Unknown POV

I'm not sure if we have done the right thing by believing the story of those people, anymore. I crack open the door to the room to peek inside, the woman is still lying on the floor in the far corner, coiled like an old wrung-out rag. It was evident she was from an affluent family, doesn't project it though; she's rather subdued and petrified. Is she acting? How long can one pretend? True nature will break through, I assure myself.

Meera, my sister who dressed her wounds last week said the woman had scars all over her body, old ones which meant she was already brutalised. By whom? What is her story?  Hope I haven't sinned in desperation! I took a day's break for my personal reasons and they sent their goon to guard her she had asked to be untied and that bastard beat her up so badly. I found her bleeding and semi-conscious when I got back. He refused to treat her until I picked a fight. I curse myself, for having gotten into an agreement with these heartless vampires, just for a few lakhs.

*END OF POV*

The phone rings breaking his trance, the cigarette takes his brunt for the moment, getting crushed between the floor and his cheap footwear. The mobile screen flashes the name of his temporary boss, the person who had arranged for abduction. Kabeer drew a deep breath and tried to realign his senses and hopefully his life too both of which had gone haywire ever since his wife's death, two years back.

"Hello! What do you mean? No, I..."

"---- "

"No, you listen to me. You better stop giving her these drugs if she dies then you are not going to get what you want. Also, when are you giving my money?"

"----"

"What rubbish? You were supposed to pay me half the amount as soon as she reaches here. I don't care, I might go drop her off at the nearby police station and surrender."

"---"

"I'm used to all the rough weather Boss you on the other hand.. ah! that's better". He knew this threat would work, these rich people need an underdog, to save their sorry little sinning bottoms.

He shut his phone, thrust it into his denim pocket and picked the food that was left outside by the delivery guys, and went towards the kitchen. He faced the CCTV camera and opened the vial that was given to him, and turned back towards the food. He then showed the empty vial back on camera, picked the food, and went back to the room.
He gently touched the lady's shoulder using a stick, not wanting to give her the creepy vibes.

'Yeah, a saint who guards the kidnap victim' snickered his conscience.

She stirred after prodding a few more times.

'Assholes! God knows how much they are mixing, at this rate, she might die or lose her sanity, these drugs can cause that'.

Hey! Listen wake up!  Here eat your food. Hey! Lady.." he called out to her in Hindi.

She scrunched her face and rubbed her head like she is waking up with a pounding headache. There were blisters on her lips, with dried blood.

'She is dehydrated.'

The moment her vision cleared, she saw him, took a good few seconds to grasp her surroundings. Realisation dawned. Panic-stricken, she began gasping for breath and her body trembled and lips quivered. She hurriedly pulled herself up from the floor to a seating position, scrambled back to the wall; tears running down her dirt-stained cheeks, pain etched all over her face. She drew her knees closer to her body and hugged herself, trembling. Kabeer worried she might have a seizure.

He tried to speak to her and her eyes darted to the stick in his hand and pure terror flashed across her face. She kept glancing between him and the stick couple of times.

Kabeer sighed and stood up trying to explain, "look.. I'm sorry" he paused when he saw the woman trying to remove her dress.

"Wait..." his voice boomed across the room, he quickly jumped and pried her hands away from her dress. "What are you doing? Stop it.."

The struggle was on, like a possessed woman she kept trying to free her hand while mumbling something. An already exhausted Kabeer didn't have any other option now to calm her, he freed his right hand and slapped her, hoping the impact to break her disoriented state.

As expected, she stilled. The elongated, honey-brown eyes with thick lashes,  the heart-shaped face, should have been a sight to behold, under normal circumstances but now, they were just hollow and lifeless, sunk deep in the sockets. It might haunt him forever! Her low whispers broke his trance. Kabeer tried to calm himself and listen to her incoherent mumblings; blocking out his rasping breathing and the creaky old fan.

"No... don't beat me... sorry I slept...it hurts...I will listen...you don't like this dress, I  will change, I will obey...I promise...don't beat, please...I will listen to you, in bed also, do what you want...don't beat me.. stick pains...Chandra...belt also pains Chandra please..." She whimpered.

Padmini kept mumbling while violently shaking, huddled in a corner.

Resentment and hurt surged through Kabeer's insides like a huge tide, crashing against the walls carefully built, over time. Someone had definitely brutalised and abused this woman. And he was fooled to believe that she was the criminal. He was so stupid to buy the story, in desperation just by seeing some photos and listening to some shit that was told to him.
Meera was right.

'Isn't she always?'
He slapped his forehead and groaned, crouching on the floor.

He got up, caught her attention, maintained eye contact, he broke that stick into two pieces while she watched and stepped outside and threw it away. He gestured at his empty hands while walking towards her, he picked up the water bottle and took a few sips, pushed it towards her. She hurriedly devoured it, nearly emptying the one-liter bottle.

He pointed to the food and spoke to her in a gentle voice.

"Do you want to eat?"

He realised she was skeptical, he walked up to the bathroom and washed his hands, and sat down to eat his food while she watched. Hunger and exhaustion were making her weak by the minute yet she was uncertain about picking the food. Kabeer watched her from the corner of his eyes, she slowly rose and moved towards the bathroom, while not turning her back on him showing that she didn't trust him. The bathroom sealed shut in a hurry.

