Dhaagey: The Ties that Bind Us

7. murtasim's fiancee

Meerab's heart raced as the two men circled them, a third one joining, congratulating them for finding extra maal while he leered at her and commented that she was a bit on the older side.

She felt the cold sweat breaking out on her forehead and the fear clutching at her throat as two of them laughed about keeping her for themselves, but then the third commented that she was too pretty to not beget a handsome sum, talking about knowing foreigners who would pay a lot.

Their dialect told her that they weren't from the Sindh province, they were from the North somewhere considering she didn't pick up some of the words they said, they sounded almost Persian. Yet, their intentions were quite clear.

In all her life, Meerab had never heard anyone say the kind of things they said, fear settled deep in her stomach as she realized how utterly trapped she was. She had heard about human and sex trafficking, of course she had for she had taken more electives on violence against women than any other.

But she had never thought that she would be taken like she had been, that she could be a victim. In school, they learnt about statistics and risk factors for becoming a victim, she knew from the top of her head that likely victims were those from impoverished backgrounds, runawaysm and those seeking employment.

She didn't fit into any of those. She had just been at the wrong place at the wrong time, trying to help a girl that clearly needed her help. She was just being human, and doing the right thing. Her heart sank as she realized how easily they had taken her, and the thought of being trapped in a world of exploitation and abuse made her shudder with terror.

She wished she had thought things through before acting. Her impulsiveness had always been her weak point, but it had also been her greatest strength. She stood up for what was right, sadly, her environment didn't always support her.

Yet, Meerab didn't know what she could have done differently, she had gone in thinking she could help the girl out of the car, she had even checked to see that there was no one around before she did. She couldn't have ignored her. And she knew enough about the police to know that they wouldn't take her words seriously, that they wouldn't find her in time, that she would become another statistic.

Meerab wouldn't have been able to live with the guilt if she didn't help the trapped girl that was trying to hide behind her right then, her face would have haunted her for the rest of her life. It was just her nature to act without hesitation if she saw something wrong, because she was always confident that people around her had her back.

In more cases than not, it was Murtasim, he'd yell at her for being impulsive after he swooped in and helped her deal with the situation at hand. But he hadn't been around then. And she was scared he wouldn't get there in time.

The men were looking at her and the young girl she had tried to save, their eyes filled with cruelty. She was faced with the exact type of people her family worked so hard to protect them from.

The desperation was setting in, and Meerab could feel her mind turning over every option for escape.

Murtasim. Tell them about Murtasim. Her mind screamed at her.

She stifled her fear, becoming the Meerab she knew she needed to be in that situation.

Strong. Brave. Fearless.

Meerab knew that everyone in the village, or even those travelling through it, had to know Murtasim, and the power and influence he had. The men, although obviously not from Sindh, were too familiar with the lands for this to be their first time there.

She took a deep breath and raised her head, her eyes darting from one man to the next in defiance.

"Do you know who I am?" She asked, pausing until they all looked towards her. "I am Murtasim Khan's fiancée, if he finds out that you brought me here, he'll kill you all." Despite the fear that filled her, her words were strong and threatening, like the men were the ones tied up on the floor rather than her. "You have to let us go if you want to live."