Shackles of Desire - Chapter 43

Rajneesh’s feet scraped a bit on the floor and he tried to get up from the chair. But he was forced down by more than 10-12 guns pointing at him.

And in the middle of all those guns was the man staring him down with eyes blazing with anger.

And most of all: hatred.

As Rudra flicked his fingers up, the guns lowered immediately.

“Nobody fucks up my plans and you have meddled enough. Now you will know what happens when you mess around with me.”

“Ram!”

Ram shoved the gun inside the holster on his hips and stretched his hand towards Arshad.

Arshad handed him a string of cloth, which he started to coil tightly making a small rope out of it.

Rajneesh’s eyes widened as Ram came and stood at the back of his chair. 

Rudra kept on looking at him and Rajneesh felt that cold shiver run down his spine again. His muscles hardened with alarm just as he felt the cloth go around his neck. But he was not prepared for the next thing that happened. Shastri came and stood next to the chair, and then pushed the barrel of a gun right at his left temple.

“Now, you move one bit from that chair and Shastri will pull the trigger.”

Just as he heard Rudra say this, Rajneesh felt the pull of the cloth against his throat. His lungs revolted heavily but he stayed still. But as the cloth tightened more and more, he started to squirm.

Rudra watched with hooded eyes the squirming form and waited for some realm of satisfaction to settle in him but instead in his inner eye he saw a woman heaving for air underwater.

Rajneesh’s eyes widened as the constriction around his throat reached newer levels but Rudra only saw that woman slowly losing her breathing and collapsing into the water. And suddenly before she completely vanished underwater, her eyes looked right at him and recognition jammed his senses.

Ishani!

Rudra raised his hand and Ram instantly stopped.

Rajneesh collapsed against the chair coughing and breathing heavily. But he couldn’t relax as the gun was still pointed at his temple. He straightened and looked at the man sitting in front.

Rudra felt a bit of satisfaction wash over him as he saw fear lurking in Rajneesh’s eyes.

“Did it feel good?”

Rajneesh coughed a little but didn’t answer as it had become difficult for him to form words. He just shifted in his chair and raised his hand to rub his throat.

“I can easily kill you right now and nobody would even know. But I don’t kill people. Don’t believe in death. That’s too easy.”

“Arvind, take him away.”

Saying this Rudra got up from the chair and was turning when he heard Rajneesh.

“You want the same thing as I do. You want to give her pain and I want her out of the way. Then why don’t we join hands and be done with her?”

Rudra’s jaw hardened the minute the words filtered through. But this time anger didn’t boil inside him but a hostile animosity clutched his brain. He slowly turned and in a flash pulled out the gun from his holster.

Rajneesh’s eyes widened with horror as he saw him loading the gun and pointing it at him.

The next second he heard two gunshots but they missed him as they went past quite close to both his ears.

Relief coursed through him but it didn’t lessen the fear. However, his relief was short-lived. 

The next minute, he saw Rudra lowering himself to his level. As the cold barrel of the gun touched his forehead just between his eyes, dread mixed with panic leapt to new bounds.

“Don't tempt me to forget my vow of not killing anyone, because if I do, then I wouldn’t stop at that. I will burn you. I'm a ticking bomb. Don't upset the timer; might just blow up in your face.”

Rajneesh saw him move away and sighed with relief.

But again his relief was short-lived.

Rudra reached the door and pointed the gun at one of the legs of the chair and fired. The leg cracked and the chair tumbled to one side toppling Rajneesh to the floor.

“I never miss my targets. The next time it will be your head.”

*************

Amar came out of her room and sighed. Namish looked at him expectantly and started following him when he started walking away.

Just as Amar stopped near the lift, Namish grabbed his arm.

“It’s not good. She isn’t responding at all. Her whole body especially her brain is in complete shock.”

“Please don’t tell me that she is—”

“I am not telling you anything but if I were you then I wouldn’t hope for miracles.”

Namish let go of his arm and watched him go. Then he turned and the moment he did, he found himself staring right into Annie’s eyes.

Tears streamed down undeterred just as her eyes met his.

Ishani was dying and she was standing here helpless.

Annie’s body trembled and the next second she felt Namish’s arms going around her. Sobs escaped her and she collapsed on his chest.

Rudra entered the hospital and the minute he turned the corridor near Ishani’s room, his senses triggered the alarm. Something was wrong. The eerie calm of the entire corridor was too unsettling even for him. He saw Namish, Annie and Ishani’s uncle and aunt standing near her room.

Their hung heads and stricken expressions were enough for him to understand what had happened.

But the minute the realisation hit him, panic gripped his mind suddenly and instinctively he rushed towards them.

However, before he could ask anything, Annie launched herself on him.

“YOU! You are the reason why she is in this. You are the reason why she is dying. Happy now?”

“Ms Mohan!”

“Shut up and get out. You have killed her. You have got what you wanted. Her life, now just get lost.”

“Ms Mohan, I would request you keep your volume down. This is my hospital,” Amar said as he came and stood next to Rudra.

Then he slowly turned towards Rudra and shook his head.

“We have run the tests once more. Her brain was deprived of oxygen for more than a minute before you dragged her out of that container. Right now her brain is in shock. It’s not responding at all to any kind of stimuli. We have tried our best.”

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