Chapter 32: Chapter 32
"What condition?"
"By the end of this day, if I couldn't catch you then I'll free you, by all means,"
She blinked, "Now run. Run away and hide and keep hiding till the date changes but if I caught you, Sheharzad," his voice dropped octaves down and now he stared directly in her eyes, "I swear, you won't be able to save yourself from me,"
She whimpered uncontrollably at his statement.
His eyes that were prior bored in hers, moved down to his wrist watch, "your time starts now. Tick tock. Tick tock,"
And it didn't take her seconds to run away from there.
Flashback ends.
A nurse, named Maria, sat there, helping her drink some soup. With every spoonful of liquid, she took in her mouth, a certain area in her jaw hurt. She could see the sympathy invading in the nurse's eye.
"You'll recover soon," The nurse said. There was hope in her voice.
"Thank you.. but what happened to me?"
"Your bones suffered a fracture," she answered, shortly and a tear made its way to her eyes before she quickly blinked to clear it but it cascaded down her eye.
Sheharzaad didn't want to ask more. She didn't have the heart.
"Please I don't want to drink more," She denied having more soup. She didn't want to eat, drink. In that moment, she wanted to die.
"It is good for your health," Maria reasoned.
"Did he come?" Sheharzaad asked the question that had been bothering her.
"Who? Mr. Shehryaar?"
Chills.
Chills traveled down her spine at the mention of his name.
"Yes," Her voice, small.
"He visited you while you were sleep,"
"And is he here in the hospital?"
"No,"
That let her take a breath of relief.
"But he said, he would pay you a visit at night,"
She gulped and nodded as Maria continued helping her drinking the chicken broth. Her mind flashed to the very moment that had her land in the hospital bed.
Oh, now she had learnt her lesson.
Flashback
Run!
Run!
Run!
She was dashing across the corridors. He wasn't following her yet still she was running like a maniac. People walked past by her, gave her a weird glance and kept on walking. First thing she did was to go to the reception at the ground floor.
"Please, I want to call the police," She told the receptionist.
"May I ask why, madam?" She asked with a frown.
"I want to report a matter to them," In a hushed tone, she said, looking left and right.
The receptionist frowned, "Let me first apprise the owner, madam. It seems a serious matter, we would have to involve him,"
"Okay. But please be fast," She waited on her toes as the receptionist, apparently whose name was 'Dina', talked to someone on the phone.
"What's your name, madam?" Dina asked.
"Sheharzaad. Sheharzaad Qureshi," she replied, "I might not be enrolled in the guests if you are to find my record or something. I came with a man here and it must be his name in the list,"
"Okay. It's fine madam," Then she talked something with the other person on the call before handling the receiver to her.
"He would like to inquire you personally about the matter," Dina passed her the receiver and she put it on her ear.
"Sir, please, I need help! I need help, really! I-"
"Take a deep breath, Sheharzaad," A deep voice came from the other side making her blabbering stop.
Instantly, she threw away the receiver as if it scalded her and her hands moved to cover her hung open mouth. Her eyes, wide-struck with shock.
"Who-who is he?" she asked, Dina, who was quickly picking up the receiver that Sheharzaad had thrown.
"Mr. Shehryaar. The owner of this hotel chain," She told, before answering him on the phone.
"He wants to talk to you," she told Sheharzaad and she just shook her head.
"I d-don't wa-want to," She stuttered and ran away as if her life was dependent on it.
Her eyes moved left then right as she took a 360 degree turn and just saw people chilling and enjoying, unaware of her predicament. Some waiting on the sofas to get a room assigned to them. Some laughing, throwing jokes while she looked disheveled. Paled face, shaking limb, bloodied hand and glassy eyes. She could find nobody who could help her.
It was Shehryaar's hotel.
She was struck. Badly struck.
Jolting life to her shaking legs, she dashed towards the main entrance. That was the first thing that was needed to be done. Running away from this wretched hotel.
Upon reaching the entrance, she found big bulky guards, who stopped her path. One of them she had already recognized, who was assigned for her security outside the room.
"Sorry madam, you can't go out," he spoke.
"Why?"
"Sir's order. He just called and asked to convey you, it was suppose to be within the four walls of this hotel,"
"Please let me go," she beseeched, "please! please! I'll be killed," With glassy eyes, she pleaded, just a step away from joining her hands infront them.
"We apologize," With a stoic face, he said.
And that was when a sob broke out through her lips as she placed her hands on her knees, helplessly.
"It's a matter of life and death," she spoke again, straightening herself, hoping her pleading would somehow move them.
They looked away as if she didn't stand there. They knew who their boss was. He could snap the life out of them with one glance. One disapproving glance. And no sooner they would be in a situation worst than this girl.
"Please help me hide atleast. Somewhere in this hotel, where I can hide. For the sake of your mother, your family, your daughter. Anyone who is important to you. Please help me. If you can't let me run, atleast tell me where can I hide,"
They exchange glances with each other as if her speech had moved them.
"Fine. I'll tell you," one of them said.
And she smiled. Smiled with hope.
....
Rushing towards the elevator, she passed through the reception. She was looking at the floor and not up when suddenly her body crashed into someone. First thing her senses detected was a certain type of perfume enriching her nostrills and second a white t-shirt came in her vision as she slowly looked up, only to get her breath struck.
"Found you," A playful smirk on his lips.
Her heart suddenly and forcefully leaped to her throat.
'Was it over?' She thought.
She stared at him with nothing but raw fear. Hoping he would give just one more chance to run away, hoping he would say it was not over yet and she still had the chance to run away and hide. She waited as if a criminal would wait for the judge to announce the verdict.
"Now shall we go back?" He asked, and frightened she took a step back, whimpering. But her arms were in his grip that was gentle, not forceful and he didn't let her move.
Her lips curled down in a pout, "l-let me run," she said and suddenly winced when a pain shot through her finger that was slashed earlier.
His eyes moved down to her hands as he took her right one in his. They looked small infront his.
"Pass me a first aid kit," he told one of the girls who stood there and guided Sheharzaad to hotel lobby as they both sat on a secluded sofa.
The first aid kit was delivered and he began to take the medicine out while applying it on her hand. He noticed a tear appearing on her palm and that made him look up only to find her cheeks streaked with tears. Her nostrills flaring in and out and throat heaving up and down due to tiny hiccups.
"Do you still want to run?" With the back of his fingers, he cleaned her tears.
"Yes," Her undeterred response came.
"Look up," he said, but already he was grasping her wobbling chin and moving her head up. His voice was soft but his eyes were still hard.
"Look me in the eye," he commanded and gawked fixedly within her eyes.
"I swear on my dead mother, Sheharzaad," Her hands that was in his hold, began to shake and he had just started speaking, "The only escape from me is, death," he cleaned the blood around her finger, "and if you want to keep running well n good but I too promise you that, I'd make you unrecognizable once done with you," Bandaging her finger, he spoke again, "So fix yourself while I'm giving you a chance," Placing his thumb and fore-finger around her injured finger, he pressed it as a warning, making her wince, "before I run out of my patience," he finished and stood up.