The Search for Amairah Ch. 01

Armaan noticed that Neil was blankly staring at nothing.

"Neil," Armaan said, shaking him, "You OK?"

Neil didn't respond, he just kept staring blankly.

"Neil," Armaan said, tapping his cheek, "Answer me, are you OK?"

"I see her," Neil said as a tear rolled down his cheek. Armaan followed his gaze but couldn't see anything.

"We need to get out of here," Armaan said in an alarming tone, as he grabbed Neil's arm and led him out of the house.

He made Neil get into the car and started driving. Neil didn't speak a word. He just stared blankly straight ahead. Armaan was beginning to get worried about him. But Neil was very silent. All of Naina's memories were flashing in front of his eyes. The memories of the last day of her life were haunting him now. And suddenly he saw her. She was standing on the road in front of them, in her red dress, bleeding and broken, just like Neil had left her. Neil panicked and grabbed the steering wheel and turned it sharply towards the left to avoid running over her. Armaan was suddenly taken aback and pressed down on the brakes. The wheels screeched to a stop but the car collided into a tree and the windshield shattered injuring both of them.

"What the hell, Neil!" Armaan shouted.

"I am sorry..." Neil stuttered as he looked visibly shaken, "Naina was here...I saw her...I didn't want us to run over her..."

Blood trickled down their bruised faces. Armaan was angry but Neil just looked broken.

"There was nobody Neil!" Armaan yelled, "You could have just killed both of us!"

"Perhaps that would have been for the best..." Neil said, closing his eyes as tears streamed down his face.

"That is exactly what Meera wants," Armaan said gritting his teeth, "She wants us to drown in self-loathing and kill ourselves! She already succeeded with Aarav, she couldn't break Reyansh so she got him murdered, and now I am not going to lose you too! Enough is enough! I am not going to kill myself and neither am I going to let you!"

"I am sorry..." Neil said.

"Listen to me Neil," Armaan said, forcing Neil to look him in the eye, "You need to toughen up brother. You still have two daughters and they need you. They may have some misunderstandings about you right now, but eventually they will understand that you did what you did out of your love for them, and they are going to love you. And you need to be strong for them."

"I am trying..." Neil said.

"Well, you just tried to kill both of us, so clearly you are not trying hard enough," Armaan said sternly, "How do you think I feel when I look at Pankh? I feel like a goddamn loser who couldn't protect my girl. There hasn't been one night since I brought her home that she didn't wake up screaming. She tries to hide her pain, she tries to smile at me, but I know how deeply wounded she is. And even though it would tear me apart, I am going to watch her rape videos over and over again, because I want to find each and every one of those bastards who hurt her. And I am going to find Meera. I am not going to let the people who did that to my Pankh just walk away! You get that Neil?"

Neil just looked away.

"Look Neil..." Armaan said with a softened expression, "All I've ever tried to do is protect the people I care about. I care about you Neil, you are my brother, and I'll do everything I can to keep you out of jail. I am just trying to help you, but I really can't help you if you won't let me. Yeah, we did a horrible thing, but our families didn't deserve to suffer for it, but they did anyway. And now they need us more than ever, and I am going to be there for Pankh and my child. You should think about your children too."

Armaan dialed the emergency number and called for an ambulance. They were taken to a hospital and treated for their injuries.

"I need to speak to a psychiatrist urgently," Armaan said to the treating doctor.

"What is this regarding?" the doctor asked.

"My friend," Armaan said, "This accident...wasn't really an accident. Neil is...he is depressed. He might try to hurt himself."

The doctor understood the situation and arranged for a psychiatrist.

"Neil is an imminent threat to himself," Armaan said to the psychiatrist, "I request a psychiatric hospitalization for him. He needs to be watched 24/7. I am afraid, if left on his own, he will try to hurt himself."

"Does he have any history of mental illnesses?" the doctor asked.

"No...but there's significant trauma..." Armaan said with a sad expression, "And he is drowning..."

*******************************

Armaan drove back to his house. It was 1 am and Pankhudi lay awake in her bed waiting for her husband.

She heard the front gates open and ran towards the window. She saw Armaan's car enter the gates. She was relieved to see him return. She had tried calling him a few times earlier but he hadn't answered. He had just dropped a text that he'll be home soon. She had been waiting for him since then.

