Friday 13

Don't hang the criminals; hang their sources

-Richard Russo

Prince Jacob is a Mysore-based Psychologist. His biological parents were killed in a train blast during a communal riot on Friday 13th June 1997 in Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, but he survived. He was adopted by two brothers (cops as well) Peter and Lawrence. Peter died in an accident in Chennai and his tomb is kept in Munnar's suicide point.

One fine day, which is actually Peter's memorial day, Jacob stands in front of Peter's tomb for a few minutes and walks and stands at the edge of the suicide point. Before committing to meet his parents in paradise, he receives a call from Lawrence. Jacob attends it. Lawrence says "I'm gonna apply VRS in a few days. I'm fed up as a cop." Jacob says "Why what is happening?". Lawrence says "There is a murder case which is very complicated to be solved. The body was illegally buried in the crematory which was witnessed by the cremator (a Sri Lankan Tamilian). When he was asked to draw the killer's face he didn't remember his face. When the body was seized and diagnosed, there are no signs of attacks and there is no poisonous stuff found either inside or outside the body. Nobody is able to identify how murder has happened." Jacob says "Applying VRS in Police department is similar to committing suicide. I'll come and meet you in Chennai." and cuts the call.

Jacob drawbacks the suicide walks to the tomb, bows down, and says "Sorry sir. Your son is at your feet."

Jacob drives to Chennai and meets Lawrence. He says that he will help him with the case to which Lawrence hesitates initially. Jacob says "Sir, I tried to commit suicide yesterday. Your phone call only stopped me. A shocked Lawrence asks "What?". "I can't live without my biological parents. But you are the reason for my education today. Peter Sir is the reason that I didn't become a terrorist or an extremist today. The person who blasted the train in 1997 did not intentionally kill my parents. He just shifted the bomb from the compartment in which he was traveling to the compartment in which I and my parents were traveling in order to save a 7-year-old girl who was sitting next to him with her family, fed him with dinner with love.". "How do you know this?" Lawrence asks. Jacob says " Peter Sir told me that the person revealed this to you when you inquired him.". Lawrence is delighted and feels more grateful to his brother Peter.

Jacob says " I can't let you both down, Sir. Please trust me, and let's proceed with this case.". Lawrence accepts and gets ready with the case.

Jacob and Lawrence go to the hospital where the dead body is placed. Jacob diagnoses the body for some time. Finally, he comes to the conclusion that the killer has seduced and hypnotized the victim forcibly and asked him to imagine that his heartbeat is minimized. During this time the victim's mind was constantly focused on the killer's voice and the neurons were in a constant position and vibrat as he imagined that his heartbeat was minimizing, it did happen and resulted in cardiac arrest. The killer is a well-trained martial artist and the victim is a medical college professor.

Lawrence gets shocked and says " Never seen a murder like this not only in my service but also in my lifetime. How are we going to trace this killer? Why should he do this?. Is he a Psychopath?".

Jacob recollects the riot in 1997. The riot actually happened in order to show anger and not to kill anyone. The deaths were fatal. Jacob says "There is no one called Psychopaths. There are only Sociopaths. They are all the people who get isolated and humiliated by society. For example, college dropouts, Job dropouts, Jobless graduates, people who are constantly accused for no reason by narcissists, people belonging to a caste or religion which are blindly believed to be lower, and so on. They will show their anger towards society either by killing people or in any other alternative dangerous ways. The killer in our case should be a college dropout as the victim is a professor."

The next day (Which was a Friday 13th) Lawrence goes to the college where the victim was working and asks for the list of students who had recently dropped out of the college. They reveal that only one student, a year back, from the Psychology department dropped out of the college and his name is Adam Sebastian. When asked about his identity and details, they say that they were removed from the database after he was dropped out.

Around 5:30 PM in the evening, Jacob goes to the crematory where Adam buried the victim. There he sees the cremator very tired and slightly unconscious. He provides the cremator with some glucose water and asks him once again to remember his face. He says "He was looking similar to you, Sir.". "What?!", a shocked Jacob asks. "Are you sure?". The cremator says "I'm very sure sir.".

