Next day Hannah, started up her day very slowly. She never felt like meeting Siyad again. Thinking about the mess she had created in search of Annie, was the most idiotic repercussion from her. Last night when Hannah met Annie, she too opined the same.
“Hannah you should have planned a bit before explaining something like that.”
“I was in a hurry, to meet you in real.” she replied softly.
Hannah never felt like going to the school, nor did she even feel like stepping out of the bed. But Mumtaz would doubt. She know how much, her mother gets concerned over her teeny weeny mood swings.
……
The day was cold, Hannah wore her Kashmiri sweater to keep her warm. Into the streets she walked aimlessly.
“Where should I go?” Hannah asked herself. She thought of walking towards the library.
“This Annie! Is she your imagination?” Hannah turned back and to her surprise Siyad was standing next to her.
“Yesterday itself I told you that she is not real.”
“If so, then why you called her name out, in your sleep”.
Hannah stood in silence.
“How did you…?” Then only she recollected, incidents connected with Maria.
“Why are you after me?” Hannah got irritated.
Siyad smiled and was about to answer, her then suddenly a man appeared before them.
“Maria’s uncle”. He had a gun in his hand.
“Where is the kid?” Before Siyad or Hannah could explain. His henchmen grabbed both of them from behind. Threw them into the back of a van.
“Leave her. I will explain.” Siyad tried to explain. But a duct tape got glued on, on of both their lips. Even their hands and legs got tied up.
The back door of the van got closed from outside leaving Siyad and Hannah alone at the back of that vehicle.
The van sped through the city and travelled towards the outskirts of the urban roads.
Hannah turned cold. She looked frozen. Unable to move or breathe. Siyad rolled closer to her and nodded her with his head. He made her sit upright and finally Siyad sat very close to her.
He then made her look into his eyes and calmed her. Her eyes finally got flooded with tears. She slowly fell on to his shoulders for comforts. As she felt his warmth, it slowly solaced her.
After many years she felt the presence of her father near her.
The Duck tape was too tight. Siyad looked around for a sharp edge. But nothing could be found instantly.
He foresaw the danger lurking around Hannah. Siyad perfectly knew that, Hannah’s life is in jeopardy. After disposing him they will force her into flesh trade.
Siyad compelld himself to think straight. Before the van stops they must escape or else Hannah will be separated from him forever.
“How to escape? Hannah must be saved.” Then he thought of his silver chain, which he had worn around his own neck.
If he could press the ‘micro button on it. Then it would alert the tracking system and would catch Adam’s attention towards him.
He tried to bend his jaws and press them. But the locket had somehow ended up at the back of his head. So his hands are useless now. He thought “If Hannah could get to the locket. But how this could be explained to her. Both their hands and mouth were taped.”
Hannah was lying on his shoulders with her eyes closed. He started to rumble in order to get her attentions. But still her eyes were closed.
“Is she sleeping?”
Then to his surprise, Hannah sat straight but her eyes were closed.
“Hannah” he called out but his voice couldn’t break through the tapes. Amazingly Hannah turned towards him, as if she is responding to his thoughts.
“Are you awake?” He again asked in his mind.
With her head she nodded “yes.”
“What! Are you able to read my thoughts?”
She again nodded “yes”.
He can’t believe, still he thought of giving it a one more try.
“Hannah, if you can hear my thoughts, move closer to me.”
She moved, with her eyes still closed.
She looked as if she is in a trance.
“Hannah, now go behind the back of my neck.”
She lifted herself and did so.
“Now bend down and located the locket on my silver chain.” He spoke in his mind.
Hannah tried to locate the locket.
“Now bring your nose to the center of that locket.” which she did.
“Press it hard, so you can hear a beep if it is activated.” Within seconds a beep was heard.
Siyad smiled.
“Hannah are you okay.” she came back face to face to him and smile.
“How could you hear my thoughts?” She again tried to smile.
Siyad suddenly started feeling naughty.
“If you are still afraid you can sleep on my shoulder”.
When Hannah started to lie on his shoulder, he simply lifted his left arm and made Hannah fell on his chest.
Within few hour’s they could hear choppers flying over them. Then gunshots could be heard.
