Chapter 23
The Joker
I Cannot Breathe
I Cannot Sleep
Deep Within
I've Sunk Too Deep
Crying Out
In A Muffled Voice
I've Come This Far
Without A Choice
I Can't Relate
What I Don't Understand
At The End Of A Rope
I Hadn't Planned
Entombed Within
And No Release
I Need Someone
To Show Me Peace
Rage Comprised
Of A World Turned Dark
A Noxious Cloud
Permeates My Heart
My Former Self
Bound To The Stake
As I Watch In Awe
To Seal It's Fate
Screaming Threats And
Writhing Pain
Consume The Soul
And Fuel The Flame
Scorched By Fire
Forever Changed
From The Ashes
My Soul Reclaimed
We stopped checking for monsters under our bed ~ when we realized they were inside us ~
The Joker, Batman
"Baba what is a good deed and what is a bad deed?", the child asked innocently.
He was sitting in the lap of a man, who had got a pair of the kindest eyes in the entire world...
"My son, bad deeds are when you make people cry and good deeds are when you make them laugh", he explained in a gentle voice, caressing the head of his 8 yr old son...
"So when you cried, last week, did someone do bad to you", he asked in a concerned voice...
"Yes my son, someone did very bad to me", he whispered sadly, caressing his son's head...
"So Baba how we can stop someone committing a bad deed? ", he asked in a little voice, his innocent eyes, looked questioningly towards his father...
"We stop it by ourselves my son, if we are not strong enough then we take help from others", he explained...
"Help, from whom Baba", He asked in a bewildered voice. "From you Shlok, or who else", Niranjan said, tickling Shlok , his eyes glinting with laughter ."You wanted to become a police officer, after you grow up, am I right my son", Niranjan tickled him harder...
"Stop it baba, I give up, I promise I won't ask any questions from now on", he was laughing so hard that tears were beginning to fall from his eyes...
Somewhere a phone was ringing. It's harsh ringing tone, brought Shlok out of his daze. He took out his cellphone from his pocket, and glanced at the blinking screen, it showed, Ramlal calling...
He took a huge breath, to compose himself. "Yes", he was calm now. "Boss he is coming tonight, with his men", Ramlal's voice was worried. "Let him come", Shlok answered calmly, a twisted smile beginning to tug at the corner of his lips...
"Boss what should I do now", he asked. Shlok smiled, Ramlal's voice was full of concern for him. "Okay listen carefully what you have to do ", Shlok started to explain...
"Yes boss I understood completely, what are you saying, I'll do exactly as you want", Ramlal said in an obedient tone, after listening to Shlok's orders for him.
"I knew Ramlal that I can always rely on you", Shlok smiled. "Thanks boss I will certainly live upto your expectations". "Goodbye Ramlal, until we meet tonight", he said in a determined voice. "Goodbye boss". "And take care of yourself son", he added in a whisper.
"Ramlal", he warned. "Sorry boss, you are like a son to me that's why slip of a tongue", Ramlal apologized, clenching his jaw to control his overflowing emotions.
"Do take care in future Ramlal, that you never call me as your son", the cruel words were delivered in a cold voice, but only Ramlal could feel their bleeding pain...
The call was disconnected abruptly. I know son, I know, he thought, wiping a traitorous tear from the corner of his eye...
Astha was standing infront of the mirror. She lifted a hand to touch her reflection in the mirror and events of the night before flashed across her mind, making her burn with humiliation. She could no longer see herself in the mirror without remembering being locked in his embrace. She couldn't even look at her bed and it's twisted bedcovers without remembering her body's abandon in his arms...
She didn't know herself anymore. She wanted to cry and rage at God, that why it was happening with her? Why that stranger wanted to punish her? why he was twisting her insides, why he was able to make her so weak at the knees, whenever he threw a burning glance at her...
He was cold through and through, it seemed no emotion ever touched his frozen heart, so why he was able to make her burn, with his one touch, his one kiss...
