Pavi

Day 2

A blistering headache hit my head like an avalanche, My eyes were heavy as if they were covered in layers upon layers of snow. If scientists were trying to find the coldest region known to men, I would've shown them my nose. I forced my eyes open and tried looking around. My body was trembling like a 7.6-magnitude earthquake just hit it, My bones and muscles felt like they were frozen in place.

My fingers met dried-up blood when I touched my fingers. That bastard hit me in the head.

I slowly but painfully sat up, My vision was blurry. I rubbed my eyes, and after a few minutes, my vision returned. It looked like some sort of a cave, spikes of rock peeped through the surface threatening to impale anyone who got too close.

The only sounds that could be heard were the dripping of water and the crackling sound of fire. Fire? Heat?

I placed my feet slowly onto the cold surface of the cave and began walking, every step sent waves upon waves of pain through my body. I slowly advanced to the mouth of the cave, I could see smoke coming out from somewhere.

He was there, his hands treating the wound on his neck, which looked like a bullet wound to me, sitting next to the orange fire, and warming up his hands after he's finished. The smoke from the fire replaced the fog. I walked towards the fire, if I don't warm myself up, I'm pretty sure my blood will freeze. As I walked closer a branch cracked right under my feet, He jerked up as he saw me.

He saw me shaking, I looked vulnerable to him. He started at me, His eyes showing no emotions. People say eyes are the window to a person's soul, but they're not for this man.

I looked at him and the fire. He looked at the fire behind him and then looked at me. He threw me his black blanket, well a rag, and just left.

I wrapped myself in his blanket, it reeked of the smell of teak and sweat. I didn't care. I was in no position to be picky right now. I sat down next to the fire and stretched out my hand above the fire. I sighed in relief as heat spread through my body. I looked at the blazing fire. I closed my eyes as it reminded me of my husband...I could sense the fire burning in his heart, trying tirelessly to find me. This is the anger he must've felt when he found out I was kidnapped. I shivered at the thought of what he would do to the man who kidnapped me. Only time will tell.

But it won't end up good for whoever is standing between me and him

***
The fire began dying out, I felt alive and a thousand times better than before. I wiped the blood from my forehead and the minor scratches on my arms. I jumped from on top of a mountain for god's sake and this is the kind of injury I get?

I got up and looked around for a way to escape. Forest, Forest, forest. There was forest everywhere. Tall lean teak trees laid scattered across the scenery and the dark-bellied clouds shifted here and there above the blue sky.

"You can't escape," He emerged from the bushes. "All four directions are covered in forest, where will you go?" He smiled smugly. Two other people appeared behind him.

"Due to the little stunt, you pulled off we are five hours from our village, get ready to walk," He said as he went inside the cave. The fat man from before followed him and the woman was left behind with me.

"You're a woman too right? Why are you doing this to me?" I asked her face-to-face.

"Be grateful that you're even alive right now," She snarled. "I don't know why Veera anna didn't kill you,"

Veera walked out and threw a rope to the woman next to me.

"Veera, answer me," the fat man walked out frustratedly.

"tie her up," Veera ignored the man.

"NO!" I cried out. I tried running away, I knew running away won't do any good. But I tried. The woman pulled me back and tied my hands together

"That was not a question, was it?" He walked behind me. His hands snaked around my neck. I let out slow breaths as I  turned away from his hands in disgust. He made his way up to my eyes and blindfolded me. Again.

We started trekking. The woman refused to move even 10 centimeters away from me. She stuck with me like a lizard. It was hard walking with my hands tied and my eyes blindfolded but that woman was constantly pushing me forward and holding me up when I fell down.

"By the way, Veera, we got the SP's gun," I heard a gun being pulled out.

My eyes widened. "You met my husband?" I asked them. "You met Ram?" I asked again. "How is Ram?" I asked desperately.

"Ram, Ram, Ram," he muttered. "I've heard his name a thousand times, I didn't catch your name?"

He doesn't even know my name? He executed his whole plan of abducting me without knowing my name?

I refused to tell him my name.

"Okay," He laughed. "I'll keep you a name," I heard him breaking down some branches. "Mano anna, recommend me some names,"  

Mano hummed while thinking.

"How about Sita?" the woman behind me suggested.

Veera laughed. "then that makes me Raavanan?" He joked. I cringed at the idea of my story being compared to Ramayana. But it kind of fits.

