SURVIVE

4. The End

She didn't reply.

"Do you want to know what happened to Niraj?"

Her head snapped right up, on level with her husband's. Or rather the demon's. Her gaze held challenge, a raw fierceness. And just for a split-second Bijay stumbled. He felt lost and vulnerable. The feeling disappeared as soon as it had come. He took his phone out and showed Sahara the lifeless body of Niraj.

Then Sahara did something she would never have thought she was capable of. She jumped onto Bijay and started pouncing on him. She was angry. She was weak but the sudden strength made even Bijay think twice before he made any move.

Sahara grabbed onto his neck and tried to kill him. How dare he? What has Niraj done? He killed Niraj. Niraj.

No matter what, Bijay was much more stronger than Sahara. Within seconds he turned her over and grabbed her. He lifted her and opened up the door infront of him. The room beyond was a storage room. No light entered from anywhere but the door because it had no windows. He threw Sahara in and she landed with a bump.

"You are to rot in here until you die." The words gave Sahara a cold chill through her body.

She wanted to beg him to take her out but remained motionless. Bijay took out something from somewhere in the dark. Then bam. Black everywhere.

○ ● ○ ●

Sahara woke up. Her head still throbbed with pain. She didn't know what time it was. Hell. She didn't even know how much time she'd spent in there.

She could see nothing and hear nothing. The only light and some air came from the gap below the door.

She felt around her body. Her bruises it seemed were everywhere. Wherever she touched she could feel the pain. She wanted to assess the bruises and put some antiseptic but she could hear no one.

There must've been some light in the room. She remembered the last time she'd been in here. She could have sworn that there was a switch somewhere.

She stood up ever so slowly as every twitch, every twist caused pain all over her body. She felt the door with her hands and went towards the right side. She felt every inch of the wall but before soon she hit the end. Then she turned and cried out aloud as she hit her leg on something hard.

She went back to the door and started feeling towards the left side of the door. She went along the wall, losing any hopes of getting a switch as she came closer to the end. Just when she was about to return, her hand hit something on the wall. Something that was hanging. She felt it and felt a relief when she found out that it was a switch that was attached to the wall later on.

She pressed the switch. Nothing. She pressed it a couple of times. No light. No nothing.

Then she remembered that Ram, one of the workers had informed her about the bulb in the storage room that had burnt out. She had asked him to replace it immediately and he had said something about having to go somewhere. Then she had told him that he could replace it anytime as long as he did his work well.

She softly banged her head on the wall.

Click. The door opened suddenly and she pressed herself onto the wall. Something was thrown in and suddenly the room was flooded with light. Bijay had brought her some food and a flashlight.

She devoured the food hungrily. It was too little for her raving stomach but something was better than nothing.

Then with the flashlight she examined her wounds. There were streaks of blue everywhere. Even the slightest touch brought pain.

She lied on the cold hard floor. Niraj was dead. She had absolutely no reason to live now. Her parents had betrayed her. Her husband turned out to be a demon. Her boyfriend was dead. Why would she have any reason to live? Her sister. Nayarra was all that was left now. Nayarra was her 'sahara' now. But Nayarra was oblivious to what she was suffering now. She had not a single idea what had happened to Sahara or to Niraj.

Where was Niraj's body? Bijay could've done anything with it. Bijay had killed him. Niraj. Was. Dead. Sahara cried like a baby then. She had every reason to cry and she let out everything. Everything she had was gone. She cried until her tears were dry and nothing came out from her eyes.

A while later the door opened amd she was dragged back out. She was in need of the lavatory. Without a word Bijay dragged her into the toilet and waited outside until she finished her business. She took a bath and felt a lot better.

Then she came out. Bijay asked her to come in the sitting room which she obediently did. She sat there in silence. Maybe Bijay regretted what he'd done. She later realized that she had been unconscious for about two days. Two days? Had she been in there the whole time?

"What do you want me to do?" Bijay asked. She had no idea what he was talking about. She just stared on the lines in her hand.

"Tell me!" He demanded.

"Fuck off." The words came out without any thought. She knew she was doomed now.

"What the hell did you say?" Bijay stood up grabbing the end of his belt on his hand.

Sahara sat in silence. She was afraid.

"Tell me what you said again."

She shook her head.

"How dare you disobey me?"

She clenched her mouth tight and looked for an escape. The front door was wide open. She only needed her chance.

She slowly stood up where she was sitting. He came closer to her, eyes red with anger. She felt her own boiling inside her.

"Fuck off!" She cried and ran for the door with all her might. Bijay stood in shock for a while. Then he realized the absurdity of standing there and ran for her.

Sahara ran with all her might until she reached the front door. The only delay was when she had to put on her slippers. That became enough time for Bijay to catch up. He caught her before she could reach the end of the stairs. Nobody could outrun Bijay. Not in the army and not certainly in his own house by his excuse of a wife.

He dragged her by the hair as usual and brought her inside. She had crossed all her limits. He brought out his belt and started whipping her. Nobody insulted him and got away with it. Not a woman in any manner.

Sahara screeched and cried with every whip. She had had enough of the pain. Then Bijay lit up the gas and put something on it. Sahara cried for mercy. She begged on his feet but Bijay wouldn't listen.

He pulled out the red hot sword from the gas and tortured her. He poked her with it everywhere he could, while all Sahara did was cry out in hot white pain. The kind of pain she'd never felt before. Later, he dragged her by the foot into her place. Her dark storage room. He locked her from outside and Sahara heard the distant rumble of the engine.

Pain. Everywhere she touched or didn't touch. Pain was all she felt. She knew her end had come. She didn't want to go, not this soon. She had so much to accomplish. So much more to do. She was so young and she was dying.

She always heard people saying that if one's life is filled with sins then when they are dying they won't even get a drink of water.

Maybe her life had been filled with sins. Maybe she had done something wrong. She couldn't remember. She felt her breath being shortened. She was dying and she knew it. She was getting in and out of consciousness. She wouldn't survive this.

Mom. Dad. Nayarra. Niraj. I'm sorry.

She closed her eyes for the last time.

There was no white light. No tunnel.

Only blackness.