The Girl Next Door Ch. 02

"What's her name again?" Armaan asked as he browsed a social media site.

"Meera," Neil said.

Armaan opened her profile trying to scan the details.

"What the...!" Reyansh commented as he observed her social media page, "You guys blind or what?"

The other three men looked at him questioningly.

"Look at the difference in lighting in the object and background, these impossible lighting angles, resolution mismatch..." Reyansh said as he grabbed the laptop and scanned the pictures using various graphic tools that he used for his work.

"ALL these images are fake," he said confidently, "The ones with friends and family...this girl's picture has been merged into some random pictures of other people...now to do a reverse search.." he continued running his fingers rapidly over the keyboard, "All of these were taken from different social media profiles. Someone took the effort to create a fake profile with so many fake images. They wanted you to believe something that isn't. So bottom line is...Neil you are in deep shit!" Reyansh commented.

"If the pictures are fake," Aarav said, "I am sure the name and other details mentioned here are fake too. So now there are two girls we need to find out about."

Neil was visibly upset. "I really don't understand why she would..." he said.

"If she's been visiting the hospital and seeing a psychiatrist" Aarav said, "I could pull out her case file. It will help us get a better insight."

"Sounds good," Armaan said, "Let's disperse for now. There's work to do. And watch your step, all of you."

The men dispersed without further word.

Next day Armaan drove to a known red-light area.

"Long time Sir!" a man greeted him, "How can I help you?"

"I'm looking for her," Armaan said showing him a picture in his phone.

The man looked at it for a long time and said, "It is only a side view pic, but I really don't think I have seen this girl around here."

"Are you sure? I need to find her, help me and I'll pay double the usual tip," Armaan said.

"Forward me the pic, Sir, I'll have my best men look for her," the man said.

Armaan forwarded the pic, paid him a token of cash in advance and turned to leave. But a thought occurred to him. He stopped and turned back, "One more thing..." he said calling out to the man.

"Seen her around here?" he said showing a pic of Meera.

The man's face lit up seeing Meera's pic. "Oh yes! I know her," he said, "She is

Natasha, she is one of the most special girls here, works for special clients only...this one is your type sir, she would take anything if you pay the right price. Trust me, 'anything'," he insisted.

Armaan smiled that his shot in the dark hit the bull's eye. "Are you certain?" he confirmed once more.

"100 percent. No one can forget a girl like her, the most expensive piece of ass around town." The man confirmed with a smile.

"Fine, fix her up with me, will ya?" Armaan said, "No matter the price,"

"I am sorry," the man said as his expression dropped, "She doesn't work around here anymore. She disappeared like a year ago."

"Never mind," Armaan said, "Find me this other girl."

The man nodded

Armaan got back into his car and made a few phone calls to confirm what he had just heard. Once he was certain that the information is true, he called up Neil.

Neil: Hey, I could use some good news bro.

Armaan: I have news, not sure if it is good.

Neil: Hell, tell me anyway

Armaan: This Meera character of yours, she is no writer or a businessman's daughter. She is a whore. Goes by the name Natasha, and God knows how many other names!

Neil: WHAT?!!

Armaan: Yeah, a pain slut precisely. She caters to needs of specific men. Word is that she has a high tolerance for pain, and she takes all S&M requests, and that's why she is priced much higher than regular whores. That is where all that money comes from. Its that why she looks familiar to you Neil?

Neil: Hell no! I would have remembered! Have you?

Armaan: No. But I have certainly seen her before, once with Pankhudi and she looked familiar even then.

Neil: Why the hell was she with your girl Armaan?

Armaan: I don't know yet Neil, and that really worries me. Not sure if Pankh even knows the truth about her. This girl seems to be up to something Neil. Be careful. I'm trying to dig further into her history. There has to be a reason why she looks familiar to both of us. I'll call you back as soon as I have more information.

Neil: Alright, the sooner the better.

Armaan hung up the phone.

Next Armaan drove to Aarav's hospital. He asked for Sister Mary. A middle-aged woman appeared before him.

He showed her a pic of Meera and asked, "Sister Mary" he asked firmly, "What was this woman really doing here?"

"Why is everyone after her?" the nurse replied.

Armaan slipped some cash into her hand and asked again with a stern gaze, "The truth."

The nurse looked around for anyone listening and leaned in closer, "She wanted access to the employee records."

