“I think no one entered the cabin after that,” Meera said, “And perhaps they orders were to find me first and then to deal with the body. Perhaps something happened to this man while he was looking for me.”
Mithila was completely shaken. “I don’t know what to say Meera, this is all too much for me.”
“I understand,” Meera said giving her a gentle side hug, “But it is what it is. We can’t change any of this. But you don’t have to worry Mithila. You are a sweetheart. You are an angel for me, and you have done what no one else ever has. I have another request. Please drive me to Queen’s Heart bar in Colaba, I think I worked there. Perhaps I’ll remember something more.”
Mithila began to drive towards Colaba. It was a long way ahead. It took almost 2 hours for them to reach their destination. Both women were very quiet all along.
Finally, they reached Queen’s Heart. The place was alive and buzzing with people. The lights and the music brought back Meera’s suppressed memories. She just remained very quiet and gazed that the bar’s entrance with moist eyes, remembering all the bittersweet moments she spent there. A tear rolled down her cheek as she stepped out of the car without saying a word to Mithila.
“Where are you going Meera?” Mithila asked, but Meera didn’t respond.
Meera kept walking towards the bar. She stared the entrance for a moment and then turned left. Mithila followed her quietly through the narrow lanes and alleys. On the way Mithila kept trying to talk the her by Meera didn’t say a word. She kept walking, like she knew the way. Finally, she turned into one narrow alley and arrived at a building. It looked like an old structure in a congested locality. The paint over the walls had peeled off at places. The building appeared so rickety, looked like it could collapse any time. Meera quietly walked upstairs to the second floor and stood in front of room no 203. Mithila was following her.
There were a few potted plants near the door. Meera reached into one of the plants and found a key. She opened the door with the key and entered the room. It was a humble apartment. She entered the apartment, and touched the object in the room fondly, with a faint smile on her face, as if remembering them. And then a painful memory hit her like lightning.
Her own screams echoed in her ears. She placed her palms over her ears in a desperate attempt to make it stop. She ran outside the door, down the stairs. Mithila tried to follow her but Meera was too fast. Within seconds she was out of her sight.
“Meera!” Mithila called out, “Meera, where are you?”
It was late night and there was no one on the street. There were dark alleys all around her, Mithila felt like she was trapped in some kind of a maze. She kept calling out Meera’s name but didn’t get a response. She started looking for Meera at each and every corner or the area.
Finally, she turned into one dark alley and she heard sobbing noises. She found a dumpster there and carefully tiptoed around it. She found Meera hiding next to the dumpster, curled up and sobbing bitterly.
“Hey there girl,” Mithila said rubbing her shoulder, “What are you doing here? Let’s get you back to the hospital.”
“I remember now Mithila,” Meera said tearfully, “I was hiding here that night, this was the last place I felt safe before…they found me…”
Mithila helped Meera to her feet and hugged her. “You are safe now sweetheart,” Mithila said, “Come let’s get you into the car.”
Meera took tiny steps as Mithila supported her. She felt…empty, like all her energy had been drained away. Suddenly she stopped in her tracks and ran back towards the dumpster and began to search something underneath it. Her eyes gleamed as she found it and began to reach for it.
“What is it Meera?” Mithila asked.
“My phone,” she said and she grabbed it and got up dusting her clothes. “The battery is dead, but I’m sure it will still work. The phone dropped out of my hand when they dragged me away and slid underneath here…I was talking to Kabir…I had called him for help…” a tear rolled down her eyes as Meera spoke.
Mithila wiped off her tears and slowly guided Meera back to the car. “We need to get you back to the hospital,” she said as she started driving.
Meera quietly gazed out of the window for a long time. When she had gathered enough strength, she spoke.
“I remember a few things now Mithila, not everything but just a few things. The dream about the crate, it was real. Me and Kabir, we landed on the coast of Mumbai about 4 months ago. I believe we were escaping from some place, that is why we had to travel on a cargo ship inside a crate. I really don’t remember anything before this point. Travelling inside a crate was a disturbing experience and I don’t know how many days we were in there. Perhaps I was drugged so that I don’t freak out. Once we landed here, the crate in which I was hiding was unloaded on the docks. Kabir helped me out of the crate. I couldn’t remember anything, but Kabir comforted me…”
Mithila was listening patiently. “Go on,” she said.
