It was night. It was dark outside. Neha didn’t care. The night was sinking, trapped in a maze of darkness. 'There’s no road ahead darling', Neha said to herself. Neha spoke and she heard. She left bubbles from her eyes. Floating misery of life. She plunged herself into the music. She was in pub. She desired to set herself free that night. She wanted to forget all the mistakes of her life. She yearned to forget Jack. The pub wasn’t the best place to hide from her guilt, neither was the church. So she decided to get back to her house. Where else could she go? She was waiting for her ‘New’ found love of the life. She was waiting for Rahul. But Rahul had commitments. She threw some paper money to the bartender. He was happy. ‘Every one’s lustful for this paper’, she thought and departed. The road to her house had solitary soul mates. She used to be scared of the unseen. Now, she is scared of the seen- humans. Everything was blurred outside. The trees seem to wear a mask. “Was it five or six Tequila shots?” she tried to recall. “Five ? not exactly no...”
She reached her apartment. The basement wore a deserted look. No soul could hear anything, anything in the basement. Just the rustling of the leaves. 'There’s power in silence' she said. Silently.
She felt someone’s step. She turned back to look. It was no one. She somehow found the elevator. The door opened and there was this man inside. Neha didn’t notice. Neha got inside the elevator. The door closed. The man stunk! and then she noticed the presence.The man might be in his mid 30’s. Neha pressed 8th.
At 3rd - -
The man – Madam, time kya hua hai.
The man looked scary. He must have not shaved fr months, neha thought.
Neha felt a mosquito on her face. No, it wasn’t the mosquito. It’s the taquilla effect.
“Madam, time...”
“2 baaj raha hai”, Neha replied.
The man – Jhooth to nahi bol rahi, na… mera ek appointment hai.
Neha - WTF %$%%&&$*&*
The man de-elevated himself at 6th. 2 more to go.
There was 8th. She got out of the lift. But still she felt someone following her. Taquilla? No, not this time. It’s her sense at work. She took all her money out of her handbag and then she put the handbag between the doors of the elevator. She made herself to walk to her flat. She was quite near to her bunker. Just couple of steps. She could hear the flickering sound of the tube lights. She could see it moving back when she looked against the gravity. The tube light seems to go past her. She was amazed. She realized the power of shots. The door of the elevator tried it’s best to close itself, but in vain. It collided with the handbag only to repeat the cycle.
Neha could hear the blare of the train passing at some distance, and then the synchronized music of the wheels and then - someone’s step.
What?, wait a minute, she turned back. There was no one. She could see the elevator and its attempt.
Who will walk to the 8th floor, she thought. Yet she was scared. She was scared of flesh.
She hurried herself to the door of her flat. It read – 806
She inserted the key in the key hole of the door knob. She didn’t realize but she trembled with the fear of unknown. She turned back to have a look. No one was there.
Back at the knob, it was the Wong key. She took the other one among many in the bunch. She inserted the key. It clicked. It was the right one. The lift door was still making the absurd sound while it tried to close its door.
She turned the knob of the door. There was silence all around. The door was about to be opened when she felt a breeze in her ears. It was delicate. The odor was known. She turned back, slowly, trying her best not to anticipate anyone.
There he was – Jack, against the backdrop of darkness.
Jack stepped ahead, in fury. Neha hurried and rotated the knob. It didn’t work. The door’s still closed. Jack was closing by. Neha tried again. The door opened. Jack threw himself onto neha. He got hold of her waist and pushed himself. They both fell down, jack injected neha a drug and she went unconscious.
