FF: The Beautiful and the Condemned (Completed) - Page 70

Rudra had to stop by a roadside vendor because Paro had insisted that she must have imli at that moment. He wasn't going to deny her the tangy treat, especially not on her birthday. The two of them were now walking home. She had tried to feed him a piece, but he spit it out in disgust. He didn't like the stuff. Rudra had stated that it tasted off and that she shouldn't eat it, but she ignored him completely. Parvati was sucking on the last piece of imli when Rudra glanced at her. Her eyes scrunched as the sour flavor made its presence known on her tongue. As she finished the last piece, Paro linked her arms and leaned her head against his shoulder. He smirked but continued to pay attention to their surroundings.

"Where are we going now?" she asked.

"Home," he said.

"But-."

"We're not going anywhere else. It was already a big risk coming out here."

"But nothing happened."

"Yet. I'm not taking anymore chances. We'll go home and-."

"Rudra-."

"No. No arguments."

"No Rudra I-."

"Paro-."

"I don't feel so good..."

Rudra shot a worried look at Paro as those words left her mouth. She had slowed her steps and touched her forehead. She suddenly felt lightheaded and leaned into Rudra, who already had his arm around her to support her.

"What's wrong?" he inquired. "Paro?"

Paro opened her mouth to speak when she suddenly felt a bile rise in her throat. She quickly covered her mouth and looked around. She ran to the side of the road and emptied the contents of her stomach. Rudra rushed over to her and held her hair back. She continued to vomit for a few more minutes before she was finally able to stand up straight. The random bystanders glanced in their direction, wondering what was wrong with the poor girl and coo-ing at the care Rudra was showing for her. Paro stood up straight and leaned against him, resting her head on his chest. He patted her back. No words were spoken between the two, and Rudra was growing anxious with worry. He finally pulled Paro away from him to look straight at her.

"Paro?" he looked at her confused. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head and laughed, "It must have been the imli. I think I had too much."

"I told you it tasted off," He let out a small laugh, "No more imli for you for awhile."

She pouted.

"Come on. Let's get you home."

They hadn't even taken two steps when they heard Pia's voice shouting at them from a distance. They turned simultaneously and found Pia and Aman walking up to them. Pia was carrying Abhimanyu in her arms. They walked up to the couple and greeted them. It had actually been awhile since they had seen each other. The incident had kept Rudra on his guard, making him more protective of Parvati. Pia and Aman rarely saw them because of this. Neither of them were told about what had happened, but they hoped that Rudra would tell them. That hope remained short-lived as he did his best to drop the subject and make them forget it. However, Parvati's near-death experience was not something they could easily forget. Still, they tried to act normally around each other.

When Pia reached them, she noticed the pale look on Paro's face. Immediately, she became worried, "Parvati, are you okay? You're as white as a sheet."

"I'm fine," Paro assured her. "I just ate too much imli and-."

"Emptied her stomach on the side of the road," Rudra finished. "She's fine. We're actually heading home."

"Wait!" Aman said. "Parvati! It's your birthday today isn't it?"

Paro nodded, causing Pia to forget her condition and squeal joyfully. She hugged Paro with one arm while holding Abhi in the other, "Happy Birthday!"

Aman also gave her a side hug, "Happy Birthday. Although, I don't see the happy' part of it right now since you threw up. I hope you feel better."

Rudra nodded, "She will be. She just needs some rest. Sorry we can't talk more, but I should get her home before she vomits again."

Aman and Pia nodded in agreement and bid their goodbyes to their friends. The conversation hadn't lasted long, but the minute they had walked away, Paro had a smile on her face again. It was sweet of them to remember her birthday and wish her. She was honestly feeling fine now, but she knew Rudra still wanted to get her home safely. She held onto his arm as they continued their journey home. Rudra asked her multiple times if she wanted him to carry her, but she refused saying that other people were watching. He could care less, but obviously she did, so he dropped the topic. He was so engrossed in his concern for her that he failed to check their surroundings.

A large white van with black-tinted windows was slowly trailing behind them. It had been following them for about a block now, but they hadn't been noticed. The van started honking loudly and speeding up, causing the small crowds of bystanders on the streets to disperse. It finally sped up and came to a screeching halt in front of Rudra and Paro, who instantly stiffened seeing the unfamiliar vehicle. The doors slid open and men with guns began coming out on by one, all aiming at the two of them. Rudra pulled Paro behind him, bringing his jallad mode forward in the event that he had to take action. For now, he stood as a barrier between these men and his wife, waiting patiently for one of them to make a move.

As the ocean of men surrounded them, the final man came out from the passenger seat. Parvati's grip on Rudra's arm tightened as a shiver went down her spine. It was none other than Tejawat. Rudra wanted to walk up to him and murder the sick man with his bare hands. However, the dozens of men with guns pointed directly at him prevented him from doing so. He was shooting daggers with his glare, while Tejawat calmly leaned against the van and crossed his arms.

