EPISODE 6
Blood.
Thick, odious, crimson blood.
Ananya's feet drew to an abrupt halt and she perceived with horror the drops of blood all over the floor. She was too shocked to react. Her throat was parched and her hands trembled. She was oblivious to the phone pressed against her ear.
She was heading out of the in-hotel restaurant, having come out of the washroom, when she saw this horrific sight. She was shell-shocked, and desperately wanting to divert her attention from the gory sight on the floor, she looked up.
An masked man, armed with several rifles, was walking towards the restaurant.
Her body was paralysed with fear, and the first word to come out of her mouth was a feeble "Hh... help!" Just then she heard the sound of a gunshot, and the shrill scream of a woman.
It shook her out of the shock, and she realized she had to do something and quick, if she wanted to survive. She hastily cut the call and moved stealthily towards one of the corners of the restaurant, to protect herself from the view of the masked terrorist. Her phone slipped out of her hands and fell onto the carpeted floor, but she did not realize.
She exercised superhuman self-control not to scream, as she saw a woman being shot dead right in front of her eyes by the masked man. She broke out into a cold sweat, and looked around desperately for an escape.
Her eyes fell on a board to her immediate right - Cold Storage. Without a second thought, Ananya pushed open the door, and walked into the pitch dark room. She felt her fingers and body numb instantly, and the biting cold gnaw at her flesh.
She hastily crouched inside a tiny fridge, and pulled its door almost shut, as she heard footsteps approaching the room. The door was flung open with a loud clang. Ananya looked out cautiously. She could make out three masked men with their rifles pointed, by the light entering the room from the door. They were carefully scrutinizing the room, to see if there was anyone hiding there. Ananya started sweating profusely, despite the bitter cold. She was terrified, and hoped against hope that she would not be discovered.
~*~
Kabir uttered a curse, and settled restlessly in the airport lounge. There were thirty minutes to his flight to Mumbai. He picked up his phone and dialled a number. "Sen, Sharma here. You're aware of the attacks, right? When are the next forces going in?... Thinking? Sen after 26/11 are we still in the I-am-thinking-of-sending- the forces mode? The hell! I won't favour the government this time, Sen, if there isn't timely action. We all know that utna waqt nahi lagta hai yaar!" Kabir tried to control his anger, and sighed as Defence Secretary Sen responded to him.
Putting the phone down, he ran a hand through his hair. He didn't know why he was so tense. Of course, any attack on the nation always outraged him, but this time... it felt personal.
There were no words exchanged, no promises kept, no feelings harboured... yet there was this curious attachment.
He sighed.
"Yes Khalid... I'm at the airport. Will reach Mumbai as soon as possible. Tell Manav to go on air right now and take over. This is important stuff. We can't afford to lag in our coverage. Wait... are you seriously hoping that Ananya will send you some footage while she's trapped in there? No... what do you mean by you didn't mean it that way? Let's pray she comes out alive! Don't you think that makes much more sense?" Kabir barked into the receiver and cut the call, leaving Khalid shocked at his unexpected outburst.
Three hours later, he was in the KKN head office in Mumbai. A few reporters whirred past him, running like headless chickens. "What's h..." he began.
"Kabir, thank God you're here!" Malvika said, running up to him, her emotions, for once, genuine. "It's a huge mess. First of all, Ananya's stuck in the hotel. Also, the police isn't allowing our people to go anywhere within a hundred meter radius of the hotel, since they think it's high risk."
Khalid joined the duo. "We have very little information as of now, Kabir. Of course we have our reporters as close to the hotel as the police will allow, but they aren't able to gather much, nor have any official figures been released as yet. So Manav's having a tough time, managing the report with so little to go by."
Kabir frowned. "Any news about Ananya?" he asked. Both shook their heads.
Kabir paced up and down the room for a few seconds, before reaching for his phone again. "Sen, I'm sorry to disturb, but if you would share some information with us about high alert spots and precautions, I think we would do a lot more good. We can broadcast SOS messages immediately... Great. We'll be waiting. Thanks!" he ended the call, and gave a reassuring nod to Malvika. "You'll get some information soon, don't worry! Tell the someone in the PCR to follow up with the Defence Ministry. Sen has promised to oblige us."
With a determined look, he dialled another number. "Listen, Khurana, I need to get to the Grand ASAP. I know you aren't allowing journalists... I'll come. Yeah. Okay...Thanks!"
