Dedicated to @FelicrisProcorato for being so agitated for me to update... lol. You have it now, dear.
PLZ VOTE + COMMENT +SHARE + ENJOY!!
UNEDITED!
______
Trapeze, Clydesville.
Zahra came home that night to find her apartment, thankfully, very much intact. She kicked off her shoes and massaged her feet tiredly. It had been a long day. There'd been one too many briefings to attend to, and Mr. Walworth was irritating to the point of pestering, to ask everyone to keep safe. She remembered their short private conversation distinctly.
She was just moving out of the Conference Room like everyone else when he'd called her back. "I hope you're well, Ms. Fatimah," he'd said to her, helping himself to a cup of coffee. "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." "Good. Though I'd like you to tell me if there's anything wrong, alright? You don't seem very well. I've seen you in better days." "N..no, sir, there's nothing of the kind. I am doing very well, thank you," Zahra had answered decidedly, though coolly. "It's only that I haven't had any contact with my parents lately, and that's troubling me a bit. Nothing more... really," she'd added, as an afterthought.
"If you say so. Do tell me how they're doing when you connect with them again, by the way," he'd told her pointedly. It seemed as if all of a sudden, everyone wanted to keep tabs with her life. But she shouldn't be ungrateful, she'd thought. It was a blessing in troubling times as these.
"Anyway, I haven't heard any of those bright ideas from you in days. I hope you haven't quite lost your spark!" he'd said, his eyes twinkling behind his glasses, making her smile in spite of herself. "I'm actually up to a few changes in the Organization, sir. I'd thought of discussing it with Mr. Hammond, but I haven't been able to, as yet." "Well then, make it into a small document and mail it to me directly. I'll see for it myself." Zahra had nodded in acquiescence. She'd wondered why he'd detained her.
"You should get going now. It's getting late. The streets aren't exactly safe these days, either. You walk to your place, don't you?" Mr. Walworth had asked her and she'd confirmed his assertion by nodding her head. "Then, let me escort you till the gates." "Oh, no sir, there's no need, really!"
"Look here, I'm an old man, Ms. Fatimah. I don't like to be left hanging about the results, ever. In your case, it will be you reaching home safely. Besides, you look like you do need some company. Consider me like a father dropping his child to the safety of her home, will you?"
"And do have faith in us a little. We won't let anything happen to any of you." He'd made sure to include everyone. "Your CEO would hate me forever if he came to find his employees pale and dejected with fear. He likes to have fresh minds at the Company's disposal." And there it'd been, out in the open, what he'd wanted to say all along. Though he'd made sure to never single her out in any of his statements. What was his son up to?!
Zahra shrugged off the complacent thoughts that baffled her mind somewhat and hastily checked her phone, only to find a single missed call by Rajani. She called the girl to inform her she was fine, and then proceeded to check her texts, and all of her social media to see anything of interest. She scrolled through her Facebook newsfeed in order to see anything from her best friend, but it seemed like Avi hadn't come here in days!
Zahra opened her 'Lonely & Lost' forum account to find a 'Request to Talk' from a girl named Ayesha. After checking her bio, she accepted her request and typed a quick message to let her know when they could talk. The best thing was that she lived in Trapeze too!
But what caused the girl to jump in shock was what she saw in the headlines of the local newspaper app. There'd been another abduction! But, this time, it'd took place in the next city of Morristown. Now that she recollected, people had been talking about it at the Office, but she hadn't deemed it necessary to listen to their conversations. She was too worked up about Laura's revelation to pay heed to anything, anyway.
What was this gang up to? They were going even more random by the minute. Maybe, it was just a diversion to send the Police force on the wrong scent. And while they would scour the next city for the gang, the real people behind all of this will keep their search on for the right girl, in the capital city itself. Sounded like a plan to her! And Zahra silently pleaded her Lord to protect her and such other girls from those monsters.
Hunger pangs overcame her after about an hour of being glued to her phone for more news. She'd hoped there'd be something in the papers about the devil incarnate himself, David Walworth; she only came up empty handed, and it disappointed her more than she cared to admit. Freeing herself from the clutches of her phone, Zahra ran to the kitchen to appease her stomach with something edible she could find in the refrigerator, but there wasn't anything worth the name in there. And then only could she remember she'd meant to do some grocery shopping, right after she left the Office!
