Sasha felt her heart beat way too fast than she knew was humanly possible.She clutched the strap of her bag sliding down from her shoulder and pushed it up.
"Walk Faster" Said the caterpillar.
It was impossible that the man walking beside Sasha was not the human form of a caterpillar. He looked every bit like one. His eyes were too large for his face and his face was too small for his thin, long body. Sasha surprised herself by nicknaming the man in such a situation. But that was the whole point. She was in the situation because she had finally taken a decision -- however stupid and extreme the decision seemed, even to her own self.
The room was covered in cheap blue paint and the wall was chipped off from more places than it was intact. It reeked of alcohol and smoke. Sasha tried to walk straight without looking at the group of men sitting at a makeshift table and unmatched chairs,playing cards.
"God! Let me come out safe from here!" She prayed. The prayer seemed a bit silly, considering the reason she was in this room, but she still wanted to come out safe from there. "At least not here" She thought.
"Belwa will be here shortly.Sit" said the caterpillar. Sasha sat beside a bed on a plastic chair. She pushed the chair back and slowly looked around. The room was almost empty except the furniture that was being used. There were phones being charged at every electrical point and a pile of utensils with leftover food. "This is nothing like the movies" Sasha thought. Her heart was still beating very fast and she was almost sure that she running a temperature or maybe it was too hot -- or maybe she was just too nervous to understand.
"Oh It is a woman!" A boy not a day older than 21 walked in from the back door. Sasha hated the smirk on his face. "What do you want?" Belwa said. His voice had no trace of a typical accent. For all Sasha knew, he could be a college drop out doing this for the joy of adventure and greed for quick money.
"You know what am I here for" Sasha said.
"Yes. Who is the person and how do you want him dead?"
Sasha placed an envelope at the edge of the bed. "Open this only after I am gone"
"Why madam? Have you put a love letter for me in here?" chuckled Belwa. The caterpillar joined him.
"This is the cash." Sasha took out a big envelope of money, ignoring the men.
"This is the maximum I can give you. Kill her however you want,whenever you want -- within this week. Shoot her, drown her, poison her. I don't care. Just don't get caught. If you did, I will refuse to admit anything."
"Her eh? Who is she, your mother in law?" Belwa laughed again and so did the caterpillar.
"Will you do this or not?"
"Arey Madam, this is a child's play for me. Go home now. A girl like you should not be seen in a place like this. Your enemy does not exist any more."
Belwa turned to the caterpillar. "Lakhan, ask Jamal to drop madam in his auto."
Even after such a statement , Sasha did not want to spend a minute around these men. "Don't bother. I'll manage." She mumbled.
Belwa looked at Sasha with a fixed gaze as if he was not used to be disagreed. "At least walk her till the main road." Belwa said as he opened a bottle of water kept at the foot of the bed.
"Come", said Lakhan.
Head held down and bag still clutched tightly, Sasha followed the caterpillar.
.......to be continued
"Walk Faster" Said the caterpillar.
It was impossible that the man walking beside Sasha was not the human form of a caterpillar. He looked every bit like one. His eyes were too large for his face and his face was too small for his thin, long body. Sasha surprised herself by nicknaming the man in such a situation. But that was the whole point. She was in the situation because she had finally taken a decision -- however stupid and extreme the decision seemed, even to her own self.
The room was covered in cheap blue paint and the wall was chipped off from more places than it was intact. It reeked of alcohol and smoke. Sasha tried to walk straight without looking at the group of men sitting at a makeshift table and unmatched chairs,playing cards.
"God! Let me come out safe from here!" She prayed. The prayer seemed a bit silly, considering the reason she was in this room, but she still wanted to come out safe from there. "At least not here" She thought.
"Belwa will be here shortly.Sit" said the caterpillar. Sasha sat beside a bed on a plastic chair. She pushed the chair back and slowly looked around. The room was almost empty except the furniture that was being used. There were phones being charged at every electrical point and a pile of utensils with leftover food. "This is nothing like the movies" Sasha thought. Her heart was still beating very fast and she was almost sure that she running a temperature or maybe it was too hot -- or maybe she was just too nervous to understand.
"Oh It is a woman!" A boy not a day older than 21 walked in from the back door. Sasha hated the smirk on his face. "What do you want?" Belwa said. His voice had no trace of a typical accent. For all Sasha knew, he could be a college drop out doing this for the joy of adventure and greed for quick money.
"You know what am I here for" Sasha said.
"Yes. Who is the person and how do you want him dead?"
Sasha placed an envelope at the edge of the bed. "Open this only after I am gone"
"Why madam? Have you put a love letter for me in here?" chuckled Belwa. The caterpillar joined him.
"This is the cash." Sasha took out a big envelope of money, ignoring the men.
"This is the maximum I can give you. Kill her however you want,whenever you want -- within this week. Shoot her, drown her, poison her. I don't care. Just don't get caught. If you did, I will refuse to admit anything."
"Her eh? Who is she, your mother in law?" Belwa laughed again and so did the caterpillar.
"Will you do this or not?"
"Arey Madam, this is a child's play for me. Go home now. A girl like you should not be seen in a place like this. Your enemy does not exist any more."
Belwa turned to the caterpillar. "Lakhan, ask Jamal to drop madam in his auto."
Even after such a statement , Sasha did not want to spend a minute around these men. "Don't bother. I'll manage." She mumbled.
Belwa looked at Sasha with a fixed gaze as if he was not used to be disagreed. "At least walk her till the main road." Belwa said as he opened a bottle of water kept at the foot of the bed.
"Come", said Lakhan.
Head held down and bag still clutched tightly, Sasha followed the caterpillar.
.......to be continued
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