Armaan was alarmed, "What for?" he asked.

"I don't know," the nurse said, "She paid me for a little piece of information. I just told her where the records are kept."

Armaan immediately called up Aarav to alert him. But he didn't answer.

He stopped a nurse passing nearby. "I need to speak to Dr. Aarav urgently," he demanded.

"I am sorry Sir, but he is in the operation theatre. He is not to be disturbed till the end of the surgery," she informed.

"How long would it take?" Armaan asked.

"Four hours, at least," she replied.

He quickly dropped Aarav a text to call him back as soon as possible.

He got back into his car. His phone buzzed with a text message.

Pankhudi: Missing you sweetheart. Come over for dinner?

Armaan smiled reading the message. He wanted to talk to Pankhudi about Meera anyway but he felt it is best to do so in person rather than over the phone. Besides, it had been a while since they were together. He had been too busy to spend time with his love Pankhudi, and he loved the food she cooked.

He replied "All right, I'll be there in 30 minutes," and drove off to her place.

When he reached Pankhudi's place, he found the door ajar. He got a little suspicious, but was wondering if Pankh had planned some surprise for him.

He looked for her in the living room, called out her name but there was no response. He glanced quickly in the kitchen and when he found no fresh food cooked, he was alerted.

He cautiously entered the bedroom and found a man holding a knife to her throat. And before he could realize, he felt a sharp pain in the left side of his neck. He turned around to find Meera standing there smiling at him. She held an empty syringe in her left hand, the contents of which she had already injected in Armaan's body.

"What the fuck?" Armaan scream in pain, "What the hell are you doing here? What is going on here?"

Armaan felt the toxin work. He felt weak, his muscles losing tone slowly, he fell to his knees.

Meera walked around him smiling at his condition, watching him writhe helplessly in pain and his movements cease as the neurotoxin paralysed his muscles deeper with every passing minute.

"Who are you?" Armaan asked.

"I'm surprised you remember so little...but I was so little when we first met," Meera said stroking his hair fondly.

Armaan could barely respond. With the toxin paralyzing his muscles, he fell to the floor. His breathing became laboured as he struggled to breathe as his respiratory muscles were losing tone.

"That's a neurotoxin I just injected in you. It is going to paralyze your muscles for a while so that you can enjoy the show. You won't be able to move around much but you'll be fully conscious. You'll feel, hear and remember everything that happened here. That's the fun part."

"Please don't hurt Pankhudi," he gasped with all the voice he had left.

"I'm afraid that's exactly what we are going to do," Meera chuckled and signalled the man. Two other men entered the room.

One of them cuffed his hands and feet together so he was forced into a kneeling position. Meera sat down on a chair next to him and grabbed his hair to remind him that she was in control.

The three men then walked towards Pankhudi.

"No please no," Armaan begged as he realized what they were about to do.

The man holding the knife began to tear of Pankhudi's clothes. She screamed and tried to resist but the men holding her were too strong.

"Why are you doing this to me Meera? I thought we were friends. I trusted you." Pankhudi pleaded.

"That was the whole point," Meera shrugged and spoke nonchalantly, "To get you to trust me, so I can do this to both of you."

"But why? I have never hurt you...I've been good to you, I've helped you," Pankhudi pleaded, "Don't you have a heart at all?"

"I did have a heart once, until he tore it out of me," she said glaring at Armaan,

"Pankhudi, you don't deserve any of this, but you are all he cares about and some men don't learn till it happens to the people they care about."

The men continued tearing away her clothes relentlessly. Soon she was completely naked.

"Listen, Meera, Natasha, whatever the fuck your name is..." Armaan growled, "Stop it this instant or..."

"Or what?" Meera laughed, "You wanna do something about it?"

Armaan struggled wildly with his restraints. But he was too weak. Meera laughed at his hopeless struggle. He could barely watch. He closed his eyes out of helplessness.

He suddenly felt a sharp pain on his neck. Meera had poked a knife into his neck and drew out blood. "Next time you close your eyes, I will cut her. One cut for each time you close your eyes. Do you really want to make this more painful for her?" she warned.

The goons pushed the helpless naked woman on the floor a few feet away from Armaan. He felt his blood boil, but he couldn't even move.

"So nice of them to arrange such a close-up view, no?" She teased Armaan grabbing his hair and forcing him to watch the rape of the woman he loved.