She touched a hand to her bruised and swollen lips, her neck, which was showing several marks, from being bitten by him. He was really a heathen, no gentleness inside him, so why does his savage touch arouses her senses? why does the pain makes her insane with pleasure? Was she some sort of masochist or maybe as twisted in mind and body as him? She thought as her mindless agony of heart and mind gave way to her tears. She had called him a monster, but she too wasn't better than him, she was a beast too...
Yes she was a beast, she gave a haunting scream as her knees buckled beneath her. She fell to the floor, crying as if her heart was breaking in a thousand splinters, one hand clamped on her mouth to muffle her screams..
She curled her limbs towards her chest as she wept for her lost innocence, her peace of mind, her loving parents, her home which was now seemed a thousand miles from her. She didn't know how much time had passed away, with her still lying in the same fetal position. But her crying had subsided into sobs now and an occasional hiccup shook her body...
Someone gave a brisk knock on the bathroom door, and she got up stiffly from the floor, her whole body throbbing with pain and shivering with cold...
Astha washed her face before coming out of the bathroom, and saw to her surprise that there was no one in the room instead a tray laden with fresh fruits and a jug of milk was placed on her bedside table. She felt her stomach gave a rumble, when was the last time she ate something proper. Shlok had only given her a stale piece of bread and some pickle in the dungeon...
She even shuddered to think of that dark and gloomy place, at least her new prison was a room, with a proper bed...
She smiled bitterly, in what condition her fate had brought her, she was famous for her tantrums, never slept in the same bed twice, even if a pillow was out of place. Her mother herself prepared her bed every night. Mom, she thought and a rebellious tear escaped her eye. But now she had no choice but to live into whatever condition that Mafioso put her in, until she somehow escapes from here...
The peaceful neighborhood of Pune was disturbed, as tires squealed, and doors of a jeep opened with a resounding sound, then came up the sound of heavy trudging, followed by a hard pounding on Retired Professor Mr. Prabhakar Joshi's door that cut through the silent night air. It was winter, and outside was freezing cold. ...
Prabakhar was snoring peacefully, wrapped in warm blankets, in the room, that was close to the door. He mumbled something about some son of a b***h disturbing his peaceful sleep, but didn't wake up instantly. But when the pounding grew into hammering, he woke up groaning, and cursing the madman who was ready to break the door, searched for his sleepers.
"Okay okay I am coming", he panted, wearing them hurriedly. And then went limping went towards the door...
His son and daughter-in-law were sleeping with his two granddaughters in the upper storey that's why they weren't able to listen to the knocking, he thought, glancing at the upper storey. His wife had died two years before. He missed her a lot, she was such a gentle and loving soul, he heaved a wistful sigh...
The pounding had already stopped to be replaced by someone, pushing his shoulder in the door, trying to break it and making it creak on its hinges. "I am coming", Prabakhar hurried towards the door, cursing the mad fellow in his heart. "Who is it", putting an ear on the door, he asked in an annoyed voice.
Whoever was on the other side, paused in his attempt to break the door? "Open up at once and you'll know who I am", someone growled from behind the door. Prabakhar's blood froze in his veins as he recognized the voice...
Perspiration flooded his brow, and he took the support of wall to steady himself. "Avdhoot Kirloskar", he whispered...
Five individual human shadows were moving stealthily, their movements hidden in the cover of night. They each had black turbans wrapped around their heads, with the end of turban covering their lower faces, only their eyes were uncovered, glittering with bloodlust...
There target were the three men sitting in the jeep, laughing boisterously on someone's cracked joke. One of them was sitting on the driving seat, holding a glowing cigarette in his hand, exhaling smoke through his mouth...
One human shadow whistled softly to the other shadow and pointed towards the man who was sitting on the driving seat, the other shadow nodded his head and then picking up a stone from the ground, hurled it at the front view mirror. The crashing sound made the three men sitting in the jeep, jump into their skin. The driver opened the door and jumped out shouting and cursing at the unknown assailant. But when no one came forward, the other two men also jumped out from the back seat, to see what was happening...
