A Hundred Flukes

Rescue

Chapter 20

Arnav

Damn it. What if she's stuck there? What if she...what's wrong with me? I was mad at her but no way did I mean to put her life in danger. Man I just...hope she's alright. I reach my car and throw myself in the driving seat, nothing else occurs to me, I start the engine and press down the race. This is all Mehta's fault...(and mine), if the workers said they saw a girl, couldn't he just get the damned place checked once? Her safety was his responsibility...(and mine). Hell, Khushi was MY responsibility and if something funny happens to her, that 'ill be my greatest blunder. I feverishly dodge other vehicles on road as I hit the fifth gear, I break a few signals, I can't afford to lose time, every moment now counts. I curse myself, why did I send her there?. I am... slightly nervous, am I? Over the past years, I had forgotten how it feels to be nervous...

I pull up my car in front of the guest house. The structure looks fine from the outside and that's bit of a relief, I sprint for the entrance- a dire mess of a network of slim wooden logs, I smuggle myself into the site of wreckage. A couple of low power incandescent bulbs poorly light the place, hell this means they didn't turn off the main switch? There is seepage in the walls, in all probability the wires are leaking current and they aren't even insulated! I jerk away as some bricks crash on the floor near my feet. A mesh of rusted steel rods is left of the opposite wall, I move around frantically there is no sign of her. Is there a chance that she has escaped? No she hasn't, why else would someone call from her house?

My eyes fall on something yellow, a huge block of plaster crashes down before I reach it, I take another chance to see what is it. It seems to be a strap of cloth, I remove the debris covering it, it is unmistakably Khushi's cloth tote bag, I recognize it immediately and on top of it is her broken phone..., it makes me hopeful and hopeless at the same time.

She's very much here but where? "Khushi.." I call out her name at the top of my lungs, my voice returns to me.

^^^^                           

"Khushi..." he screamed again, his voice filling the night. Upstairs she heard a faint sound of somebody calling her name. Had she heard right? She forced her eyes open, reached for the door, banged it again, "Is there anyone?" she said aloud, she couldn't get any louder, not in her present state. She grabbed a thin log of wood and opened the band tying her hair. She inserted the band in the handle and twisted the handle with the log, the broken handle let out a shrill creaky sound. She banged the door again. Maybe there was nobody down, maybe she was just dreaming. She slipped against the wall, curling again, a single shaft holding the ceiling above her head.

Arnav made it to the stairs, he called her name again, "where the hell do I find this girl" he muttered. He saw a huge amount of debris infront of a worn out door, covering about half the doors vertical length, he turned to take another flight of stairs when a shriek, a loud shrill cry of a girl pierced the silence. Arnav stopped, he turned, the sound definitely came from behind that door covered in debris. He crouched near it, removing the huge and heavy blocks of RCC, the dust filling his lungs, the sharp stones scratching his hands. He pulled mightily at the jammed door, opening it in two attempts. His eyes widened, mixed feelings rippling in his heart, there she sat, her arms circling her folded legs and chin resting on her knees, his eyes darted at the ceiling, the lone shaft couldn't take it's weight any longer, he lurched towards her, grabbing her hand in his, pulling her up to her feet. Disbelief writ large on her pale face, her long hair flying, he gaped at her for a stranded moment, but a moment's look was all he could afford before fleeing the room with her. The shaft fell and the entire ceiling came down the moment they stepped to the relative safety of the stairs. He pulled her to him, grabbing her waist, ducking her beneath him while pebbles hit his back as they bolted downstairs. Once down he let go of her waist but kept on holding her hand dragging her out to safety. She jerked her hand away, out from his grip, anger consumed her, anger strengthened her. Arnav closed his eyes, bracing himself to hear whatever she had to say, when she didn't he turned to face her, breaking the silence, "Look, I didn't know the condition here was so bad..." Khushi clenched her fists tight, "You didn't know? As if that is even possible...you...you maniac." she charged at him, punching her fists hard into his chest. He staggered back a couple of inches with the impact, shocked to the core of his being. Had she really punched him?