Great! She'd have to move now if she wanted to get to the Store in good time. Grabbing her purse and slipping into her well-worn Liberty shoes, she ran out of her apartment, flicking the lights off as she went. She was just locking the door when she saw Rajani come out of the adjacent apartment. She looked at her, astonished, for a second, but then exclaimed, "Where are you off to, now?" like a disapproving mom. "Just down to the Store, to do some grocery shopping. I'll be back in a few."
"But it's already dark outside, Zahra! Come, you can have some of mine." "But, I'll keep stalling it till I starve to death! It's only 7 pm dear, it's still summer. And besides, the Store is just down the road. What could possibly happen to me in so short a time?!" "Anything!" And when she saw Zahra about to protest, she huffed. "Fine. We'll go together then," Rajani answered. Zahra was ready to burst with more points to argue with, but she stopped her with a careless wave of the hand. "Alright, you can come. But do hurry."
After just half an hour of shopping, Zahra's hands were so full of grocery bags that she couldn't even walk straight, not to mention the ones her friend was dragging behind her. "Hurry up, Raj, will you? You walk like an old woman!" she teased her friend by calling her by her abhorred nickname. "Don't call me Raj, okay! I'm not a guy. And I am hurrying! It's just that these bags are so darn heavy. What were you thinking, shopping like that?! It looks like you've bought your whole year's rations in one go!"
"Stop grumbling! You're the one who wanted to accompany me oh-so-good-naturedly in the first place." "Yeah. But I'm regretting my decision now. You wouldn't have even be able to bring all of this by yourself," Rajani stated matter-of-factly, dropping the bags to straighten her back a little.
"Hey! What are you doing, standing in the middle of the road like that?" "I'm taking a rest. Can't you see?" the girl retorted sharply. "Come on. It's getting late!" And it really was getting late. The streets were all deserted except a few late workers seen going home, every now and then.
When she'd had her complete rest of more than three minutes, Rajani decided it was time to heave up the burdens of her life, and make it fast to the safety of their abode. And Zahra, more than thankful, copied her movements.
Suddenly, a rowdy group turned round the bend, only to come face to face with the two girls. For a minute, they were stunned into silence, and then there were shouts of loud jubilation. There were about four of them, and they all carried bundles of beer cans. Clearly, they were drunk.
Fear gripped Zahra like it hadn't ever since she'd heard about her father's heart attack. "Oh me Gosh! Look, what we 'ave here!" one of them drawled, once the group had registered their presence. She gripped Rajani's arm and tried to edge past the trouble-makers. But the bags had slowed their movements. And before they could steer clear of them, one of the men took hold of the girl's arm. "What's the 'urry, lurrv? I'm sure ya won't mind some fun now." They'd completely blocked any of their means of escape. Getting to safety seemed like a lost cause to Zahra.
The men reeked of alcohol, and her mind was fast becoming dizzy. She had to do something soon, it was all her fault and she couldn't let her friend get into this mess because of her. After trying to escape, she had no Plan B in mind, but she was determined to, at least, save Rajani from such animals. The men were getting really close for their comfort now.
A man gripped her arm and slowly inched his hand inside her abaya sleeves. She felt like vomiting, even on an empty stomach. She began backing away to try to detach herself from him, but it was a wrong move, for the wall trapped her from behind.
Rajani was in a similar predicament only a few feet away, shouting herself hoarse for help. Another one of the group slapped her hard, and Zahra saw red. How dare he! She struggled from the vice-like hold of the man who held her and managed to kick the other man in his gut while the other two stood laughing, ready to jump if the two girls gave too much trouble.
The man was about to react when a sound of gunshots was heard in the distance, make them all jolt with fear and shock. And seconds later, two black cars with tinted glasses rounded the corner to where they stood. Rajani had gone fairly mute now. They only stared, stunned, as things took place in front of their eyes. Zahra was relieved for a second... they finally had help. But the deception only lasted for a few seconds.
Two men, wearing blue overalls and blue cloths covering their faces, came out of the first car, and began to advance towards them. They could've passed up for ordinary delivery guys if they didn't carry weapons in their hands. The moment they came near; the four drunkards and the two girls equally shrank back. Zahra couldn't believe this was happening to them. Rajani stood rooted to her spot, beside her, possibly wondering the same thought. It was miraculous they hadn't passed out already. Maybe, they knew this was going to happen to them someday, all along.
