"What?" With surprise, Haseena tries to pull back but Karishma's embrace doesn't allow her. Karishma holds on as tight as she can and she intends to do so until Haseena agrees to her plan. When Haseena finds no success in pulling away, she stops. She lets Karishma hold her in her loving arms but she makes sure Karishma knows that this is not her going along with her masterplan. "No."
Karishma refuses to hear Haseena's denial. She doesn't care if she says no. A gentle kiss by the ear is given; in hope that Haseena would change her mind and follows the instruction more willingly. Then, Karishma pulls back as much as she can with Haseena's cuffed hands behind her neck like a confinement she is willing to be in for the rest of her life. She smiles. "You really need to."
"No." Haseena stands by her word and shakes her head to make her denial become more solid. She doesn't even want to know the reason behind this bizarre request. It is just too absurd to her ears and too ridiculous for her mind. She just hopes that Karishma will say she was joking and that was not what she really meant.
"There is exactly one bullet in the gun right now but I'll add more for you. You'll use it and you'll shoot right at me." Karishma explains more and removes herself from Haseena's arms. She starts to wander to the uncertain destination with all the power she has left. She staggers as if she has two left feet and the world is shaking to its core. "I'll get you more so you can shoot them if you need to."
"Karishma." Haseena begs so hopelessly as she sees that Karishma shows no signs of taking her words back. She watches her reach the sloppy-looking brick wall by the toilet door that is blocking the dripping sound as best as it can and fall down to her knees. Karishma knocks on each brick as if she is trying to enter the world that doesn't exist until there is a brick that gives the hollow sound. She slowly pulls it out and takes the bullets that have been hidden safe and sound. "How-"
"This was my parents' house." Karishma interrupts the question with the answer that Haseena is looking for with her confused face. "My dad hid them in every room; just in case something happened. Clearly, they didn't help much."
"Why are we..." Haseena is still as confused. Although one answer is revealed, there are plenty more that are still in the dark. But this time around, she doesn't wait for another answer to be given, she can figure it out all on her own. "He is blaming this on you."
Karishma looks at Haseena and smiles. She is proud. She is proud of this girl who can catch up really fast and even rush her steps to get ahead of her. She is more than certain that she will be nothing but proud if one day she falls completely right into her. If one day she gets a chance to do so. If one day exists.
"Karishma." Haseena resists Karishma's plan as much as she possibly can while Karishma shoves bullets from the hollow bricks into her jeans pocket. She tries to stop Karishma from building a little arsenal in her pockets but Karishma doesn't let her. She makes sure those bullets are secured and accessible before putting a few that are left in her hand into the gun. Her hands are shaky from the drugs that are too high to wear out but she still manages to complete the mission.
"Why don't you use it to get us out? I can... I am a victim here and I can say who is really behind this. I can tell them the whole story. He can't falsely accuse you."
Karishma manages to put on the faintest smile and shakes her head. Haseena means well but her well intention is useless here. "Brian has been with the PD for a long time; done tons of cases and tons of undercovers. When he plans something, he makes sure that... there is no gaps or holes. Now, he's planned to put everything on me. Whatever he has in his hands right now, it is enough to make everything convincible. If you talked to get me out of this, do you know what it would make you look like? A crazy celebrity who possibly has a Stockholm syndrome. We cannot walk out of here together, Haseena. I'm sorry. If you don't shoot me, he'll shoot me and you."
"No." Haseena refuses to give in no matter what Karishma has said. She pushes her away and starts to hit her arm repeatedly and harshly like she always does. She is doing anything in her power to not take the gun that Karishma is trying to put in her hand.
"If you shoot me, his plan will fail. He will panic. You will open gaps and holes for the cops to investigate and trust me that they will. They have to when someone di... is hurt."
"When someone dies?" Haseena can't believe what she has just heard. She looks at Karishma as if all of a sudden, she has become a stranger to her. Karishma has just asked her to kill and she hasn't asked her to kill those bad people but she has asked her to kill her. "Are you out of your mind?"
"You will be able to tell the whole story and Brian cannot make you look like a crazy person if you shoot me with my own gun. He doesn't expect this." Karishma shoves her gun into Haseena's hands again and this time she finds success. "This is the only way I can protect you, Haseena. If we both walk out of here... If Brian opens all of his cards on the table that put me as your kidnapper... As soon as people think that you try to protect me because we are somehow involved, it would be years before you could recover from that. It would be years before they look at you as a very talented actress again."
"I don't care." Haseena whispers so low that it seems like she is convincing herself; instead of convincing Karishma. She now has the gun in her hand but she still doesn't take a grip on it. She doesn't want to. This is too much for her.
"You do." Karishma argues with a gentle smile. "After you shoot me, aim at them and shoot the wall. Make sure they know that you have more bullets and you are not afraid to shoot their asses. They've probably taken your car too. Ask for your key. Drive. Get help for yourself. Do not ask for an ambulance for me. Ask for the cops. Haseena, do not look back. Do not come back."
