Chapter-9

1 months ago

aakanksha4

@aakanksha4

Arjun made an effort to maintain both his hands firmly on the driving wheel and his gaze on the road. But he was feeling the weight of his thoughts. He was unable to articulate his feelings, but it was undoubtedly unsettling. He drove in the direction of the END.

The end of the road may bring be the end of him, the end of Sikander or the end of the wait that had sustained him throughout the years. But it undoubtedly brought the end of them- what he and Riya had.

He clenched his teeth and tried to stop thinking, "We had nothing!"

****

When Shree and Chotu heard footsteps getting closer, they had no idea what to anticipate. Were they being rescued by someone, or were these their final moments?

They were approached by someone who untied them- first with their mouth, then their limbs, and lastly the cloth covering their eyes. The man was standing in front of them, and they were surprised when they finally managed to open their eyes in the brightly illuminated room.

"You?" exclaimed Shree.

The man grinned.

"Sir!"

"In uniform?”, Chotu questioned, sounding almost menacing,

"Aren’t you theone who was asked to keep an eye on Riya, and she still got kidnapped!"

He laughed.

Shree pounced on him,realising he was free, saying, "You b****rd"

"Sir, sir, sir. You'll believe me when he tells you the truth. Would youkindly accompany me?"

Shree and Chotu looked at one another and then at the man they could not trust.However, they were now free and would not fall for it again. They chose tofollow him as a result.

Chotu motioned for the man to move as he swiftly grabbed his revolver, held it behind his head. With a smile, he moved away. The pair went after him.

****

The destination was an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city, and Arjun pulled his car to a halt a few meters away. Taking a deep breath, he examined his gun's ammunition. He took one more deep breath and was ready to leave. His goal was to emerge triumphant, not alive. Sikander’s blood on his hands was sufficient enough to call him victorious. With a final glance at his hands, he firmly and resolutely opened the SUV door.

Stealthily as possible, he took a few steps towards the warehouse. His first line of defence, hiding him, was the towering shrubs.

He took few steps in the direction of the warehouse, as stealthily as he could. The tall bushes were his first line of defence, hiding him. His pulse beat quicker at the uncertainty, the closer he got to the location.

After moving cautiously for a few seconds, he was able to see the enormous front door a short distance away. He emerged from the wild shrubs and surveyed his surroundings for any hazards.

He froze where he was the instant he got close to the door.

Because there she was. right at the door, tied with ropes on a chair. Her whole body was covered in scrapes and bruises. Blood and mud were splattered all over her clothing. She sat there seemingly unconscious, not even aware of her surroundings. Her face was expressionless and pallid.

Arjun froze, his heart pounding despite his disdain for her. He kneeled beside her, carefully turning her to face him. The sight of her so vulnerable caught him off guard. His anger momentarily faded, replaced by concern. He smiled at the absurdity. She stood at the door, luring him in once more—possibly to his death this time—like a bait. It was just like how she had been at his heart door, trying to force her way in and make a mockery of him.

His rage quickly returned. This time he would not surrender. How he desired to haul her in front of Sikander, the man for whom she had been working. The notion of her doing this for the vile man made his blood boil. Was Sikander her true love? Was she his? Why was she doing all of this?

Frustrated by the ideas distorting his perception, he pulled his hair. His fists became more clenched as he glanced at her face. He despised himself for being such an emotional idiot, asking himself, "Even after this, why can't I just hate her enough to kill her right here?"

“Nothing! Commissioner sir was right when he said that you are a victim of your emotions, Raute! You've always been!”, Rathore’s words echoed in his ears and his grip on her tightened.

“Fine, if this is what you want! We’ll play this game one final time!”, Arjun spoke to himself.

In no time, he began patting her cheeks to bring her out of unconsciousness.

“Riya! Riya! Open your eyes! Look at me!”, he shook her, but no response. Fear had started to seep in the cracks of his wrath.

[Arjun Raute, ACP, would argue that his actions and words were only acts of deception. He'll make you think that the seeming affection and concern in his voice wasn't real. Yet have no faith in him.]

“Riya! Aankhein kholo!”, he spoke softly, pushing her hair strand behind her ear and she shuddered at his touch.

The breath that followed was one of relief.

“Ar….Arjunn… You came! You… came for…me?”, she barely managed to speak.

Arjun held her in his arms and said, "Yeah!" without pausing to consider her words. Grasping onto him tightly, she tried to extract any strength he might have.

With annoyance but without showing any signs of it, Arjun simply stared at herpale face. However, the next step of the plan worried him. "Now, what isshe planning? Are they watching us? Hold up! What happens if she has nothing todo with all of this?”

"Ugghh!" he exclaimed, closing his eyes. He tried hard to avoid falling into the same trap twice. His intellect just refused, but his heart was begging him to give her another opportunity.

Resolving to give her and his heart the final opportunity, he immediately lifted her into his arms.