Meera started narrating her story…
“He was a few years elder to me, he was like my guardian. He told me we used to be slaves somewhere in a gulf country. Kabir’s looks and Arabic accent made me feel that he was perhaps a native of one of the middle Eastern countries. But he wouldn’t tell me anything more than that. I often asked him about where I came from, where my family was, and who I was really. But he never told me anything. All he would say is that I was sold as a slave when I was very young and he watched them do horrible things to me. I asked him about the degrading words written on my body, and he said back when I was a slave in the gulf, my Masters marked me as some sort of a punishment. But he never told me why I was punished. The more he watched me suffer, the stronger his feelings grew for me and the stronger the determination to help me escape.”
“Now we were in Mumbai, we weren’t slaves anymore, we were free! I still remember the evening we set foot in this city; it was perhaps the most beautiful moment of my life. I was with my Kabir, I remember that beautiful sunset I saw sitting next to him holding his hand, the mark of a new life for us.”
“But the joy was transient. Soon cold and hunger consumed our happiness. We had to make a living, we had to feed ourselves. We spent the rest of the evening walking around the city approaching various establishments for a job, no matter how menial, we were ready to do it. And finally, we found a bar by the name Queen’s Heart, who needed waiters. Me and Kabir instantly agreed for the job. The bar’s manager was a pervert and kept making passes at me but as long as Kabir was around, he wouldn’t cross the line.”
“There I met Sharon. She was also a waitress at the bar. She was very sweet. She let me share her room and found a place for Kabir to stay too, with some of her male colleagues. The new job brought a new wave of happiness in our lives. We had money, we had a decent place to live, we felt truly free.”
“Sharon was a lovely girl. Me and her, we became kind of best friends. She told me about herself. She was from a village near Goa. She had lost her father at a young age and her mother and 2 siblings depended on her. So, she had moved to Mumbai, so she could make some money for her family. We got along really well, we used to hang out, go the malls, salons, do a lot of girl stuff together. We shared secrets and we became the best of friends. And I had Kabir too. Kabir and me, we got to spend a lot of time with each other. Our fondness grew and we fell in love. And one day, Kabir proposed me!”
Meera blushed as she remembered that moment.
“And I said yes, of course…we had dreams you know, of living a life together, so sharing all joys and sorrows and maybe have children…”
Meera’s eyes suddenly became tearful. Meera switched on her phone that had charged enough by now. She showed pictures of herself and Sharon to Mithila. “And that is Kabir, my darling.” She said showing Mithila a picture of Kabir.
Mithila looked at Meera’s face. She had the brightest of smile on her face as she talked about Kabir. Her eyes gleamed with joy as she recalled the beautiful moments spent with him. Mithila smiled looking at Meera’s joyful face.
“Everything was fine until one day, Sharon just left in the wee hours of the night. She just sent me a text – “Mom’s sick, gotta go home.” I tried to call her but her phone was switched off,” Meera continued her narration.
“Few hours after she left, there was a rude knock on her door. I looked at the time, it was 3 am. I wondered who could be knocking like that on the door.
“Who is it?” I asked.
“Open the door bitch!” one man shouted.
I was alerted and grabbed my phone. Suddenly the door flung open. The men had kicked open the door. I was terrified seeing four men barge into my flat.
“Where is she?” the man asked her roughly.
“Who?” I asked.
“Sharon! Where is she?” the man asked again. He signalled the other three men to search for her in the apartment.
“She left for home in the morning,” I said in utter confusion, “Her mother is sick.”
“That lying piece of shit!” the man growled, “She disappeared with a large packet of heroin she was supposed to deliver.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. I had never imagined that Sharon was involved with drug dealers.
“Take her instead,” the man said, “she’ll do just fine.”
“What?” I screamed her eyes wide open in horror, “Why me? I had nothing to do with this…please let me go.”
“Do you know the cost of the packet Sharon stole?” the man growled, “You are going to recover those costs for us.”
“No please…” I begged as the men dragged me out of the door and down the stairs, “Please let me go…please…”
“Hold her,” one of the men said, “We’ll get the car.”
