Calming The Storm🌌 (#wattys2019)√

6. Quest!!!✔

Sampurnaa's pov:

It was finally Saturday, the day we would begin our quest to counter crimes. Since my parents and Dada-Boudi were out of town, I had not informed them about my plans.

All I had asked them to do was refrain from calling me. They would have freaked out if they had come to know of the job I had managed to assign myself.

It was 5 in the evening when I decided to make a move. I reached Grant Road and was waiting for Abhijit and the police officers. I had dressed up in a casual shirt with jeans which seemed to be a pretty decent attire for where we would be going. I had mapped out a small route for us, through narrow avenues and lanes which would give us opportunities to encounter any suspicious activity. The police were supposed to shadow us and there were cameras, recorders, and even trackers on us for security reasons.

At around 6, finally, the others arrived. It was not yet sundown but the monsoon sky was pretty clouded and dark. After a short conversation with all my colleagues and seniors on a conference call, Abhijit and I went on different paths.
......

It's been a good one hour since I have been walking. So far, things seem to be normal. Creepy old and young men adorn the lanes and are lustily gazing at any woman who passes by. I have been ignoring the fact that many have been shooting unwelcome glances at me but I had no choice but to keep my cool and move on straight.
There are drunkards and even weird women who are dressed immodestly, in fact quite obscenely. Some of them were looking at me like I had landed from Mars and two women were trying to seduce the policeman shadowing me. I was moving about normally, stopping at a shop or two on my way and even clicking random pictures of the buildings, to avoid raising suspicion. To an outsider, I could easily be mistaken as an NRI who was touring local Mumbai and suburbs for the first time.

So far, nothing extraordinary.
...

It's been another hour. It is raining quite heavily now. I am a bit tired but the thrill and anticipation of actually finding something were keeping me going. It was around 8.30 now. More and more people were gradually gathering around. I had to be more focused and cautious amidst the big crowd.

I was passing by a group of women when a face caught my attention. It was concealed behind some cheap concealer and the rain had washed away more than half of it. Bruises which had been poorly disguised were visible now. There were dark gashes, cuts, and older injuries that had healed badly on her face. She was trying to hide her face behind a crude veil. I followed her out of concern and curiosity. Glancing behind, I felt reassured as I saw the policeman still shadowing me.

The girl was still walking in front of me, glancing behind quite often, almost like she was escaping from someone. Observing her way of walking, one could clearly make out that she was injured badly. She was limping and her clothes were stained with blood. She started walking further, away from the red-light area. She kept walking and I was genuinely surprised as to how she was walking in such a severely injured state.
Eventually, she stopped in front of a local temple. It was a Shiva temple. Since it was way past 9, no one was nearby. She walked up the steps gradually, visibly in pain, and then almost like everything in her gave way, she dropped to her knees on the last step and started sobbing.

I was bewildered. I could make out nothing from the scenario.

She kept crying and muttering things. I crept closer, standing behind a pillar out of her peripheral vision. Her voice became quite audible now.
She was speaking in Hindi, "... Mein khooni hoon! Mein ne paap kiya!"(I am a murderer! I sinned!)

Although I was shocked at her confession to the Almighty, I decided to go to her and comfort her a bit, perhaps even convince her to go to the hospital or my home with me.

"Suno! (listen!)", I heard myself speak softly before turning on the recorder.
"Who's there??? I am telling you, go away! The consequences won't be good!", she spoke out in fluent English which indicated that she was from an educated and good family which did not belong to this dark part of the city. Even though her words were spoken in a threatening way, I could recognize that slight quiver in her voice which was crying out for some comfort, some mercy, and screamed her weak state.

I went nearby, ignoring her warning while she started moving backward. I touched her shoulder lightly to assure her that I did not mean any harm. Perhaps feeling a humanly human touch or the simple feeling of a comforting hand on her bodice made her feel secure and safe as she relaxed her stiff form. She was trembling and shivering though and then without a warning, she broke down! She fell to her knees embracing me and sobbed continuously.
I rubbed her arm and embraced her more as she kept crying.

The stench of dried blood from her clothes was almost revolting but her broken form was heart-wrenching so I kept holding her, allowing her to vent out.

She kept crying and started hyperventilating. Her desperate gasps for air mingled with her sobs making it impossible for her to breathe. She held her head with a hand and started muttering incoherently, almost like she was in a trance. I knew then that it was time to shift her to the hospital. I spoke into the BlueTooth device and asked the studio car driver to get the vehicle near the temple. The girl had calmed down now due to weariness and was breathing shallowly. Tears still rolling down involuntarily. She was still in my embrace.

Soon enough, the driver brought the car to the steps of the temple. I supported the girl and led her down the steps of the temple and towards the car. She was barefoot and it was only now that I realized that her feet were bleeding too.

The driver stepped forward to lend her a hand but she stilled when he approached her and then started backing away. I gestured to the man asking him to step away. I further instructed him to give me the car for the night and return. The girl had by now exhausted herself totally. She was barely able to stand. I held her and helped her in and asked her to relax.

"You are safe and okay now. I am not going to harm you. We are going to the hospital, okay?" I told her gently.

"I don't want to go to the hospital like this. Please! I beg of you! I know you mean well but my state... I... look...", her voice trailed of as she started crying again looking at herself in the rearview mirror.

I sighed.

I couldn't imagine in my worst nightmare what she was feeling. She was scared of her own reflection! How saddening is that?

"I respect your wishes, but the doctor gets to examine you at my home. Deal?" I asked.

She nodded barely able to keep her eyes open. I sighed and then started driving towards Chembur after calling the doctor.
...

After 1.5 hours of continuous driving in the rain, I finally reached home.
The doctor was waiting in the lobby. She helped me carry the girl who had fallen asleep in the car seat.

"How did this happen?" she asked me.

"I have an idea as to what happened"I seethed in an angrily calm way, "she was rescued from the red light area."

To be continued....
....................................................................
A/N
To anyone who may feel disappointed with the way the story is progressing, let me make this very clear that this is not a cliché romance. The two people whose story this is... Their story and relationship would be gradual and crime, court cases would be an integral part of the plot.

P.S. please do share my story and vote if I have managed to live up to your expectations.