Please Save Her

Please save her...CHAPTER 1 July 2015, India. The sirens fill the air. But the guilt knocking in his heart is higher and louder than the 5 sirens on the campus. He pulls out the chit from his pocket. “please help her..”. He wants to shoot himself, for thinking this to be a prank pulled by his neighborhood folks. “Just another day, just another r**e” constable Raj nonchalantly mumbles under his breath as he adjusts the camera for videotaping her confession. “what’s that, sir?” he asks as he sees Inspector Kannappa getting uncomfortable in the corner, as he looks up after setting the camera. “I could have saved her, Raj” he crumbles the paper and grunts in pain, as he hits his palm on the wall in frustration and peeps out the human-sized window. “you know, she could have been at her home, or her office right now. My negligence has caused her this” “Sir, don’t get emotional. But what if the chit was merely coincidental? Someone played a prank and it was very coincidental” “I can’t blame them either. If there is a serial raping and all we can do is nothing, the general public will be engaged to play a prank on us daily” “They aren’t understanding that the victims are not ready to point names, sir. They think the police are for politicians only. Too many movies they watch” “When justice isn’t served, theories become their truth. We can’t blame them” “Sir, you keep supporting the general public like this, and one day you might collapse out of stress” “Everything you said is part and parcel of my job. Including stress, probably collapsing too” “Sir, you are putting too much on yourself” “I know what I am doing, Raj. Where is the magistrate?” “He must be here any moment, sir” “he came, I guess,” the inspector says as he hears the hospital door creak. He signals Raj to leave and he obeys the same with a nod. The friendship between Raj and Kannappa dates back to their College days; in fact, it was kannappa who helped in getting Raj a job through his connections, when he refused to use them for his benefit. Both started at the same cadre; kannappa’s intelligence and hard work continue to take him to higher positions while Raj’s disinterest keeps him at the same position. However, both don’t care about where they are in their life; at the end of the day, they puff a cigarette before heading back to their homes, and that’s what matters to them the most. And they always maintain a healthy balance between friendship and work; it is sir during the day, while they hurl curses at each other while gossiping at night. * “good morning sir,” Kannappa says and the magistrate nods, as he places himself in the assigned chair near the marked position of the bed. “bring her here” kannappa orders the uniformed men and they do the same. The moment they bring her inside the room. Everything seemed to freeze for Kannappa. He remembers her. But the smile that trademarked her has vanished. “Meera?” he mumbles in shock. She tightens her eyelids even more and lets tears drop down her face. “Do you know her, kannappa?” magistrate asks him “Sir, we couldn’t locate her parents or friends. Do you know any details about her?” Raj asks, getting ready to leave “Sir, you said they wouldn’t r**e me” she starts to cry, cupping her mouth, still not opening her eyes. “I wish I could slap you” she screams, slamming her bed. Every tear that touches her black eyes and blood-clotted face, seems to send a spear down his spine, attacking every inch of his existence. “what is happening here, kannappa?” magistrate asks confused with boiling anger “I said someone is stalking me. He yelled at saying that no one will r**e me and that I should not waste his time…” she cups her mouth and kicks in the air. “my body is paining. I won’t be the same, anymore” she starts slapping her forehead in agony and frustration. “Is this true, kannappa?” magistrate’s voice starts to display sheer anger and disappointment “Sir, let me explain..” “your senior will give you a call about an investigation and a possible suspension. Leave the room now. Raj, adjust the camera. I’ll ask DGP Surendran to be present here. Everyone else, leave.” “I’m sorry” he mumbles, as he leaves and he could feel the magistrate’s angry eyes following his path along with the wailing of the girl. * “I feel like burning down that entire neighborhood” Kannappa slaps his knee in frustration, as he takes a sip of coffee in the hospital canteen “who is she, sir?” raj asks, taking a bite of his biscuit “Meera. She was nervous that day. I asked her to calm down. I gave her good examples where we all solved cases. I made her feel at home. It took me few minutes to make her smile and relaxed. I asked her what her complaint was. She said someone is stalking her. He seems like a goon, she said. If you remember that day, a woman came in and said the same thing. When we filed a complaint, a group of people came inside the station and burst into laughter. That woman mocked me saying, ‘as if you all going to work on the case. You all love rapists and you all love victims only while blaming them for everything. Since she came in less than an hour of chasing them, I thought Meera is one among them” he sighs. “Sir, it’s okay. You didn’t r**e her. Why do you feel guilty?” “There is no difference in being a catalyst or the cause, in a r**e” “But sir” “leave it, Raj. We can talk about this later. Maybe after my suspension. I would have resigned if I don’t have the obligation to provide for my retired parents.” Both sigh. “Yes, Kamendar?” Kannappa asks the approaching Sub-inspector “Sir, the confession has brought out this name…” “who?” “Sir.. it is” he hushes in his ears. His eyes widen. “who, sir?” raj asks puzzled “it is..” he gulps down a lump of spit down