The Scar (Part - II)

Disclaimer: The story is a work of fiction and is in no way related to any person dead or alive. The names characters and situations occurring in the story are imaginary and any resemblance to any person dead or alive is purely coincidental.

…. Continued from Part 1… The milkman bent down to keep the bottles and saw a pool of thick red liquid formed beneath the door. The bottles slipped from his hands. He instantly knew what the red liquid was. He picked up his bicycle and pedaled to the nearest police station. He informed the constable what he had seen. Within half an hour Reva’s house was swarming with police. The Police found Reva’s body in a pool of blood unconscious and nearly dead. They rushed her immediately to a hospital. People from the neighborhood crowded the streets to see three dead and one half dead body being removed from the house.

Abhi, Ranvir, Deepak and Shalini came out of the house got into the car and left. Abhi and Ranvir drove in turns for the whole night they reached Agra early in the morning. They went straight to the railway station, “let us all go separately from here, you know whom to meet in Mumbai. If anyone sees anything suspicious, alert everyone on the cell phone”, said Abhi. The left the car in the parking lot and separated.

Everyone bought a ticket to Mumbai separately. The train was not due for next two hours so they waited in different parts of the station. When the train arrived they boarded different coaches. They reached Mumbai late at night and went in different directions. Shalini called up the girl’s number she had got from Baba. The girl lived in a working girl’s hostel. Deepak went to a relatives place and Ranvir went to the person who was a close aide of Baba.

Abhi went to a flat which was owned by his uncle who was now living in Dubai. It was his uncle who had introduced Abhi to Baba when he had got admission in the regional engineering college in Faridabad. He always had the keys to his uncle’s flat. He had visited Mumbai many times sometimes for vacations and sometimes to meet Baba’s accomplices. He knew the city well and used to stay in his uncle’s flat every time he came to Mumbai. But he had never brought Reva to Mumbai with him during the short time he had known her.

The police questioned Reva when she gained consciousness, after three days, but Reva refused to speak. She did not say anything, did not even respond to the doctors question. The doctor said she might be in shock and might start speaking in a week’s time. The police waited, a constable guarding her cabin’s door day and night.

The moment Reva came to herself the only visual in front of her eyes was three bodies lying in a heap with blood everywhere. In a moment everything that had happened that night flashed in front of her eyes. She did not want to speak to the police. She wanted to die. She was depressed with the fact that she had survived. She wanted to kill herself. She kept repeating only one question in her mind “Why did God give me a second life?”

Then she realized there must be only one thing that she should to do in her second life.

On the fifth night she noiselessly unbolted her cabin’s door. She came out and saw the constable snoring on the bench in the corridor. There was not a soul in sight. She came to the reception and saw a nurse and a ward boy sleeping there. The grill was closed but wasn’t locked. She slowly opened it so much so that she could pass through it. The front gate was locked but there was no guard on the gate, so she climbed over the gate. She walked for a long time and reached her house, and still no one in sight. The front door was locked but she knew that she could open the backdoor if she could jiggle the latch right way. The door gave way after she tried the third time.

She entered the house through the kitchen and immediately went to the living room. The room was clean as if nothing had ever happened there. She fell on the floor and broke down. She cried hysterically for some time. When she had no strength to cry anymore she lay on the floor remembering all the good times she had spent in that house with her parents and young brother. After sometime she made up her mind. She decided that whatever happened she would do what she had decided to do in the hospital. Slowly she got up, went to the bathroom and stood under the shower. Slowly she shed all her clothes and stood naked in front of the bathroom mirror watching her wet body. There were bruises on her ribs. She could see blood clots and blue spots on her stomach and thighs. Everything about her naked bruised body reminded her of that night. She saw deep scars on her wrists, the scars of the night which she would never forget for the rest of her life. She broke down once again, sat on the floor and cried, cold water running through her body.