Haseena hears the words but is still too stubborn to listen although Karishma explains lowly and slowly. Karishma makes sure that Haseena understands every single word she instructs. She makes sure that even if it costs her life, Haseena will be out of here on her own and no one can claim this heroic act but Haseena herself. "What if you die?"
"I won't." Karishma cups her face and looks into her beautiful blue eyes. Even she finds it hard to trust her own words, she needs to make sure that the girl in front of her trust it more than her. "You are beautiful."
"No." Haseena sniffs her nose from all the sobbing she has had. Then, her misery takes its turn. She becomes angry and is ready to fight Karishma after hearing the thing she can almost swear that Karishma has told her millions of times in other millions of ways. "You're only allowed to say that when we're on a date and I'm in that yellow daphne dress I've just got."
"That's why I can't die, right? I won't die." Karishma tucks Haseena's hair behind her ear and tries her very best to shine the assurance through her smile as much as she possibly could. "You look gorgeous in yellow. I wouldn't miss that for the world."
Karishma fixes her eyes on Haseena as long as it takes for her to remember every inch and every scent of her. Haseena does just the same through the curtain of tears that is refusing to go away. Then, Karishma's eyes make such haste from Haseena to the door that is cracking open behind her. She has just run out of time and plan B is proceeding instead of the A. It is a split second. It is half a breath. Brian bursts through the door and shoots. He shoots to make this whole thing become what he has planned it to be; a kidnapping goes wrong. The bullet flies fast but Karishma is faster. Karishma pushes Haseena out of the way and takes her place. Brian aimed at Haseena but the gun sent the bullet to his partner.
And through Haseena's eyes, everything turns into a slow-motion scene of a movie. The loud bang from the gun makes her heart pause for a second while Karishma's right shoulder is thrown back by the hit of the bullet. She immediately falls to the floor with blood flowing out of the wound. Haseena is left speechless. She can't scream. She can't even make a tiny sound while her curtains of tears break into waterfalls. Karishma doesn't move. Karishma just lies there and she doesn't move.
"Damn it." Brian curses and breaks the silence Haseena has sent herself in for a second. "I told you not to die for her."
With her shaky hands, Haseena raises the gun in her hand and points it to Brian. She doesn't even know what she is doing but she makes sure that she is doing everything Karishma told her to. She will shoot if she needs to.
"Haseena. Haseena. Haseena." Brian doesn't budge. He lowers his gun but not out of fear that there is a gun pointing right at him. He lowers his gun to prove that he is not investing one ounce of his belief on Haseena shooting him. Haseena's nerve is evident but being able to shoot a person is a whole different story. He is not much of a gambler but he is gambling his life on that. "Do you want to do that? Do you really want to shoot a police officer? Do you really want to say goodbye to your good girl reputation? That would be such a shame, wouldn't it? Come on, let's talk."
"I don't want to talk to you." Haseena slowly steps back as Brian slowly steps towards her. He still has the gun in his hand and he has already proved that he isn't hesitant to use it. She also has the gun in her hands but she is too hesitant to use it.
"Who do you want to talk to? Singh?" Brian turns to Karishma who is laying still in the pond of her own blood. The clock is ticking and both of them knows; one of them knows even better when he checks his watch to count down the minutes. Karishma is running out of time. She is dying right in front of Haseena's eyes. "I don't think she is available to do that now."
As soon as Brian finishes his statement, he approaches Karishma. He even turns his back towards Haseena who is still pointing the gun at him. He kicks Karishma's leg and uses the gun in his hand to poke on her wound. Karishma twitches but that's all. She doesn't put up the fight or even make a sound.
"Don't hurt her." Haseena says with tears in her eyes and moves her finger to the trigger. She starts to feel so overwhelmed and she starts to feel like she is about to burst.
"I can call her an ambulance." Brian offers with his hand in his pocket. He looks calm and his voice sounds calm although his expression becomes cocky and devilish. "From the look of it, Singh has like... 10 or 15 minutes left. But... I mean wouldn't it be nice for her to die at the exact same place as her parents? There must be some sort of portal here to send her to her parents faster. That must be nice, don't you think?"
"Can you please call the ambulance?" Haseena whispers hopelessly. Her arms start to get weak by seconds and the gun that has been aiming at Brian start to has a new target. It gets lower and lower until the floor becomes its new target. "Please."
Brian crosses his arms knowing way too well that he has her in his hands. He can either squeeze her until she suffocates or let her get some fresh air of freedom. Her fate is in his hand. "Under one condition. At the press conference and in the official report, you'll have to put me as a detective in charge who pulls his heroic act and gets you out. Singh will be the one who is behind all this. I'll probably make a lieutenant after this. And when I do, I can have her charges dropped so don't worry... I mean if she lives, of course. Deal?"
"No." A voice responds but it's not Haseena's. The voice is low and breathy and it comes from behind him. "Let's go meet my parents."