But even after a while he didn't come to the bedroom. Pankhudi went downstairs looking for him. She asked the servants and a maid told her that he was by the poolside and didn't want to be disturbed.

Pankhudi walked up to the pool. Armaan was lying on one of the pool chairs. He had turned off all the surrounding lights. He lay alone in the dark gazing at the night sky.

Pankhudi walked towards him. He heard the sound of her anklets and turned his head towards her.

"You didn't have to stay awake waiting for me, Pankh," he said with a weak smile.

"I couldn't sleep," she said "I was worried."

She suddenly got anxious looking at the wounds on his face and body. "What happened, Armaan?" she asked nervously cupping his face.

Armaan gently pulled her onto his lap and rested her head against his chest. He warmly held her in his embrace.

"Reyansh is missing," Armaan said, running his hands through her hair, "He went missing right after Meera ordered a hit on him. I don't know if we will ever see him again. And me and Neil...we had an accident. Neil tried to...he is drowning Pankh, his gaze is so empty...like he doesn't want to live anymore..."

Pankhudi was just listening nervously. She didn't know what to say.

"So many lives ruined because one man couldn't take no for an answer..." Armaan said, taking a deep breath, holding Pankhudi tighter.

(Reference: The Girl Next Door -- Chapter 3)

"Are you hurt, my love?" Pankhudi asked lovingly, touching his face.

"I am..." Armaan said, "I'm just trying to calm the storm in my heart...Pankh, you remember that night...when we were lost in the woods, we were hurt, and hungry..."

"You were hungry..." Pankhudi said touching his lips, "But you made sure I had enough to eat..."

Armaan smiled and kissed her. Then he continued as he ran his fingers through her silken hair, "We lit a fire and you snuggled close, you were trying to talk to me but I didn't respond, so you just curled up next to me and you sang a sweet song looking at the stars...

(Reference: Dark Seduction -- Chapter 5)

"It was a song by Enya that I heard several years ago...It's called "Fallen Embers" I loved it's soft tune..." Pankhudi said with a smile.

"Could you sing that song again for me?" he implored, hugging her tightly.

Pankhudi snuggled deeper into his arms and started singing,

"Once, as my heart remembers

All the stars were fallen embers

Once, when night seemed forever

I was with you

Once, in the care of morning

In the air was all belonging

Once, when that day was dawning

I was with you

How far we are from morning?

How far we are?

And the stars shining through the darkness

Falling in the air

Once, as the night was leaving

Into us, our dreams were weaving

Once, all dreams were worth keeping

I was with you

Once, when our hearts were singing

I was with you"

Pankhudi noticed that Armaan was in tears as she finished her song.

"Hey sweetheart," she said, putting her arms around his neck.

"I am sorry Pankh," he said in a breaking voice, "All I could ever give you was pain and suffering..."

"No one can love me as deeply as you do Armaan," Pankhudi said showering him with kisses, "The truest love stories are filled with the deepest sufferings. We have our scars and we won't be the same again, but our love is now so much stronger and deeper. You know I'd do anything for you, and I know you'd do the same."

Armaan hugged her tightly and let tears escape from his eyes.

"And you have given me this beautiful child," Pankhudi said fondly touching her belly, "Little one kept me alive though it all, didn't let me break, and kept my heart beating because I had a part of you inside me, nothing could separate me from you. I knew you could come for me and you did."

"It tears me apart Pankh," Armaan said, "To think of the woman I love, suffering like that at such a delicate moment...and it devastates me to think that I brought this upon you..."

"Your love is all I need to heal," Pankhudi said with a sweet smile, looking into his tearful eyes.

"She was only a child when I sent her away," Armaan said, "I was trying to protect Neil...and I didn't mean to hurt her...but she got hurt, badly. Meera is a monster I created with my own hands."

"She was blind with anger and pain," Pankhudi said, "Lost with no direction..."

"I begged her," Armaan said tearfully, "I begged her over and over again to let you go...and hurt me instead...I would have let her do anything to me...she could have tortured me to her heart's content and I wouldn't have put up the slightest resistance...I just wanted her to stop hurting you, but she didn't listen! She didn't listen!"

Armaan's expression now darkened as he spoke vengefully, "I won't let her get away with this, I won't! I want to go after her Pankh, to the Arab Countries. I know where she is headed, I just found out that she has a daughter and she's looking for her. I wanna find her and make her fucking pay!"

