Their waiting came to an end. They heard footsteps. Both Charmi and Shyam came in the alert. Shyam was at his usual place and Charmi was a meter far from him. Shyam’s heart was beating as a diesel pump. He began to take deep breaths to overcome his thrill.
The door was opened.
The in-comer has a plate in his hand. He stood between Shyam and Charmi. He bent down and placed the plate on the floor. Shyam and Charmi found he was not Balbeer. At first, both startled and confused seeing him instead Balbeer but it would make no difference whether he was Balbeer or someone else.
“I brought chicken.” He took out a bottle from his leather jacket, “I also brought liquor. Balbeer never disappoints the birds. He sent both chickens and wine for you.”
“Thanks” Shyam found his own voice.
“Magpie, why are you silent?”
“I have a fever.” Charmi could whisper.
“Try the chicken with alcohol. The fever won’t return for the whole year.” He burst with the laughter.
Shyam rose quickly when he turned to return. He was more alert over the expectation of Charmi. His hand reached to his trouser, but he forgot the presence of Charmi. Perhaps, he forgot because Charmi was here for a couple of days. Maybe Charmi quicker. Either Shyam or he understood anything, Charmi kicked keeping herself sitting on the floor and Charmi’s both legs caught his legs. Shyam found enormous strength and zest in his veins and Shyam pushed him. The man could not bear double attacks.
He stumbled but Shyam saw Charmi’s right hand under his neck and the left one under his waist. Charmi was standing cradling him in his hand. His legs were swinging and his feet still touched the floor. Shyam didn’t notice when Charmi rose but he didn’t waste his time to think how and when Charmi rose and pressed tightly his both palms over his mouth. The poor man was still rolling her eyes. He got unconscious when Charmi placed him on the floor.
“How has the fella fainted? we did nothing, did we?” Shyam was panting.
“I didn’t hold him to prevent falling on the floor. My right hand was to blow at his third point of the spinal cord. He will be unconscious for the next forty-five minutes.” But Shyam didn’t stop to hear Charmi’s explanation. He ran to the door and put his foot on the grill of the door to prevent it from closing automatically.
Charmi removed his jacket. Shyam was looking at the out of the door and at Charmi in turn. Charmi put his jacket on. She took the revolver out from the jacket and check the magazine. Shyam understood seeing the brightness on her face, the magazine must be fully loaded. Charmi found a packet of cigarettes and lighter from another packet. Charmi put the gun and the cigarette packet and lighter where they were before in the pockets. Charmi didn’t forget to pick two cigarettes and lighter put in the corner at the noon. She fumbled his trouser. She found a purse from one pocket of trousers. Charmi put the purse in the pocket of the jacket without opening it. She found a key from another pocket of the trouser. It was a key of any vehicle but it sounded the key to any safe. Charmi put the key in the pocket of the jacket.
Charmi undressed him of his trousers. She had to turn his body left and right to remove his trousers. Charmi put the trouser on over her jeans. She took the chicken plate in her hand rushed to Shyam.
“Bring the bottle and balti.” She spoke putting her foot on the grill.
Shyam ran and picked the bottle and balti and came back in a flash. Charmi took the bottle slid it into her pocket of the jacket. Shyam wondered whether it was a jacket or dress of Santa Claus.
Charmi peeped out and looked, “the labra is standing.” She gestured at Shyam to put his leg on the grill. Shyam did according to her sign.
Charmi stepped out with courage. Shyam’s heart was beating and pumping, in fact, it was throbbing and struggling to split his chest. Shyam tried to overcome his breaths. He peeped out and tried to look. Shyam found the back of the dog. He felt relieved thinking the dog could not see him. Pieces of chicken were scattered on the floor but the labra was only sniffing them instead of eating.
Shyam felt the blood frozen in veins of his legs. They kept the pitbull hungry during the night and the labra during the day. Shyam thought at least they would not feed both dogs fully at a time.
