Pools of Blood

chapter 18

"That day it was raining. Such a huge downpour, as if the Gods were trying to warn us of our impending doom", Jasmine said. She was feeling a bit better, with all those super facilities and treatments. I took her to the roof of the hospital in her wheelchair. She has to use a wheelchair for a few more days since it still pained her to stand properly. There was a small patch of green in one corner. A beautiful view of our city below and a lot of fresh air would do good to her. She needed it. The last few days had been a torment for her. Injections, pills, medications, saline bottles, and whatnot. She looked like a mummy in tubes. Over the week she has altered drastically from a beautiful long-haired woman to a bag of bones. Her eyes were deep inside her sockets and her face had lost luster. She didn’t look like the one in the wedding photos of her flat.

Love. Love changes everything. When you are in love, the whole world looks pink. You glow, your heart beats in a rhythm of joy and laughter. Everything looks so amazing and the earth becomes a replica of paradise itself. But when that love is snatched away, even Hell looks better than the torment and the excruciating pain, one feels in the heart. The whole world looks like the palace of satan; dead and desolate. This is the power of love. And both Jasmine and I were deprived of it.

"I was in the hospital. There was a case of transplantation and the operation took nearly 5 hours to finish. It was the day of our anniversary. It was on that day we met for the first time in Paris, years ago. So Alfred took a day off from work and Amiya’s death investigation. Actually, I forced him the leave. He needed it. We decided to go for dinner in a nice restaurant and then boating in the Boat House Club. A peaceful evening it would have been."

I too agreed. People deserved a bit of happiness and a bit of a smile amidst the sea of grief. She sighed deeply and looked towards the sky. A flock of birds was flying above us.

"It was 7 in the evening. I was tired but excited. I wanted to surprise him with our pregnancy. And the dinner date would be a perfect way to give him the news. Suddenly I got a call from a private number. A man was on the line. He said that Alfred had booked a table at Zemarriott and I should reach there directly. He also said that Mr. Alfred would be joining soon and he had asked him to call me."

-" What happened next?"

-"I tried to call Alfred to confirm this, but his network was not reachable. So I went to Zemarriott. I didn’t for once think that anything mishap could happen to me or him. Totally unaware of everything. You have seen the big hotel, I presume."

-"Yes", I nodded. "It's on the outskirts of the town on the bank of the river. The splendid ambiance and they are known for their amazing aromatic drinks and delicious cuisines."

-"I never had the tiniest notion that Alfred would reserve a table in that hotel. It was so not like him. He was the simplest of man who loved having colas on roadside stands than having Bibimbap and kimchi from a posh hotel. That’s what I always admired in him."

I smiled. Our Alfred was unique and different. When we used to get pocket money every month, he donated it all to the poor people and then snatched away mine to buy cigarettes. I used to fume in anger. He was always the weird one.

-"What happened next?"

-"I reached the hotel. It was 8 pm. The table which was booked by Alfred was on the porch under the sky. Candles were glowing and the wonderful scent of roses mesmerized me. The whole porch was empty and silent. Only the ripples of the river flowing beside could be heard. Alfred was late. That was very unusual of him. Firstly, he talked with someone else about calling me there and secondly he himself was absent. He was always punctual about everything. I waited and waited. After 20 minutes, I ordered a Pina Colada to sip and pass time. I was so tired of working the whole day and the beautiful atmosphere with rose fragrance soothed me. I started to drowse. I didn’t know if it was the drink or my tiredness, but I started feeling weak. My eyes became heavy and my body went into a static model. I could very well identify the blurry images of a few men in black masks hovering around me. My senses were awake, but my body went numb. They pulled me up from the chair and place me in a wheelchair. My purse and phone were pocketed by them. Then went out and threw my body into a van in the parking lot. Everywhere was so silent and deathly still."

She stopped and looked at me. Then turned her face towards the building in the distance and continued.

"I was paralyzed with fear and on top of that, I had lost my voice. What drug did they use in the drink I had no idea. I couldn’t utter a word. My body was senseless and I couldn’t feel anything."

I imagined her situation. Fear and panic had grappled her body and she became a mute doll simply witnessing the horror inflicted upon her.

"The van stopped near a run-down factory and I was grabbed by my hair and they dragged me in. They manhandled me throughout the journey, tore my dress, undid my tied hair. They even forcibly kissed me, bit my lips, and licked my shoulders. It was so much repulsive. And I couldn’t even raise my hand or voice to stop."

Tears streaked down her eyes and she clenched her fists in pain...