Mere brandishing of their guns was enough to send the rowdy group on their way, who looked almost ready to pass out with fear. This was their que to make a run for it. Zahra grabbed her friend's hand and was about to turn back and run home, groceries already forgotten, when she felt two huge hands grip her from behind. Oh God! She'd forgotten the other car. And when nothing seemed to work, she desperately shouted for help.
A large, calloused hand came up and covered her mouth instantly, effectively shutting her up. "Shut up, you wretch!" a gruff voice scolded her. Both the girls struggled under the grip of their respective captors, but it was all in vain. They couldn't match their strength, even if they tried to.
"Which one of you is Fatimah?" one of them asked, pointing the gun to her forehead. For a minute, nobody spoke. Rajani pleaded Zahra with her eyes to not speak a word. "I said, which one of you is Fatimah??!!" the man asked once again, getting more furious with each passing second.
"I am," Zahra answered quietly, yet firmly. "Zahra! No!!" Rajani shouted despairingly, probably thinking her suicidal. But she didn't pay heed to her. She had a chance to save her friend and she wouldn't let it pass. Surely, they'd let her go, because, apparently, whatever grudge they had, they had it against her. "My name is Fatimah. What do you want?" "Good. Bring them both to the car." What the hell! She hadn't thought of this.
"But, why are you taking her too? She doesn't have anything to do with it!" Zahra reasoned desperately. "You have something against me, right? Then leave her alone, will you?" "You have a screw loose, girl! We don't leave girls just like that; to roam free and spread lies. She's seen too much." "I give you my word, she won't say a thing. Now, let her go." She was determined to not let them drag her too. "You're crazy if you think we'll believe you."
"Now, check the girl," he finally spoke, and Zahra's eyes went wide with horror. To her, it well seemed as if he'd pronounced her death sentence. The girl squirmed to be set free with her energy growing two-folds, now. There was no way she was going to let herself molested this way. And the moment her captor changed positions to bring her into the other car, she felt his grip loosen around her mouth. And she grabbed the opportunity to shout a hoarse "NO!!", effectively rattling the man's eardrums. But he was in no mood for taking any sh*t from girls like her. He whacked her head so hard that she bit her tongue in two, making her mouth fill with the coppery taste of the blood.
She was not about to lose so easy, though. Zahra kicked and struck hard anything or anyone, that came within her feet's reach, and created ruckus, as the procession began their move towards the car, which, she now noticed was actually a pick-up van. Rajani seemed relatively calm in comparison. Where was she bringing this much courage from?
She was scared to death. What will happen to her, if they found the mark on her waist? Would they kill her? Or ask about some stupid diary again? She shuddered to think about them touching her, the way they'd touched Laura. She couldn't bear the thought of them seeing any part of her exposed flesh.
What was this... really? Had they left a trap, just to land into another one?
Zahra's captor tossed her onto the hood of the car like a filthy load the moment they reached it. She was just about to slip down and run like a speeding train when the man with the gun grabbed her arms and began to push up her abaya. She shouted again and again, thrusting his hands away from her and thwarting his attempts with such force that he was made to curse and bound her with the help of one of his mates.
She was so sorry to bring Rajani into this. The girl was struggling to help her, but she couldn't move, what with the iron grip upon her arms and waist. All they had left to do was shout... and even that too was denied to them as they gagged them mercilessly.
She had now given up all hope to Heaven. Ill-omened as she was, she was destined to be doomed. She didn't have much strength left, she hadn't eaten anything since morning and her ill-furnished framed was giving way to dizziness. The man had almost succeeded in pushing up her abaya till her waist and she felt exposed, even with clothes on beneath that cloak. All he had to do was push up her kurta a little, and he'd be able to see the large, black baneful mark on her right waist. And tears sprung to her, thinking that. 'Ya Allaah! Forgive me for this,' she internally prayed.
And it seemed that her Lord had decided to be kind to her, for he spared her that day. It was only moments later that a Police vehicle rounded the corner and pulled up into the Street, followed by two other cars. The men, alarmed, sprang into action. Two of them jumped into the car and drove off at breakneck speed, nearly sparing the Police Officer coming their way, and leaving the other two men to bring the load and fend for themselves.
The two men, now left alone to deal with the opposite party, cursed plentifully and quickly brought out their guns to save themselves from getting captured. One man, who held Rajani, was not so quick and got captured in the commotion, and the girl was at once set free, sent into the safety of the Police car. But the one who held Zahra was strong and too alert to be fooled. He rapped the mouth of the gun against her head threateningly, making her flinch. "Put your guns down, or she dies." He loaded the gun for more effect.
