Gone By (27 page)

“Hey! Isha it’s me”.

“Yeah! So, how have you been, did you reach safely” her voice never tended to stop as if she wanted to know me very close.

“How have you been and tell me how are you” she said again with strong concern.

I could feel she was very much in alert like the voice of rare sound she sounded with so much care. She even didn’t pause or dotted a full stop in her sentence. She didn’t even let me space a sentence in between. When all her saying was done lastly I could speak out with trimming voice. “I’m absolutely fine” I said.

I could realize her breath got lengthen by hearing the safest word from my mouth. I walked fast to catch up the first bus leading to Pune. Somehow I could reach in time, while I was still busy in my mobile with Isha on the other end. I stepped into the bus and managed a seat for me.

“Well, I got the bus and moving for the next city” I said.

“Well, You’ve been travelling like you have never travel...my boy” she grinned.

“Yeah!..I believe so” I added.

“Is Goa suiting you” I asked.

“You won’t believe it’s amazing. I’ll ask my Mom to come back to India and settle in Goa” she laughed.

My voice giggled and laughed out slowly on her floury comment. “That’s a better idea” I smiled. “Isn’t a better Idea....and yes do tack care of yourself, I got to go. Bye” she said.

“Bye..and stay safe” I added and cut the phone.

I was seated quiet and calm. When then a man came up and asked me for the available seat beside me. He sat quietly. His face fawned in fear as if he has been pointed as a convict of a crime. He didn’t speak a word. He was carrying a huge bag. That seemed quiet heavy but all to my knowledge it doubted me, how he could handle such a size bag crossing more than his body size. But that didn’t bother me much and I settled the dispute within myself. Although I had no connection who the person was. He fiercely glanced at me. I startled for seconds. I was completely under the fear of mind. He lengthen his frightful gaze at me. His eyes were trembling in outburst anger and aggression. With the fearful blend in my mind I obstructed myself and diverted my eyes to look outside the window. But the man forged to look at me. Neither his eye blinked constant. Anyone would be frightened by his distorted appearance in his face. His lips were marked with cuts, eyes blended dark, in all he had a ghostly look.

“You little kid...you’re in trouble” his voice seemed roaring into my ears.

“What the shit you talking about” I frowned.

“Look at my face and talk to me” his toned filled with aggression.

I didn’t faced him at first attempt, as his look would tremor me with sudden fear. I turned somehow to face him.

“You’re going to die” he said again.

My breath halted for seconds. My nerves began to tremble.

“You are insane freak” I mumbled.

“This bus and the station will turn into ashes”.

“What the heck you saying” my tone got louder.

He looked more fearful suppressing his aggression on me. “This bus is going to blast”.

I couldn’t tolerate him anymore.

“Just get off from this seat, immediately” I shouted.

The passengers looked at me. The bus was still halted to be filled wholly. The man denied to shift himself instead he made himself more suitable to the seat. He looked at me with ferocious anger. “You fucking crap..just sit down” he said taking out a knife and pointing towards me hidden. Now, that was too much. He had a knife in his hand now.

“You know what’s there in my bag”.

I began to feel the fear arousing in me. His knife pointed at my back with slight touch on my body. Anything he could do if I wasn’t to obey for what he said. He could kill me on the spot. I laid with fear and my legs began to shake.

“There’s an explosive and I’m going to keep this here before I leave. And dare to think I’ll leave you safe...you moron” his voice seemed very harsh and terrific.

I couldn’t do anything except for nodding my head for what he said.

“Get down of the bus” he pushed me out with his knife pointing at me.

“You can’t do that” somehow I managed to speak out with fear.

“You know who am I?” with his disgraceful face.

We came out of the bus and pushed me to one side.

“Just keep walking” he said.