"Please," he begged, "Whatever grudge it is that you have against me, take it out on me, do whatever you want to me, but please let her go...she is innocent."

"Innocent, is she?" Meera spoke calmly, "Well, there many who prey on the innocent, I am sure, you, among all people, would agree."

Meera smiled as one of the goons spread her legs and mounted her. Pankhudi cried, begged and screamed but the man showed no mercy.

"You son of a bitch," Armaan shouted at the man who was about the rape her. "If you touch her, I'm gonna cut you into a thousand pieces."

"Tsk-tsk," Meera shook her head in disappointment. She started stroking Armaan's head gently, teasing him and said, "You need to be alive in order to do that. You know, the good man here can slit your throat this instant and fuck her anyway. There's no need to be rude. I am keeping you alive for a reason. Respect that."

The man started gnawing at her helpless naked body. She tried resisting him with all her strength but he rammed his cock inside her. She screamed hysterically, but the filthy looking goon forced a kiss in her as he continued fucking her unwilling pussy.

Armaan's eyes were tearful. He struggled with all his strength against his restraints but was helpless.

"Stop it please," he begged over and over again. "Take whatever you want, do whatever you want to me."

"Really?" Meera asked with a devilish smile.

"Just let her go," he pleaded.

The man raping Pankhudi grunted obscenely as her came in her pussy. Meera smiled at her accomplishment. "There, look," she said grabbing a chunk of Armaan's hair, "Your precious Pankhudi defiled by a filthy thug right in front of your eyes."

Armaan couldn't bear to watch anymore, he closed his eyes. And suddenly he heard Pankhudi scream loudly. Meera had made a deep cut in her skin. "What did I tell you about closing your eyes?" she said looking straight at Armaan.

"No, please don't hurt her," he said.

"I won't," she replied, "All you have to do is keep your eyes open and enjoy the show."

Armaan could no longer hold back his tears. Meera made him look at her defiled pussy with another man's cum flowing out of it. His heart shattered to see the woman he loved the most in such a condition.

Another man mounted her next and he was forced to watch again.

The ordeal went on for quite some time, the three goons taking turns to rape her over and over again. Meera had a look of pleasure and satisfaction as she watched the couple suffer.

"Who are you?" Armaan asked in a defeated tone, "And why are you doing this to us?"

"Now that's an interesting question" Meera replied, "I am a...you could say, cockroach. I was born in a stinky dump and lived an equally stinky life. And then there came this angel, who thought I deserved better, who thought I deserved love and she gave it to me. And she gave me hope that perhaps my life would not be so shitty after all. I loved her, more than anyone else, just like you love your precious Pankhudi. You never realize how much it hurts until it happens to you right? Then this cockroach comes looking for her sunshine, and guess what, you decide that I am a problem and you flush me down into a gutter hoping you'd never see me again. But you know what cockroaches can survive the darkest, filthiest places. Not sure if this flower of yours can."

She signalled the men and they dragged up to her feet. She was barely conscious.

"NO! STOP!" Armaan screamed, "Where are you taking her?"

"To a bad place," Meera laughed.

"Please don't," he begged with tears in his eyes, "I'll give you all I have. All my money...everything, but please let her go."

"That's cute," she said playfully patting his cheek, "But, no thanks. What I really want is to watch you suffer. You get to keep your money and resources. You'll need it anyway to find her. And you know what, you will indeed find her someday, but all the things that would have happened to her by then, the countless number of filthy men who would have used her by then, or maybe you'll find her humping cocks with a cute baby bump, maybe she would have given birth to a couple of bastards till then ...wow, the possibilities are endless!" She grinned leaving the rest to the worst of his imagination.

The men injected something into Pankhudi's body and she collapsed. Armaan looked at the beautiful woman he loved now lying, naked, defiled unconscious on the floor. The men put her inside a crate like a lifeless object and carried her away.

"NO,NO,NO!" Armaan shouted. He could barely contain his anger and grief. But he was bound helplessly and his heart was shattered.

"Next time," Meera said pressing a knife to his cheek and grabbing his hair, "Next time you decide to watch a girl get raped and do nothing to help her, remember this day." She made a deep cut across his cheek.

"One thing I promise you bitch, I won't die till I ruin your life properly," he spoke vengefully in a low bitter tone.

