Chills & Thrills Anthology

Obstacles | I Will Always Find You | II

  

The following is the winning entry from our Obstacles contest in conjunction with Romance. Congratulations to our winner!

The full list of winning entries can be found here.

 

*

PROMPT

Something, or someone, is in your way. Whether you are a stalker about to claim your latest victim, or a lover desperately searching for your partner, or a cop on the hunt for the biggest criminal—the goal is always the same:

"I will always find you."

 

*

I Will Always Find You

by -Nynaeve

 

Five year old Simran had first heard them when she had gotten lost in the children's park and was found in tears by her neighbour, seven year old Deepak. Neither paid any importance to those words, they were a childish promise of comfort from Deepak to a teary Simran.

She recalled that day with clarity, the hot sun and the dusty park, as she struggled with the rope binding her wrists and the salty taste of her tears. How naive and foolish she had been, not to recognise those words for what they were. Three days of captivity had reduced her to a bumbling mess of tears and hopelessness. Today, nearly nineteen years after that incident, she wondered if those words would always be true, that irrespective of where she was, he would always find her.

"I will always find you."

Thirteen year old Deepak had assured Simran; when she had spent over thirty minutes waiting for him to turn up at a common family friend's wedding party. She had been a reluctant guest, only agreeing to come when her mother informed her that both Deepak and Raj would also be there. But when she could not see him on reaching the hall, she had been distraught and on the verge of leaving when he found her. She had thrown a mild tantrum and he said it again, assurance lacing those words.

The rope left a burn on her wrists, which was mild compared to the fear and anger that burnt in her; how had she missed that flare in Raj's eyes when she had ignored him, insisting on searching for Deepak? Then again, at eleven, it could be excusable for her being unable to identify who was who, but at nineteen, she should have been sensible and not fall prey to sweet words which hid the envy and the rage. However, time and distance apparently left one vulnerable and susceptible to manipulation.

"I will always find you."

How she had blushed when Deepak had whispered those words in her ear on her sixteenth birthday, when she had held a masked birthday party and had convinced her two best friends to dress exactly like her. She did not know why she had wanted to know who would recognise her, but then she thought it would be fun. Most of the guests were confused but Deepak had not faltered, he took just a few seconds to stride towards her while Raj had found her only on his third attempt.

She should have realised that it was then that she had started the war which led to her current situation, tightly bound and held captive by the man who swore he loved her more than anybody else. They were lies, as Raj had always said and which she had taken years to believe. Only now she knew how wrong she was in believing them.