"Hurry up! He sighed and added, "We need to get out of here before someone spots us!," waiting to see how she responds. And guess what, she declined.

She yelled, "NO!" while wriggling in his hold.

Her cries had alerted the enemies, and soon they found themselves encircled by five of them, breaking Arjun's heart into a million more pieces. "You fool, look what she did!"

His intellect teased his heart, saying, "On purpose, to get you killed."

They pulled half-conscious Riya away from him, and tied Arjun’s hands. Disheartened at the happenings and accepting his fate, Arjun didn’t protest. He just let them do what they wanted, while his eyes never leaving Riya’s face. Soon, both of them were lead through the massive door into the old warehouse.

****

At gunpoint, Rathore was dragged inside Riya's room at Ravi Lodge and made to sit on the chair. The man with the mask tied his hands and started arranging the space, arranging some more chairs.

He laughed, "Curiosity kills the cat!", mocking him.

At his comment, Rathore tightened his teeth. He looked about to calm himself. There was an odd fragrance in the room, like medication. And even though the room was neat, there was a big suitcase in the centre of it. Rathore gave it a questioning glance.

The man laughed as he realised how curious he was. Rathore was astonished when he opened it without waiting another second.

"Kumar!" he said, stunned.

All these years, Kumar had been their covert informant. It was he who had given them the inside scoop on Shamsher. However, he had been missing from the scene for quite some time now.

"But wait, "Rathore remembered, "he was the one who told them about the foul-play in the suburban factory, the drug ring cover-up, the exact location where they discovered Riya's photo on the computer." And because Kumar was stuck here, he never got in touch with him again after that.

Rathore wriggled in his seat, attempting to break free. Kumar’s condition bothered him. His lips were chapped and his eyes bulging, giving away that he was high on something. He had endured torment. Rathore were enraged upon discovering that their trusty aide had been tortured by both this man and Riya, who was the resident of this place.

Additionally, he could recall how Arjun had informed him about Riya's bulky bags the day she checked into the lodge and made jokes about "LAASH" in it.

"Damnit!," they'd both been idiots. Arjun's love for her had blinded him, but what about him? Why didn't he suspect her? Why did he prevent Arjun from suspecting her, when he did so, initially? He cursed himself and his best-friend.

“She’s too good! Isn’t she? Just un-serious sometimes”, Rathore snapped out of his reverie and he raised his head to look at the man. It was as if, he could read his thoughts.

Rathore wanted to say something to that, just when he heard foot-steps approaching. Rathore tried to free himself again, unsure of who the visitors could be. He turned to face the door, bracing himself for the worst, only to find that his dread had come true. Shree and Chotu were being brought in with tied hands and mouth at gun-point.

****

Arjun opened his eyes after what seemed like a lifetime. He experienced an excruciating weight on his limbs and a stinging pain in his head. He had shackles fastening his arms and legs to the chair. He knew he was in trouble the instant he turned to look around because about a dozen men were standing around him, armed. ACP Arjun Suryakant Raute, a seasoned cop with a reputation for never backing down, was cornered. He knew it was almost over.

“The drama has finally ended.” He said cynically, "I'm glad I'll get to see the real you this time!"

And in no time, he heard footsteps echo through the empty hall with a deliberate, chilling cadence. A man, tall and imposing descended down the giant staircase slowly. Arjun’s jaw tightened, and his hands clenched into fists. He tried to maintain his composure, but the sight of Sikander sent a shiver down his spine. His breathing became ragged and his vision cloudy.

He could only see Roshni dying repeatedly as her cries echoed in his ears. When he saw him coming, the eerie memories rushed back to him.

His steps were slow and deliberate, each one a taunting reminder of his dominance.

“Never expected to see you again, and that too, like this!”, he mocked him.

Arjun’s face was flushed with a mix of anger and fear. He struggled to keep his voice steady.

“I won't let you win!”

Sikander stopped just inches away from Arjun. His presence was overwhelming, a dark force that seemed to absorb the very light around them.

“Oh, I don't plan to win. I plan to end.”, his laughter echoed through the empty halls.

Arjun’s resolve was faltering; he swallowed hard, his eyes locked onto Sikander. Sweat beads formed on his forehead as he tried to steady his breathing. He glanced around, desperate for an escape or a plan, but the room felt like it’s closing in.

“Why did you do all of this? You could have come at me, like a MAN”, Arjun spoke, trying to trigger him to tell him the truth.

Sikander tilted his head slightly, as if considering the question.

“Because I want everything…Everything you have... and more. You know what all I can do!”

Arjun’s breath came in short, sharp gasps. Sikander’s mere presence was enough to unravel him, making him feel powerless and small.

“Enough talk! You’ve been a thorn in my side for too long. Tonight, we end this.”, Sikander asserted, “I’ll send you to Roshni, should have done that long ago. My Fault! Never Mind! But, let's first summon that someone, without whom this would not have been possible, and I'll kill you right here, in front of her.”

Do tell me what do you think about it!

Future updates depend upon your response!