Pankhudi kissed his cheek and gently ran her hand on his chest to calm him down.

"But then..." he continued, "I don't want to leave you alone at this moment when you need me the most..."

"I'll be fine..." Pankhudi said, "If you want to go after her, I'll let you go, because I know you need this. I know that you'll never be OK till you confront her. I want to be your strength Armaan, not your weakness who holds you back every time. Do what you need to do sweetheart. Do what it takes to calm the storm in your heart."

Armaan kissed her forehead and held her close. He closed his eyes and felt the warm breeze caress him.

***************************

Meera felt like she was gently rocking, floating in void. It was dark, really dark, but she could hear muffled voices. She could hear sobs and whimpers. She tried to move, but heavy iron chains gripped her wrists and ankles. She tried to get up, but she couldn't. She realized she was trapped in a cage. She was so terrified, she wanted to scream, but she couldn't. The gag strapped onto her allowed her only to make whimpering noises like she heard all around her.

And then she felt something. The vehicle had stopped moving suddenly there was a sudden flash of light. After her eyes adjusted to the light, she could see what was around her. She was inside a dog cage, naked, gagged and chained. The truck was loaded with more than a dozen such cages with naked women helplessly chained inside. The cages were stacked on top of each other, and Meera could see the other girls above, below and all around her. They were all terrified and their eyes were red and tearful. But they could do nothing but whimper helplessly through their gags. Meera felt a wave of panic rush through her mind. She struggled violently in her cages as did the women around her, but they all looked like helpless chickens futilely fluttering their wings in their cages.

"So this is the new consignment?" a guard asked.

"Yeah," a man said, "This one here, she is a special order. Exotic, virgin, unbroken, but a word of caution, she has a history of being violent."

"Sure, that will be dealt with," the guard said, signaling a few other men, "Take her in first."

A black cloth was put over Meera's cage as it was unloaded from the truck and dragged inside a building. Meera trembled in anticipation. She had no idea where she was, who she was and what was going to happen to her. She tried hard to remember about her past but she couldn't.

Finally, the cage was placed on a table and the cloth covering it was taken off. Meera was once again blinded by bright light. When her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw a hazel eyed man smiling at her.

"Who do we have here?" the hazel eyed man said, smiling at Meera.

"These are her papers," the guard said, handing over a file to the hazel eyed man, "She is a special consignment."

He took the papers and the guard left, leaving just Meera and the hazel eyed man alone in the room.

He glanced through her papers and smiled at her. "History of violence huh?" he said, "So you have been a bad girl, haven't you?"

Meera just whimpered tearfully. She was visibly trembling in fear.

"Okay listen, I am a doctor and I am going to let you out of that cage, to do a quick examination before you are handed over to your owner," the hazel eyed man said, "I do not intend to hurt you, so you are going to be nice won't you?"

Meera just nodded tearfully.

The man opened her cage and gently unlocked her chains. He helped her crawl out of her cage and made her lie down on the examination table. Meera was trembling in fear, but the man's touches were gentle and reassuring.

He strapped her wrists to the table. Then he flexed her knees and strapped her ankles apart so that her pussy and ass were completely exposed.

"Shhh easy easy," he said, fondling her head trying to pacify her as he took off her gag.

"Please...I'm scared...please don't hurt me..." Meera pleaded, "I am sorry if I did something wrong...I...I...just can't remember anything..."

"Shhh...it's alright," the man said comforting her, "Do you remember your name?"

"My name?" she wondered for a while, "I am sorry I don't remember..."

She began to weep bitterly out of helplessness.

"Your papers refer to you as Meera," the man said, "Although your name will be changed soon, I'd prefer to call you Meera. Would that be okay?"

Meera nodded.

"Okay Meera," he said, "Just be very calm and let me examine you. It won't hurt."

Meera nodded silently and the doctor examined her eyes with a flashlight. Then he asked her to open her mouth to have a look at her teeth. Then he gently cupped and pressed her breasts and pinched her nipples. Meera flinched but the straps held her in place. Then he bent over between her legs and had a close look at her exposed pussy and ass. He spread her pussy lips and ass cheeks with gloved fingers and observed them closely. Meera's face turned red in shame. Once he was done examining her, he smiled at her trying to calm her down.

Meera was still trembling. "Please," she begged, "Can I get some clothes to put on?"