Slowly she got up once again and went to her room. She took out a towel from the wardrobe and wiped her body, put on her clothes, took a knapsack and threw in a pair of jeans and a T shirt. She found some money below her mother’s saris. Tears rolled from her eyes at the touch of the saris. The money would be enough for her to see her through her mission. She left the house through the back door and went to the bus station. She would go back to the college, she decided. She bought a ticket and waited. At four in the morning the bus left the bus station.

She reached the college hostel in the evening and went to her room. She found the room was locked. She came out and went to Abhi’s flat the flat was padlocked and sealed. So she went back to the college again, and asked a few people where she could find Abhi or Shalini, but no one had seen them since a long time. She went to the boys hostel to Deepak’s room, the room was closed from inside. She knocked. Someone opened the door. “Is Deepak here”, she asked. “No he is not here”, said the stranger. Reva turned and started to leave. “He just took all his stuff out, was saying that he had a train to catch, if you are quick enough you can catch him at the station”, said the stranger. Reva turned around and ran, she didn’t even thank the guy.

She ran out of the college and was about to climb into an auto rickshaw when she saw Deepak smoking a cigarette in the kiosk on the opposite side of the road. She threw her bag and ran to him. She caught him by his throat, her nails digging into his flesh.

“Where is Abhi”, she said grinding her teeth in rage. Deepak stood in a shock; he didn’t know what to do. Reva was too frail to choke him but her nails were digging in his neck.

“Where is Abh”, this time Reva cried hysterically, her face wet with sweat and tears.

“He is in Mumbai”, said Deepak. “Where in Mumbai, tell me where in Mumbai”, she screamed again. “Calm down Reva, I know what happened with you was wrong and shouldn’t have happened, but Abhi is too strong and has deep connections”, said Deepak pulling away Reva’s hand from his neck. “Calm down, and listen to me. He can get you killed in no time so don’t be a fool and go back to your home”.

“Home you call that home, you bastards killed my family”, cried Reva angrily. “I will avenge myself, even if I die doing it”, she said a calm setting on her face. “You will have to help, I know you are not one of them. You will have to help me out Deepak”, she said.

“Help you, in what? You really think you can kill Abhi? Don’t be crazy, if he finds out that you are alive and I was with you he will kill us both”, said Deepak. “Please Deepak you will have to help me out I know you are not one of them”, Reva said her hands folded and tears in her eyes. She knew Deepak was her last chance of getting to Abhi.

Deepak knew he will be in trouble if Abhi came to know about this but he believed that whatever had happened to Reva was wrong.

“Ok, tell me what you want me to do”, said Deepak with a sigh. “Where does Abhi stay in Mumbai” asked Reva. “He is staying at his uncle’s flat”, said Deepak. “Give me his address”, said Reva. Deepak wrote down Abhi’s address on a piece of paper. “Now you will have to arrange a spare key to the flat”, said Reva. “No. I can’t do that, this is too dangerous, he will kill me if he finds out”, cried Deepak. “You will have to or I will go to the police”, said Reva. Deepak gave in. “But don’t stick to me, I am taking a train to Mumbai which will leave in an hour. You take the same train but we will travel separately. In Mumbai meet me at this place”, said Deepak and wrote down another address on the same piece of paper and gave it to Reva. Reva kept it safely in her wallet.

Deepak picked up his bag and got an auto rickshaw and left. Reva picked up her bag took an auto rickshaw and left for the railway station.

The next day Deepak arrived in Mumbai. After keeping his bag at his place he went to meet Abhi at his flat. Shalini and Ranvir were already there. “Was anyone asking about us in the college”, asked Abhi as soon as Deepak came in. “No, no one in particular”, said Deepak, sweating. “Why are you sweating like a hog”, asked Shalini. “It’s really hot out there”, said Deepak. He saw Abhi’s car keys lying near the CD player. “I will go wash my face”, Deepak announced. No one noticed. He moved towards the bathroom slowly slipping the keys into his pocket. He went in to the bathroom, shut the door and heaved a sigh of relief. He came out of the bathroom and kept keys near the CD player noiselessly. “I am going out to get some cigarettes anyone wants anything”, he announced once again. No one noticed. He slipped out of the flat, shut the door behind him and gave another sigh of relief. He went out and hailed a cab.

