The farmhouse sat isolated at the end of a dirt track outside the city, its high walls and locked gates shutting out the world. Aradhna’s auto-rickshaw dropped her at the gate just past midnight. The guard checked her name against a list, nodded once, and waved her through without a word. She walked the long driveway under the thin light of a single bulb, the sound of cicadas loud in the dark. Her membership form was folded carefully in her purse. She had been told this was the final step. Attend the induction meeting. Show loyalty. Become part of the party.

The main door stood open. Inside, the large living room was lit by two standing lamps. A massive sofa dominated the center, its cushions already pushed back. Five men waited. She recognized two of them from local rallies. The others were older, heavier, the kind of senior leaders whose names appeared in the newspapers only when something went wrong. One of them, a thick-set man with a silver moustache, gestured for her to come closer.