The Independent Girl (Sample)

Chapter 14 - Safe?

In a split second, Sandhya sat up on her bed, her heart pounding. In the dim lighting, she saw the silhouette of a man standing behind the half-open door to the adjacent room. Instantly, she dashed towards the outside door, opened it as fast as she could and stood in the lighted hotel corridor, all within two seconds. She turned around and glanced back into the room, blood racing through her veins in terror. The man took a step forward and his face came into view. Varun! There was a mix of lust and vengeance in his eyes as he checked her out. She realized that she was in her short-sleeved, knee-length nightgown which closely hugged her figure and cursed herself.

"Stop right there or I will scream," she shouted.

"There is no one on this floor to hear you," he replied in a cold voice.

She gasped as he took another step towards her. She looked left and right along the empty corridor. The stairway was just a few feet away from her. Before he could realize what she was doing, she closed the door from outside, ran towards the stairs and climbed down the stairs as fast as she could. A few seconds later, she heard his frantic steps behind her. She reached the floor where the kids slept, sped to the nearest room and banged on the door as loud and fast as she could. "Open the door!" she screamed.

She glanced back and froze. Varun would catch up to her in less than ten seconds!

He was six feet away from her when the doorknob turned. The door opened and a sleepy Roja stood before Sandhya. Varun stood rooted to the spot, his face dark and furious. Sandhya jumped inside and bolted the door in no time.

"What happened, Sandhya Di?" Chitra sat on the bed rubbing her eyes.

Sandhya looked at the two girls and thought of a convincing story.

She widened her eyes and said, "I had a BIG nightmare!" The girls looked shocked.

"You get nightmares too?" Roja asked in amazement. "But you are a grownup, you should know that there are no ghosts in this world."

What about the devil residing inside humans? Sandhya thought bitterly, but did not say it aloud.

"I know! But I still get nightmares," she replied and then continued, "Can I sleep with one of you?"

"Yes, Di. But you have to tell us what the nightmare was about!" Chitra said excitedly. Sandhya stiffened and then composed herself. "Of course. I am not sure if you are brave enough to hear it though," she replied mischievously.

She glanced at the clock; it was almost midnight. Oh no! Her phone was still in the room. What if Akash called her? She could get back to her room with the kids but no, she shouldn't risk it. With a heavy heart, she slipped in beside Roja, pulled the bed sheet over her and started narrating an eerie haunted hotel room story. The kids listened to her wide-eyed and finally fell asleep with their blankets completely covering their faces. She tilted her head back with worry, her body still shaking. What a huge mistake she had made by coming here with Varun. How stupid of her. She remembered his insulting words earlier at the lake and her chest tightened. The tears that she had held back so far trickled down her cheeks. She missed Akash and yearned to hear his voice now as never before. A sob escaped her throat as she wrapped her hands around her arms and struggled with her thoughts. What could have happened if she had not taken some precaution and woken up in time?

~

As soon as Roja and Chitra woke up, Sandhya went to her room with them. She checked her phone. Oh no! There was a missed call from Akash. She listened to the voicemail with bated breath.

"Sweetie!" She heard his voice and her heart skipped a beat. "I have arrived safely and the long flight wasn't too bad. I know you must be asleep now, but could not stop myself from calling you. I am not touching sodas and only drinking water, as you instructed. Funny, whenever I see bottled water and sodas, it reminds me of you. There is a lot of work needed for my presentation at the conference. I will call you again at a more sensible time."