Skin & Blister

13

We reached my Mishra Mansion soon. I parked the car in front of the house and started ringing the doorbell impatiently. I did not get any reply so I kicked the door once , hard.

"Oh hello, it is never gonna work. We aren't making a cinematogra-" Shrey was saying but then he stopped.

The door got opened by my kick. I felt like I have pretty strong legs.

We went inside. The house was dark. So dark that the things inside were barely visible. A couple of times I walked into things. Shrey was beside me. He was too bumping into the furniture and everything which we got in our way.

We were walking when suddenly I was blinded by a hand. First I thought that it was Shrey but it wasn't Shrey. I was just going to shout but then in the very moment something covered my mouth. It was a piece of cloth which smelled very weird. I don't know what happened next. The only thing I remember is that I passed out after smelling it.

When I woke up, everything seemed blurred. Something malodour filled the room. It was hard to breathe and especially when I had a problem of hyperventilation. I found myself tied to a chair with ropes. I could feel somebody half kicking me on my legs. I figured out the person kicking me, sitting on a chair beside me. No, he wasn't sitting. He was trying to get out of that chair. It was Shrey. And we were kidnapped. It was the second time when I was kidnapped.

"Shrey?" I called out. He was still kicking me."Stop this."

"Ira, Ira. I think we are in danger. Somebody kidnapped us." Shrey said. He looked scared and tensed. He was squirming.

"I can see that. Who did it?"

"I think it's your family who did so." Shrey gave a stupid guess. "No offense. Just what I think ."

"Oh shut up. Why will Maa and Papa kidnap me?"

"Not your Maa and Papa."

"Shrey, You mean Anwar and Talia mom did so." I asked him in extreme irritation.

"I just think that. They are somewhat like Mafia. You only told me." Shrey was being damn stupid.

"Shrey baba, Why will they kidnap me?" I said politely. I was trying hard not to lose temper. And see I was with Shrey for Talia mom's sake. Cool.

"I prefer that we should shout for help."

"Very intelligent. The kidnapper will himself come and free us." I said. "DON'T YOU SEE SHREY, IT LOOKS LIKE A CELLAR. EVEN IF WE YELL FOR HELP, NOBODY WOULD HEAR US."

We were thinking how to get out of that dungeon like place when two people , one male and the other,female, entered the dark room from a door in front of us with masks on their faces. They were both of the same height almost. The man was wearing a black jacket and blue jeans. And the woman was wearing a full sleeved black t-shirt and black pajama. She had a very substandard dressing sense. The male had a hat on his head, while the lady had tied her hair into a tight bun. Both the people had gloves covering their palms.

"Good evening Ira." The female said and touched my right cheek with her glove covered palm. I shook my face so that she removes her filthy palm. Her voice was a little familiar. She had ,perhaps, changed her voice temporarily by diaphragmatic breathing or something.

"Who are you and where are my Maa and Papa?" I said in a harsh voice.

"It's none of your business to know who are we. And then to talk about your Maa and Papa, they are dead already and if in case not yet then they will be soon." The male said and they started cackling at their own second rated joke. My instinct told me that my Maa and Papa were very much alive.

"Where are they? Let me be free first , I'll call the cops and get you both arrested. Or I'll call Anwar and my brothers. You don't even know what they can do." I said in anger. I was still scared as I really did not know where I and Shrey were. I was also worried about Maa and Papa.

Shrey was continuously staring at the two people. The male had taken out a knife from his jeans pocket.

"You know what Ira, that's what I want." The man said in a hoarse voice. I was confused by what he was speaking. "I want you to call Anwar."

I looked at Shrey and he was too looking at me open mouthed.

"C'mon call Anwar and speak what I say." The man continued and asked the lady for a p.c.

"What are you going to make me speak?" I asked valorously.

"Nothing but to ask Anwar come over and handle all his properties to us and take you both back." The lady in the black pajama said.

I ha-ha'd at what they spoke.

"So you both think that I'm going to do so? You know what, Think whatever you want but I am not going to do this." I said.

"You are going to do this." The man said.

"Happy wondering!" I uttered.

He started moving towards me. He was continuously looking at the knife he was holding.

"Okay come and assassinate me. I don't care." I said.

"Shut up, I do." Said Shrey. He was crying. I wasn't afraid but after looking at Shrey my eyes got wet.

"That's alright if you do not care. I've your friend too." The man backed and moved towards Shrey.

"NO, NO.. I'M CALLING. I'M CALLING." I shouted and both the people smiled.

"Ira?" Shrey said.

I looked at him. "I'll call." I said.

The man came back to me. He dialled a number and gave me the phone.

It was dialling..

"Hello?" Suddenly I heard Anwar's voice from the other end.

"Hello, Anwar." I said. The lady with pajama asked me to put the call on speaker.

"Ira bete. Where are you?" Anwar said.

"I don't know." I looked at the man and he asked me to handle him the phone.

"Mr. Ahmed. Nice to hear from you." The man said.

"Where is Ira? I want my daughter back-" Anwar was speaking only when the man cut the phone.

He called again.

"Your daughter is with us. Listen if you her back then come to the Central Park with all the papers of your properties. Be there at 5:30p.m. And yes punctuality matter." He cut the phone and asked the female to make I and Shrey smell chloroform.

"The man with hat is definitely a brat."I thought.

The female came to me and put a handkerchief on my face. I'd stopped my breath before she'd put the cloth piece.