"I told you I would be back," Tejawat said cooly as he glanced behind Rudra. "I see she is still alive. It looks like my torture wasn't enough to-."

Rudra lowly growled, "Tejawat."

"Oh, touchy topic. Don't worry. I'm not here to talk anyways."

"If you think you can get Paro again, then-."

"I don't think I can get Parvati...I know I can get her. You are clearly

outnumbered."

"But not outmatched."

"Hmm true. I know you can take all these men on at once, but it would be unfortunate if your wife gets caught in the middle of the crossfire."

Rudra frowned. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Tejawat was right. If he tried to fight all these men, Paro would be left in a vulnerable position. He couldn't afford to have her in the middle of all this. It was possible a bullet could hit her, and that was a risk Rudra was not willing to take. So he maintained his protective stance. What he hadn't expected was that some of thakur-sa's men approached from behind and yanked Paro away from him roughly. As he felt her body move away from him, he spun and was shocked to find a young man holding her with a gun aimed at her head. Parvati looked frightened beyond compare. She was struggling to get out of the henchmen's grasp, but nothing was working. Rudra angrily took a step forward, but the sounds of guns clicking to prepare to fire stopped him.

He turned back around to Tejawat and said, "Let her go!"

"You're going to learn the hard way what it means to disobey me Rudra," Tejawat stated sternly. "I promise you that this time you will reunite with her only in death."

It was as if those words were a signal to send the many henchmen charging towards Rudra. Each were trying to hold him down while the man holding Paro was making his way to the van. Rudra knew that if she gets in there, there was a possible chance that he would never see him again. It was with that thought that the jallad awoke. He began beating the men that charged at him one-by-one. Punches and kicks never ceased. It was as if the jallad was being powered by a new machine, allowing him to continue blow after blow, despite the blood dripping from his knuckles.

All the while, Parvati was struggling to get out of the henchman's grip. She was practically dragged towards the white van. Her eyes landed on Tejawat, who was glancing back and forth between her and Rudra fighting. He knew, as well as she did, that by the time Rudra finished fighting off the men, it would be too late. She would already be shoved in the van and gone to who-knows-where. Paro used all her strength to pull the man's arm away from her neck and bite it as hard as she could. The man screamed loudly, causing thakur-sa to focus on him. As the man let go of her, Paro began running towards Rudra. She didn't get too far however, because Tejawat managed to grab her wrist and yank her to him.

In an angered tone, Tejawat pulled out his gun and said, "Just know, that this is all because of you, Parvati."

BANG!

Time went in slow motion. Paro watched as the gun fired and the bullet made its way into the crowd of men fighting before her, only to make its home in her husband. Her eyes widened in fear and shock as she watched him freeze as the sensation of the bullet entering his chest took effect. The men around him had now taken a few steps back. His hand reached for his chest as he found himself falling down on the dirt road. He tried moving forward to reach for thakur-sa, but the searing pain caused him to stumble before making it to him. Rudra fell to the ground.

Tears streamed down Paro's face as she yelled, "RUDRA!"

He heard her voice calling for him. His head turned to look at her, while he tried not to show his weakness. He tried getting up, but the pain was too unbearable. His eyes were half-open, and that was quite a struggle for him. He grasped for breath as if it was all going to disappear in a few seconds. His eyes locked with Parvati's pained ones. Rudra could see how frightened she was in Tejawat's clutches. She had just watched her husband, her pillar of strength, get shot. The last person she could call her own was on the ground in front of her, struggling to get up and fight for her and his life. He knew the look all too well, because he had gone through it a few months ago.

Rudra found his words dying on his lips as he tried with all his might to order thakur-sa to let her go. But it was no use. His vision began blurring around him, but his gaze remained focused on Paro as she continued to try and break free from the devil's hands. Rudra saw all the men had returned inside the van. He could feel a puddle of his blood forming on his back. The warm liquid was seeping through his shirt. However, the pain in his chest was just too unbearable. He saw Parvati reach out with one hand to try and get to him, only to be yanked back by thakur-sa. She was yelling his name over and over. Her gaze never tore away from him, not even as she was being pushed away from him. As the colors around him began to fade to black, Rudra saw Tejawat's victorious smirk and Paro's pleading eyes.

The last thing Rudra saw was Tejawat shoving Paro in the van...before he lost consciousness.

**********

Nooo!

Calm down, he's not dead. I promise. Just wait and watch! Let me know what you think by leaving your comments and feedback below.

Here's a little bit of the next update. It's all I have written so far:

"I don't care! If I don't get to Paro they'll kill her!"

As the words sunk in, Aman spoke to Rudra firmly, but calmly, "What is going on Rudra?"

I'll update as soon as I get better! Pakka promise! Thanks for reading!