Afaaf Zaryaab Khan

" Afaaf baby, don't cry." The woman before me said wiping my tears yet her own emotions betraying her.

I looked up at the beautiful woman. Her dark eyes dull as if drained of life and her pale skin standing out against the navy blue dress she wore. A loose veil around her head.

I shook my head.

" Why? Why do we keep doing this?" I asked my mother seeing her look down at her hands.

" Why does Baba keep doing this to us?" I asked again.

" Shsh-" Her hands caressed my cheeks.

" We'd leave Baba, we'll go away from here Amma, we would not stay here. Please.Please Amma--" I cried helplessly.

" No Afaaf, this is our home. This is my home. And you are my strong beta naa--"

She talked to me as if I was a four year old kid and to encourage her, I nodded my head.

" You are strong Afaaf--"

" And you'll make through it--"

" You are okay, just don't give up."

I opened my eyes for the first time since I became aware that I was conscious. I couldn't calculate how much time it had been since my senses came back. But upon looking around, I regretted ever opening my heavy eyelids.

My arm hurt as if something was punctured in it. Although I couldn't look down at my arm as my hands were tied behind my back, but I could feel that something was wrong with my upper arm. The ropes on my wrist were tight and the rough wood of the back rest of the chair made it even worst. A loose rope was around my upper body, lying uselessly.

The black dots didn't disappear in my vision as I looked from things to things.

It was a small room, with dirty walls from which the paint was scraped and cracks decorated them. A broken chair was lying in a corner. A window was by the wall opposite to me allowing the light to seep through. Dark blue cans and drum were thrown here and there with no other furniture. And crushed cigarettes decorated the rough flooring.

Moving my numb legs, my eyes moved to the wine red lehnga seeing it look at me helplessly and suddenly everything came rushing onto the curtain of my mind like a movie.

Khirad's wedding.

Dressing up.

The Nikah and everyone enjoying.

Aunty's smiles.

And--

Zaryaab

He was there.

I was with him.

A loud laughter came from outside the room making me snap my eyes at the threshold seeing four men enter. The gave a careless glance at me before two of them sat on the floor casually while one of them walked out and the most dangerous looking one leaned against the door.

They all looked of the same built. Dark and dangerous. The one standing across from me leaned against the door, kept looking at me making me feel conscious and helpless. I tried to speak but I was so fearful of them , that I couldn't get any words out.

Shivers ran down my spine as dark eyes bored holes in me. My head whirled around and I felt the black dots in my vision cloud all around. I tried to breath oxygen in but failed. My blurry vision lulled and soon I found myself falling into darkness again.

*

" Maybe she hasn't eaten anything."

" Ay, we barely had anything ourselves in two days. The shit piece of a man is gone for ever. I am damn hungry."

" We'll share our food with the girl?"

" No--"

I felt cold water splash over me making me open my eyes. I gasped out loudly feeling the water drip down my face. As my vision cleared, I saw the two man stand before me with a dirty bucket in their hand.

" Ay, sleeping beauty , you decided to open your eyes." The man dressed in all brown spoke. A match stick dangling from the side of his mouth. The most dangerous looking among the four.

" Where am I?" I couldn't even recognise how hoarse my voice sounded. I felt the dryness in my windpipe.

The two man shared a look before casting their eyes again on me. Their silence irked me. Making me glare at them.

" Why am I here? Who are you two?" I yelled moving in the small chair helplessly. The ropes scratching against my skin painfully.

" Shut up." The same man spoke casually as if my shrilling yell didn't even effect him.

He walked away making the other man call out to him.

" Mufi--"

The man whose name was now known didn't even turn to turn back.

I burst into tears. My tied arms hurt and half of my body was numb. The same posture of hours had made my body stiff.

" Arey, arey--" The other man standing spoke out. I looked up at him with tears trailing down my face.

" oh God! I am so freaking bad at condolences. " He threw his hands up in the air.