"No, you wouldn't wanna do it, I know," the Deputy Police Chief softly reasoned with him. "Just hand her over." He advanced towards him with his hands outstretched. "Stay where you are!" the brute shouted. "I swear I'll kill her, man. Tell'em to put the gun down." He was slowly inching towards the van with every word he spoke. "I'm gonna to count to three now. If you don't back off by the end of it, I'll blow her brains out, as long as I am my mother's son."
"Your mother won't approve of it," the Officer reasoned once again, but the man only snickered in reply. "You won't say that if you knew my mother." "There's a God up there, watching your actions. He won't be too happy if you killed her." "I don't believe in that nonsense. Besides, He wouldn't give a f**k!" "Now, that's not true." "Shut Up!" he shouted and whacked the girl's head with the gun once again. She whimpered in agony, but he ignored her. "Now, I'm gonna start the count. One."
"Two!" he said more forcefully, after a few seconds.
"Three!!" he shouted. And a shot was fired. Rajani screamed her lungs out, long and hard, her eyes tightly shut. She was afraid to open them, lest she should see a bloodied Zahra lying on the road with her head split open. At length, she did open her eyes, only to see a man, lying on the road in his own blood, instead. A faintly conscious Zahra was wrapped securely in the arms of a nearby Police Officer. She breathed a sigh of relief.
Rajani went closer to the dead body, and realized that it was the same man who'd threatened to kill her friend. The Officers had had to shoot him. He hadn't given much attention to the bushes behind him in his desperation to escape. The shot was not meant to be fatal, but in order to stop him from shooting anyone in his madness, he had to be killed.
She immediately relieved the Officer of his burden and took Zahra in her arms. She was barely able to walk straight without support. She rubbed her arms soothingly, softly informing her that it was all over and she was now safe; the girl only nodded in reply. The Deputy Police Chief came up to the duo and ensured them all possible help and protection in the matter. He was determined to get answers out of the one they'd caught.
"We received an anonymous call that informed us about you," he informed them. "Oh... okay," was all Rajani could answer. She was in no mood to know how they'd been saved; they were safe now and it was all that mattered. Maybe one of the storeowners could've called the Police. But she acknowledged it was a little impossible, knowing as they were more than two streets away.
"He was pretty angry at us for being so careless. He even threatened to sue the whole Police Force if we didn't get there in ten minutes, tops." "Really!" The girl was surprised. She didn't know anyone could be this frantic to save them. "Do you have someone in mind who could've said those things?" the Officer asked her, as they reached the entrance of their apartment building. It was bustling with curiosity; the noise must've reached the inhabitant's ears.
Two Officers came and opened the doors for them. "No, we don't. You can go now, Officer. Thank you very much," Zahra replied for her friend. She was getting impatient now; she'd had nothing to eat and it irked her that the man hadn't come to save them himself, albeit unreasonably. "It felt like he knew you, or any one of you," the Officer persisted. "Do tell me if you have an idea as to who he was. Here's my card. If you need any help, I'll be just a call away."
The girls thanked the Officer and proceeded to board the lift that was just coming back down. "You don't need to hold me now, dear. I'll be fine... really," Zahra told her friend, relieving herself of her. "Okay, if you say so. But don't fall." "I won't." She attempted a smile that couldn't quite reach her eyes, due to the exhaustion. "You must be tired too." "Yeah, I am... a little." They kept silent for the rest of the journey upwards.
Something arrested Rajani as they reached the gallery their apartments were situated in. "What about your groceries, Zee?" she asked the girl, now remembering them and patting her forehead regretfully.
"They're all scattered on the 5th street. I'm not about to pick any up, though. Besides, I'm not really hungry anymore. I'll just go to sleep." "You can have breakfast with me in the morning, okay." "Yeah, okay. Thanks," Zahra answered, moving towards her door. "You're welcome."
The girl had some difficulty opening her door. She fiddled with the lock for a good few minutes. But when she'd opened the door, she couldn't go in. For exhaustion took over and before she could move, she collapsed on the floor and fainted. She distantly heard Rajani shout for help, and then completely blacked out.
--------AUTHOR'S NOTE---------
Sorry if I haven't been able to capture the thrilling scene so successfully :/ I tried my best but I'll work on it more, In Shaa Allaah!
Our heroine is knee-deep in danger now... lol ;) How do you guys feel?
Do tell me what you thought about the chapter though... I'll be glad to hear from your end :)