Always In Your Heart

Chapter 22

Yesterday after having her breakfast, she sat down on the bed, leaning against the wall, thinking about her family, what they will be doing? Are they able to get any traces of her. She felt dumb doing nothing but sitting, laying and strolling around the small room. She felt sleepy after sometime so she picked up the water bottle, to drink water to feel fresh, unaware about the fact that the sleeping pills is injected in the water to keep her still in the room, so doesn't do anything but sleep and sleep. But drinking water doesn't help her but made her head feel more heavy and no sooner she drifted to sleep.

It was the second day of her being in the small closed room. In the dimly lit room, she was sleeping soundly in not so good posture. She awaked at the odd hour of the midnight. She kept staring at the random spot on the wall for sometime when the Early morning prayer call was heard. She did the ablution with the leftover water in the bottle and prayed her salah.

After praying her morning prayer, she sat down on the bed. Maid has not yet came with the breakfast on her usual timings. After noticing everything and trying to make a escape plan, she was not available to find a way for rescue.

Maria's heart raced, when she saw maid entering with the tray of same breakfast, apple, tea and biscuits. As the maid kept the tray on bed, Maria got up immediately to get fresh, as they both went through the corridor and she entered the washroom, her eyes twinkled seeing the small handset resting on the washbasin, glancing here and there she hide the phone in her veil, her body trembling with a mixture of fear and determination. As she came out of the washroom and went back to her room.

Taking the packet of biscuit and apple, she told the maid to go and the maid went, as the door was locked once again, Maria took a sigh of relief as she took out the phone and decided to turned it to silent mode, it was actually difficult to use the old handset, as she was the android user but she succeed in keeping the phone on silence. She licked her lips, dialing the number to check the balance but before she could check it, someone's call came on it. Her hand shivered in fear and it slipped out from her grip. She picked it again but there was a call coming from another number, without thinking anything else she switched it off and hide it below the mattress, as she decided to waited for the right moment to make a call.

Later, when she felt the time was right, she carefully dialed her brother Arsh's number, her fingers shaking as they ran over the keypad. She could feel the adrenaline rushing through her veins as she waited for the call to connect. But she heard an automated voice,"The number you're trying to reach is currently switch off."

The fear of being caught tightened its grip on her shivering heart as she tried calling on Shazil's number. Her fingers caressing over the buttons, and her heart pounding in her chest as the phone rang.

To her immense relief, Shazil answered, his voice was like a lifeline amidst her turmoil. "Hello? Who's this?"

Tears formed in her eyes, the unnamed  emotion taking over her senses as she heard a familiar voice after damn 2 days. "Shazil bhai, it's me, Maria," she choked out, struggling to maintain her composure.

"Maria? Where are you? Are you okay?" Shazil's concern was palpable through the phone.

"I... I don't know exactly where I am. It's a small, dingy room. Please, Shazil bhai, do something and help me get out of here," she pleaded as her voice tremble with longing to be with her family.

"Maria princess, don't cry, we're coming for you. Just wait for us we are tracing your number," Shazil reassured her, with determination in his words.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching her room. Panic surged through her body. "I need to cut the call, someone is coming here, Shazil bhai, Please come soon."