Rudra Khatri

Father **Rudra Khatri** is a Catholic priest who became trapped in the Town, often providing a voice of reason. He oversees the ceremonies for the Town from his makeshift Church.

## Biography

### Background

Father Rudra Khatri was an Indian-American Catholic priest. On July 12, 2019, while traveling from St. Charles, Illinois to Wisconsin, he became trapped in the Township. Khatri had been a parish priest, but one of the boys in his congregation had very strict parents, and approached him asking if he could stay for a while. Khatri didn't want parents to worry, so he gave the boy a candy bar and sent him on his way. That night, Khatri went by the house to check on him and the mother came rushing out of the house hysterical. The father had gotten drunk and beaten his son to death. Khatri beat the father bloody before fleeing. Blaming himself for the boy's death, he contemplated suicide after drinking the bottle of alcohol in the bag, but heard the voice of God, who told him to return to the car, for there was another path to follow, leading him to Town.

When Boyd Stevens, his wife Abby and son Ellis arrive in Town shortly before nightfall, Khatri runs in front of the car, shocking them. Khatri begins to explain their predicament, but tells them that there isn’t a lot of time and they need to get to safety. Abby tells Boyd to drive away but before he can they hear an inhuman screech. This convinces them to follow Khatri, who leads them to an underground location where Donna and Dale are also sheltering for the night. Donna tells Abby she can put the gun away, as the only things that will hurt her are outside, and the gun will be useless against them. Khatri says he understands they have questions, but they can talk in the morning. They hear footsteps and screams up above as the Creatures find and kill one of the people.

The next morning, they emerge and find the corpses of those who were caught by the Creatures. Khatri sympathizes with the Stevens, and promises to explain more at the Diner. Abby asks Ellis ok, and he answers that he is not. In the Diner, Khatri finishes his explanation of their predicament, and Boyd is shocked that their solution is to hide and pray every night. Abby asks if they know anything about the Town, and Khatri says that they know what they see, and that everyone is just trying to live through the night. Boyd says that they need to start working together and taking care of each other. Khatri and Donna are interested, and ask where they can start. Boyd organizes their supplies to be rationed, and puts Donna in charge of doling them out. Abby draws up a system for where they hide during the night, and Boyd says that they will be constantly rotating to avoid being caught by the Creatures.

Later, Boyd asks Father Khatri if the Creatures walk around the forest during the day. Khatri says they don’t think so, and Boyd decides to scavenge the forest for resources. Khatri asks Boyd how long he was in the military, and Boyd answers 30 years, explaining he set up operations in some of the worst places on the planet, while his wife was a marine. After foraging in the forest, Boyd returns to Town with  a goat, shocking Father Khatri. Boyd explains he found it in the forest, as well as some chickens. Ellis arrives and asks to talk to Boyd. Boyd hands the goat off to Khatri, and begins musing about what else he might find in the woods. The livestock found in the forest forms a core part of the Town's food supply, while the Talismans Boyd finds allow them to move into the buildings.

### Season One

The morning after the deaths of Lauren and Meagan Pratt, Father Khatri arrives at the scene to administer last rites. After the car crash on the road, Kenny, Kristi, Khatri and Ellis arrive to help the crash victims. Boyd successfully retrieves a panicked but otherwise unharmed Julie, while the others work on helping Jade and the trapped family members. Tabitha and Julie are successfully removed from the RV, but Ethan's leg was impaled by a metal table leg. With night approaching, Boyd, Kristi and Jim stay with Ethan in the RV, while Khatri and the rest head back to Town in the truck. However, the tires are popped by the spike strip Kenny had laid down earlier, so Khatri and Ellis lead them on foot to Colony House.

Kenny leads the group to Colony House, and they struggle to make it through the rain. Father Khatri, who is carrying an unconscious Jade, falls, and Kenny helps him up. However, the people inside Colony House sound the alarm and begin arming themselves. Fatima tries to let them inside, but the guard doesn’t believe that it’s really them. The Creatures approach, while Kenny and Ellis pound on the door until Donna arrives and grants them entry just in time. However, she orders that Tabitha and Julie be tied up, as per protocol, much to their distress.