Two men held me while the other two, left to get their car. I was still in shock, I could barely realize what was happening. But I knew this was my only chance of escaping. I used all my strength to struggle free from their grip and ran as fast as could. I turn into a dark alley but I could not run further as there was a dead end. I tried to retrace my steps, but I heard those men talking, “Where the fuck did she go? Find her at any cost! Spread out, search in each and every alley!”
I knew I had to hide. I could never outrun them. I found a dumpster in that alley. I hid behind it. I was trembling in fear. I had my phone with me, I tried to call Kabir, but he didn’t answer. I called him again and again but still there was no answer. I started to type a text but he called back. I answered almost immediately, but I guess one of the goons heard my phone ringing and started rapidly approaching me.
“You OK Meera?” Kabir asked.
“Kabir…some men are after me…it’s because of Sharon, she was involved with drug dealers…and now she’s gone leaving me alone and...now they are after me…please help…me please…”
“Where are you now?” he asked.
“I’m hiding in an alley near my apartment near the…,” I could barely complete my sentence when I saw one of those men standing right in front of me and screamed.
“Found her! Over here!” he shouted out to the other men.
The man grabbed me roughly and dragged me out. My phone dropped out of my hand and slipped under the dumpster. He slapped me multiple times and said, “Shut the fuck up bitch, the more noise you make, the worse this is going to be for you.”
“We need to drag her for quite some distance,” another man said, “These alleys are too narrow for the car.”
“Walk quietly or I slit your throat,” the man holding me said holding a knife to my throat.
I had no choice. I walked with them up to their car. Just as they were about to drag me in, I saw a bike’s headlight. It was Kabir!
“Kabir!” I screamed, “Help me!”
“Quick get her in,” said one man pushing me inside the car and they drove off.
Kabir followed us relentlessly. As long as I could see him, my heart was at peace.
“What the hell does he think he is doing?” one of them commented looking at me, “Ask him to back off or he loses his life.”
“Please let me go,” I begged.
“That is just not possible girl,” the man said calmly taking out a gun, “Ask him to stop following us or I’ll have to shoot him.”
“No! No! please don’t,” I begged, “Please don’t hurt him…”
“Then tell him to fuck off,” he ordered.
I leaned towards the car’s window and saw Kabir following closely. I couldn’t hold back my tears. “Stop following,” I said to him, “They’ll shoot you if you don’t!”
“No Meera, I can’t let them take you,” Kabir said.
“Please Kabir, don’t risk your life for me…I love you, I need you…” I said.
Kabir seemed to consider it for a moment and slowed down.
“Don’t be a dickhead!” the man from the front seat barked, “Shoot him while you still can. This guy could cause trouble.”
“NO! NO! PLEASE DON’T” I screamed as loud as I could but the man pulled me inside the car and fired his gun. A single bullet was fired from his gun, and in less than a second…I lost everything. I tried to look through the rear window, I saw Kabir fallen on the road lying in a pool of his blood. I could not even take a proper look at him, the car just sped away.
“Now look what you did to your lover boy,” the man said to me, “He is dead because of you.”
Something broke within me that instant. I should have never made that phone call. Kabir died because of me. He died! Just like that! All our dreams shattered in an instant. I felt like I had lost all strength. My Kabir was gone. I was completely at the mercy of these men now. I had no energy left to struggle anymore. I just closed my eyes and wept quietly.
They drove for almost an hour and finally dragged me out. It was a secluded warehouse in the outskirts of a city. The fact that they didn’t bother blindfolding me, I knew they weren’t going to let me go alive ever. I had no complaints…it was ok if they were going to kill me after they were done using me, I just hoped, the sooner the better. At least that way I could be with Kabir, I could tell him how much I love him, and that I am sorry.
The men dragged me and pushed me in front of another man who seemed to be their leader.
“Sharon escaped,” one of the men said to their leader, “So we brought her instead.”
“Hmmm..” the leader said scanning me from head to toe. He lifted my chin to have a good look at my face and asked, “What’s your name girl?”
“Meera,” I replied. I couldn’t hold back my tears.
The man grabbed my arm and pulled me closer, he started running his hand gently through my hair.
“You look like a sweet girl Meera,” he said wiping my tears, “Look at that innocent face.”