"I'll be going to the Grand," he said.
"Are you crazy, Kabir?! Agar tumhe kuch ho gaya toh?" Malvika gesticulated wildly, in disbelief.
Kabir silenced her with a sharp look. "Stop being silly! This isn't Main Hoon Na. Where do reporters stand in terrorist attacks?"
Malvika looked unconvinced, and excused herself, knowing well that nothing could make this man change his decisions.
Picking up his car keys and gesturing to Rohan to follow him, Kabir walked out of the office.
~*~
Twenty minutes later, they stood facing the Grand Maharaj. The sight that met their eyes was horrific. There was panic and chaos all around, as people ran helter-skelter trying to flee, and the police and armed forces tried their best to bring order. Several people lay on the ground, being seriously injured or worse, dead. Some were lucky enough to get medical assistance, from the doctors and health workers gathered there, while others were being carried away on stretchers.
"Fu**" Rohan cussed, as the soul of his city was being ripped apart by the terrorists. Anger and fear surged through him. He set up the camera, wincing every time he saw another gruesome sight, and tried to get a good view of the hotel behind him. He was ready to start shooting, when he noticed Kabir paling.
"Sir?" he said, worried.
"Yes!" Kabir said, positioning his mic better, and motioning that he was ready.
"Ronnie, we're ready to go live," Rohan spoke into his mouth piece.
"Great! Manav Sir, Kabir Sir is ready," Ronnie said, patching Rohan's camera quickly, and signalling Manav.
"We have with us Kabir Sharma, talking to us live from outside the Grand Maharaj," Manav said. "So Kabir, how is the situation out there? Are there any estimates of the fatalities yet?"
"Yes Manav... the scenario is disastrous and reminds one instantly of the atrocious 26/11 attacks. I have from my sources that the military and the NSG have already entered the hotel, and the commandos have already been dispatched. There is prompt action from the Home Ministry and Defence Ministry, thankfully, this time around. There is police and army cover across the city, and..." Kabir stopped, abruptly, as a loud explosion was heard behind him, and the top of the building lighted up.
Kabir's hand involuntarily touched his heart and he took a deep breath to compose himself. In a second, he resumed, "As you saw just now, the terrorists as armed with bombs also, and have blasted the top floor of the hotel. No casualties have been reported yet."
Rohan signalled Kabir, and the latter paused to take a breath. Kabir had given up on-field reporting almost entirely, and it had been years since he had been at such close quarters with terror and death.
A glance at the turbulent conditions and bodies scattered around, and Kabir had to swallow his own thought "How can anyone survive this?"
~*~
Ananya hugged her knees closer, trying to keep calm when faced with imminent death. The sound of a few gunshots in the air did not help. What if they had sensed her presence? Quite a novice with all this, hearing a gunshot so close to her rattled her morale considerably, to say the least. She was too petrified to even breathe.
Tears started pouring relentlessly out of her eyes. Death seemed inevitable.
"Too cold... have you heard from Malad as yet?" one of the men said. Ananya heaved a sigh of relief as she heard the sound of retreating footsteps.
But she knew that it wasn't safe enough for her to come out of hiding, yet. She had to lie low for a while. In the frigid conditions of the cold storage, Ananya found herself sweating. They might burst in through the door any moment, and mercilessly shoot her down.
Just then she heard the blast. Shaken out of her nightmarish reverie, she decided she would have to help herself. Those people would stop at nothing.
The rough edges of the ice in the freezer were causing abrasions on her skin, but she felt nothing. She wrapped her shrug around her numb head, fighting hard to stay conscious. The cold was blurring her senses, but with tremendous will, she managed to keep herself alive.
She carefully peeped through the door of the freezer, and seeing that no one was in the room, she slowly looked around. Sighting a window at the far end of the room, she drew in a sigh of relief.
Escape.
But her courage failed her... She felt too scared to move, and the cold was slowly overpowering her. Her muscles were as good as frozen, and she felt like she could fight no more.
As she was about to give up and surrender to the cold, a memory floated back.
"Papa, I am tired of this. I am always living unsure of whether you'll come back home or not!" a sixteen year old Ananya cribbed, and refused to meet her father who had just returned from the Kargil.
Lieutenant Sudhir Kashyap smiled indulgently, and knocked his daughter's door again. "Beta..."
