Chapter 1 - The Aspirant

Beep, beep (vehicle horns). Thump, thump, thump (people walking in the street). Tssss, tssss (street food vendors cooking something). Peep, peep (auto-rickshaws honking at people in the middle of the road). Just like every other day, it's a busy one. But then, isn't that how overcrowded streets always are? So much for civic order on the roads. It’s just too noisy.

Shekar walked through the crowded streets, searching for the location of the police selection camp.

Note: To be selected as a police officer, one must pass two tests. Most importantly, a bachelor's degree is a prerequisite. The first test is a written exam, and the second is a physical selection test.

So Shekar, with a nervous tremor, stopped to ask people on the street for directions. He felt a great deal of anxiety. After completing his studies, securing a proper job was the most important and difficult task. For a middle-class Indian, a respectable job is crucial. He worried about what his family, friends, and relatives would think if he didn't have a good job. He was already under a lot of pressure from his family.

Thoughts raced through Shekar's mind: My father has so many hopes riding on me. They believe I'll get a good job and take care of them. But I've never told them that I don't have that much confidence in myself. He was a boy burdened with responsibilities, yet he had never been open with his parents.

Shekar's internal monologue continued: It's so hard to stand out among such busy people. And it’s even harder for the poor and middle classes. Many people believe that if you have money, wealth, and property, you can live a great life. At the end of the day, everyone wants money. Or at least a respectable job to earn money. But there are so many ways to earn money. There are also shortcuts. You can snatch it from those who have it. Or you can manipulate them to get it. People in positions of power—I mean, the ones everyone considers good and great—they call it 'stealing' when others do it. But they want to be at the top. They want to earn more. Isn't it wrong that they run their businesses by exploiting the hardships of those who do the work?

Every person wants to be a master, but only the one at the top becomes one. The one at the bottom wants to climb up somehow, but it's not that easy.

In a world like this, I don't know where I belong.

Shekar reached the police selection camp. There were already many people there. Shekar's token number was 843.

Note: All candidates who come for the police selection test are given tokens, like a batch number.

People were being checked for their heights before being allowed inside. Everyone was going in wearing half-pants and vests, as required. And if you didn't have the required height, you were disqualified.

Shekar's mind wandered: So many people have come from very far away, just hoping to get selected. This was a harsh reality. Not everyone would get a chance. Not everyone would qualify. Even for the written test, I studied so hard and still only got borderline marks. I don’t even know if I'll pass this physical fitness test. Seeing so many people competing for a few positions feels overwhelming and scary. The same questions keep repeating in my mind: Can I pass? Am I really better than all these people?

The physical tests had many rounds: height, weight, chest measurement, jumping, and running.

Shekar's thoughts: In the police physical test, everyone moves around like a mob, with many being selected and many being disqualified. Those who are disqualified have no other option but to wait until the next time.

Physically, I'm not that fit. But I'm doing well, I'm passing most of the tests. As I kept getting selected, a confidence I didn't know I had started to grow. I began to believe I would pass.

This is my fifth attempt, by the way. This time, I feel a little more positive. Even after so many failures, my mother and father kept sending me back. I don’t know why they are so determined for me to become a police officer. But then, I never really talk to my dad properly, so how would I know?

The physical selection was over. The last step was the medical test. A police officer who was doing the selection went to the other side to get a form and told everyone to go take their medical test. I went to where they were giving out forms and took one. The people who were giving the forms were sitting on a metal bench, with the forms laid out. There were three people in total, and one of them was a person in a police uniform wearing a mask for a cold. I also stood in line. They were dividing everyone, some to the right, some to the left, and a very small number to a small corner.

Shekar noticed the person with the mask staring intently at him. Maybe they like me. Will they qualify me? The line cleared quickly. I came forward and, just like everyone else, they gave me a form. I also got a small box in addition. The box was as small as a finger ring box. I didn't think too much about it and, in my haste, took it. They told me to go to the corner where the few people were going, so I went.

Note: The police selection is taking place on a ground, so the ground is made of dirt, with some parts a little wet and other parts with grass.

As Shekar went to the small corner, the corner got narrower and narrower. As he kept walking, the shouts from the ground and the hustle of the selection process started to fade. As he walked further, he saw a door. The door looked a little fancy, like a high-tech door. As he reached the door, all the noises from the ground stopped. It was completely silent.

Shekar tried to open the door. It was very heavy. No matter how much he tried, it wouldn't open. As he was pulling, he noticed the box in his hand again. He opened it to see what was inside. There was a key. He put the key in the keyhole and turned it. The door opened. He peeked inside; it was very dark. He took the key from the door. As the door was about to close, he quickly went inside.

The door closed, and everything went dark.

He said, with a little fear, "Hello, is anyone there?" He didn't know where he was, but his voice echoed in the hall.

In a corner far away, a light turned on. He was nervous, but he was also curious about where he had ended up. He had never made it to the medical test before. If he had known it was like this, he would not have come. Shekar walked toward the corner where the light was on. There was a path only to his left. The light had also spread a little. He kept walking, following the light, hoping to find a light switch. As Shekar walked, another light turned on in the distance. This time, there was a rolling chair in that corner. The chair was surrounded by a dead end. There was nowhere else to go. He could either go to the small corner or go back the way he came.

Shekar felt even stranger. He thought to himself, "Let's just get out of here first. After this medical test is over somehow, I'll leave."

He went and sat on the chair. There was a monitor in front of him. In that single corner, he was the only one he could see. He, and all the others who had come there, thought the same. But we can see from a top-down view that many others were with him. They were all in a maze-like structure of corners. Everyone was sitting in the chairs allotted to them, and no one knew about the others, even though they were very close. The steel walls that rose above their heads prevented them from hearing each other's voices.

Where had Shekar come? Were others also trapped like him? How was this set up near a police selection camp? And for what purpose? How will Shekar get out? Wait for the next chapter.