He started sliding my dress off my shoulders. I felt crushed being stripped in front of so many men. I resisted him.
“What’s the matter?” he spoke in his typical soft tone, “All these men are going to fuck you eventually, so there’s nothing to be shy about.”
“Please don’t…” I begged.
“Would you rather have us tear it down?” he asked again softly with a smile.
I felt utterly helpless. I was drowning in shame as he made one of his men pull down my dress. I wasn’t wearing a bra. I was standing wearing only my panties in front of 5 men. And now they could see the degrading words written on my body.
“Woah!” the leader exclaimed running his hand over my tattoos, “What the hell! What’s your story girl? Who did this to you?”
“I don’t know, I don’t remember,” I said as tears continuously poured from my eyes.
“Hmmm…so someone fucked you up real good and then messed up your head so that you don’t remember a thing…interesting. That’s what created this rare magic of an innocent face with the body of a slut,” he said, “I so badly want to fuck you girl…”
He grabbed my hair and forced a kiss. He then grabbed my arm and took me to a room nearby. There was a bed there covered with dirty sheets. He made me lie down on the bed and roughly pulled off my panties.
“Open your legs and let me see your holes,” he ordered.
I just couldn’t. The shame was too much. He sharply pinched my ass and said, “Understand one thing girl, from now onwards, you are just a piece of flesh to be used and this is going to be your life. The quicker you learn to obey commands, the better this miserable little life is going to be for you.”
Realizing I had no choice, I obeyed his command.
He bent over to have a close look at my pussy and ass. “Hmm…,” he said, “definitely not a virgin. Do you remember how many men have fucked you till now?”
I had no answer to his humiliating question. I just closed my eyes and shook my head.
“Even if you knew,” he said with a smirk, “you are about to lose count now.”
He tied a tourniquet on my arm.
“What are you doing?” I asked nervously.
“Giving you a shot to ease you up…” he said loading a syringe.
“Please no, not that…” I said desperately trying to get away from him.
He grabbed my ankle and roughly pulled me towards him. “Your body is mine to use as I please,” he growled, “and if I want to give you a shot you take that shot get it? Eventually you’ll realize this is actually mercy. I really don’t want to hurt you girl, physically or mentally. That would be bad for business.”
He pricked the needle in skin and the very next moment I felt a cold fluid enter my vein. It instantly reached my brain and my vision became hazy. It was a trance-like state, I could no longer tell what is real. I felt him crawl on top of me, he was naked too. He smiled at me and started nibbling my neck. I had completely lost control over my body. I felt like I was floating, like I was lying on a cloud. He started nibbling my nipples and waves of pleasure started shooting towards my pussy. I could feel the heat gather between my legs. My body began to crave his touch. My hands were all over his body, my fingernails digging into his skin, pulling him towards me. I grabbed his hair and pushed his head harder against my breasts. The maddening pleasure made me moan uncontrollably.
I felt his hard cock against my pussy. My pussy was profusely wet and my clit was swollen with desire. He was teasing me. He rubbed his hard tip against my pussy. To add to my desperation, he started rubbing both my nipples with his thumbs. He was smiling at the desperate moans that escaped my lips.
“The men outside can hear you, you know…” he teased, “You are moaning real loud, like a bitch in heat.”
At the point, I didn’t really care. I had surrendered to by body’s desires. I began to rhythmically began to thrust my hips to trying to meet his.
“Such a desperate slut,” he said as he began to insert his cock inside me slowly, inch by inch.
He loved this slow torture. He smirked as he watched my face contort with desire and my eyes beg for more. He slowly began to thrust in and out of me. I was drowning in ecstasy. The pleasure was so much, I never wanted him to stop. Whatever was left of my conscious mind was utterly ashamed of myself. Perhaps I could never look myself in the eye for enjoying this degradation, but it was beyond my control. I wrapped my legs around his waist and began to thrust upwards. I wanted him deep inside me. I wanted to feel him cum inside me, I wanted to feel him explode. The thought itself was driving me insane, and drove me to the most intense orgasm I ever had. Everything faded into background and all I could feel was his hot hard rod going in and out of me. I don’t know how long that orgasm lasted but as long as it did, I felt like heaven.