In short, Raavanan, a demon, abducts Sita, the wife of lord Ram, and keeps her hostage in Lanka.

"Pavitra," I interrupted. "Pavitra Sharma,"

"Pavitra..." He rolled the name around his mouth, "Has a nice ring to it,"

"What did Ram do to you?" I asked. This question lingered around my mind for a while, there has to be some reason why he's this angry and me and him. "You're doing all this because he shot you?" I spat.

"Your husband--" Mano was about to pour out what was in his heart but stopped as fast as he started. I assumed Veera stopped him.

Veera sighed. "If he just shot me, I would've easily taken it to the chest, I would've died happily" He stopped. I could hear him walk towards me, in slow steps. I tried backing away but that woman stopped me.

"Your husband, Ram," He pressed his name, "Has committed multiple sins, I don't have the time, nor the strength to explain it to you," He finished, He walked back quickly and took his lead. "I don't want any more questions," He demanded.

The thunder began thudding, stronger and louder with each succeeding one. Veera clicked his tongue, annoyed.

Not gonna lie, but I'm scared of thunder and it took me every ounce of my energy not to squeal or appear scared during these loud rumbles.

"Do you think we can reach there before the rain pours out?" Mano asked. I couldn't hear the reply from Veera, So I assume he just nodded or shook his head.

We walked like this for three hours before the first signs of rain showed. I felt a cold drop on my shoulders, and before I knew it, we were drenched.

DUM!

"Shit," I jerked at the sudden rumble. Hours of trying to keep up a brave image, wasted.

Veera chuckled. "You were not afraid to jump off of a waterfall...don't tell me you're afraid of mere thunder," he scoffed.

"Don't you talk about being scared," I spat, "You're the one who's afraid to fight my husband and abducted a woman like a coward," I said furiously.  The fire burning in the pit of my stomach grew with every second, with every word he's uttering, every minute he's alive.

"Veera, give me the gun," Mano said. "I'll shoot her here and go to jail for you," He added.

"Anna, We need her," Veera tried to calm Mano down. "Remember how we lure in wolves?" He asked him.

"We tie a goat in the middle of the forest and hunt the wolf down when it comes to eat it," He answered.

"Exactly, She's the goat, he's the wolf and I'm the hunter," Veera laughed. "We need to keep the goat alive till the job is done no?"

"The wolf would've come even if it was a dead goat," Mano snarled.

Veera clicked his tongue.

What kind of twisted person thinks like that? These people have no sense of mercy for other humans.

The free massage which was given by the rain gods seemed to have stopped. The ground was not moist anymore, but I could still hear the rain's pitter-patter. The woman pushed me onto a rock and tied my hands to something so I can't move.

I assumed we were in some sort of shelter.

"She's gonna catch a very bad cold," Veera chuckled.

Big waves of wind smashed against the wall. Making a woosh sound. Like someone blowing near your ear.

"Won't the gods gift you with a cold too?" I said. The last thing I wanted to do was to engage in a conversation with these brutes. But this guy keeps tugging on my tongue with his words forcing me to talk.

"We are used to it," Mano said. "Unlike you people, who are pampered with luxury that you don't even have to see the sunlight," he said spitefully.

They stopped talking to me after that and started talking among themselves.

"Did you find him?" Their voice was distant now. Veera lowered his voice a little more so that I couldn't hear what they were talking about.  I knitted my eyebrows together as I tried to eavesdrop.

You know some people can never lower their voice down even when they try really hard. Trust me, I've been to enough public libraries.

"No........." I could only hear bits and pieces of their conversation. "hiding.........find him,"

The wind roaring like a hungry lion didn't help either.

"Why didn't you kill her?" Mano asked him. Again.

Veera clicked his tongue, I could hear him pacing here and there, avoiding the question.

"If you shot her then and there, I or Shekar would've gone to prison for five years in place of you," Mano said. "Matter over, now we're dragging her with us,"

The walking stopped.

"I told her she was gonna die," He let out in frustration. "I pointed a gun to her head," He grunted, "I could see no fear in her eyes, not even a little," I could hear the frustration in his voice bursting out.

"How could I shoot a girl with no fear? Huh?" He asked. "If you were me...Would have you shot her?" He asked in a raspy tone. Then the talking stopped.

******

A/N

Sorry for not updating for a while, I had Annual exams and had no time for uploading or writing. Welp anyways enjoy!