Later, Kenny complains to Father Khatri about getting guns pointed at them when Ellis tells them that there’s a room prepared for them. Kenny and Ellis begin to argue over who’s was to blame for their almost getting stuck outside but Khatri calms them. Ellis leaves them a bottle of homemade vodka and then leaves. Kenny drinks with Khatri and worries about his mother, before talking about how even when his father’s dementia gets bad, he can still remember chess. Kenny further compliment’s Kristi’s care for his father, and Khatri promises that they will all be ok and they’ll get them in the morning. Kenny however says he won’t go out, explaining that he is hanging by a thread and cannot find any more bodies. Kenny and Khatri drunkenly climb the stairs to their room while Kenny talks about his father’s dementia diagnosis. One night, his father left the house and took the bus all the way into the city, and on the way back, they became trapped in Town.

The next morning, as the van pulls up to the Clinic, Kenny notices the door is open and races inside, with Khatri and the rest behind him. They find Gina's corpse in the basement, and Khatri tries to tell Kenny that he doesn't have to see this but Kenny advances into the next room, where he finds his father's dead body.

The next day, Khatri goes to Colony House to explain the Choosing Ceremony to the Matthews. Khatri explains that all newcomers have to decide whether they want to live up in Colony House or down in the town, and offers to give them a tour of both, including the house that they would stay in in Town. Julie wants to go with her parents, but they order her to remain in the House to look after Ethan, annoying her. Tabitha tries to back out, but Khatri insists that she joins, saying it is important that they both see this. On the tour, Kahtri explains the how the talismans protect them, but with kids in the house it is a requirement to nail the windows shut. Tabitha is shocked that people can walk around like this is normal, and Khatri explains that the ones who live are the ones who adapt. Khatri promises that if they follow his instructions, all will be well. Tabitha then asks what the box-like structure near the Sheriff’s Office is, and Khatri explains that those who break the rules are sentenced to a night in the box, and that night would be the first time they’re using it.  The tour continues in the house that belonged to the Pratt’s, and Khatri explains that a family lived their previously, but the night before they arrived, Lauren and Meagan were killed while their father was passed out drunk on the other side of town, showing them the bloody room. This frightens Tabitha, who leaves for a moment with Jim to talk privately.

In the Church, Boyd pays a rare visit, and says that God isn’t answering. Khatri counters that he isn’t listening closely enough. Boyd then says that he can’t put Frank in the box, revealing that it was supposed to be a deterrent, not an actual punishment. Khatri says that if Frank is absolved of his crimes, after he had several public warnings, the rules that hold the town together will carry no weight.  Boyd points out that Khatri should be talking to him about the virtues of mercy. Khatri asks if that’s what he would prefer, and Boyd angrily shouts that he would prefer not to put Frank in the Box to be torn apart by the Creatures after sundown. Khatri refuses to pretend that this is an easy decision, but asks what happens when people realize that Boyd is too weak to use the guillotine he built in the town square. Boyd calls Khatri a terrible priest and leaves.

At the Choosing Ceremony, Khatri explains that if the Matthews want to live in Town by their rules, working for the communal good until they can return home, they will choose a rock. If they prefer Colony House, where they will live for the present because the future is not guaranteed, they will choose the flower. Boyd then interrupts and begins to say that while he has them all gathered, he thought he would address the issue of Frank and the Box. As Boyd begins his speech, Frank asks to speak, and is given the floor. He explains to the group that he has been thinking about his last Christmas with his family before they got trapped in Town. He recalls that he was a good dad, but admits he wasn’t perfect. As he reminisces, he confesses that he let the Town and the Creatures in the forest get to his head, and he forgot what really mattered. He lamented that had he been a little stronger, he could have had another Christmas with them all at their home. Frank instructs his fellow townspeople not to let that be taken away from them, and to take care of each other. He then turns to Boyd, and expresses gratitude for his attempted intervention, but points out that the only two things that he loved in the world are gone, and he just wants to see them again.

Jade, still believing that this is a performance, begins clapping and laughing. Boyd then restrains Jade and orders him to choose one and he picks a rock. As he begins threatening retribution at Boyd and the rest of them, Kenny offers to show him something and takes him away. One person tries to dissuade Frank from his choice but he insists on it. Boyd then hastily concludes the ceremony, asking each member of the Matthews family what they’re picking. All pick Town except Julie, prompting an argument. However, according to the rules, the choice is final. Boyd assuages the Matthews parents, pointing out that his son will be up there and that she will be looked after. Khatri then reminds everyone that sundown is approaching, and tells them to get home. As the sun sets, Boyd and Khatri take Frank to the Box, where he is attacked that night by the Creatures.