Jacob assumes him to be his twin brother. He asks the cremator "Didn't you get suspicious of me?". The cremator says " When I was in Sri Lanka I was doing this same crematory job. I lost my family during the firing of the Sri Lankan Tamilians by the Sri Lankan armies. So I came as a refugee to Chennai. But my life didn't change. I am fated to be a cremator. Nobody has shown any love and affection for me. I am isolated completely. You are the only person who treated me in a very kind-hearted manner. So you can't be such a nasty person."

When Jacob reveals his parents' death, the cremator says "There is a one-step difference between you and me, Sir. You don't want to defeat the person who destroyed your family. But I will feel proud as a cremator when I burn or bury a Sri Lankan someday".

A speechless Jacob drives to the hotel where he stays with thoughts about the reality and facts about what the cremator said. In the hotel room, he switches on the news and spectates for some time.

In the flash news, it is said that Zayed (who blasted the train in 1997) escaped from jail the previous night with the help of some big influence. Jacob suddenly gets a lead from what the cremator said. He calls Lawrence and says that Zayed's life is in danger. By the way, it was Adam's master plan to get him out of prison. When Lawrence asks the reason, Jacob reveals that Adam looks similar to him and is assumed to be his twin brother and he is the one who actually killed the college professor and now he is going to kill Zayed in the same manner to avenge his parents' death. Lawrence gets shocked and asks what to do next. Jacob tells a plan.

As instructed by Jacob, Lawrence immediately announces in the media that a sociopath named Adam (without revealing his full name) seduced, hypnotized, and killed Zayed and a medical college professor and the police have started the manhunt for Adam. Also, it is announced that Dr. Prince Jacob is his twin brother who is helping the police with the case and his whereabouts are also announced.

Then Lawrence sends a team of cops to the hotel and is asked to stay in the rooms on the 5th floor where Jacob's room is. As expected a person named Sebastian visits Jacob's room to kill him and the cops arrest him and take him into custody.

On inquiring him it is revealed that Adam is the twin brother of Jacob and Sebastian is a Sri Lankan ex-army and is a smuggler and runs a drug business very secretly since 1993 after getting bribed by a drug lord when he visited Chennai. Before the delivery of Jacob and Adam on April 14th, 1995, he bribed the hospital management to inform their parents that Adam was stillborn and Jacob was healthy after the delivery so that he could adopt Adam and make Adam own the business after he had grown up. And when Adam dropped out from the college Sebastian brainwashed him and asked him to kill the professor. Lawrence says to his team "We'll take this gentleman to the court tomorrow. Now let's go and arrest Adam.".

Before starting from there Lawrence reveals everything to Jacob. Jacob asks Lawrence not to arrest Adam and says that he will take him to Mysore and live with him together. Lawrence says that he can't forego the law. There ensues a heated conversation between Lawrence and Jacob as both have repelling opinions. Finally, Jacob says "Kill me before you arrest him!" and cuts the phone. Lawrence and his team start from the custody leaving two constables as security for Sebastian

Before the cops reach Adam's location Jacob reaches there as the location is near the hotel. Jacob knocks down Adam and he becomes unconscious. Then he swaps the costumes of himself and Adam places the body in his car and goes to the custody where Sebastian is locked. Disguising as Adam he bribes the cops, grabs a gun points at Sebastian's head and says "A bribe favored you to adopt my brother illegally. Now a bribe has favored me to kill you. So Say Good Night Mr. Sebastian" and shoots him and also the cops and takes back the money.

Jacob(as Adam) calls Lawrence from Adam's mobile and says "Don't waste your time searching for me there. Just now I killed my father and the other two creatures. Come let's celebrate their deaths.". Lawrence says "Hey.. hey..". Jacob says "Bring a freezer box if you are allergic to dead body smells" and cuts the phone.

