Shackles of Desire - Chapter 16

Veera screamed as he saw his father fall down to his feet. The next thing he felt was something hard hitting him on the back of his head. Everything became black in a matter of seconds after that.

“Wake up! Wake up, you son of a bitch,” someone was shouting as he felt something cold and liquid hit his face.

He spluttered and opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was his mother bounded to the same pillar once again. But this time she was fully covered with something. His sister was pinned at her feet by one of the henchmen.

Veera tried to lift his hands and instantly realised that they were roped to something. He looked around for his father but couldn’t find him.

Blinding rage boiled his blood as he realised how he had been tricked into giving them the deed. He raised his angered gaze at Thakur Baldev who was flipping the pages of the deed. Just as he reached the end, he looked at Veera and then smiled.

“Did you really think I’ll let them go?” he asked laughing in the end.

“I trusted you,” Veera replied, hate ripping every word.

“Well my boy, you are more gullible than Vikramveer.”

Just as he uttered his father’s name every cell in Veera’s body erupted with rage. He curled his fingers on the rope and gritting his teeth, pulled it with everything in him.

The rope ripped apart from whatever it had been bonded to. The moment his hands were free, he jumped on Thakur Baldev and circled the rope hanging from his hand around his neck.

“Touch my family and I’ll strangle him,” he said acerbically.

Everyone went motionless but suddenly just as Veera was thinking about his next move, he heard the sound of metal chains being pulled.

“Turn,” he ordered Thakur Baldev.

As Thakur Baldev turned, Veera eyes widened and his heart stopped.

Vikramveer was sitting in the middle of the room in a pool of blood and chest profusely bleeding with a chain around his neck.

Veera’s heart skipped a beat as his mind stilled around the most dreaded thought.

Was his father alive?

But then he saw the slow rising of his chest and felt relief course through.

However, his relief was short lived. 

The henchman holding the noose tossed the end of the chain through one of the bars on the ceiling and then started to pull it.

Horror mixed with pain slithered through Veera’s veins as he watched the scene ahead.

Next, he heard his mother’s whimpers followed by his sister’s wrangled sobs.

Vision clouding with the tears forming in his eyes, his whole body trembled. His grip on the rope around Thakur Baldev’s neck loosened and finally, he let go as he felt Thakur Baldev’s large fingers curl around his.

His defeated body was shoved away from Thakur Baldev’s.

Just as Veera landed on the floor, he felt a foot being pressed to his nape. He blinked and looked ahead. All his senses were going numb from the image in front.

“Please,” he cried out pleading with all his might.

Suddenly the henchman holding the chain let go and his father fell down on the ground. Veera yelped with fear as the thump sounded in the room. Seeing a henchman splashing water on his father’s face, he willed him to open his eyes.

Just as his father opened his eyes, they narrowed at his mother.

“Ah! I finally have your attention Vikramveer,” Thakur Baldev said as his sons started to laugh loudly.

“He seems disoriented, Baba,” Thakur Virendra commented.

“Well, not for long.”

“Ratan!” Thakur Baldev called and Veera saw Thakur Ratan nearing his mother.

Thakur Ratan pulled his mother’s chin up and looked at her closed eyes.

“This one also needs to be awakened,” he said as he picked up some water from a nearby bucket and splashed on her.

His mother’s senses returned and she shook her head to clear the haze but just as she did, she glared at the person standing in front.

Veera looked at Thakur Ratan’s face as it turned red with anger seeing his mother's glare. The next minute the eye-piercing sound of a slap sounded in the room and his mother’s face lay reddened.

Veera lowered his eyes in shame knowing he was totally powerless to do anything. He looked at his sister who was sitting completely numb at his mother’s feet. There were no tears, no expression on her face; she was staring in space.

He knew she was long gone.

Thakur Ratan gestured something to the henchman standing behind his mother and he opened her ropes. The moment she was free, Thakur Ratan pulled her to him and turned her towards his father.

“Now watch her go down,” he said as he shoved her towards his brother.

Veera tried to get up but the foot on his nape pressed him back to the floor. His father screamed and his mother struggled to keep the cloth intact on her body as she was being shoved from brother to brother.

Finally, she crumbled to the floor as the cloth was wrenched from her body by Thakur Ratan.

Shame and indignity clouded Veera’s senses as he heard his mother’s grunted whimpers. He didn’t have the courage to look at her but as he flicked his gaze at his father, he saw him staring painfully at her.

All of a sudden, his mother sprung to her feet not caring about her nudity. Agape, Veera watched his mother fluidly flick out the knife from Thakur Ratan’s hip holster and stab him in the stomach. Not giving him time, she pulled it out and then stabbed again. Thakur Ratan fell down on the floor with the impact and his mother turned towards Thakur Virendra.

Thakur Virendra took a step back as his mother neared him slowly. He could see the henchmen standing transfixed watching her; even Thakur Baldev was shocked motionless.

But a movement caught Veera’s eye and he screamed to warn his mother.

However, it was too late.

Thakur Ratan stood up on his feet and grabbed his mother from behind.

“You should have never hit me, not now and not before.”

Saying this he clutched his mother’s hand holding the knife and raised it to her throat, and as the sharp edge cut through, he moved it across the length.

Uma slowly slid to the floor, her body disintegrating as blood oozed out of the gaping wound on her throat.

Veera watched as his mother looked at him and then his father, and then collapsed totally lifeless.

Copyright © Paromita Majumder. All Rights Reserved.