The next morning, Boyd brings Frank's dismembered body to Father Khatri at the Church for burial. Khatri grimly remarks that the Creatures don’t leave much before asking if Boyd will return for the service. Boyd laughs, reminding Khatri that he was the one who wanted Frank dead. Khatri asks him if that made him feel better, but Boyd just walks away and says to return the cart when he’s done.

Later that day, while Boyd repairs the Box, Khatri returns the cart and tells Boyd that if he needs to say shitty things to him to feel better, he fine with that. Boyd refuses to engage, prompting Khatri to launch into a sermon, citing Psalm 23 from the “Book of Cut the Self-Pitying Bullshit and be a Leader.” Khatri tells Boyd that what happened to the Pratts was not Boyd’s fault, but none of this is about what happened to them. Boyd warns him to be careful about what he says, and Khatri tells him that he needs to stop punishing himself because “she” wouldn’t want that. Boyd gets angry, but Khatri tells him that prior to Boyd’s arrival, he was burying more people every week than he had in the past two years. Khatri credits Boyd with creating order out of chaos and finding the talismans, but paid an immense price. Khatri admits he can still see her face when he closes his eyes and that he can’t imagine what it must be like for Boyd but he doesn’t have the luxury of grief. They went three months without a death but had six in the past three days, and things are now falling apart. Khatri forcefully tells Boyd that he needs to tell the people that it will be okay. Khatri volunteers himself to be Boyd’s punching bag, but Boyd needs to lead them and lead them home, or else she died for nothing, concluding the sermon. Boyd doesn’t respond, and goes back to repairing the Box.

After searching for him for some time, Nathan finds Father Khatri meditating in a field, and asks what the rules are regarding confession. Khatri promises that anything he says will stay between them and God. Nathan then asks him what if it’s really bad. After Nathan reveals everything that Sara told him, Khatri says he should have come forward much sooner. As Khatri begins walking away, Nathan stops him and says she doesn’t want Sara to go in the Box, and reminds him that he promised it would stay between them. Khatri says he plans on keeping his promise, but they have to worry about the townspeople. Nathan says Sara will be at the Diner, and the two begin heading that way.

Nathan catches up to Sara at the Barn just as she is about to kill Ethan Matthews. Nathan is able to restrain Sara, but she accidentally cuts his throat while struggling to break free of his grasp. Father Khatri arrives and finds her weeping over Nathan's body. Afterwards, he tells Boyd and Jim that she ran off into the woods and couldn't catch up to her. Boyd promises that if she returns before dark, they will handle it, and if she doesn’t, it will have been handled for him. An angry Jim then excoriates the two, reminding them that they described the Town as one big family.

The next morning, Father Khatri gives a sermon about how chaos and faith are the duality of their existence, both in Town and in the larger world. He says that from birth, they are faced with incomprehensible chaos, which they try to understand. As they search for answers and meaning, they find their faith that they are in the world as part of God’s mysterious plan, understanding that chaos is the meaning, and it is through the struggle and search they find their purpose. Khatri concludes with Proverbs 3:5- “trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not into thine own understanding.”

At the end of the sermon, Tabitha drops off papers with Bible verses written on them that she found in the Pratt’s belongings. Khatri asks her how Ethan is doing, and she admits that he is scared and confused, not understanding why Sara would try and hurt him. She asks if anyone has seen Sara, and Khatri says not since she ran off into the woods and he was unable to keep up with her, and was probably killed during the night. Tabitha then asks if he wrote down the verses from memory, and he says that he did. He then asks her what she really came to ask him, and Tabitha asks how he knows any of this is real, and whether they are alive or dead. Khatri responds by asking if it mattered. If they were dead and trapped in some awful purgatory, they would still be stuck and searching for a way to go home, and all that would change is the home they are searching for. Tabitha guesses that she isn’t the first to ask that, and he says he has had plenty of chances to work on his answer. He adds that if it’s any consolation, the Matthews were all alive when they crashed in the Town, and that she and her family are alive. After Tabitha departs, Khatri goes down into the basement, where he is keeping Sara tied to a chair, and tells her that they need to talk.