Lebra was now sniffing Charmi’s trouser. Charmi had only ten to fifteen minutes. The clothes would catch her body-odour within the next fifteen minutes. May she forget the fact. No, no, she never forgets. She is an army agent, a detective, and a trained one. Shyam thought.
Why is Charmi not doing anything? but, what she can do? The hound was sniffing her trouser and then sniffing the air. The dog repeated his action two-three times. Shyam couldn’t understand what he should do. Once again the labra tried to sniff her trouser and Charmi opened the gap between her legs wide and let the dog’s neck pass between her legs. She suddenly narrowed the gap between her legs and caught the neck of the beast stuck between her legs. Keeping the legs tight, she screwed her legs with a jerk.
Labra couldn’t get the chance to make any sound. The beast’s neck was still stuck and pressed between her legs. Shyam found the hind limbs of the hounds were trembling and the back body of the dogs began to collapse. Charmi opened her legs wide and the torso of the beast also collapsed on the floor. Charmi soon removed the trouser. Shyam understood Charmi was ready to run and fight. It was doubtless the trouser of that men will eat Charmi’s half activeness.
Charmi took that trouser in hands and signalled Shyam to come out. Shyam came out keeping balti in his hand. They saw first time what the outside was. They found a cell in front of the room in which they were confined. That room had a double door instead of the sliding one. The door was closed and a heavy lock was swinging over it. They found the stairs going up at the left of their room. Charmi hung the trouser over Shyam’s shoulders and took the gun in her hands.
Charmi was sitting on her feet on the stairs and moving ahead bit by bit. Shyam was still standing at his place. He had balti in his hand and he could not move as Charmi. It took five minutes and Charmi reached the edge of the stairs at the up end. Without looking back, Charmi signalled him to come. Shyam walked on the stairs keeping his feet as soft as he could. He reached Charmi, put the balti on the stair, and sat behind her. Charmi looked at him. She moved little aside. She signalled Shyam to move ahead. Shyam occupied the place where Charmi was before. He understood Charmi wanted him to look outside. He peeped out slightly.
Shyam was startled seeing the scene outside.
Their plan, the one which ran smoothly till now, was no smooth now. The stairs end in the lobby. Either side of the stairs had a room. Some faint light was coming out from the room at the left. Shyam couldn’t see anything clear at the right side as it was dark at that side.
Pitbull was sitting looking at the door in front of the room from which lights were coming out. The door was open. The white head and neck of the beast were shining in the faint light. Shyam found the dog’s rest body grey, but he was not sure of the colour yet as it was a dim light.
At the rear side of the dog, there were stairs going down. Shyam tried to set up the map in her mind. The room in which they were confined might be half basement. The basement had two rooms facing each other while on the floor; the rooms were in the same line but the stairs on which now Shyam was sitting splitting them.
Shyam looked at Charmi. How can the door be closed and bolted? The pit bull was sitting at the door. The trouser or the jacket can’t help them anymore. They have three weapons, the gun, the balti with water and the trouser. Both knew they will come out if that man whom they made unconscious in the basement doesn’t go back in the reasonable time.
They couldn’t afford to waste the time.
Charmi pointed him the stairs going down out of the building and raised her first finger. Charmi wanted to say the first way is to run and go out. But Shyam couldn’t understand what she wanted to say.
Charmi showed him the gun and raised her first and middle fingers. Charmi wanted to say the second way is to shoot the dog. Now Shyam understood she was telling about the different plan but still he couldn’t understand what the plans were.
Charmi wiped the floor by her hand and then pressed her both palms facing them. She wanted to say she would crawl and reach the door as near as she could go, and close and bolt the door. Shyam understood she was talking about the closing and bolting the door but he didn’t understand why she wiped the floor by her hand. This was Charmi’s third plan and Shyam could understand it half. After raising the first, middle and ring fingers, she showed Shyam her thumb which suggested the third plan was the best according to her. He didn’t understand the third plan yet he nodded thinking Charmi was experienced in such matters.
