T H E   N I G H T M A R E   C O N T I N U E S

Shivaay stared at the newspaper.

"VOID bagged the deal worth 700 Crores."

He rolled his eyes.

He wondered why the newspapers used such polite words. Why couldn't they just write the real news.

The deal was snatched from the Oberois.

He mentally scoffed when he saw the news of another failed attempt of the company to save their name from the downfall.

Priyanka had done a good job at keeping her name hidden. What a perfect mystery it was.

A few years ago, his life used to revolve only around two things. His family and his company.

That was the Great Wall of Shivaay Singh Oberoi. His strength was his family. His passion was his business. And his pride was  her. Someone who he cannot call his anymore. He traced his empty finger, it was adorned with the wedding ring. But not anymore.

There were slight tremors, which happened always when he was restless or agitated. The doctors said that his motor nerves have been damaged. Though they were treatable, the recovery is a long journey. They haven't healed completely, but the good thing was that he was now able to control the movements of his hands. Though not perfectly, the recovery was steady.

It was like a rebirth for him in a sense. He was starting everything new. To the point that it has taken him three months to get on his own legs. And five to take steady steps. Depression weighed heavy on him those months.

But managed to overcome them.

Not all of them though.

<>

(mentions of blood and descriptions!)

Shivaay was tossing and turning in his bed. His eyes closed and his forehead was covered in sweat beads. His lips were quivering.

"I have never thought I would be the one to say this, but you have managed to disgrace the name of the Oberois."

His hands fisted, pain spread through his arm. But he didn't wake up. He was trapped.

"It was all a play to you, wasn't it? Mr. Shivaay Singh Oberoi."

Om. It was him right? The man who strives for truth and morals but didn't give him a chance to explain him.

"Just tell the fucking truth god damnit! Prove them wrong."

His baby brother, who stood by his side believing that his brother could do nothing wrong was now holding him as suspect. Didn't he know that his bhaiya would rather die than do that?

"I can't believe I proudly called you my son."

"I always knew that there's something, a hidden motive or else a person can never be this great that you pretend to be."

"I never expected this from you Shivaay."

"I wish I wouldn't have given birth to you."

His breathing has turned shallow. He was in his own sweat. His kurta was now translucent and stuck to his body. His chest convulsed with pain and a scream escaped him. And the scene changed for him.

Priyanka rushed upstairs hearing the scream. Her hands immediately dialled up Dr. Aradhya Anand.

"Doctor, come fast he is having one of those nightmares again." She spoke in the  rush as she tried to open the door to his bedroom.

His head was dipped in the water.

He choked as the water entered his pharynx. And he was pulled out. He coughed out the water. He could feel the lingering taste of copper in his mouth. He spat the blood out. The water mixed with his blood and his head was forced in again.

"This will quench your thirst." Shivaay cried out in pain. His head was held with his hair. He groaned as he was pushed on his feet, he didn't have any energy left in the body. He couldn't even open his eyes, the blood created a barrier between his eyes and the scene around him.

His lungs were burning as if they were on fire.

Please, save me. He pleaded silently into the air.

And the world turned again.

Shivaay was now aware of his own screams.

He turned over and coughed out the blood on the floor. Coating the pristine white tiles with the crimson viscous fluid. He groaned as he fell back.

He heard a faint yellow of 'bhaiya!' and he was gone to the world.

Fire.

That was all he could see.

His skin was being scorched. The scars in his back were hurting as he relived the moment again. They itched and burned. He felt the red hot rod coming to hit his body again and again.

He couldn't breathe anymore.

The room was filled with smoke.

He yelled out for help desperately. Hoping that anyone, anyone would have mercy at him and save him from this hell.

The beatings stopped.

But the burns on his skin were enough to torture him. And if that wasn't enough he was pushed on the ground on his back.

He couldn't hold back the screams as his burnt back came in contact with the ground below.

And he blacked out again.

Shivaay sat up with a gasp. He felt a hand on his chest pushing him back. "Sleep." Dr. Aradhya was sitting with the empty syringe in her hand. He turned and he could see the bloodied tissues in her hand. She must be cleaning him up. He could still feel the metallic taste in his mouth.

"Don't swallow. Spat it out." She advised when she saw him struggling. She held the bowl infront of him. And he reached, draining the blood in that small bowl.

"How do you feel?" The doctor asked. He narrowed his eyes. How a person is supposed to feel after he has vomited bowls of blood.

