Chapter 7:- Innumerable

More nightmares than dreams 

A crashing sound pierced through his ears, alarming each blood cell within. He shrieked in fear as he jerked up straight in bed. Reverting to his savior at times of exams on his side table, his brows furrowed at the odd timing; 3:21 AM. His jaw clenched and hands fisted in perplexion as he decided to tiptoe his way downstairs to investigate. His heart thumped with each step he took, each uneven breath responding to his failed attempts of calming that very heart. He considered the option of calling her. He had coerced himself as he inched towards the wired telephone sitting on the coffee table on one end of his mundane room when another sound echoed within the walls of the house. His footsteps retreated, and his hand slid onto the handrail for support as he progressed to the living room of their mansion-like house. 

The living room was austerely dark, a faint cackle of wind chimes teasing in the background. He gulped in misery as he barely called out, “Ma?” 

Footsteps speedened, rummaging through the clean floor as a seventeen year-old boy peeked from behind the staircase. 

“Leave me!” A voice cried in despair as he recognized it to be his mother’s. 

“One more word and it won’t take me long to fire another bullet. And trust me, it won’t miss its aim this time.” An uncannily familiar voice threatened. The boy scrutinized his eyes as he tried to identify the voice, until it turned to face him, widening his orbs. Behind the rugged man sat his feeble mother, with her wrists tied to the handrests of a wooden chair, her hair disheveled, her maroon ‘sari’ torn from places.

“I haven’t done anything. Let me go!” Vishakha pleaded once more, her voice breaking every so often.

“I’m afraid all proofs stand against you.” The intruder scoffed voraciously. 

“They’ve been manipulated.” She defended. 

“And who has the power to change it?” He smirked with a villainous laugh before reacting to a phone buzz.

“Perfect timing.” A police van screeched to a halt around the porch, its siren sounding more alarming than comforting. 

“Time to go, Vishakha.” 

“The police is here. You can’t escape.” She attempted at cornering him. 

“Why would I need to escape when they’re my men.” He snorted.  

“You’re part of the police department?!” She shrieked furiously, constantly trying to free herself. 

“Only to help and protect our society, of course.” The intruder freed her from her struggle only to tie her hands behind her back and pulling her through the main door.

“Leave me! Let me go!” She screamed at the top of her lungs as the engine revved.

“Let her go! Let Ma go!” Sameer yelled as his hand reached to stop her, still in his bed. Lifting his left hand he checked the time, 3:21 AM. Groaning slightly, his dismissively ignored the sweat beads as his teeth gritted in fury. In helpless fury of not taking any action when he had the chance to. The face of the intruder who tore his life into pieces flashed before his eyes, making his hands curl into fists and bang onto the wooden side table. No longer did he care about the oozing blood from his hand, because the seeping pain in his pierced heart hurt too much to numb the physical injury. Reaching out for his bike keys from his first drawer, he slid in a metallic steel object in his back pocket as he paced from his room, slamming the door shut. 

Sameer’s hair danced frivolously against the cool breeze, yet his hands remained firm, his back bent, his eyes scrutinized on the road as he swerved a turn his bike knew too well. Amidst the few trucks that unanimously traveled before the morning dawn, his speed stood out, though not faster than his beating heart. Maneuvering through smaller lanes, he finally reached his destination; a place he had grown to know like the back of his hand. Sameer’s bike juggled to balance between the few potholes and rocky path as it stumbled to park. 

Deserting it, he fished out a pair of keys and swung it around his index finger, pondering upon the idea of barging in. Resorting otherwise, he ran towards the black pipe that ended just below her parapet. Slithering past the board that welcomed ‘Nirmal Jyoti Society’, he climbed the pipe effortlessly. As if his hands and legs had been trained to do so, he swung himself over the parapet and peeked through the white curtains that should have revealed the Agarwal sisters. Sameer’s face crunched at seeing only one sleeping figure, who wasn’t the one he wanted to settle scores with. Taking quick steps, brushed his hands against his pants before quietly unlatching the balcony door that led to their room. As soon as he breathed the familiar soothing scent, a part of his heart longed to admire the room and relive old memories. His steps would have quivered to a stop if not for his reprimanding mind that forbade any distractions. 