Khatri asks Sara if she knew that there isn’t a single copy of the bible in Town. He admits that she is probably wondering why she isn’t in the Box given her crimes, but he reveals that Nathan told him about the voices. Khatri then removes Sara’s gag, and tells her that despite the awful things she’s done, he thinks she can still do something good. Khatri tells Sara that people think the bible is a fixed object. Khatri asks how it can be completed when all the players are still on the stage. He then explains that the bible is composed of 73 books filled with tales of miracle and wonder, as well as darkness and gruesomeness. Khatri admits that since he arrived, he has pondered whether the people of the Town are living through the unwritten 74th book of the bible, and if they were chosen. Sara asks what they were chosen for, and Khatri admits he does not know, but it is why she needs to tell him about the voices she has been hearing.

Sara explains that the voices told her they wanted to help and had been in Town for a long time, waiting for someone who could help them escape and return home. Khatri asks her why she would believe them, and Sara answers that they told her things that they could not know, such as the two cars arriving on the same day, which happened before causing everyone to die due to the actions of those cars’ passengers. The voices further told her that if she did as they bid, they would be safe and return home. Khatri asks her how they would return home, and Sara says she does not know. Khatri further asks if she still believes them. Sara answers that they told her Nathan would be ok, and begins sobbing. Khatri holds her and tells her that if the voices are real, it means that the Town is communicating with her in a way and she is uniquely connected to it, making extremely valuable. However, they need proof for Sheriff Boyd that the voices are not just the product of a troubled mind. Sara then cries out in pain and shouting “no” as Khatri helplessly looks on. Sara asks for a piece of paper, because the voices want her to show him something.

Sara draws on a piece of paper, begging the voices to stop. When she is done, she hands him the drawing, explaining that they said when Khatri arrived, they watched him bury the bag, asking if he knows what it means, shocking the priest. Afterwards, he goes to a clearing outside of Town and digs in the ground, recovering a bag containing a bottle of alcohol, bloodstained clothes, and a Cosmo chocolate bar, whose logo matches the drawing Sara made at the voices’ direction, leaving him stunned.

As night falls, Father Khatri waits for Boyd on the porch of the Sheriff's Office. When he returns, Khatri tells Boyd they need to talk in private urgently. Inside, Khatri notices that Boyd is preparing to leave, and remarks that they have even more to talk about. After Boyd concludes explaining to Khatri his plan to go out into the forest in search of a way out. Khatri then reveals the bag that he buried the day he arrived in Town and has Boyd look through the contents. Boyd gets frustrated and asks what is going on. Khatri says they have never discussed who they were before they arrived in Town. Khatri explains that there was a young, quiet and sensitive boy with very strict parents in his congregation. One day, the boy asked Khatri if he could stay for a while, but Khatri, not wanting the parents to worry, gave the boy a candy bar and sent him on his way. Later, Khatri went by the house to check on him and the mother came rushing out of the house hysterical. Khatri recalls the smell of alcohol while the father  was yelling at the dead body of his son. Khatri becomes distressed as he remembers the candy bar in the boy’s pocket, and how the father insisted that the boy would be fine. Khatri continues to say that he began beating the boy’s father.

Khatri excoriates himself for failing to help the boy, and says that he contemplated suicide after drinking the bottle of alcohol in the bag, but heard the voice of God, who told him to return to the car, for there was another path to follow. That path led him to the Town. Boyd asks the priest why he is telling him all of this, and Khatri says it’s because he has Sara tied up in the basement of the Church. Khatri tries to explain that he knows there is a reason they are all trapped in Town but Boyd aims his gun at him. Boyd tells a shocked Khatri to tell him that he is joking. Boyd angrily recalls how Khatri insisted that Frank Pratt go in the Box, but Khatri tells him that Sara may be the way they go home, and Boyd demands that he explain.