"Don't Beta me Papa!" Ananya yelled back, desperately fighting off the rapidly forming tears. Sudhir put his bag down, and sighed.
His wife raised her eyebrows. "I thought nobody could defeat Lieutenant Kashyap!" she giggled, playfully, as he pressed a kiss to her cheek.
"Wait and watch, Mrs. Kashyap!" he said, with a broad grin on his face.
"Ananya, beta... don't you want to see what badge your Papa was awarded?" he laughed, as Ananya stormed out of the room, her eyes searching for the badge on his coat. Before she could complain about there being none, she was swept into a tight embrace by her father's sturdy arms.
Bursting into tears, Ananya hugged him tighter. Sudhir laughed as his daughter apologized for her erratic behaviour, and smilingly bore all her anger.
"Papa, how do you survive in such conditions? When there's so much danger about you... you might be shot any moment. I am not like Maa and Armaan... even the thought gives me shivers. Please, Papa, don't go!" Ananya cried a little, as her father wiped away her tears, affectionately.
Her father smiled. "Ananya, in the beginning... yes. I did feel jittery and nervous. But, Beta, when I'm out at war, it's not about myself. It's about my country, my soil and the people I love the most... you, your mama and Armaan..." he said, ruffling her hair. "You see, beta, don't fight against death... fight for life. That makes all the difference."
Tears rolled down Ananya's cheeks as she reminisced her father's words. She saw glimpses of her family before her eyes. How could she give up?
Determination welled up in Ananya's heart.
She recollected all the events of that evening. From all that she had heard and seen, she gathered that the terrorists were predominantly in the west wing... which meant that she had a fair chance of escaping before she was discovered by someone.
Her back screamed of an alien pain and her feet felt frozen, as she hobbled towards the window. She only thought of her family. It gave her all the strength.
Death wasn't an option.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps. A shiver ran down her spine. She was luckily at the window by then. It was sheer luck that she was only on the first floor. Gathering all her courage, and bracing herself for the worst, she leapt out from the window. The door burst open in the same instant.
~*~
Though Kabir kept up his live coverage of the attack, he found himself unable to focus, and his heart skipped a beat each time a dead body was discovered.
"According to our sources, the commandos have reached already, and are trying to get the situation under control..." Kabir paused to listen to the constable who was hurrying by. With a smile he continued, "The latest is that two terrorists have been shot down."
He rested his mic for a second, while Manav continued the coverage with some fresh figures he had received. Sweat trickled down his forehead and anxiety gnawed at his insides.
There was no news of Ananya.
~*~
Anita turned off the television and bowed her head in silent prayer. "Maa...TV..." her son pleaded.
"No, Armaan... I won't watch anything. I don't need to know how many people have died. Please just let me pray," her voice quivered. "Please save her. Just save everyone."
She broke into loud sobs. Armaan hugged her, and tried to support her as she collapsed helplessly on him.
"Nothing will happen to her! Papa will protect her," Armaan consoled her, putting on a brave smile and praying earnestly to the man he trusted more than God. "You're up there, right, Papa... Save your princess, please."
~*~
Pain throbbed through Ananya's body as her body hit the rocky ground. Her knees buckled and gave way, as she tried to stand up. She winced in pain and trembled at the loud shouts and cacophony all around. Her world was spinning.
ANANYA, GET UP!
How would she know whether she was safe? What if the terrorists were outside too?
NO, ANANYA, GET UP!
The voice boomed in her head, louder than before. She placed her hands on the hard floor, and tried to hoist herself to her feet, ignoring the sharp stones pricking her skin. Her knees gave way once again. She wanted to feel secure. The last few hours had taken too much of a toll on her mind, for her to carry on solely on her will.
Finally, she found the safety she was yearning for. Through the crowds of people, she caught a glimpse of him.
It was then that her hope was revived. She started feeling alive again.
It was three hundred metres of fate. If she could walk through the uncertainty, she had life waiting for her.
And she ran.
Ran for her life.
Ran for her family.
Ran for herself.
Tears of joy formed in her eyes, as his figure grew clearer with every step she took. She was getting closer to safety.
He was so real - so was her escape.
Using up every ounce of her energy, she screamed "KABIR!"
~*~
Kabir felt a tingling sensation run through his body. He felt like something was just about to happen. He shook his head, and continued his live report.
"Please Ananya... please be safe!" his heart prayed fervently.