Inching his way inside, his hand automatically clutched to the foot of the bed, as if trying to regain control over his heart. Swallowing a gulp, he blinked vigorously, trying to shift his focus to his target. Scanning the entire place, he noticed a thin line of light emerging from the bathroom door, indicating someone’s; probably the person he sought, presence. A grin swept across his face as Sameer tiptoed his way to the door, about to push through when he heard the sound of the knob unlock. 

“Sa—” Before she could comprehend anything, he pushed her inside and pinned her to the adjacent wall, one hand covering her mouth while the other locked the bathroom door. 

“What the hell are you doing here?” She protested through incoherently as he fixed his gaze back on her. 

A drop of water fell on the back of his hand as he noticed her damp hair. Aimlessly, his free hand reached for her and swept her wet hair behind her ear. She looked away, clearly frustrated yet affected by his touch. He smirked before tilting her head towards him again. Her orbs boiled with fury, her lashes more prominent due to its dampness. He could feel her warm, quick breaths tingle his hand as her lips fervently moved to curse.

Her blush didn’t break his daze, but her bite on his hand did. As Sameer flinched, Naina moved away and hollered, “How dare you?!” 

She turned to unlock the door when he meticulously grabbed her wrist and swung it behind her back as she crashed onto him. Naina felt a hard object against the side of her head as she spoke hysterically, “Aim all you want, but you won’t be able to fire.” 

Naina twirled to face his gun as she saw his jaw clench.

“Easy for you, right?” He spat as he shoved her at gunpoint.

“Daunting for you, I’m sure.” She responded to a different question. 

Loading the gun, he saw her flinch for a second before he pinned her to the wall again. 

“It’s not me. It’s you. Always you. Every single fault was yours.” Sameer accused, boring into her eyes. 

“Oh really? After all that’s happened, after the innumerable times you’ve apologized, how dare you accuse me?!” She screamed back, her hand pushing him back in retaliation.

“How dare you try to get all the sympathy?! How dare you when it was you who started all of this!” He squeezed her shoulder with his free hand, rage rushing through his veins.

 Her voice broke as she admitted, “Clearly why I hadn’t accepted your apologies. This is your true face, Maheshwari! Your true intentions.” She pointed her index finger at him with equal fervor in her glistening eyes.

“You have no right to when you yourself are succumbed under guilt, Agarwal.” The second the words slipped his lips, he inwardly regretted.  

She gulped and sashayed her glance to the floor for a few seconds.

“What, you’ve got nothing to say now?” He taunted with a wavering tone, his grip on her weakening.

Naina took a deep breath and looked back in his eyes, “Kill me then, Sameer. Let’s end this, for once and for all.”

His hand slumped back to his sides as his steps faltered. The revolver, still in his hand, loosened from his grip as it lay pointing towards the floor.

“You’ve got the power to accuse, but not the guts to act?” She rhetorically spat as she took steps towards him. 

Sameer turned on his heel, his shoulders hunched and head dipped towards the floor, a few strands of hair falling before his face.

“The great Sameer Maheshwari doesn’t have the power to fire a bullet, how sad.” Naina mocked. 

“At least he has the power to admit. Accept. Apologize.” His face hardened as Sameer spat through gritted teeth.

Her eyes blurred and face softened, the smirk diminishing to a faint line. A rigmarole of incidents played in her head; reminding her of memories she longed to forget. He seemed to have connected with her telepathically, for his expression immediately changed to imitate hers. 

Before he could express his sympathy Naina spoke, almost acridly, “It wasn’t my fault.”

He let out a bland chuckle, “Exactly my point.” 

“No. What you did was out of will. What I did was out of force. Under compulsion.”

“That’s what you think, Naina. Not the reality.” 

“At least I blame you for your faults. Why are you blaming me something I didn’t do? Why are you accusing me of things he did?” 

This time memories didn’t flood his head.

His mind didn’t swarm with her thoughts.

All that rang were her words his ears.

All that burned was her gaze on him.