Adam wakes up and goes inside the custody. Tears well down in his eyes when he sees Jacob out of sentiment. Jacob says "Hello brother! How are you?". Adam asks "What is going on here?". Jacob says "You are going to shift to another life". "What?", asks Adam.

Jacob says "Yes! The cops have decided to finish you off I am going to disguise as you and die. You are going to live as Prince Jacob hereafter. I am giving my life to you and taking your life with me.".

Adam says "I am the culprit. The entire society is against me. Let them kill me. You are having a pleasant life as a doctor no? Why do you want to die?". Jacob says "Life is a dark comedy, Adam. You got to live it when the world wants you. You don't understand? After the cops kill you, the cops will reveal in the media that I am the main reason for your assassination and the people will start celebrating me. But if I die as you, people will start celebrating you thinking you are me. As a brother, I am giving my life as a gift to you.". Adam becomes speechless.

After revealing his address, and all his details in Mysore, Jacob gives his car's key and asks him to drive to the hotel to stay there for a night, check out the next day, and go to Mysore. Adam says "I can't able to accept this, Jacob". Jacob says " See Adam, I have a last wish. Before you go to the hotel go to the crematory and say to the cremator that a Sri Lankan's dead body will come there for cremation. He will become very happy. He's angry with the Sri Lankan armies as they destroyed his family in Sri Lanka. Please fulfill it for me. Please leave this place before they arrive. I don't want you to witness my death". Adam sheds tears. Jacob with a smile says "Come let's walk together to the car" and takes him to the car. Adam leaves the place with tears and decides to live as Jacob and also vows to kill Lawrence someday.

Lawrence and his team arrive there and shoot Jacob thinking him to be Adam. Finally, Jacob is killed by the same person who adopted him. While Jacob's body lies down in the cross posture of Christ, his soul gets reunited with his parents in Paradise.

Adam visits the cremator but instead of impersonating Jacob, he reveals the truth about himself and what happened in the custody, and the arrival of Sebastian's body. The cremator becomes speechless.

Adam says "Your anger is Justifiable but let me tell you a story. 6 decades back in a small town in Sri Lanka a snake was moving on a small road early in the morning and it went inside a hole to warm its body. Next to the hole, a small tin filled with tar was kept. Accidentally it fell due to the airflow and the tar flowed inside the hole. After sunrise, the tar melted and the snake's tail got stuck into it and it was struggling to come out from the hole and it was hissing continuously. Many people gathered around it and my dad's relative was one among them. They were discussing whether to help the snake or kill it. By the time a man entered the scene lifted the snake, threw it to the field and walked from there the crowd vanished. But unfortunately, the snake bit his hand when he lifted it and the venom killed him while he was walking. I heard about this from my dad very recently. Now I am saying there are at least a few noble human beings in Sri Lanka. The genocide is not only a disaster for us. It's a shame for Sri Lanka itself. My dad is a Sri Lankan but I am biologically a Tamilian. A human will appreciate another human's nobility and talents and he won't be in vengeance every single time.".

While narrating the story to the cremator Adam overcame his sociopathic mind and the drawbacks of his vow to kill Lawrence. Also, the cremator realizes the reality of humanity and integrity.

Later in the media, Adam is introduced as Dr. Prince Jacob to the public by the police department and the world starts believing him as Jacob. Thus Jacob sacrificed his life to cure his brother. Adam goes to Mysore and starts living as Jacob.

A few years later Lawrence gets admitted to the hospital after a heart attack. When Adam hears this he visits Lawrence in Chennai on a Friday13th. He reveals to Lawrence the truth that the one who he killed is Jacob and the one who is alive is Adam. Lawrence gets disturbed in guilty and his pulse rate decreases.

Adam says "The winner is neither me nor Jacob, Sir. It's you and Peter Sir. Since you both nurtured Jacob as a well-been human being, I am living his life today.". Lawrence then dies peacefully with a smiling face.