It was then that five shadows came charging out the dark night and hurled themselves at the three of them...
"Open the door or I'll break it" Avdhoot snarled, from behind the door and gave a push to the door as a warning. "Okay okay don't break it, I'm opening", Prabakhar opened the door with trembling fingers, to reveal three men standing in the dark...
One of them was Avdhoot. Prabakhar swallowed the bile which was rising inside his throat due to fear. "Where is he, and where is he hiding my daughter?", Avdhoot came inside like a charging bull, and grabbed the collar of Prabakhar. The other two men also came inside. One of them was an elderly man and the other was a stout one...
"N..NNo, nno, I don't know", he stammered. "Tell me at once, I know you've got all information about Niranjan's son", he said menacingly. Prabakhar's face paled at his words, but he steadied himself in time. "No I know nothing about him, I thought you killed him, then why are you asking from me", Prabakhar delivered in a taunting voice...
Avdhoot had seen his face changing color, so he shook him hard. "You don't understand it's the matter of life and death, he has kidnapped my daughter", he shook him again with desperation.
"No I know nothing about the kidnapping, I have no idea, whose hand could be behind it" Prabakhar tried to prise his fingers from around his collar.
"You won't tell me easily, I knew that", Avdhoot pushed his face into prabakhar's and bit out in a chilled voice. "Now you've left me with only one option", Avdhoot pushed him away with such force that he fell on the floor...
"Ramlal, Shyam you go upstairs and bring whoever family member is residing there, down at once", he snapped orders to the other two men. They bowed their head obediently and went upstairs.
"No please don't hurt my family, I honestly don't know anything about him, he just comes and goes randomly ", Prabakhar was beginning to plead...
"Now you are beginning to sing", Avdhoot smiled cruelly and dragged him up by his hair. "Yes tell me now, if he has my daughter or not". "I don't know anything about your daughter, please don't hurt me and my family, I am telling you the truth", Prabakhar begged again. "Then tell me his name", Avdhoot spat in his face, he was looking like a maniac now, a man possessed.
Ramlal and Shyam brought down with them four people on gun point. The man was pale in the face and his wife and two daughters were crying, frightened out of their wits.
Prabakhar gave a shocked cry, but Avdhoot took out a gun from his pocket and pointed it at his temple. "I'll kill them, if you even thought about running or shouting for help", he whispered chillingly. Prabakhar shuddered and told him in a trembling voice, "It's Shlok Agnihotri, and he only visits his home one or two times in a month, now you've got what you wanted please let me go". He clasped his hand together and pleaded with him...
Avdhoot knew that Prabakhar was telling the truth, he didn't know much about him. That Niranjan's son must be clever, to disguise himself so well, he heaved a sigh...
"Thanks Prabakhar you've done a great job in telling me his name, I'm in your debt now, and I always return it to my friends with interest". Avdhoot's voice was calm but there was a hint of danger underlying it. Prabakhar gazed at him with bewilderment...
"Ramlal Shyam see to it that no one remains alive to tell the story", he ordered his two henchmen and turned towards the exit door...
The woman and girls started screaming, Prabakhar fell in Avdhoot's feet, and begged with him to have mercy on them...
Avdhoot snatched away the leg of his trousers out of Prabakhar's hands and walked towards the door. But when no sound of shot came he was brought to a halt. Surprised he turned back to see his two henchmen pointing their guns at him, instead on Prabakhar and his family...
He was so shocked to his core, that he forgot to speak for a moment. Then he said, "what the heck, Ramlal, Shyam, what happened, what are you doing?" , his eyes showed complete bewilderment...
"I don't understand, why are you doing this, I am your boss, or have you forgotten that", he spread a hand beseechingly towards them...
"I'll make you understand", a cold jeering voice came out from the open doorway behind him.
He turned sharply on his heels to see who had dared to taunt him like that and what he saw, made his blood congeal in his veins...
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Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