Reva checked the time for the umpteenth time. She stopped a guy passing by and showed him the address that Deepak had given her and asked whether the venue was right. The passerby confirmed. She began to wait again, that’s what she had been doing for the past four hours. It was getting cloudy by the minute and the winds were gathering force. It started to rain.

Suddenly she saw Deepak appear from around the corner, he was talking on his cell phone. He reached her and switched of the phone. “I just got a call from Abhi. We are going to a pub tonight, and Abhi will come back home drunk”, he told Reva, looking into her eyes. “This might be your only chance, and by the way if you open his cupboard and look under his clothes you might find something useful”, he said and slipped something wrapped in a white handkerchief into her hand. Within seconds he disappeared around the corner. Reva didn’t have the time to say anything.

She opened the handkerchief and found a bar of soap inside it. She was baffled to see that. She was thinking that Deepak had cheated her but then she examined the soap closely under the light of the shop nearby. She saw that the surface of one side of the soap had a shape of a key embossed deeply on it. She was excited now all she had to do was to find a locksmith, and the rest would fall in place. She asked the shopkeeper if there was a locksmith she could find nearby, he showed her the way.

She wrapped the bar of soap in the handkerchief and put it in her hand bag so that it won’t get wet in the rain which had now tuned into a heavy down pour. She walked in the rain as directed by the shopkeeper.

It was two in the night when the bartender told Abhi and others that the bar was closed. Deepak the only sober one offered to drive the car. He dropped everyone off at their places and finally reached Abhi’s flat. It was raining heavily and occasionally lightening would light up the dark night followed by loud thunder. Abhi got off the car and fell. He was too drunk to even stand on his feet. Deepak got out of the car and by the time he helped Abhi to the staircase they were both drenched. Abhi told Deepak to leave him and go. Deepak did so. Abhi staggered and climbed the two flights of stairs and finally reached his flat door.

He took out the keys from his pocket, water dripped from his body. The effect of too much alcohol didn’t let him insert the key in the keyhole twice. He succeeded the third time. He opened the door, staggered into the apartment and closed the door behind him. His fingers groped for the light switch on the wall. He found one and switched on a lamp in one corner of the drawing room, but his eyes got fixed on the dark silhouette standing on the other corner. His drunken eyes tried to focus on the steady hand holding a gun pointed towards him. He notices some scars on the wrists. He tries to focus his eyes on the face and realizes the face instantly. Before he could react there was a loud thunder crash and then silence. The only sound that can be heard was the heavy rain falling outside.

Abhi’s body lay motionless near the door. Reva broke down and started to cry. She had found the gun in the cupboard hidden under Abhi’s clothes and that had made the whole task a lot easier. Slowly she got up wiped the tears from her face, opened the door and walked out.

The next morning, the clouds were gone and the sun had risen. The milkman came and rang the doorbell. There was no answer. He rang the bell again, but there was no result. After a third try he gave up and decided to leave the milk bottles near the door. He bends down to put the milk bottles on the ground and sees a pool of thick red liquid formed beneath the door.

The Scar (Part - I)

Disclaimer: The story is a work of fiction and is in no way related to any person dead or alive. The names characters and situations occurring in the story are imaginary and any resemblance to any person dead or alive is purely coincidental.


Prologue:

He takes out the keys from his pocket, water dripping from his body. The effect of too much alcohol doesn’t let him insert the key in the keyhole twice. He succeeds the third time. Opens the door and staggers into his flat and closes the door behind him. His fingers grope for the light switch on the wall. He finds one and switches on a lamp in one corner of the drawing room, but his eyes gets fixed on the dark silhouette standing on the other corner. His drunken eyes try to focus on the steady hand holding a gun pointed towards him. He notices some scars on the wrists. Before he can understand anything there is a loud thunder crash and then silence. The only sound that can be heard is the heavy rain falling outside.