With the last bit of whatever she has in her, Karishma grabs Brian's ankle with her left that secretly possesses all the power within her and pulls. She pulls right when he is unprepared. She pulls right when he thought she would die for certain. Brian drops to the floor but he isn't dropped to be defeated although he loses the gun in his hand. He hits the floor hard enough but he quickly finds his balance and jumps right at Karishma. He is bigger, taller and stronger but their martial arts skills are right by each other. Most importantly, they know each other's weaknesses like the back of their hands. This is certainly not a fight that is decided right from the start despite the gunshot wound on Karishma's shoulder.
Brian sets his target on the bloody-red wound on Karishma's shoulder. He presses it while Karishma tries to push his face. Gradually, Karishma starts to lose feeling on her right arm and her breath starts to be struggling. She takes the deepest breath she can and throws her left punch onto Brian's face. It isn't really forceful but it can force his blood to leave through his nose.
"Haseena, shoot." Karishma says with such pain in her voice as her head is getting lighter and lighter. Her last bit of energy is wasting away. Haseena is her own self last hope of getting out. "Shoot."
"You know what?" Brian catches his breath while uses his arm to press on Karishma's neck. He has every advantage and he can end everything now while Karishma's white flag is taking a peek. "Leaving your life in that girl's hand might be your last stupid decision. Ever."
Then, the bang is sounded. The residue is seen by the muzzle. The silence creeps in. The blood is shed. Brian's eyes are widened as he freezes. The force he has used to press on Karishma's neck is weaker by a second until Karishma manages to push Brian out from on top of her. He lands on his back as he tries to press the red spot that is bigger and bigger by his waist. Unlike Karishma, the bullet that has gone inside him can't find its way out. It is in there in some organ that recognizes the bullet as an alien rather quickly and starts to shut down bit by bit. He kicks his legs as the numb starts to turn into the pain.
"Come here." Karishma weakly waves Haseena towards her. Once she does, Karishma takes the gun from her, wipes it with the hem of her shirt and calmly shoots Brian's leg. "Kick his gun away from him."
Haseena follows the order so strictly without any question or argument. She rushes back by Karishma's side and sees how normal breathing becomes such a hard task for her. "Karishma." "You need to get out of here before those guys come. Ask for Officer Maria. She'll help you."
"I can't leave you." Haseena's cuffed hands don't know what to do as they travel back and forth between wounds on Karishma. She wants to press on the one that is heavily bleeding but she doesn't want to hurt her even more. She wants to wipe the one that dripping from her eyebrow but she doesn't want to make it even worse.
"You don't have a choice." Karishma smiles and taps on Haseena's leg as that is how far she can now lift her hand. "Go and tell the whole story then."
"Yes. Okay." Haseena is about to get up on her feet when Karishma holds on to her ankle..
"Kiss me." Karishma whispers with her eyes closed. "Before you go."
"No." Haseena shakes her head and slowly takes her steps back. "You'll kiss me when you're on your two feet."
"Haseena." Karishma's voice has reached the new low and before she gets to say more, she raises the gun in her hand again. Another visitor enters and Karishma doubts if she has enough power in her to press the trigger. It is one of the thug-looking officers who appears at the door. This time around he makes himself even clearer that he is more than a regular thug by absent-mindedly left his badge hanging from his neck. He walks into a scene he didn't anticipate and he clearly doesn't know what to do. "I'm not afraid to shoot you, officer. Let her leave."
"Brian!" The man calls his boss's name and holds on to the gun at his holster. He still blocks the door but he doesn't do anything more than that. He doesn't have that nerve to do things recklessly without being ensured that he will get away with it. Brian is his only way out. Brian is his savior. "Brian, what do we do?"
Brian looks at nothing but the mold-filled ceiling. His hands are struggling to press the bloody hole that refuses to stop bleeding. He remembered every step and every detail of his plan by heart but now everything becomes such a blur. The minutes that he has counted down for Karishma has synced into the minutes he has to count down for himself. Choices are limited. If he wants to live, he will have to choose the one that is not in his plan and open a hole that will possibly ruin everything. "Call in."
"On it." The man immediately pulls his phone out to call for help. He says his name and his badge number before reporting the situation that is way more to it than what he tells the dispatcher.
"Thank you." Haseena mumbles with her shaky voice and showering tears. She makes her way back to Karishma's side; just in time to see her amber brown eyes before they shut themselves down. "Karishma. Don't fall asleep. Please. Please. Open your eyes."
"You'll be alright." Karishma whispers with a smile. She wants to close her eyes for a second but as soon as she closes them, she doesn't find the darkness that is supposed to bring her peace. There is the light. There is the brightest light that shines upon her as if she is standing in the sun. Suddenly, all of her pain goes away and everything is replaced by the warm touch on her hand. She knows it is Haseena's but when she looks, she sees someone else; someone who should not be here. "Mom?"
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Expect the unexpected😈