CHAPTER FOUR
§ The Message
“It’s midnight, who the hell is it at this hour?” muttered Prakriti, as she opened her eyes with much effort to look at the cell. “Great, it is Deepak. No doubt ready with another cock and bull story.” She thought with disgust what sort of lame excuse the message would contain.
<00:29> Let’s meet in front of the Metro Station at 1.
What a stupid message, she thought, no explanation and on top of that literally a dictate. She decided she was not going to go. Why should she?
***
Next morning when she woke up she read the message again, and last mornings thought crossed her mind, did she make a mistake with the date? She decided to call him, but his cell was switched off. What a ridiculous thing, she thought again, and finally after her dance of indecision she made up her mind to go and meet him.
The heat outside was unbearable. The monsoon was delayed and the city was boiling. The humidity was energy sapping. The light breeze was as if from an open furnace, burning the very skin the moment it came in contact. The roads were empty except for a few passersby who themselves where scurrying for shelter. Everyone was indoors trying to avoid the May scorcher. Prakriti cursed herself for not carrying a cap to protect her head. She felt as if her brain was simmering like a sizzler. This didn’t help her temper at all, she thought, “Deepak is in store for a lot of verbal bashing.”
“Who decides to meet in this heat outside at 1? What a wonderful time to choose? He has certainly forgotten what the heat here can be like.”
She waited under the little shade of the building, averting her eyes from the glare outside. Everything seemed to be burning or melting. It was so horrible. It was 1:05 and still no sign of him. This was getting too much.
There were two men walking listlessly towards the building, she thought, “there are two more fools who our out for a walk in this weather.” She was smiling to herself when she noticed a Van slowing down and inching towards her deliberately, she suddenly remembered that Deepak had a car, she thought “may be he has finally had some brainwave and here he is with the car, thank god.” She peered eagerly but the tinted glass was so dark she could not make out who was inside there was a driver and a passenger; she kept wondering whether it was his dad inside. The door slid open and she tried to adjust her eyes to the darkness inside. She was about to say “thank god!” when she felt two powerful hands pushing her, she was surprised and irritated. As she turned around to give a piece of mind to the uncivilized person for pushing her so hard she saw the same two men who were walking listlessly,behind her. Someone from the van grabbed her waist and pulled her in before she could understand, she was on the seat of the van and three men climbed in and the van started.
She realized with a sudden fit of physical outburst that she was being kidnapped, she tried to push the man holding her down with all her might, she screamed and shouted and threw her arms at anyone she could see. After a while she started sweating in the air conditioned environment, she realized the van had music playing and her screams where drowned in that. She tried to fight the men with all her strength but more and more she realized she could not fight them for long. With one final surge of energy she kicked and thrashed with her arms at the man trying to hold her down and hit his groin. He nearly collapsed. As the grip loosened she tried to get up still fighting the other two, scratching them with her nails, and biting them even, pounding the window glass, with her shoes. But her strength gave away as she struggled to breathe, then all of a sudden the car stopped. She felt this was her opportunity she lunged at the door and it opened, but before she could free herself, someone pressed a rag on her mouth and nose. Before she had realized what had happened she had breathed in gulps of air through the rag and then it dawned on her this was some chemical. But it was too late the chemical had started taking its effect, and she saw the bright yellow light fade out as she collapsed back on the seat.
“It’s midnight, who the hell is it at this hour?” muttered Prakriti, as she opened her eyes with much effort to look at the cell. “Great, it is Deepak. No doubt ready with another cock and bull story.” She thought with disgust what sort of lame excuse the message would contain.
<00:29> Let’s meet in front of the Metro Station at 1.
What a stupid message, she thought, no explanation and on top of that literally a dictate. She decided she was not going to go. Why should she?
***
Next morning when she woke up she read the message again, and last mornings thought crossed her mind, did she make a mistake with the date? She decided to call him, but his cell was switched off. What a ridiculous thing, she thought again, and finally after her dance of indecision she made up her mind to go and meet him.
The heat outside was unbearable. The monsoon was delayed and the city was boiling. The humidity was energy sapping. The light breeze was as if from an open furnace, burning the very skin the moment it came in contact. The roads were empty except for a few passersby who themselves where scurrying for shelter. Everyone was indoors trying to avoid the May scorcher. Prakriti cursed herself for not carrying a cap to protect her head. She felt as if her brain was simmering like a sizzler. This didn’t help her temper at all, she thought, “Deepak is in store for a lot of verbal bashing.”
“Who decides to meet in this heat outside at 1? What a wonderful time to choose? He has certainly forgotten what the heat here can be like.”
She waited under the little shade of the building, averting her eyes from the glare outside. Everything seemed to be burning or melting. It was so horrible. It was 1:05 and still no sign of him. This was getting too much.
There were two men walking listlessly towards the building, she thought, “there are two more fools who our out for a walk in this weather.” She was smiling to herself when she noticed a Van slowing down and inching towards her deliberately, she suddenly remembered that Deepak had a car, she thought “may be he has finally had some brainwave and here he is with the car, thank god.” She peered eagerly but the tinted glass was so dark she could not make out who was inside there was a driver and a passenger; she kept wondering whether it was his dad inside. The door slid open and she tried to adjust her eyes to the darkness inside. She was about to say “thank god!” when she felt two powerful hands pushing her, she was surprised and irritated. As she turned around to give a piece of mind to the uncivilized person for pushing her so hard she saw the same two men who were walking listlessly,behind her. Someone from the van grabbed her waist and pulled her in before she could understand, she was on the seat of the van and three men climbed in and the van started.
She realized with a sudden fit of physical outburst that she was being kidnapped, she tried to push the man holding her down with all her might, she screamed and shouted and threw her arms at anyone she could see. After a while she started sweating in the air conditioned environment, she realized the van had music playing and her screams where drowned in that. She tried to fight the men with all her strength but more and more she realized she could not fight them for long. With one final surge of energy she kicked and thrashed with her arms at the man trying to hold her down and hit his groin. He nearly collapsed. As the grip loosened she tried to get up still fighting the other two, scratching them with her nails, and biting them even, pounding the window glass, with her shoes. But her strength gave away as she struggled to breathe, then all of a sudden the car stopped. She felt this was her opportunity she lunged at the door and it opened, but before she could free herself, someone pressed a rag on her mouth and nose. Before she had realized what had happened she had breathed in gulps of air through the rag and then it dawned on her this was some chemical. But it was too late the chemical had started taking its effect, and she saw the bright yellow light fade out as she collapsed back on the seat.
posted by clytemnestra @ 10:57 PM
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