his parched throat Chapter 2 The same day, Malaysia “Miss Adison, your order” the waitress humbly places the dish on the table with the same professional smile she has on her face since day 1 of her work at the place. It is her favorite couple sitting at their usual table. “Four years of serving us, but still I am ‘miss Adison’ for you huh?” Adison mocks “service time, Adi” she smiles and moves toward the kitchen to pick her next orders. “so Adi, when are you planning to introduce me to your daughter,” asks Rick, as he sips his Diet drink “Rick..” she puts her hand across the table and he cuts her off, mocking her usual response “Rick, Sarah is just ten years old. She needs to grow up more… blah blah blah” he rolls his eyes. “how long, Ad? We have been dating for years now. You know my past and I know yours. We are connected not only physically but emotionally. You know my two sons. You had several good meetings with them. Why can’t I experience the same with Sarah?” his voice starts to rise, paralleled with his pain “Not now, not here, Rick” Adison rolls her eyes, now realizing that people are starting to look at them. “then when?” his voice starts to increase and she pulls him by the collar. He shuts up for a second. She caresses her lips with his. “soon” she husks, licks, and bites the corner of his lower lip. She releases his collar with her same old wicked smile that she flashes whenever she gets him to stop his bickering. “well” he starts, “if it wasn’t for your kiss, I wouldn’t have shut up. But, Sarah” he starts and she passes on a note, walks towards the common restroom. He didn’t have to open it. He knows. He follows her and both come out with hickeys. After an hour, they silently finish their cold meal. * “someday. Sarah. Please?” Rick asks as he breaks the goodbye hug. “Sure rick” she plants a kiss on his cheek and both part ways. She turns back a few blocks later and picks up her vibrating phone. “Have you broken up with him, yet, Samara?” “I will… wait.. please” “how long? I will give you a maximum of one week. Frame reasons. Do s**t. It is either you following my orders or me doing the aftermath as promised” “please…” “1 week” Chapter 3 July 2015, India. “Kannappa, it's just another query. People find ways to blame the policemen. You will be fine” raj says, as he takes a puff in his cigarette in their usual 8 PM tea stall spot. “It is not about the query. It is about the duty I didn’t do” he sighs, tapping the lit cigarette ashes on the ground. Usually, he would smoke at least two before heading home. But now, he couldn’t even take one puff from the first cigarette. The maximum he has done is lighting it up. “cigarette is costly,” raj says, pissed “her life and dignity too” he stamps on the half-burnt cigarette, pays the money, and walks away without bothering to look behind to know if Raj has come or not. * The next day, at the commissioner’s office. “Kannappa, aren’t you tired of sitting in this committee once in a week at least?” asks one of the men, and everyone bursts into laughter. Kannappa keeps his head low. “every time you had proven that all claims against you to be false. You wouldn’t even take more than 30 minutes. So we have even scheduled another investigation after this” the man extends his hand, asking. “I don’t have” “have what?” “nothing to prove against the claims” “Are you sure? Is anyone holding your family hostage to keep your mouth shut?” his voice is filled with concern now. Kannappa gently shakes his head, still his head hanging down, “then, please follow us to our investigation room. This will take few hours” * 13 grilling hours of the investigation comes to an end and Kannappa is given 3 months of suspension. * “What happened, sir?” Raj asks as he sees Kannappa pack his things from the office “3 months of suspension” “sir..” “wait, that doesn’t pain me. There is something else I need to tell you” “Is everything okay?” “There is no one. But totally three” “of what?” “the clue. Please help her” “what? How?” “and everything aligns with the same date of r***s done by him” “Sir?!” “yes, two have come forward already. An official statement will be obtained today” CHAPTER 4 Two days later “Charan, why do you look tensed?” Maya, his sister asks as he packs his bag. “they testified” “you need to be clear,” she says, passing him his jean” “those I raped.. one b***h confessed and two others followed” “what the hell, charan” she kicks the suitcase to the floor and he grabs her neck against the wall, almost like a reflex. She pushes his hand away, saying, “don’t show that s**t to me. Maintain that s**t to your bitches getting r***d” “Hey, shut up!” he pushes her right shoulder and she trips and falls on the bed. “I am sorry,” he says and pulls her up and sits next to her, hanging his head. “Why did you do this?” she slaps her forehead in disappointment and anger “why are you so careless. You were very good at planning before. Why are you getting caught now? Is it because of your new girlfriend that you losing your focus? Tell me! Three f*****g r***s. Do you know how my social position will be affected now? Do you know how many i********: followers I will lose now? Do you know how hard it was for me to reach 15K followers? I have said you a dozen times, do not kidnap or stalk. Just lure them. r**e them when they are unconscious. And you could have bought any doctor to clean up your semen traces. They can claim but they couldn’t prove it. These bitches too report just a mere s*x issue to others; I am pretty sure they enjoyed it too. They do all these to make sure that people look at her as if she is with chastity. Disgusting pigs. As if they don’t sleep around with other men. How much can we pay them for their s*x service now?”