Meera laughed and shrugged, "You already did that 13 years ago," she said with a smile and ran her fingers through his hair and continued, "Besides, you are only alive because I decided to keep you alive. I want your suffering to last as long as possible."

"I'm borrowing your phone," Meera said as she picked up Armaan's phone and continued "I don't want you alerting your friends prematurely. The neurotoxin will wear off in a while and you'll regain strength but you better find a way to get out of those cuffs alive or you will die of starvation in this very room.

Armaan was still and quiet, his face clearly showing the intensity of the pain he was feeling.

She looked at him one last time, beaming at her accomplishment as she bent over and whispered in his ear, "You should have killed me when you had the chance."

She walked out of the room laughing leaving a broken Armaan to struggle helplessly with his restraints.

***********

Neil's house felt so empty without Aditi and the kids. It had been only 2 days since they left but the emptiness was burning a hole in Neil's heart. Memories of his wife smile, hugs and kisses, his children's laughter brought tears to his eyes.

He was desperate to make things alright between them, desperate to bring his family back. But Aditi would neither answer nor return his calls. Neil sat down on the couch with his head between his hands not knowing what to do.

Suddenly he heard the doorbell. He rushed to the door hoping to find Aditi, hoping that she had changed her mind and decided to forgive him. He was shocked to find Meera standing at the door.

She smiled confidently pushed him aside and walked into his house.

"You bloody whore," Neil growled, "Get the fuck out of my house!"

Meera only smiled back at him and sat down on the couch. "How does it feel Neil?" she asked him with a broad grin, "..to lose everything you love."

"So this was your plan," Neil said, "You sent that other whore to get than video from Reyansh's laptop...why am I not surprised?"

Meera just kept smiling at his defeat. Her smile made his blood boil.

"Who do you think you are?" he shouted at her, "A bloody whore, worthless piece of flesh nothing else!"

Meera burst out laughing, "Calling me names doesn't change the fact that your life is fucked and there is nothing you can do about it."

Her laughter pierced his ears like poisoned darts.

He grabbed her hair. Meera began to struggle in his grip. "You think you are clever, don't you? You think you'll mess with my life and there is nothing I would really do about it?"

"Neil, let me go," Meera warned, "You won't like where this goes."

Neil chuckled, "Look at yourself, how pathetic you sound threatening me when you can't even break free from my grip. You think you know pain, you know what cunt, when I am done with you today, you won't even recognize yourself."

Meera struggled with all her strength. A portion of her top got ripped off exposing her cleavage. Her skin burned in humiliation. Neil smiled briefly at her condition roughly pushed her on the floor roughly.

"I'll show you what it means you have your life fucked!" Neil spoke vengefully and he grabbed a leather belt and began raining blows on Meera. She screamed in pain.

"That's right bitch! Scream all you can!" Neil said.

"NEIL!" Aditi screamed as she entered the room, "Stop, for God's sake!"

She rushed to Meera who was almost losing consciousness. Aditi helped her to her feet, made her sit down on the couch and offered her a glass of water.

Neil stood shocked as if he had seen a ghost.

"What are you doing here Aditi?" he gasped, not expecting her sudden return.

"What kind of a ridiculous question is that?" she yelled, "This is my house as much as yours. Meera called me for help and I'm so glad I could reach in time."

Aditi comforted Meera as she was still trembling and recovering from pain. "Thank you for saving me," Meera said as she tearfully hugged Aditi, "He would have killed me if you hadn't saved me."

"I can't believe I saw what I saw Neil," Aditi said, "You tried to rape her?"

"Rape this piece of shit? She is the one who sells her cunt for money!" Neil defended, "Yes Aditi, she is a whore and the whole time has been plotting to rip us apart."

Aditi looked at Neil in disbelief, "What has happened to you Neil? Do you even hear yourself? She was the one being beaten here. Just look at her! Do you think calling her a whore makes everything alright? She is in so much pain, can't you see that?"

Meera curled up into a ball. She was still sobbing and trembling.

"He's hurt you before too, hasn't he Meera?" Aditi asked firmly, "Tell me the truth."

Meera gave her a sad look but didn't say anything as she wept silently.

"I need to know Meera," Aditi insisted gentle shaking her.

"I am so sorry Aditi," Meera said hugging her tightly as she sobbed, "I didn't tell you earlier because I didn't want to hurt you...I didn't want your family to fall apart."