"You strained your vocal cords again. I suggest you drop your therapy for a few weeks." He nodded.

He turned to her with a pointed look that said leave. Priyanka sighed. His brother hasn't changed in this aspect. He won't ever say that he needed help. He hated when someone shot him pitying looks. And she hated that he had to suffer like this. It only fuelled the hatred she nurtured now for her family. Her bhaiya didn't deserve this. Not when he stood in front as a shield. He took the pains that weren't meant for him to himself. Just so that his loved ones stayed sheltered away from the harm.

"Doctor, please follow. I will lead you outside." Aradhya nodded. She placed the tablets on the side table and cast a glance at her patient.

Shivaay was leaning on his headrest unaware of his surroundings. His mind was running miles per hour. So was his heart. He knew the stress wasn't good for him but did he care? No, not anymore. He was alive. And that was enough for him.

He sometimes wondered why he survived?

Why didn't he succumb to those injuries?

Why was he saved?

How was he saved!

Who saved him?

He didn't remember anything.

Was it some type of curse. That he remembered his torture but didn't remember the person responsible? That he still has the scars that haunt him? That he has to live in the shadows from now on? That he was banished from his family? Why?

He knew he had committed the sins.

Is he paying for them?

He wanted to kill himself so many times, but he has sworn to himself that he won't rest until he has his name cleared. And then he will surrender himself to the sleep that is eternal.

He would surrender himself to the everlasting peace.

He gulped down the water that was pushed to his lips. His throat soothed. The burning sensation lessened slightly.

He turned to the person who was holding a glass. It was his doctor. She was holding up another syringe in her hand. He looked down at his hands. They were shaking. And he closed his eyes in frustration.

"It's okay. Things will get better, Mr. Oberoi." Aradhya tried to comfort her patient. But she failed in doing so. She didn't know how this happened. She was assigned to this case four years ago. When she had first seen him she wasn't sure that the person would survive but she has to say  that he emerged triumphant of all the surgeries.

And she was not to be assigned to another case until he was fully recovered. It was a challenge to her.

She inserted the needle into his hands and held them at their place. She watched as the movements ceased and his features relaxed. She and Priyanka adjusted his pillows and tucked him back with a new blanket.

She followed Priyanka out of the room.

Priyanka was holding the bloodied clothes in her hand. She wrinkled her nose. The room reeked of blood. Her brother's blood. When will his sufferings end.

"You should stay here. In case he—" The doctor understood Priyanka's words.

"Show me the guestroom."

<>

When Shivaay woke up the next morning, it was still early. Just a few minutes after the sunrise. The medicine's effects have worn off. And he feels the dull ache in his hands.

Sunlight was filtering in his room from the little spaces between the blinds. He sighed. His throat hurt and he was sore.

He wore his slippers. They were refreshed. He must have stained them yesterday. He remembered the flashes of the previous night. And shame flooded in. He had to be restrained like an animal after he woke having nightmares.

He closed his eyes bracing himself and pushed himself to his feet. The world tilted around him and his stomach churned.

"Bhaiya!" Priyanka rushed to his side. Holding him as he swayed on his feet. She immediately held the bucket but Shivaay swallowed back the bile. His glare told her to leave him alone. But she can't especially seeing his condition.

She spooned the electrolytes in the water and passed him the ORS. "Drink it up." Shivaay held the glass, it trembled slightly but he sipped gently. He finished the glass half and placed it on the side table. He felt a wet towel on his face and found his sister wiping of the sweat gently. Her face was neutral but he could see the tear marks on her face that she tried to hide.

'I am sorry Prinku, you have to see your brother like this.'

He tried to open his mouth.

"Don't speak." Priyanka stopped him. "You have strained your vocal cords enough the past days. Bhaiya please don't. Your body cannot tolerate another surgery. Please for my sake." And he sighed. He leaned on to her.

"Your princess is here for you." She coaxed and in times like this she felt that they are the brother-sister pair that they were used to all the years back.

Because even she was an adult now, she needed her guiding star back in her life. She is nothing without him. He is the one who gave her purpose when she had no one. When he himself was not in the best condition. He always did his duty in the best way possible. It was their family who forgot theirs to him. And they will pay very soon.

Shivaay sighed he felt tears pricking the back of eyes. He didn't know when the nightmare will end.

The nightmare that he was living in.

So??? I would love to write more chapters but I am running on two cups of coffee so I guess I will take a rest now. Also, i will be updating lost smile in the midnight.