"I'm afraid you can't," the man said as he ran an ultrasound probe over her lower abdomen, "You'll wear what your owner wants you to wear. If he wants you naked, I'm afraid it will have to be that way."

"Who is my owner?" Meera asked in a trembling voice.

"Qais Al Khudair, one of the most influential men in the city," the man said, "But don't ever call him by his name. He'll have your tongue ripped out and I'll have to clean up the mess."

"What is he going to do to me?" Meera asked.

"Whatever he wants," the man replied.

"Will he hurt me?" Meera asked, "I'm very scared...please let me go...I wanna go home..."

"And where is your home?" the man asked, "Do you remember anything about your family?"

"Home? Family?" Meera thought for a while and broke down crying bitterly, "I don't remember..."

"Then I am afraid your best option here is to obey you Master," the man said, fondling her hair, "He'll take care of you. You'll be fine."

Then he released the straps and helped her sit up. "Let's get you back in the cage while I prepare your reports."

"No...please don't put me in there..." Meera begged, "Please don't..."

"Meera," the doctor said, cupping her face gently, "The more you resist, the harder this will be for you. Trust me when I say this, you are not in a nice place and the punishments for disobedience here are severe. I would really not want to see you hurt. You seem to be a nice girl. So be good and do as you are told."

Meera just stood with her gaze lowered but didn't get into the cage.

The man lifted her chin and made her look straight at him, "C'mon now, don't make me put a needle into your vein. I really don't want to use force. Be a good girl and crawl back into your cage."

Meera broke into tears and hugged him tightly, "Please..." she whispered in a trembling voice, "Please help me...please don't put me in the cage...I'm afraid...I don't remember anything...I am alone and I'm scared...I have no one..."

"There are people who will care for you Meera," the man reassured, "There is a woman named Fatima, you'll meet her soon. She is an elderly nurse who takes care of all slaves. She'll take care of you too. Now we really don't have time...get into the cage."

Meera let go of him and slowly crawled back into her cage. The doctor locked the cuffs back on her wrists and ankles.

"You'll be fine," he said, flashing her a warm smile, "Stay strong and obey your Master."

"What's your name?" Meera asked before he put the gag back on her.

"I'm not supposed to tell you," he said, cutting off her speech as he locked the gag in place.

Meera put her delicate fingers on the bars of the cage and pleaded again with tearful eyes.

"You are not allowed to call anyone by their names," he said, "You'll be severely punished if you do."

Meera still kept pleading with her tearful eyes. The doctor sighed. "Okay, if you really want to know, my name is Kabir," he said, "But this is just for you to know, you are never going say it out loud to anyone, alright? That would mean consequences for both of us."

Meera shook her head. Kabir finished writing his reports and rang a bell.

Few men came in.

"She is 18 years old, most likely of Indian origin, she's a virgin and she's clean and fertile," he said handing over her file to them, "Detailed report is in the file."

Meera crawled towards one edge of the cage and looked at Kabir with an longing eyes. Kabir's eyes had an emotion she couldn't read. Meera's heart was pounding in fear of what horrors were waiting for her next.

"Kabir...Kabir....please don't let them take me away...please help me....please..." Meera whispered in Aryan's ear as she held him tightly.

Aryan woke up from his light sleep. Seeing Meera so agitated, he gently shook her awake.

"Are you okay, my love?" he asked, cupping her face.

Meera's eyes were red and tearful. She was trembling and her skin was covered with sweat.

"I'm...I'm fine Aryan," she said briefly, kissing his lips, "I just saw something...nightmare or memory...I don't know...I saw Kabir..."

Aryan gazed out of the cabin's window as he held Meera in his arms trying to pacify her. They were on a ship to the gulf, and the night sea was calm. Meera sobbed quietly in his arms.

"Kabir..." Meera said, "He was one of them..."

"That doesn't surprise me," Aryan said, "When he helped me find Saloni, it was scary how accurately he knew where she was and how I could get her back."

(Reference: The Story of Meera -- Chapter 9)

"He was a good man," Meera said, "He loved me...so why did he work for those monsters?"

"He may have had his reasons, Meera," Aryan said, "And we are soon going to find out."

"This journey..." Aryan said, "It is bound to bring back your suppressed memories. That worries me sweetheart. I am worried about digging up the horrors of your past, I really don't know what kind of toll it is going to take on you. I just can't see you cry."