A heart-wrenching scream cut through the air.
"Ananya..." he gasped and dropped his mic, oblivious to the camera recording the moment live.
~*~
"Ananya is alive!" the PCR shouted in disbelief. Manav, whose years of experience as a news reader had ensured that his face never betrayed any emotion, turned to the camera and continued speaking, "It looks like our Junior Reporter, Ananya Kashyap, who was stuck at the hotel, has survived the ordeal."
Kabir's pale face was fast regaining colour. Everyone in the office looked on with a genuine smile on their faces. Everyone, for once, forgot their pettiness and politics and together rejoiced, as they heard Kabir gasp her name.
Richa clasped Ronnie's palm and held it close to her heart. Someone survived...
The feeling was exhilarating.
~*~
Kabir broke into a run towards Ananya, who was hobbling forth.
Neither paused to give the emotion a name.
"Oh God...you're safe!" Kabir half-smiled, as Ananya jumped into his arms and clutched his shirt tightly.
"I am alive..." Ananya cried out. Kabir staggered back at the impact of her soft body, but held onto her. He felt overpowered by his relief at her being alive. He couldn't fathom why it meant so much to him.
"Oh God..." he whispered again.
Her hair was tousled and she was so cold. He involuntarily ran his hands over her icy, bare arms in an attempt to warm them.
"Please tell me I am safe," she whispered, and clung to Kabir.
He whispered into her hair, "Yes... finally... you are."
~*~
"MAA! Ronnie bhaiya said that di is safe!" Armaan screamed and switched on the television. Anita closed her eyes and broke down.
"I told you Papa would take care of her!" he said, as warm tears trickled down his cheek.
~*~
Richa breathed a sigh and suddenly realised that her fingers were still entwined with Ronnie's.
Feeling a little uncomfortable, she was about to remove her hand from his grasp. But Ronnie took her by surprise with a warm hug.
"Thank God!" he whispered, while Richa tried to overcome the odd feeling in her heart.
"Thank God," she smiled softly, and distanced herself from him.
~*~
"My God! This has been one of the best coverages ever!" Khalid smiled, putting his fingers into his pockets.
"Yes," Malvika smiled. "I'm waiting for this week's reports!"
"Yep... Well, honestly, I am relieved that she came out alive. What say?"
"Of course." Malvika's smile remained just as plastic.
She wasn't a sadist. She did want Ananya alive. It was just that the girl was getting maybe a little too much attention.
~*~
Khurana and a few constables guided Kabir and Ananya out of the danger zone. "Hospital?" Khurana asked, while Kabir was just stared at her, restlessness and relief coursing through him simultaneously.
"N... no. Water," Ananya said. She drank copious amounts of water and shook intermittently, as her body tried to regain its balance, grateful to Kabir who held the bottle to her mouth, helping her drink.
"What's the update?" Kabir asked Khurana.
"The NSG is going to head to the cold storage to see if there are any survi..."
"No, don't go there!" Ananya said and stood up, wincing as pain hit her spine, again.
"Are you fine?" Kabir asked, concerned.
"Yes, but, sir, don't send anyone there. There was no one apa... who's in charge of the situation?"
"Ananya, what are you doing?" Kabir cried, as Ananya limped away towards an officer. "Andar thi... if any information I can give helps someone escape, it means a lot to me!"
Kabir was bewildered. "Kis mitti ki bani hai?" he thought, taking up the mic again to continue his coverage.
~*~
"Sir, Ananya Kashyap. I was in the hotel. I just managed to escape. Sir, these terrorists are in the west wing, majorly, and there was no one in the cold room other than me - I am positive. Also, the room may have some kind of traps or explosives set up, from the sounds I heard. Sir if you could find a way to open all the windows, then most survivors can escape," Ananya said, without even pausing to take a breath, while the surprised officer looked on. "Sir, I also heard something about Malad, while two of their men were in the cold storage. I think we can expect something to happen there too. Is there any news yet?"
"No... nothing in Mal... Rathore!" The officer yelled. "Are you sure of having heard Malad, Madam?"
"Yes, sir," she said, with a positive nod of her head.
"Thank you! Rathore... Ane.." he turned to his subordinate.
"Ananya," she corrected.
"Yes, Ananya overheard a conversation between them where they referred to something in Malad..." He turned, and saw her still standing by.