The Scar (Part 1)

It was the first day in the Engineering college that Reva had joined she was sleeping in her dorm when at 2 in the morning seniors began to round up all the freshers for a ragging session. Reva was asked to dance with a fresher who was wearing nothing but his under garments in front of the whole batch. Abhi and his four friends Ajay, Ranvir, Deepak and Shalini arrived at the scene just as the guy in his undergarments was about to put his arms around Reva to start dancing. Abhi stopped the whole thing then and there and rescued Reva who had started to weep hysterically. Somehow none of the seniors protested Abhi’s moves. Reva would learn why later, but for the time being she was in an awe of her rescuer.

That was the day when Reva met Abhi and his friends for the first time. They were in the 3^rd year of engineering and always used to hangout together. Reva soon became a part of the group, bunking classes going out for movies, dinner, night outs and long drives in Abhi’s SUV. Abhi had a flat in the city where they would all get together for drinking marathons. Reva sometimes wondered where they get the money for all this.

In a couple of months she became very close to Abhi. He would share everything with her, sometimes bring expensive gifts, and fought with the warden whenever he dropped her late at the hostel. One evening Reva and Abhi were driving on the highway, just the two of them, Reva opened the glove box to look for some CDs and was surprised to see a gun there. She asked Abhi why it was there. “It’s a licensed one, belongs to my dad, just for safety’s sake”, he said.

He parked the SUV near a dilapidated old building, they could see the sun setting behind the building, and that’s when Abhi told her that he loved her. She liked the simple way in which he told her that no fan fare no extravagance. As darkness fell, they made love in the back seat. Reva spent the night at Abhi’s flat.

The next afternoon Reva bunked her classes and went to Abhi’s flat, she had a duplicate key to the flat now. She opened the door and walked in. She saw Ajay, Ranvir, Deepak and Shalini putting small quantities of white powder in small plastic pouches. “What is this”, she asked. “Blue Magic”, Ranvir said with a loud laugh. Deepak stood up and said “Abhi is not here so go back to the college, come later”. He held Reva by her arm gently and guided her out of the door. “But what is that white powder”, Reva asked Deepak. “That’s coke”, said Deepak in a low voice. “What? And does Abhi know that you guys are using his flat for this?” “Yes he does.” They heard someone’s footsteps coming from the staircase. They turn to see Abhi coming towards them. He gave Reva a tight hug. Reva didn’t respond. “What is all this”, Reva said showing Abhi the white powder and the small packets. “This is business baby”, Abhi said coolly.

Reva started to storm out of the flat but Abhi caught her gently by her arms and took her into his bedroom. After much explaining and reasoning Reva calmed down and gave in to Abhi’s explanations. He kissed her gently on her lips, this time she responded and put her arms around his neck. By the time they came into the drawing room again all the little packets were neatly packed and put into a hollow box which from outside looked like a bound book ready to be smuggled into the hostel.

Next day Abhi gifted Reva a necklace with a diamond pendant. She was thrilled. That night at his flat, Reva noticed a revolver in his cupboard drawer. It looked different from the one she had seen in the car. After the incident Reva never said anything every time she saw them packing the stuff. Sometimes after the work was done they would take small quantities and sniff them, Abhi too but Reva never did that.