He looked to be around twenty five, young. With black hair jelled back and a tank top on his upper half of body. With dirty jeans he stood barefoot. He had black eyes and rough skin with tan.

I looked down, seeing the pooling dupatta around my feet with only a corner of it covering my shoulder. My open hair fell around my face and tickled my face making my try to move them away with my shoulder but I failed. I try again getting frustrated and angry and sad and I cried again.

Rough fingers touched my cheek and I gasped moving my face away. The man gathered my hair moving them behind my shoulder.

" Move Away." I yelled to his face.

He backed away chuckling.

" now now, sleeping beauty, you don't have to be so rude. I am just helping ya."

" Stay away." I shrieked yet again. My tears mixing with the anger of him being close to me.

Where are you Zaryaab. Come and save me.

The man took steps back and sat on the floor crossed leg. His hands clasping under his chin. His black eyes were filled with sympathy as he stared at me as if I was a television.

" I am sorry you have to be here. But its important, nay." He spoke sighing. His tone was as if he was regretting kidnapping me like this.

" What damage have I ever done to you people?" I asked as tears flowed down. The man shook his head.

" You'll get out of here--"

" Shan--" Another deep voice said and the man before me scrambled to his feet, standing up. The same man with brown piercing eyes came in with Mufi hot on his tail.

" What the hell are you babbling about" The man unknown hissed on Shan's face making the man cower back like a child.

" She was getting anxious, so I-"

The man's explanation was cut off harshly again and I wondered how someone like Shan- the childish- was even a part of so dangerous people.

All attention was now turn to me and I was terrified even petrified.

Mufi was the first one to sit down against the wall and take out a gun and place it besides him. I felt all breaths leaving my body as I saw the weapon now lay besides him.

Ya Allah.

" Please leave me. I haven't done anything and I don't even have any money, please --"

" Listen here, nay. People call me Murly. And I am one of the most feared man in this area. I do business only. And you are business right now. Murly doesn't abducts people for no reason."

By now Murly was standing by my chair. I frowned at him.

" Business--?" I asked hyper confused.

He casually pulled out a gun from his back and scratched his forehead with it. Placing the sole of his feet against the arm rest of my chair, he towered over me.

" Ae, Bolti kitna ho." He stated and placed the gun against my head. As the cold metal touched my skin, my breaths shallowed and my ears numbed. Gulping down the saliva, I closed my eyes as silent tears made way down my cheeks.

Zaryaab, please come.

" Yes , you are business." The man moved back and I opened my eyes seeing him walk over to Shan and grit out to open the ties around my hand.

Shan loosened the rope around my body before opening the tight ropes around my wrist. As soon as the ropes were off, I brought my hands before me, seeing the lining of the ropes decorate my skin. Red marks were on my hands and I rubbed my skin. Painful sensation only eliciting hisses from my mouth.

" Come on sleeping beauty, we've got food for you." I stood up from the chair but the numbness in my legs made me sit back down. Shan stepped forward to help, extending his hand, but I shook my head silently.

Sniffing, I stood up and followed Shan outside the small room. My dupatta was on my shoulder, and the long red wine lehnga mopped the floor underneath.

Outside the small room was a hallway with many double doors, broken and dirty. There was spilled paint on the flooring and rustic steel pieces here and there.

Shan lead me to a door, opening it I found myself standing in a garage. It was large. On one side was a broken table behind which Murly sat and two chairs were before him. Oil drums sat here and there with paint buckets on one side. Chairs sprawled every where. A yellow van was also parked by the gates. With colourful circles on it. One corner had dumped furniture piled and opposite to it was a window.

With longing eyes, I looked at the orange streaks of the setting sun. The day coming to an end soon.

" how long have I been here?" I asked with a lump forming in my throat.

Shan turned to me, his expressions twisting as if he was in deep thought.

" We took you in the morning and then you passed out for three hours--" He mumbled to himself.