Boyd finds Khatri’s explanation of the voices Sara hears difficult to believe, but Khatri pulls out the drawing she made of the chocolate bar logo. Boyd tries to rationalize it, but Khatri insists that there is no way she could have known that story. Boyd asks if he thinks whatever is talking to Sara is trying to help them, pointing out that it ordered her to kill Bing-Qian and Ethan Matthews. Khatri says that it is part of the fabric of this place, and Sara’s connection makes her valuable in ways they do not yet understand. Khatri tells Boyd that it is not a coincidence that Boyd is about to go on his journey at the same time as this connection is revealed. Khatri suggests that he and Sara accompany Boyd on his journey and use her connection to their advantage.

As Khatri and Boyd make plans for their journey, Khatri is excited, and believes that this is why he was told to get back in the car, so he and Boyd could help find a way home for those trapped in the Town. Boyd calls him a madman, but their conversation is interrupted by honks from the van. The two rush outside, and Donna informs them that Colony House was attacked by the Creatures. Boyd asks where his son as he and Khatri begin helping the passengers inside. Before Khatri can make it inside, his throat is slashed by a Creature. Boyd shoots the creature to no effect and helps bring Khatri inside. Boyd tries to stop the bleeding while Khatri gasps for breath and says that his path doesn’t end like this. Khatri asks Boyd to pray with him, and the two begin to recite the Lord’s Prayer as Khatri dies.

### Season Two

After his ordeal in the Dungeon, Boyd Stevens begins experiencing visions. Boyd encounters one of Father Khatri, telling him that it is his move but his options are limited. Boyd says this isn’t real, and the vision of Khatri asks if he really wants to focus on what can and cannot be real. Boyd says that between the mystery boy sending people through magic trees, the cessation of the tremors and the worms beneath his skin, they have a lot more to talk about. Khatri suggests they talk about what is really on his mind: how Boyd will tell Kenny that Sara killed his father. Khatri asks what benefit there is in Kenny knowing that Boyd betrayed him. Boyd reminds him that it was his idea to hide Sara and keep her alive, and Khatri says this is why he needs to stay quiet, asking whether Boyd thinks this will help Kenny or just relieve his own guilt. Khatri tells him that leaders need to make tough decisions and cannot be everyone’s friend, therefore he needs to make the decision to lie to Kenny. Boyd insists that he will not lie, but Khatri reminds him of what Ellis said about everyone needing something to hold on to, and that Boyd is now Kenny’s father figure. Khatri concludes by telling Boyd that broken people do not survive this place.

In the Clinic basement, Boyd looks at the remaining bloodstains in the spot where Bing-Qian was killed. The vision of the Father **Khatri** remarks that there are some stains that can’t be washed clean. Boyd asks if this is how they will all end up, like him and Bing-Qian. Khatri replies that they all end up the same, no matter where they are, but Boyd specifies that he is talking about being mauled to death by the Creatures. He then says that whatever is inside of him is getting worse. Khatri agrees, but says he is proud of Boyd for asking for help and admitting weakness. Khatri adds that the people upstairs probably think he has gone crazy, and Boyd asks if he has. Khatri points out that he is talking to a figment of his imagination, but that sometimes crazy is the most rational response. Khatri concludes that Boyd did what he could but not every story gets a happy ending, much like his own, Bing-Qian’s and Abby’s. Boyd remarks that Khatri is still the worst priest he’s ever met. Khatri tells him to imagine a better version next time, causing Boyd to chuckle. Kenny then walks in, and asks Boyd who he was talking to.

## Trivia

* Father Khatri's first name is never spoken onscreen, rather it is revealed in the Wanted posters tweet.

## Appearances

### Season One

* Long Day's Journey Into Night
* The Way Things Are Now
* Choosing Day
* A Rock and a Farway
* Silhouettes
* Book 74
* All Good Things...
* Broken Windows, Open Doors (flashback)

### Season Two

* This Way Gone (vision)
* Pas de Deux (vision)

## References

1. ↑ https://twitter.com/FROMonMGM/status/1646655039669432320
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 All Good Things...
3. ↑ Broken Windows, Open Doors
4. ↑ Long Day's Journey Into Night
5. ↑ The Way Things Are Now
6. ↑ Choosing Day
7. ↑ A Rock and a Farway
8. ↑ Silhouettes
9. ↑ Book 74
10. ↑ This Way Gone
11. ↑ Pas de Deux