A couple of weeks later Abhi had to go to Meerut, Reva wanted to accompany him. Abhi was reluctant at first but had to give in to her demands after she repeatedly bugged him. They started early in the morning in Abhi’s car and it was almost noon by the time they reached a semi dilapidated building on the outskirts of Meerut. Abhi got off and entered the building. Reva followed. After climbing a couple of flights of creaky wooden steps they came upon a wooden door. Abhi knocked. A man opened half the door. Abhi said something which Reva couldn’t hear, the man opened the door and let both of them in. They entered into a drawing room, two burly men sat on two sofas across the room. Abhi asked Reva to sit gesturing towards the empty sofa. A man entered the room from, a small passage that connected the drawing room to the rest of the apartment. The man was thin and tall. He was wearing a black shirt and jeans. He looked like he was in his late forties.

“Pranam baba”, said Abhi and touched his feet. Baba patted Abhi’s back gently and kissed him on his forehead. Then he looked at Reva, “Who is she?” he asked Abhi. “She is a close friend of mine”, Abhi said. “I had warned you against bringing strangers here”, Baba said calmly. “She knows about us and is now one of us, besides I love her”, Abhi said. Reva lowered her head and blushed. All the while the burly men stared into the void. Baba smiled looking into Abhi’s eyes. A man appeared behind Baba. Baba put his arms around Abhi’s shoulder and said, “There’s this guy at your hostel, who’s been causing some trouble to us, what’s his name” he guided Abhi to the other room. The man standing behind Baba, said something and followed them inside. The door was closed. Reva couldn’t hear anything after that.

The two men kept looking at the wall opposite to them. Reva sometimes looked at them sometimes at the wall sometimes at the ceiling. There was no window, nothing else in the room except the sofa set and the rugged carpet. The man who had opened the door came out from the kitchen once and offered her a glass of water. For once she thought she would go out and wait for Abhi in the car, but then she remembered she didn’t have the keys. It was at least cooler inside. After what seemed like an eternity to Reva, Abhi came out of the room accompanied by Baba, his arms still around his shoulders. “I hope it will be done without me having to interfere into the matter”, said Baba. “Yes Baba”, said Abhi. Baba kissed his forehead again. Abhi touched his feet, turned around and signaled Reva to get up.

Once back in the car, Reva heaved a long sigh of relief and saw Abhi put a large brown packet wrapped in transparent plastic, into a boot under the driver’s seat. Abhi looked at Reva and smiled. “Who was that guy, and why did you touch his feet and called him Baba”, asked Reva. “He is the CEO of our business”, Abhi said with a teasing smile and revved up the engine. “What were you talking with him in the other room”, she asked again. “Nothing some business talk”, replied Abhi. On their way back to the college hostel Reva asked other questions but Abhi didn’t answer them. By the time Abhi dropped off Reva at her hostel it was late at night.

Next morning as Reva came out of her class she saw Abhi and others roughing up a guy in the parking lot. Reva ran towards them. Ranvir pushed the guy, he fell on the ground, Ajay slapped his head. Shalini stood leaning on the SUV. As Reva approached them, she saw the guy on the ground was Vikram. She had seen Vikram face off with Abhi on more than one occasions and now she knew it was Vikram about whom Baba was talking the previous day. Vikram had once openly threatened Abhi that he would go to the police if they didn’t stop what they were doing.

Ranvir caught the Vikram from his collar and roughly pulled him up. Shalini opened the door of the SUV and Ranvir pushed Vikram inside. Abhi climbed into the driver’s seat. Reva rushed into the seat beside him. “You don’t have to come with us”, said Abhi. “I want to come with you”, she said firmly. Abhi did not protest.

They drove for half an hour and came to the outskirts of the city. Reva kept hearing muffled shouts coming from the back seat but she didn’t look back. Both sides of the road were thickly covered with trees. It was getting dark now. Abhi swerved from the road and stopped the car. All four got out of the car and dragged Vikram out. Reva saw that Vikram’s forehead was now bleeding and he had a cut on his upper lip. They dragged him into the woods Abhi leading the way. Reva followed them at some distance not sure what they were about to do with Vikram.

