Cherished Wounds ( Updated Ch 14 ) Pg 140 22/06 - Page 68

'Where am I?'

More water fell on to her face, her eyes opened completely, blinking a few times, adjusting to the fierce light coming from the white tube lights. One woman was wearing a dirty grey saree that hung like second skin to her hefty figure. The other one seemed to be of the same age as hers, but was clad in a flashy pink sharara. She was beautiful, but one couldn't miss the dark circles under her eyes, and her bruised lips. Khushi looked around the poor excuse of the room. The walls were adorned by a crumbling green plaster. It was clean, smelling of chlorine, but dingy nevertheless. But her eyes searched for the little girl.

'No…Noor, where is she?' Khushi stammered, looking up at the hefty lady. 'In another room. Now you get up and change your clothes. Men could be dropping in any minute.' Before Khushi had a chance to say anything, both the women scattered out of the room.

---

Khushi got up from the small bed and her eyes fell on the chiffon sharara. Lime green and fuchsia, a string of white pearls strewn across the back of the choli. It would have been beautiful had it been in any other place, but not in a brothel, she thought. Hoping the team had informed the Cantonment, she went near the solitary window that adorned the green walls. Placing her hands on the metal hinges, she looked out and realized, it was not meant to be a window. Broken shards of glass were encased into the metal hinges. Her mind drifted off to Noor, but was soon interuppted by the faint tinkle of payals. One of the earlier women, the girl clad in pink entered the room, and threw a lipstick at her.

'Use it, you will look pretty.'

The girl sneered and started walking out of the room, then stopped abruptly and ran her eyes down Khushi's form.

'You should have changed by now.'

Khushi nodded, as she wondered if she could ask her about Noor's whereabouts, but her next words caught her off guard.

'You are a virgin…that is considered unlucky over here. Since Sajjid saab will take you first. Better get ready fast.'

With that, the woman left. Khushi sat down on the bed. This couldn't be happening with me, she thought. A day ago, she was happily talking to Aakash in the hospital, and today…Her eyes drifted towards her yellow kurta, now smeared in blood and smut. She mechanically shrugged off the kurta and pulled over the green choli, muttering profanities under her breath. She looked down at herself. She looked pretty, but garish.

Khushi walked over to the window, and looked through the broken glass. The sun was almost setting. Her mind drifted towards Arnav this time. Was he back from India? Would he come for her? She mentally scolded herself. He might even be back Khushi, she thought listening to the distant calls of the Mynas.

---

Arnav knew the instant they had named the village, where Khushi would have been. He was just hoping that when he reached, it wouldn't be too late.

It had been a long time since he had paid Sajjid a visit.

---

'Bhai, we have a client,' a scrawny young man stammered into the brightly lit room. 'Send him in,' came back the gruff reply.

It was a peculiar room, smelling overwhelmingly of cheap booze. The red neon lights blinking on the edges of the green walls just adding to the stench it otherwise emanated.

Sajjid was about to go and give the new girl a visit. When this client had decided to show up. He watched as a tall man, stiff shoulders, walked into the room. His stride, confident and poised. His breath hitched as the face came into view. Sajjid immediately got up from the confines of his plush leather sofa.

'Arnav Bhai saab, Namaste. Aap--?' Before Sajjid could continue, Arnav shoved packets of crisp notes onto the table in front of him. Sajjid looked at the money, the hesitation in his eyes, replaced by a sudden gleam, as his leering voice returned one again.

'This is highly unexpected. You…here, at my door. That too with money? Tell me what can I do ?'

'What you do best Sajjid,' Arnav said, his voice bordering on the line of seething fury.

Sajjid pulled open a creaking drawer from under the table, and took out a big nylon covered album, and placed it gingerly in front of Arnav.

'A girl Arnav…what made you so desperate? Sajjid sneered as he saw Arnav sift through the plastic envelopes of the album that contained pictures of about fifty women, till his fingers stilled on a particular one.

Arnav looked up at Sajjid, his eyes spitting fire, and tapped his fingers on the picture he had stopped at. Sajjid laughed at him.

'She is new saab. I have more experienced women who would pleasure you in ways you can't imagine.' But he stopped laughing the moment he saw the grim expression on Arnav's face, as he continued tapping on the very same picture again and again.

Sajjid muttered something to the scrawny man and summoned him to take Arnav upstairs.

---

It was almost night. The sky was a beautiful midnight blue. She had given up hope. Probably news had not reached the Cantt. till then. Her hands lined the edge of the shards; she didn't see the sharp glass piercing her skin, as drops of blood oozed out. That's it Khushi, you won't be able to see Payal again, nor Aakash, or Bauji, or him, she thought as tears streamed down her face. But thinking she would give it one last try, she fisted her bleeding fingers, and ignoring the stinging pain, she slammed against the broken glass, trying to break open the window.