Charmi grabbed her revolver between her jaws by teeth and slept facing her chest to the floor. She peeped her head slowly. Pit bull’s attention was at the door. Charmi started to crawl on the floor using her elbows. Her speed of moving as slow as the snail. Both Charmi and Shyam could hear the breaths of the pit bull. Shyam was trying to keep her breaths as slow as he could.
Charmi passed the half distance and the pit bull rose from its place. Soon Charmi took her gun in the hand. Shyam felt his breaths stopped. Suddenly the pit bull turned to Charmi and jumped over her. Shyam heard the gunfire. Next moment, Charmi stood up. Shyam couldn’t decide what happened first whether the hound jumped or Charmi fired. What maybe but Charmi missed the aim.
Charmi ran to the door and the beast to the Charmi. Shyam rose from his place and came out with balti. May the beast be distracted seeing Shyam, but the dog stooped for a moment and the pit bull rushed to Shyam breaking the rule ‘Lady is first’.
Shyam heard the second fire and felt four nails piercing in his thigh. He didn’t know but the pit bull came in a flash and caught his thigh. He hit pit bull with balti using his full force. The beast left his thigh.
Water made Pitbull bathe. The water was spreading every side on the floor. Shyam ran, but he slipped due to water. He fell down. He saved his head putting his palms over his head but he felt his palms crushed.
Shyam heard someone falling down and the slam of the door as well. Shyam thought if something happened to Charmi, the dog wouldn’t leave any chance for those people to kill him.
The beast vibrated its body and sprinkle the water from the fur. The beast was now very careful. It was pacing to Shyam with utmost care. It was a trained dog and its whole attention was at Shyam’s neck. The beast became violent due to water attack and began to grunt. It was half foot distance between the beast and Shyam. The distance between Shyam and the death was as short as the beast wide its jaws and caught his neck between his jaws. Suddenly Shyam found violent brightness in its eyes.
Shyam understood for what the brightness in its eyes was. He pulled his left hand under his head and tried to cover his neck. Shyam felt the same pain and nails in his wrist. He cried in the pain.
Shyam freed his right hand stuck under his head and caught the beast’s neck. He could not catch its neck with a hand but he could sit up with the support of its neck but he felt his left wrist tearing. The beast left his hand.
*
When Charmi fired, the beast had jumped and her bullet missed the target. Charmi had full confidence in Shyam and Shyam dared to come out at that time hence the hound had rushed to him with its fearful eyes.
Hearing the fire, a man came out of the door but Charmi shot him with a single fire. The rest inside the room were not foolish enough to come out after two fires. Charmi shut the door with a slam and bolted it. Soon she jumped aside as she knew by her experience that within next moments the bullets would start to come out through the door.
*
Shyam’s brain ordered his left hand to catch the neck of the beast and suffocate the dogs with both hands but his left hand was inactive. His left hand could follow the order of the brain.
Suddenly the beast was thrown aside and Shyam heard the third fire. He looked at the beast. It was floundering and squirming for breaths. The dog caught a bullet in its neck. Charmi had kicked and thrown the dog aside and fired at it. Shyam could now understand what had happened. He felt his head spinning and his vision blurred.
Charmi caught his arm and helped him to stand up.
Shyam looked at the door. a man laid there, but he was not Balbeer. Men inside the room were kicking the door and making noise. They were also shouting and speaking ill words.
Charmi came to his right side and made him put his hand over her shoulder. His right thigh and left hand were bleeding. Charmi began to climb down the stairs with him.
Both climbed down the stairs and they found a considerable ground around them. Shyam couldn’t recognise the place. He felt his eyes increasingly blurred. There stood two bikes. Charmi made him sit on the ground.
Charmi checked both the bikes. Fortunately, one bike has string unlocked. Charmi pulled some cables from the throttle. She cut the wire and joined them. She sat on the seat, kicked and the engine throbbed. The throbbing of the engine relived the heart beating of Shyam.
Charmi drove the bike to Shyam and shouted, “come on, hurry up.”
Shyam found the power by her words.
***
To be continue...