They reached a small clearing, Ranvir threw Vikram on the ground, Ajay stood there blocking Reva’s view of Vikram, Deepak stood at a distance near Reva, Shalini took out a lighter from her pocket and put a cigarette in her lips, Abhi pointed his gun at Vikram’s head. Shalini turned around and started to walk towards the car, Reva turned around to see where Shailini was going as she passed her, and heard a loud gun shot. Reva turned around and saw Vikram’s lifeless body lying on the ground. She started to yell madly. Deepak held her. Abhi ran up to her and held her close and tried to calm her down but she continued to cry hysterically, and started to vomit. Abhi slapped her on her face so that she might regain her senses but she passed out. “You three get rid of that body, I will leave her at my flat and come back to get you guys”, instructed Abhi and supported Reva on his shoulders and walked to the car.

He found Shalini sitting in the front seat. They put Reva in the back seat. He asked Shalini to go and help the guys. Abhi started the car. By the time they reached Abhi’s flat, Reva came back to her senses and started to cry hysterically. Unable to control his anger Abhi got out of the car dragged Reva out of the back seat and slapped her face hard. That shocked Reva into silence. He caught her by her arm and pulled her onto the stairs and into the flat.

“Now, shut up and stay here, I am going back to the boys. And do not try to leave the flat while I am gone.” Abhi told Reva.

“I will go and tell everything to the police”, said Reva.

“What, don’t be a fool, you think I will let you do that”, said Abhi.

“And how will you stop me, will you kill me the way you killed Vikram”, asked Reva, her hair disheveled and tears rolling down her already smudged face.

“Yes if the need be”, said Abhi clutching her hair and right ear, and pointing his gun to her head. Reva gave out a sharp yell of pain. Abhi pushed her back and let her go.

Reva ran towards Abhi, hitting him on his shoulders and tried to snatch the gun from his hands. Abhi pushed her back again. Reva staggered and fell on the ground.

“Do you think I will be scared of you and not go to the police”, Reva yelled at him, lying on the floor. Abhi bent down pulled her hair again and slapped her face. Reva’s lips started to bleed. Reva caught Abhi’s left hand with which he was clutching her hair and bit it hard. Abhi let go of her hair, snatched his hands out of her mouth and gave a cry of pain. “You bitch”, cried Abhi in rage and slapped her face again. He stood up and kicked her in the back. His second kick landed in her guts. Reva doubled in pain. “You better be here when I come back or I will hunt you down and kill you”, said Abhi, spitting on her face in rage. He stood up once again and kept kicking her until she passed out and did not move. Abhi left the flat.

Reva came back to her senses and was instantly aware of the wreathing pain that her body was experiencing. She slowly got up and felt her face. Her hands became wet; she couldn’t see clearly whether it was her tears or blood. There was no one around she knew that Abhi and others haven’t come back yet. She slowly got up and decided that she would tell the police everything. She knew where Abhi kept a spare key of the flat. She found the key there.

Reva came out of the building, stopped an auto rickshaw and went to the police station. At the police station she lodged an FIR and told everything that had happened. After giving her some first aid and promising her that the culprits would be arrested they told Reva that she could leave. Reva said that she was feeling very scared. So the inspector asked a constable to drop Reva to wherever she wanted to go. Reva asked the constable to drop her off to the bus station. The constable drove her to the bus station in a jeep. She told the constable that she wanted to go back to her family but didn’t have the money to buy tickets. The constable bought her a ticket. Reva boarded the bus which started to move as soon as she took her seat.

Abhi reached his flat after dropping Ranvir, Deepak, Shalini and Ajay to the hostel. Not finding Reva in the flat he immediately called Ranvir, Deepak and Shalini and asked them to spend the night somewhere else. Somehow no one could reach Ajay. They left the city in Abhi’s car and went to meet Baba. Baba was mad with rage. “Abandon the car somewhere and leave the city immediately”, he told Abhi. “That girl has been here, we will vacate the place immediately. You make sure that the girl doesn’t lead to me”, warned Baba. They spent the night at a hotel in the outskirts of the city. In the morning they went back to the hostel to look for Ajay, but learnt something else.