I could feel he was behind very close to me and his sharp knife was still intact with my body. I knew for sure his hand must have been holding its grip tightly. He asked me to walk through the subway and through the underground tunnel, just opposite to the bus stand. I didn’t take a chance to make any mistake. Anything wrong on my way, I knew for sure he would penetrate the shining knife into body until I would bleed to death. By now I was sure perhaps he must have been a convict who escaped from jail. After moving few distance far away from the crowded sight, we were at a place where no one could view us.

In fact, the place seemed quiet empty, just a single road passed by. I could see a taxi few miles ahead approaching towards us. It stopped right before us.

“Get in kid” the driver scowled.

The man behind pushed me hard, his knife still gripped in his hand. He opened the front door and sat alongside with the driver. Before he pushed me inside the car, he tied my hands tightly with fibre rope. I was carrying my bag at my back. I wasn’t much comfortable with my hands tied. But, I had to bear the circumstances. Neither I could make a call for any assistance.

“Who are you” I trembled to speak out.

The knife man punched me on my face. “Just shut the fuck up” he shouted.

I started to bleed. Neither I could wipe my bleeding nose. I began to feel the pain on whole of my body.

“Just let me go”.

He punched me another one. For sure the punched were really strong enough to crush my face. My breath began to take risk neither I could breath smoothly for minutes after that second punch. I thought it would be wise enough not to indulge for the moment. I had no freaking idea where they were heading. I could just see empty spaces and deserted areas. Thank God they did not blind me with any clothes on my eyes. After miles distance, the taxi halted. The man came up and opened the door. He grabbed me hard on my neck and took me out. In front few yards away a deserted house was laid empty. I could see the taxi driver had pistol hidden at his jeans, which was covered by his shirt. Both took me to that wrecked house. They locked me inside one room. “Hey, c’mon you can’t do this to me. Tell me who you are” I demanded harshly.

The driver slid his pistol out and placed it on my fore head. His hand held with rough grip on my neck.

“Just one word more.. you’ll be shot to death” his tone seemed frightful to me.

He pushed me back. I couldn’t managed to grip my stand and I fell off to the ground. My hands were still tied together, the only thing I could do was to walk. They locked me and galloped away. I had no knowledge about their language what they talked among themselves. I began to shout for assistance.

“Somebody, help me out here” I shouted loud.

But, there seemed no sign of any welcoming source from any direction. I knew by now I was kidnapped. Somehow I had to make myself free this tied hands of mine. On the other hand , I was fully loaded with bag at my back. Neither I could grasped myself steady nor I could stand strong on the ground. I began to bleed more, that was the effect of the punch. Almost his whole fist covered my faced such was the blow. I laid helpless with no clue to escape myself. The fibre rope gripped my hand tightly and I could realize the uneven marks that began to scribble on my face. I needed to free my hand. But how could I hadn’t had any thought of Idea. If I could open and free my hand maybe I could help out myself to escape the trap of being kidnapped. I never thought I would be kidnapped in my life. What would they get from me. However, I never belong from this state. Even if they want a handsome ransom just to free would it be reasonable enough to let them free without setting them as guilty in the court of law.

“I couldn’t let happen that way” I mumbled in silence.

Either I had to escape from this unwanted surveillance or I had to let myself surrender before them which wouldn’t be possible at any reason. My hands began to tremble out of strength. I began to feel the crappy pain all over my body. I laid on the floor helpless. My legs bent at some degree, my head laid hard on the floor. I couldn’t speak out neither I could scream out. I could hear the soft whined of my voice instead. The darkness made even more scary. No light even did glimpsed in, from any corner of the room. It’s just the morning session of the day and I was kidnapped. What a bad start with, in course of danger and risk of my life. I was lying crawling on the floor. I knew no one was there nearby that mansion. It was useless to seek for any sort of help. Some rotten dead smell of any species were upraising inside the room. And I could feel the usage of breathing air decreasing, with completely soaked under the smell of rotten ambush. I began to seek any sort of thing in order to cut out the fibre rope out of my hand. But, possibly even if I could free my hand how would I come out of the locked room. Precisely they wouldn’t be coming now for sure. If they happen to come it could be by evening hours. And I had to save myself before they take notice of me or impose any sort of harassment upon me. I was having my mobile in my left pocket, the only idea that flicked on my mind was to make a call. But, I was bounded with my hands tied on. Neither I could see anything in the dark. The whole circumstances was deprived of any assistance. I began to work out to free my hand. Both of my hands swirling against each, in order to loosen the tied rope. The knot seemed very frigid. And I was imposing tension on the rope trying to separate both the tied hands. After long hours of hard try, finally the rope began to get loosen up. My right hand was free now. It became easy to remove the fibre rope from the other hand. I slid out the mobile to dial a number. The nearest possible help I would get was the Man who provided a room for me the last night. I rang him up, even I dial in his wife but unfortunately nothing went right in my way. From the other side, the only voice I could hear was “Your dial number is out of range”.