" You've been here for five hours only." He concluded. And the only in his sentence had me cringing.

The man lead me to a small table with food on it and a mineral water bottle.

" Sleeping beauty, eat." He placed a chair for me and walked away. Uncapping the bottle , I drank from it. The warm water washing down all the lumps in my throat. I didn't touch the food not because it was limited but also because my stomach was already twisted in fright, that I couldn't afford any more.

There were already four hungry man so I thought it was better to leave the food. After fifteen minutes when Shan came and saw the untouched plastic bags of food, he frowned and I remained silent , only shaking my head.

" Go sit there." He pointed to the chair placed in the middle of room. With a tired body and thudding heart I walked over to the chair and sat down. Murly played with a lighter his hand, eyes shooting up to mine.

" Ae, does he not care for you?" He asked and I frowned.

Who?

I did not question back with the cold unbearable shivers running down the length of spine.

" Murly, marwaye ga tou."

( Murly, you'll get us killed)

A different voice spoke as a man came in with Mufi. He was tall and the one who had left the room when I had gained consciousness the first time. He, Mufi and Shan gathered around their boss's Murly's table. The four talked and laughed among them selves. They all were very similar. Their built was almost same. Bulky. The unknown man resembled Shan in his features. And Shan seemed to be the most young in their group, the most cool and calm. But the other two were different.

Murly wasn't tall like his companions. He was inches taller than me. Curly round hair bunched on his head and small black eyes. They wore many silver rings in their thick fingers adding the intimidating look to them.
Their average age would have been thirty.

As they ate dinner, I looked out of the small window into the darkness. The sun was gone for the night and the night was as dark as my heart and soul felt at the moment.

My fingers caressed the swollen skin of my forehead. Only feeling the bruise that might have formed. Shan had said that they had accidently banged my head when they were setting me on the chair. I even felt the dried blood on the wound.

The yellow bulb hanging over my head from the high ceiling illuminated the room. The men were fast asleep on four corners of the room. Their bodies fitted into chairs and their guns resting over their torso.

I sat silently, frozen in my chair. Their carefree snores were as if I was the one guarding them as they slept peacefully. Tears flowing down my eyes. I wasn't crying, but my tears weren't stopping either.

I missed Amma's arms- the warm cocoon.

I missed Aunty's care and love.

I missed Abba even.

Sitting stiff in the chair with silence all around with only the howling somewhere, I knew I was far. Far from where I was before. I was shaking with fear, and so I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around my self. My brown eyes fell to the four bangles in my thin wrist. The rose still tugged around them. The smelled the dry petals. It felt like home.

Zaryaab, please come.

I stayed awake all night counting each passing second. Each minute. Each hour.

When the morning embraced the land and bright sun rays seeped in, Murly woke up, pacing up and down the room.

He was angry, yelling at the men and waking them up.

" What is our fault in this?" Shan asked rubbing his eyes.

" I don't understand what's taking him so long. " the angry man kicked an empty can and I refrained from shrikeing. Another blue can went flying against the wall.

Murly marched towards me and I cowered in my chair.

" Murly, not her." I felt Shan stand up.

" Shut up." Murly barked and grabbed me by the arm pulling me up. I heaved as his fingers dug in my skin.

" Ain't he coming to save you. Doesn't he care for his wife?" The man asked harshly.

I frowned at him and gulped.

" Mmm--yy huss--band--?" My words jumbled as he gripped both of my wrists between us.

" My husband doesn't - doesn't know I-I am h-here. C-can you p-please c-call him. So th-that he takes me-e with h-him." I completed.

Murly jerked me, the pressure of his tight grip broke the bangles and they went falling on the floor, my heart fell in my stomach like the rose fell on the ground, absolutely soundlessly.

Murly pushed me away. Stepping on the rose, he killed it. And as he spoke the next words, my world turn upside down leaving me gasping for air.

" Of course he knows where you are."

***

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