She came back and huddled in her previous post, reached towards the food but pulled back when Kabeer lifted his head. He moved her food and his bottle of water towards her. She shrunk to the corner when Kabeer got up with the empty containers, he just walked out of the room quietly, shutting the door behind him.

~~~~~~

Padmini's POV:

The guy who bought me food and water came back to tie me up again. He said something about someone coming back to see me and about some dress. What did he say? I try hard to recollect, with no luck. I just remember that he was not the one who beat me up the other day.

My hands and feet are bound by ropes and are sore. A small bulb sheds light in the room, old fan creaks above my head and there are no windows or ventilation. I lie on the dusty floor and trace the damp patches on the nearby wall with my finger.

The bruises from the beatings a few days ago are healing slowly. The guard beat me up when I asked him to untie me for some time. I lay there for a while, bleeding from my forehead and lip and a couple of bruises on my body until a girl came and cleaned my wounds and gave me medicines. My whole body is sore, sticky from sweat and dirt. I last took bath when that girl bought me this salwar kameez to change since mine was soiled with blood. None of them speak to me.

I don't know how long I have been here. Why am I here? Who brought me here? I seem to drift off to sleep soon after I eat, maybe they are using some drug. My brain is getting foggy, can't seem to differentiate between reality and dream with no clue of time.

How long will I be here?

With just a meal a day and a bottle of water and these regular beatings and my will to live diminishing rapidly... probably not very long!

I'm startled awake by the noise of the door being unlocked.

"Didi" (older sister)

Did I hear that right?

"Didi"

The simple task of sitting up seems so painful and tiring, the muscles of my body are cramped and stiff. I take a good look at her, she must be in her thirties, her petite form gave me the impression of a young girl. She stood near the door with a bag in her hand, probably clothes for me. She placed her finger on her lips and gestured to me to remain quiet and then pointed towards the ceiling above her head, my eyes spotted the CCTV camera. She fished into the bag and bought out a pack of sanitary napkins.

'I don't need them, not anymore. Good riddance!'

She quickly gestured to remain silent again.

"Didi, is this pack of pads ok for you?" While talking about the brand and some other details she slowly revealed a piece of paper and a tiny pen, from her Kurti pocket which she slipped into the sanitary pad packet and slipped it back into the bag.

"Didi, I will keep all your clothes and things in the bathroom. Afterward, I will take them to wash. I will wait outside call me once you're done." She left. I was dazed. did she signal to me as a sign of help?

~~~~~

I lean my exhausted body on the bathroom wall, holding a slip of paper and wondering if I'm hallucinating. The bathroom feels cramped and suffocating, with just a small exhaust fan that won't work. I need to think, need to clear my befuddled head. I replace the paper inside the pack keeping it safe, from the wet surface. Leaving my soiled clothes on the hook behind the door, I quickly manage to wash my greasy hair and body with the limited water supply.

The bath and the clean set of clothes, have refreshed me to a considerable extent. I read the note written in Hindi, she has slipped me.

'Didi, don't worry I'm trying to help you. You have been here for two months. We don't know anything about you, but my brother and I were trapped in a situation to help the person who kidnapped you. Write your name and contact of a family member who might be able to rescue you. Put this slip back inside that packet, I'll remove it while picking back your stuff. Also, we need to plan quickly before they get suspicious. My brother didn't mix the drug today in your food,< but when those people come, act like you are drowsy or sleepy. I'm a trained paramedic, my name is Meera. You can trust my brother Kabeer too, this was his plan.'

Kanhaji  (Lord Krishna) Is this true? Can I believe her? Is this a trap? After all that I have been through so far, trusting people is not going to be easy anymore. I shut my eyes and ruminate, praying fervently that I do the right thing. As I slip back the note and pen inside the packet I hear noises outside. The bathroom door is repeatedly banged, someone yelling and calling out to me, sets off my panic alarm. Breathing hard and heavy, I grasp the plastic tap wobbling at my grip and gather cold water and splash on my face. I hold onto the door, trying to focus on the lock before my vision blurs out completely. I need to get out before they get suspicious and begin checking the bathroom, I don't want Meera to be harmed. As I pry open the door everything spins around me. I hear numerous voices arguing, in high pitch, I collapse hitting my head on a hard surface in the process.

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

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Author's Note:

Hello, my dear friends!

The next chapter is updated. Sorry if reading three different POVs in one chapter is a bit of overload. It was required for the flow of the story. Please do feel free to ask any questions or doubts that arise while reading the story.

Finally, Padmini is back in the picture.

#For those wondering about her odd behaviour of trying to undress; the stick in Kabeer's hand acted as a trigger factor reminding her of Chandrakanth's abusive and dominant behaviour while sexually abusing her. These were mentioned when she speaks to the therapist, in the previous chapters. For a person who has been through these kinds of abuse, certain factors might act as triggers and result in strange behaviours or panic attacks.

What do you think about Kabeer and Meera?

Should Padmini trust them?