CONTORTED

Chapter nine

“A man that flies from his fear may find that he has only taken a short cut to meet it.” 

-J.R.R Tolkien

                       CHAPTER 9-THE TRAUMA

The whole room stank of silence and fear. Jordan was drenched in perspiration. Navin never stirred from the floor. Fifteen minutes passed since they heard the gunshots. Silence unpleasantly penetrated their ears. The room lights kept flickering frequently, aggravating the trauma.

"You alive?" Jordan shook Navin's hand.

He shuddered and curled tightly on the floor.

"Jo.. Jod..I am.. I am going to die." He squeaked through his clenched teeth and tightly shut his eyes.

"Dude will you shut up? The door is locked and we can try to find our way" Jordan blurted and then rephrased in a calmer tone.

"Listen.The door is locked so nobody can burst in. We will try to reach someone through my mobile.”

He shuffled inside his pockets.

“Dude, Do you have yours?"

"N.N.No"  Navin didn’t budge.

Jordan cracked his clammy knuckles. He was desperate to find a way out of the building.

"The intercom. yeah! Shall we try the intercom?"

"NO!! They will know we are hiding here. The intercom rings as loud as an effing siren!"

They? Who are they?

Panic rushed through his veins and Jordan instantly flung the intercom's receiver out of its stand.

"I will call the cops!!" Jordan whispered, panic choking his voice.

"No dude! Don't please! Once they hear the sirens, they will kill all of us!"

"Have you lost it moron? They will kill us either way! At least the cops can help us evacuate the building alive!"

"Someone would have done that already"

"So what?! Do you have an alternative?? If no, then shut up and let me do what I want to basta-"

Jordan was interrupted by a loud bang on the door which caused both of them to cringe.

"we are dead"  Navin's voice came out in a hiss.

The door banged louder, with such a force that its hinges were rattling against the wooden frame.

"Wh..Who is that? Jod.."

The door rattled as if it was being struck by a log; one of its hinge screws loosened.

"Can we jump out of the window?" Navin cried, and scurried towards the open window.

"Do it bastard! You jump out of the bloody window and die!" Jordan screamed.

The door blasted open.

Jordan recoiled in terror. The lights flickered one last time before extinguishing itself. The whole room was filled with silence and darkness. His eyelids batted furiously and he tried to focus his vision on whatever that was entering the dark room.

Heavy footsteps lunged towards him.

"N.Navin.. Nav" Jordan crawled back and hit his head on the wall behind him.

He noticed a faint gleam of light scintillating through the open window.

His eyesight adjusted to the darkness and noticed a dark silhouette advance at him. He held his breath when the intruder came closer and kneeled down in front of him. The metallic object in the intruder's hand glistened in the dark.