The van started swaying. Hannah opened her eyes, she found herself locked safely inside Siyad’s arms. The swaying and noises made her cling more closely to him. Then their van suddenly started to roll over as if they were rolling down over a cliff. Suddenly the truck got stuck somewhere and the back doors got opened.
Siyad found himself bleeding. He checked Hannah, but he found her unconscious. The rollover had ended up in giving a wound at the back of her head. He tried to move but his arms, but it was paining. Probably a fracture. The last thing he saw was men wearing uniform rushing towards them.
“The paramedics.”
****
Siyad’s right hand got fractured, had few bandages here and there on his face and body. Adam stood near him, when Siyad was kept under observation. His parents and Syrene were tactfully removed from the premises of the hospital by Siyad himself with the help of Adam. Actually Siyad was in good condition to get discharged. But he wanted to stay behind as Hannah lay sedated in the nearby room. Her head injury is a bit deep deeper than expected, but hopefully no clots or internal hemorrhage were diagnosed.
Mumtaz sat outside her room. Alone and praying.
“Adam, had the party left?” Siyad was curious to get rid of his family, Syrene and their investigations.
“Yep”
“Then you stay here and cover me up.”
“Where are you going?”
Siyad said nothing, but Adam knew that he is going after Hannah.
Siyad found Mumtaz sitting alone in the corridor waiting the intensive care unit.
“How is she?”
“Doctor said not to worry.”
“You had dinner?”
“No.”.
“Why? She will be fine. You eat something.”
“I will, let her regain her consciousness.”
“She is under sedation. So….”
“I know.” Mumtaz looked adamant. “ I have only got her and I can’t lose her again.” She said as she was recollecting something from her past.
“Now is the perfect time for getting things out of Mumtaz.” Siyad thought.
“What do you mean by losing her again?”
Mumtaz felt like confiding in him. So she started.
“Hannah was very close to her Dad. Like all daughters, she too considered him as her entire world. When she lost him one fine day, Hannah lost her inner self”.
“When did that happened?”
“Just few years back. It was an accident”. Mumtaz took a moment of silence before she continued. “She didn’t cry, but started sitting quietly in his room, among his books. Hannah’s father, Ail was an Astrophysist. He used to lecture students at different universities. Most of the time he would be out, touring with his research works. Ali was also interested in an Egyptian clan. A clan which mostly existed in Egyptian myths ‘The Dieties’. He was very keen with their Astrological interventions.
You know Egyptians, they had strange Gods, Myths and histories. Whatever it be, I only understood very little. But Ali had shared some of his wisdom into Hannah in her very younger age itself. He made her familiar with some of their strange rituals and techniques too. So, after Ali’s death Hannah kept searching for something among his projects. She started acting weirdly. One night she went for sleeping”.
Siyad now suddenly started to feel a blood rush under his skin.
“But she didn’t wake up for nearly eight days. Just like in a coma. Finally I had to rush her to a hospital. They did all kinds of test, but found her vitals normal. When they tried to wake her up. She acted dead. Her body lied in front of us breathing. Nothing else. Finally after days, when she woke out of her coma. She looked happy. When the doctors asked
“How she is feeling?” then she said
“Happy”
“Why Happy?”
“Because I was with my father’s memories”.
She started talking strange things. Even I was stunned. Then Siyad… months of treatment. We were rich enough to live an elite life but for her treatment.” Mumtaz stopped for a moment and then continued “What else can a widow with no support can do? With medicines and counseling finally I got her back.”
Siyad observed Mumtaz closely. He saw her sigh in relief. He then offered her a glass of coffee that too she rejected with love.
“Can I ask you something?”
Siyad slowly started to dig in
“Yes.”
“Who is this Annie?”
“No idea. Why you ask Siyad?”
“Last day, at your home, I heard her spelling out that name in her sleep”.
“Yes even I have heard it. Actually I have always felt that she is into something. Hours and Hours spent on reading, searching, and writing. I don’t know what she is up to. But I’m really afraid now. If she goes back…?”
“Don’t worry. Can you share with me her previous treatment details?”
“It is at home. If you want I can get them.”
“If you don’t mind. I will get them myself. Just give me yours apartment keys.”
Siyad got the keys from Mumtaz. Before leaving the hospital, he just looked at Hannah, through the glass doors of her room.
“Whatever your mysteries are I will get to the bottom of it. He said to himself.