My body relaxed after the orgasm, but I was still lying all wide open and spread out for him to continue fucking me for as long as he wanted. I just so badly wanted him to cum in me. But he decided something else. When he neared his orgasm, he withdrew his cock and came on my face. He loved the fact that it instantly made look like a slut.
The sexual pleasures died down pretty quickly and shame and humiliation took over as he called his men in the room and let them have a look at me lying naked, exposed with a cum covered face. They jeered and me and took pictures of me in humiliating positions.
“All yours now..” the leader said as he walked out of the room.
“NO! NO!...please…” I begged as all four of them ganged up on me at once.
“Relax cunt, you’ll do just fine, you are a habitual slut, you just don’t know it,” he said with a grin.
I looked at all four of them in horror and screamed in fear.
“All right, give her another shot and be gentle,” the leader ordered his men, “Don’t damage her,”
One of the men then approached me with another syringe. Once the drug was in my vein, I was almost unconscious. I could just feel multiple hands over my body, my nipples being continuously played, and I was repeatedly penetrated in my pussy, ass and mouth. I don’t even know how long the ordeal lasted but once it was done, I was glad that I could finally rest.
I really don’t remember clearly what happened after that, but they held me captive and forced themselves on me one after the other multiple times. After a few days, I vaguely remember that they moved me to the cabin in the woods. They kept me on drugs most of the time, so I don’t remember clearly but I know that I was forced to have sex with multiple men. I just have bits and pieces of memories. The most recent memory I have is of that night you found me, almost 3 nights ago.
Meera checked the call logs on her phone to check when she made the last call to Kabir. “2 weeks,” she said to Mithila, “They held me captive for 2 weeks. I am sure they never meant to let me go alive, but I guess I am lucky that I could escape.”
Mithila noticed that Meera had become jittery and drew her arms and legs closer. She suddenly felt very cold. She began to shiver and she felt an ache in her muscles that kept growing by the minutes.
“What’s happening to me, Mithila?” she asked in a trembling voice.
“It’s the withdrawal,” Mithila said as she pulled over the car. She picked up a blanket from the backseat and wrapped it around the trembling girl, “We need to get you to the hospital quickly. And after that you might need rehab. The drugs they’ve been pumping in you were highly addictive.”
“Am I going to be okay?” Meera asked.
“Of course,” Mithila said handing over a pill to her with some water, “Take this, you’ll feel better. Just hang in tight, while I drive you back to the hospital.”
After some time Meera began to feel better. She took off the blanket, and rested her back against the car’s seat, gazing the fast moving city from the car’s window. There was a storm in her heart and so many things running in her head, but her expression was calm.
“Do you remember someone named Naina?” Mithila asked quickly gazing at Meera.
Meera thought for a moment and replied, “Not at the moment, why do you ask?”
“Last night after I injected you with a tranquilizer and you fell asleep in my arms, you referred to me as “Naina”.
“Is it?” Meera said taking a deep breath, “I’m sorry, I don’t remember…”
“It’s alright,” Mithila said with a faint smile, “Just close your eyes and try to relax. We’ll be there soon.”
Soon they reached the hospital. Meera was feeling weak, she could barely walk. Mithila ordered a nurse to get a wheel chair for her. As the nurse was taking Meera back to the ward, the receptionist called out to her.
“Miss. Meera,” she said, “Your brother was here to see you.”
Meera and Mithila shot each other a nervous look.
“My brother?” Meera asked.
“Yes,” the receptionist, “Mr. Aryan Sinha, he was eager to see you. I informed him that you were taken to another hospital for a CT scan and that you would return soon. He said he’ll come back and visit you in the morning.”
“Can you show me how he looked like? I have a little trouble with my memory,” Meera requested.
The receptionist looked and Mithila and Mithila nodded in approval. The receptionist showed her the CCTV footage of the man who claimed to be her brother.
“How did you know that he is my brother?” Meera asked.
“He had your picture, and he knew your name, and he said he was your brother,” the receptionist said.
“Can I see the picture? What it a picture of me with him?” Meera asked.
“No, it was in his phone, just a picture of you…” she said nervously, “Is…there a problem?”
“Not at all,” Meera said with a nervous smile, “I’ll see him once he comes to visit tomorrow.”
