24. A cab driver, from an online cab service, lying in front of his car with his face half blown."