The next morning police raided all the places that Reva had told they could find Abhi and his friends but managed to capture only Ajay, who had passed out in one of the corridors of the boy’s hostel after a heavy dose of coke. It took a couple of slaps for Ajay to confess everything and show the police the place where they had buried Vikram’s body. But the police could not find Abhi or the others.

Reva’s family was baffled to see the state in which she reached home early in the morning. They asked her questions but Reva refused to answer. She remained silent and spent most the day crying in her room. By evening her mother had succeeded in getting her to talk. Reva told everything that had happened to her mother and father. They were hysterical with rage. Reva’s father could not believe how she could get herself involved in such a thing.

Suddenly Reva’s younger brother came running into the room and told them that a car has stopped in front of their house and there were four people looking for Reva. Reva knew it was Abhi, she also knew why he was here. Her father ran into the living room and saw three men and a woman standing there.

“Where is Reva”, one of them asked. “She is not here.” Ranvir pushed the man aside and barged into the bedroom. He saw Reva and instantly made a dash for her. Her mother tried to shield Reva with her fragile body but was no match to Ranvir. He grabbed Reva from her hair and pulled her out of the room. Reva’s brother tried to kick Ranvir but he shoved him aside too. He dragged Reva by her hair into the living room and threw her before Abhi. Shalini closed all the windows and bolted the door. The whole family was huddled together trying to protect each other from any harm. Ranvir pulled Reva away from her parents and threw her again infront of Abhi. Shalini pointed a gun at Reva’s brother and threatened that if they did not stay put in one corner of the room she would kill the boy.

As Reva lay on the ground Abhi kicked her in the guts. Reva moaned in pain, her parents gave out a cry. “I had warned you I would hunt you down if you went to the police”, said Abhi. “You took my warning lightly, now look what you have done, police have arrested Ajay, and you have put your whole family in trouble”. He slapped her face and kicked her in the ribs. Reva was on the verge of passing out. She could see Abhi’s face as he pulled her hair and stared into her eyes. Abhi’s voice was only a distant echo in her ears. “I will kill your whole family in front of you and then I will kill you, that’s your punishment”, Abhi’s voice landed on her ears in a hollow echo, as he fixed a silencer on the gun. Abhi pulled her head once again so that she could look at her family. All she could see was blurred figures in front of her and then she heard three blunt shots. For a moment she gained full consciousness and saw three lifeless bodies lying in a heap and the floor below them deep red in color. The next moment the world in front of eyes was a blur again. “I won’t kill you that easily for what you have done, I will give you a slow death to die, you bitch”, she heard Abhi’s voice, which seemed to be muffled. She was too week to resist or even cry.

Abhi asked Shalini to bring a knife from the kitchen. He took the knife and made several deep cuts on Reva’s wrists. She started to bleed instantly. He then asked Ranvir and Deepak to tie Reva’s hands, legs and gag her mouth. Ranvir tied her legs and mouth. He tied her hands in a way that it didn’t block the flow of blood. Deepak was too shocked to move. He was standing in one corner and had not said anything since the time they entered the house. Reva was not moving but bleeding heavily now. “Lets go now, she would soon die of blood loss”, said Abhi. They switched off all the lights in the house and came out of it locking the door behind. It was late in the night now. There was not a soul to be seen on the streets. They all got into the car and drove away.

Reva woke up in semi consciousness several times in the darkness, always aware of throbbing pain in her whole body. She wanted to scream but didn’t have the strength. She would try to kick but would pass out again into darkness. She didn’t know how many times that happened.

The sun had just risen and people were starting to stir on the streets. The milkman came and rang the bell. There was no answer. He tried it three more times, but still there was no answer. He thought he might as well leave the milk bottles beside the door. He bent down to keep the bottles and saw a pool of thick red liquid formed beneath the door.

...Continued to Part II....