Cold and dark. Those were the first two words that came to mind as Parvati opened her eyes. It took her time for her sight to adjust to the darkness, but once it did, panic began settling in. She was in some cold, dark place, with no windows or doors. There was an odor, as if something had gone bad and been rotting around her for awhile now. As she moved her hands to feel her surroundings, Parvati realized that her wrists were encased in steel and chained to the concrete wall. She felt the floor where she was sitting; it was rock solid. She was indoors somewhere, but where? Parvati stood up and tried walking, but the cuffs chaining her to the wall prevented her from moving more than four feet. She pulled her arms forward, trying to see if she could free herself, but she couldn't, the chains were too strong. Parvati sat back down as her panic set in. She brought her knees back to her chest and curled up, trying to get warm. Her mind was trying to recall everything that had happened.
She was sitting with mami-sa, talking about a date for her marriage. She remembered that perfectly. It had gotten late, and she decided to go to sleep. She had forgotten to fill her jug of water and went to the kitchen to fill it. Then, everything was fuzzy after that. Something or someone came from behind, covered her mouth with a cloth that smelt funny, and then...everything went black. Now she was awake and chained up like a prisoner in this unknown place.
"Hello!" she spoke loudly. "Is anybody there? Where am I? Please help me!"
There was no answer. The only voice that she heard was hers being echoed throughout the room. Parvati felt a churning in her stomach, an ominous feeling of some impending doom. She tugged at the chains that bound her in her spot, trying to get them to budge. She didn't know how long she had been in this place, but she was desperate to get out. Out of nowhere, a light appeared from the ceiling. Parvati's eyes adjusted quickly and she saw wooden stairs leading to the light. It was doorway, a doorway she couldn't reach. Her heartbeat quickened as her eyes locked on the black shadowy figure descending the stairs. The stranger reached for something in the darkness, and suddenly there was a soft light in the room.
Parvati shut her eyes quickly before blinking to get used to it. Her eyes widened in horror at her surroundings. Her hands were chained to the wall behind her, like some sort of wild animal. There was a table in the corner of the room, and on it were weapons. She was in a cellar made of concrete walls, which were splattered with a dark red, almost brown color. It was blood. There was dried blood on the walls! She looked at the wall she was leaning against and found that blood was on there too. Parvati scooted as far away from the wall as she could. As she gazed at the wall, a firm voice spoke.
"Look who's awake," it said.
Parvati's eyes shot a frightened look as they found the man standing at the bottom of the stairs. He was a tall, tan, muscular man with the determined, unrelenting face of a warrior. His strong, sharp features made him all the more intimidating. His jet black hair matched the color of the v-neck shirt he was wearing. He wore denim jeans that looked slightly worn out. His moustache had a slight curl at the ends and his stubble appeared to just be coming in. What Parvati stared at however, were the dark brown eyes that carried no emotion in them. There was nothing in them, and she couldn't figure out what he was thinking.
"Who...who are you?" she asked. "Where am I? Why am I here?"
The man didn't say anything. He walked over to her and knelt down in front of her, examining her. The way he stared at her made Parvati uncomfortable. It was as if he was studying her like a test subject, observing her strengths and weaknesses. She dropped her gaze as she continued to shiver due to the cold. The man wasn't even cold, in fact, from his proximity she could actually feel him radiating heat, as if there was a fire within him dying to get out. Parvati's eyes followed his hand as it reached behind him and came forward a few seconds later. He was holding a thin black cloth.
"What is that?" Parvati asked. "What are you going to do with that? Who are you?"
The man tied the black cloth over her mouth, preventing her from speaking any further. She shook her head and tried fighting back so he wouldn't cover her mouth. Parvati tried pushing him away, but he was like an immovable barrier that refused to budge. The man wasn't in the mood for such attitude. He got up and made his way to the wall where Parvati's chains were hooked. He unhooked them and pulled her back more, limiting her ability to move around. Now, she stuck, sitting against the bloodied wall, with her hands restrained above her head. Her range of mobility decreased from four feet to four inches. The man knelt down in front of her once again and attempted to cover her mouth, but Parvati still wouldn't give up. She shook her head and moved her face away.
By now, the strange man's patience was wearing thin. He dropped the cloth and grabbed Parvati by the back of her neck, his long fingers entangling themselves in her hair. She let out a small yelp as he forcefully brought her face a few inches away from hers. She trembled seeing the emptiness in his eyes. Those once brown orbs had darkened into being almost black with rage.
In a low, deep tone, he growled, "If you know what's good for you...you'll behave."
He dropped his hand and immediately tied the black cloth around Parvati's mouth. This time, she didn't fight back. Instead she sat quietly and gazed at the fearful man before her. The tears brimmed her eyes as she tried to figure out what was going on. Once he finished gagging her, he stood up and pulled out his phone to take a picture. He clicked a photo and pressed a few buttons before he made a phone call. Parvati listened to his man's side of the conversation.
"It's me...I just sent you a photo of her...she's conscious...I understand...yes...I understand." He hung up the phone.
Parvati's captor came back to her and untied her mouth. And Parvati began asking again, "Who are you? Why did you bring me here?"
"Enough Parvati," he responded as he stood up.
She froze, "How do you know my name?"
"You're going to be here for awhile. I suggest you do as I say, or else you will regret it. Now, stop talking."
Parvati remained silent. His words weren't hollow comments, they were assuring threats. She didn't utter a single word as he walked back up the stairs, towards the light, and disappeared, taking the light at the top of the staircase along with him. As she sat there, in the cold dark cellar, Parvati grabbed the rudraksh around her wrist and prayed to Bholenath for strength to confront the strange man who held her captive...that man...that jallad...who seemed to be destined to take all the light from her life.
**********
So that's it for this chapter? What did you think? Let me know by leaving your comments and feedback below!
Thanks for reading!
Mr And Mrs Parshuram