I began to feel horrific about the situation. Under my whole body I was sweating out. My shirt soaked in blood. I wiped out my bleeding nose. For the moment I thought of calling Isha. Perhaps she could do any sort of informative assist from there. I made a call to her. But it said her phone was switched off. I began to feel insecure around the dark four wall. I glanced the time in my mobile phone. The morning 11:00am, everything turned out a curse of scene. I sat at one corner of the room.

Sixteen

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Imagine you were locked inside a dark room away from the crowded voices, definitely it feels like the scratch pouching with the stabbed over the body. Moreover, the presence of shallow light couldn’t let my eyes open bright. I could feel the stress on my vision, projecting hard to see around what’s present around me. I began to feel weak. My legs were folded up to knee and my hands curling around them, like the sheets of cold covering on me. I gently pulled my bag out of my body. What would I be doing for the time, it freaked me out madly. Neither the light enough to stay alive nor it did lit the room bright. Only that small amount of faint light flashed out from mobile but couldn’t add up to lit the whole complete room. I held the diary out of my bag, which I could feel as I slid my hand inside the bag. Everything I had to work being like a blind man. Only I could sense the smell and the touch of my hand on any object around. I knew I was sliding out the diary from bag. Thought I could read it for a moment with the help of tiny light that came out from my mobile phone. I opened the first page, and I focussed the small streams of light on it seated very scary, at that densely dark corner. My hands shook and I couldn’t stopped the febrile blink of my eyes. I began to feel thirsty, throat running dry out of water. The only thing I could swallow was the saliva that wet my tongue. But that too began to dry out with every swallow. Thus, the heat of extreme thirst began to rise. Even my tongue went out of stock of the wet saliva. It needed some recreation, which lacked due to the extreme dryness running on my throat. I had to surrender myself in the hands of God, remaining helpless. I prayed in my mind for protection. Would it be the end of me, will I die today out of starvation or from the hands of those criminal convict. Such thoughts began to stab me with fear. My eyes slowly began to shut down. I began to feel the malfunctioning of my body system drooping into the ground. The only thing I could think about now was Isha for the moment. Whereas, I was holding my dairy on my chest with hands folded on it laying on the floor. The darkness spread before my eyes and the vision shuddered down. I thought of Anannya with my eyes closed. When the strength of my love circled me, I knew it would bring me back the way where I was. At such point of my life where I was fighting for survival, the only two person that came into my mind was Isha and Anannya. The greater part of the heart thought of Anannya, whereas Isha began to fade away from one corner of the soul. I laid asleep on the floor. The strength on my body vanished and I felt like the dead person struggling to survive in hell. Ears began to get deaf, voices began to get dumb, and my whole soul perishing away. I tried to speak out, it resisted my tongue lacking the strength to command on my words. I felt like I have been testing by God. Perhaps he wanted to examine me like his son on mother earth. I was half dead on the floor. I had no chance now to escape myself from the trap. I knew I wouldn’t be going back for sure. Either my death will welcome me or I shall let my soul to take away from me. More hours lasted into that darkness. No sign of them yet. After prolonged struggle to let my breath alive I could hear crackling noise of a car approaching closer.