Let's End Your FEAR

Prologue

Being tired of the case he was working on, He turned towards the coffee machine for his everyday coffee; same bitter same strong and equally important for his functioning.It was clear he was sleep deprived, the case was near to a dead end, and he was hoping for a miracle, for a lead to appear. He moved from his chair to cross examine the pictures of the victim and his phone rings

Annoyingly he answers it since he had to get up from his chair and move to the table across the room,"Hello, Inspector Nakuul Shetty speaking."

A long silence follows,but no one responds for a whole minute, Nakuul suddenly feels a dryness in his throat.

"Hello inspector Nakuul, I have a surprise for you".

Nakuul really knew who it was, this voice had haunted him for months, this voice was the reason he could barely get some sleep. But he was just afraid of getting the information, afraid if there was any new mutilated dead body, afterall this call only meant death.

"DID YOU MISS ME?" the voice said,in a childish tone interupting Nakuul's thoughts

Nakuul was lost for words, his fears were coming true, What was it he thought again, 'A new Victim?'

"Did you find your partner lately? Yes, I'm talking about Viraj, Where is he?'

A haunted silence follows.

Nakuul froze. He went out of his office back to the adjacent floor of building, eyes scanning quickly across the room but in vain, he decided to ask

"Has anyone heard from Viraj? Where is he?" He shouted right after pressing the mute button on his phone.

Other officers exchanged silent, puzzled looks and Nakuul knew the answer even before it came.

"NO!" followed by "We din't see him since yesterday"

Nakuul still kept running on every floor, opening the doors of every office, every room,hoping for this to be a joke, hoping to see Inspector Viraj in his cabin or in Canteen having his 17th cup of tea, and cracking a joke which everybody laughed on expect for Nakuul, Furiously he unmutes and gets back to his phone,

"Tell me where is he? What have you done to him?" Nakuul demanded in a firm voice

The voice spoke" Oh that's not optimistic of you my dear. And now that I have your attention"

A long pause follows

"But it's a surprise, Nakuul." and a laughter followed.

"But I'll give you a chance to make a difference. Maybe this time you'll put more effort into it. Be at the place where it all started, to the laundry room. If you bring back-up he dies. If you don't make it within an hour, he dies. And trust me, Nakuul, it'll be a very slow and painful death."

"No, Don't do anything to Viraj , I will.... " the line went dead even before he could complete.

Nakuul rushed out of his office grabbed his keys and ran towards his car, he started driving the fastest he could, to the hotel, the famous one in Mumbai- The Taj, he reached and enquired people around showing Viraj's picture hoping someone would know where he might be. He found a pathway right on the same lane which looked like it was not discovered by the locals.

The deeper he went, the darker and hotter it got. His shirt was covered in sweat, his tight shoes crushing his feet.

"Where the hell is this laundry room?" he whispered as he reached much further.

A glimmer of light was coming from underneath a closed door at the end of a dark corridor, it looked completely deserted. He ran towards it calling his partner's name.