The nurse then escorted Meera to her ward and Mithila accompanied. The nurse helped Meera get onto her bed and left. Meera and Mithila were both nervous.
“Did you know him?” Mithila asked.
“No,” Meera said closing her eyes tightly, “These men...they won’t stop hunting me till I’m dead.”
“Meera,” Mithila said, “I think it is time we should go to the police.”
“Are you serious?” Meera said, “I killed a man Mithila. You saw it with your own eyes. The police are just going to lock me away.”
“You did that out of grave provocation Meera,” Mithila argued, “He raped you!”
“Rape?” Meera scoffed, “I begged him to fuck me, did you miss that part?”
“You were drugged Meera!” Mithila said, “I have proof that there was heroin in your blood in high doses!”
“You have proof that there were high doses of drugs I my blood,” Meera said with a tear rolling down her cheek, “Do you have proof that I did not inject it myself? They’ll just prove that I am a junkie whore who murdered a man brutally for a shot…”
“Meera..I…” Mithila stopped mid sentence not knowing what to say…
“I’ve lost Kabir Mithila,” Meera said, “Now I can’t afford to lose my freedom…”
Mithila hugged Meera and rubbed her back. “Okay Meera, if you don’t want to go to the police…I’m changing your room right now, you cannot stay one more minute in this room. You are not safe here. And tomorrow, I am shifting you to another hospital with a different name.” Mithila said with determination.
“Can I have a smoke?” Meera requested.
“This is a hospital Meera!” Mithila said sternly.
“Please…” Meera requested.
Mithila stared at her for a minute and then her expression softened. She reached into her purse and took out a cigarette and gave it to Meera and held a lighter for her. Meera lit the cigarette and took a puff.
“Why are you doing this, Mithila?” Meera asked.
“Doing what?” Mithila asked.
“You know what you are doing,” Meera said taking another puff, “You are going far out of your way to help me.”
“I just care about you girl,” Mithila said holding Meera’s face in her palms.
“As far as I know,” Meera said, “Doctors don’t babysit patients. You are not just doing your job. The way you are handling this is way too personal.”
“Meera!” Mithila said looking into her eyes, “You aren’t just a patient for me. You didn’t just walk into my clinic one fine evening and walk out with a prescription. I found you lying on the road, drugged and wounded, with no idea of who you were!”
“You are risking way too much Mithila,” Meera said, “It is hard to believe it is just out of sympathy. You know I killed somebody, and you are still not reporting me to the police. Knowing that keeping quiet about a crime as serious as murder also makes you an accomplice, you are still helping me. You’ve been spending way too much time with me, smuggling me out of a hospital, driving me around to crime scenes, and now you are trying to protect me from people who perhaps want me dead. Do you even realize how dangerous this could be for you? You are an intelligent woman and you know what’s at stake, and you are doing it anyway, for someone you know for how long? 3 days?! Why?”
“Meera…I…” Mithila stopped mid-sentence. She suddenly became tearful.
Meera noticed the sudden change in Mithila’s expression. Meera held Mithila’s face in her palms and asked, “What happened Mithila?”
Mithila was tearful and choking in grief, “I know how it feels…many years ago…I was raped in a moving car and thrown on the street…I lay there naked and cold…waiting for someone to help me…but no one did for hours…I thought I was going to die…I remember how helpless I was…I just wanted someone to hold me…and tell me I that I was safe…when I found you that night…I just couldn’t leave you out there in the cold…and if you killed a rapist, you did the world a great favor, that bastard fucking deserved it!”
Meera’s expression suddenly softened to know Mithila’s reason. She gave Mithila a warm hug and comforted her. “I am sorry for what you have been through and I really appreciate your kindness Mithila,” Meera said, “But my world is way too dark. I cannot put you in danger, that would be so selfish. You are a doctor; you have a loving husband and a good life. Don’t risk it for some street scum like me. Let me go Mithila, I’ll sort out my mess on my own, trust me.”
Mithila was still in tears. “But you need to be in rehab,” she said wiping her tears.
Meera smiled, “Just give me those pills that you gave me in the car, I’ll be fine.”
Mithila cleared Meera’s discharge formalities. She gave Meera some money to help her with the transport and to find herself a place to live.
“Where will you go?” Mithila asked.
“I know a place,” Meera said with a smile.
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