"Aap jaa sakti hain. Thank you for your inputs." The officer smiled kindly. In many ways he reminded her of Papa.
~*~
Ananya sat down on a chair nearby, and reached for the bottle of water kept nearby, when a larger hand pushed hers aside gently and handed her the bottle.
"Ananya..." Kabir smiled.
Ananya's eyes softened. "Thank you..." she whispered.
Kabir looked surprised. "Why?" he asked.
"If I hadn't seen you... I wouldn't have been able to make it..." Ananya confessed while Kabir squeezed her hand, reassuringly.
"I am just happy that you are safe," he said.
Neither could understand their own emotions at that point. Everything was a big mess. But they didn't want to escape. For, confused as they were, those moments were blissful.
"I admire you, Ananya. I am so proud of you... we all are. It's not easy to hold your own when faced with death," he said softly, genuine appreciation shining through his eyes.
His words hit home and she found herself on the brink of a breakdown. She felt her father's presence. Her father had saved her today - a memory of his was more than enough. She turned to look at Kabir who had produced a handkerchief to wipe away her silent tears.
With a grateful nod, she gently dabbed her eyes with it.
"Listen to that..." Ananya said softly.
"What?" Kabir asked.
"Silence," she replied.
"Silence?" he asked, confused.
"Yes... when blasts and gunshots are your constant companions, silence is the sweetest music you can hear," Ananya's eyelids flitted for a moment, while Kabir gazed with astonishment at the woman who had aged dramatically in a matter of few hours.
"Wait for me," he said, after a pause, and walked off.
~*~
"Ananya..."
Ananya opened her eyes and looked around. She was completely unaware that she had dozed off in the chair, exhausted after her harrowing experience. Kabir ran towards her and helped her stand up, wrapping his arm around her waist to help her balance.
"What happened..." she asked.
"The Army has neutralised the situation over here. It's over," he smiled, as Ananya's face glowed with relief.
Rohan walked up to them and gave Ananya a friendly hug. "You have God's grace on you," he smiled with brotherly affection, and then turned to Kabir. "Sir, I'll take a few more minutes. There are a few more pictures I need. You and Ananya can head to the car. I'll join you guys soon."
"Okay," Kabir said, and they walked towards the car, his arm protectively around her.
"Ek baat puchu... if you don't mind." Kabir asked.
"Sure," she said.
"What were you doing out here?" Kabir asked.
"Sunny and I were waiting for Rajdeep Garewal," Ananya replied.
"Son of Cabinet Minister Ajitabh Garewal?" he asked, and Ananya nodded. "Isn't Rajdeep going to be his party's Prime Ministerial Candidate for the general elections next year?"
"Yes... So?" she didn't see his point.
"Was he there in the hotel?" he asked.
"No... he didn't turn up. After waiting a long while, we decided to leave. I stayed for a few minutes longer than Sunny, to go to the washroom," she told him.
Kabir pursed his lips.
"What?" Ananya asked, quite surprised at Kabir's sudden interrogation.
"Nothing... it's surprising how he didn't turn up after calling you people, and then the attack..." Kabir said.
"Matlab?" Ananya inquired, slowly beginning to see what Kabir was driving at.
"Do you think... do you think they may have had prior information about the attack?" Kabir said, while Ananya's eyes widened.
"But wouldn't it be dirty on their part not letting the people know..." Ananya said, quizzically, rather shocked by this perspective.
"Not necessarily... they have reasons," Kabir reasoned, but strongly doubting his own explanation.
"You don't believe it, do you?" Ananya asked, looking into his eyes. Kabir only smiled in response. He helped her into the car and waited for Rohan to join them.
"Take rest Ananya... you've been through hell!" Ananya smiled faintly, as she thought of how literally accurate his description of her experience was.
As Kabir settled down in the driver's seat, his mind was troubled.
Looks like I have to meet you soon, Garewal.
~*~A/N : This was one of the most difficult and emotionally taxing parts for us to write, and hence the delay. We apologize for it. We hope you are able to relate with the characters of Kabir and Ananya better with this update, and that we have brought the anguish, pain and mental turmoil that a terrorist attack involves, without bringing in unnecessary details or melodrama and keeping with the fast storytelling pace we have adopted right from the beginning, and that most importantly we are able to entertain you. Please do comment. Your comments mean a lot to us, and encourage us tremendously. :)
With love,
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