But after a few minutes she heard footsteps, and as she turned around, not trusting herself to walk towards the door, as she watched a man's shadow slowly approached her.

---

The room was pitch black. All he could see was a hint of pink and green, through the faint light cast by the moon through a large window on the wall across him. Arnav didn't know what he would say to her. He didn't have the best way with words. So he did what he could do best.

He walked towards her and stopped an inch away from her. He slid his hands around her waist, as she jerked just a little forward. She was trembling, but he didn't. He stood still, afraid of what she might say.

'So what do you want me to do?' Khushi asked, her lusty voice not giving away the fear she felt brewing inside her at the proximity of this stranger, as she placed her shaky hands on his chest.

The next second, his seething voice cut through the cold air. 'Khushii..,' Arnav growled, as his hands clutched at the pear strings tightly. And just as she registered his voice, she felt the pearls trickle down her back. But she didn't care; she let herself fall over his chest, burying her head into the warmth. He was here. Arnav was here, everything would be alright, she thought as a fresh batch of hot tears streamed down her face, and onto Arnav's khaki shirt.

'I'm so sorry Khushi...' Arnav's own voice trembled as he gently caressed her head, before he slid off the band tying her hair, letting it loose, covering her bare back completely, and apologizing for having torn the strings. But she murmured into his chest. 'Don't say sorry…Please. I...I'm just so relieved to see you here...I thought…' Arnav pulled her closer, tightening his hold around her, trying to tell her that she was safe, that nothing would happen as long as he was here. They stood like that for a long time before Arnav finally broke into the silence.

'Khushi, we need to leave.' Khushi nodded and slid in her hand into his. Then just as they were walking out of the room, she spoke, 'I can't leave without Noor. We have to take her Arnav.'

'Khushi, these women want to be here, there is nothing we can do about it,' Arnav tried to reason with her, as she vehemently denied and pleaded with him, 'Arnav, she is eleven, and I found her in Razibagh. We have to take her with us, please?' Arnav squeezed her hand and went out of the room.

---

'Noor…Noor, beta please wake up, please.' Khushi whispered onto the sleeping figure they found lying on a cot in one of the many rooms of the old brothel. She turned around to see Arnav pacing across the room. She tiptoed towards him and said quietly, 'She is not waking up Arnav, what should…' She watched him walk over to the cot, as he picked up Noor's limp figure, tossing her over his sturdy shoulders. He walked towards her and taking Khushi's hand he went to face the Sajjid.

---

Khushi stood behind Arnav, as the bright room screamed of suffocating silence and brewing storms. No one uttered a word. Sajjid looked at Arnav with eyes that dripped with murder and rage. Arnav on the other hand, returned the gaze with a steely calmness.

But it was quiet for a very short period, before the floodgates opened.

'You will leave both the woman, and the child, right now.'

'You do remember Sajjid, who you are talking to, right?'

Before the man could answer, the deafening noise of a gunshot echoed through the room.

'This one's for the woman,' Arnav bellowed, as Sajjid, buckled and feel to his knees, his lower limbs struck by the bullet. And seconds later, another gunshot resounded into the asphyxiating air, as the fresh bullet headed for his arm. 'This one is for the millions you have killed before. My men will take care of you with outmost devotion.'

---

The jeep went about the winding grey roads, the clean air soothing their senses. They didn't speak for a long, long time.

'Arnav, can we not mention this to Bauji?'

He nodded, 'Are you okay?'

'I'm fine. Are you…after, what just happened back there?'

Arnav looked at her, his eyes scrutinizing each contour of her face. He looked at her with a disarming endearment, as he tucked back a stray strand of hair. He laid the expanse of his callous hand over her cheek, like a shield from the chilling winds.

Then he said something, both terrible, yet beautiful.

'I would kill for you, Khushi.'

Seconds later, he leaned in, pecking her lips softly, and then pulling her into his arms. Arnav placed butterfly kisses over her hair, as an inane sense of protection, warmth, a feeling of home came over them slowly.

---

'I would kill for you, Khushi.'

Why do I feel that you might be exploring this line in the future chapters.

Don't ever do this in any of your future works either; it was not a good feeling reading this update. I knew she would be rescued but still the whole situation brought bile like feeling in my throat, yuck. I am sure you understand this, no one likes BAD stuff to happen to the people they like, this applies to A&K too.

Good part was the shooting of that whim/p**p disgusting man, shudder to think what may have happened to Khushi or Noor, had Arnav not reached in time.

Please dear, don't do this to hapless readers, pretty please, otherwise love reading this FF.