Chapter 3

"What about my mother?" she asked worriedly to Yasir.

"Don't worry. There's a truck outside waiting for us. Your mother is already there,"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I shifted her there,"

"Now run from the back door. They are coming. They came to know about our location, its like a golden opportunity for them if they get a handful of girls. So run away, Rosh,"

"And you."

"I'm collecting other girls around here. Now go,"

"Ok ok. Come fast Aref,"

"Don't worry,"

She gave him a smile and with hurried steps, she was approaching the back door. They were under attack. And she knew who they were.

The terrorists.

The killers.

The tormentors.

They were again raising head even when they were brutally crushed by the army years ago. And the point of their birth was once again, the KPK. They needed money to stregnthen themselves and for that they were kidnapping girls to sell them. And a brothel was the best spot for them to get handful of girls. Now, the brothel where she lived was their target and they all had to run before they get here and take along the girls with them and kill others to induce terror in people around.

She was running through the corridors when suddenly she heard screams coming out from a room and her footing stopped. She knew what kind of screams were those. 

 As if someone was raping a girl.

She held a vase placed nearby and moved stealthily towards the door. She turned the handle down and entered, without making a noise when her eyes witnessed the scene. They both were too immersed, the man in having pleasure and the girl in pain, that they didn't notice her.

He was pounding in her vigorously and she was asking him to stop, non stop. Her blood boiled seeing such a bad condition of the girl. She closed the door behind her, without making a sound. When her eyes caught the sight of girl, she knew who she was. Zohal. 

The man's pleasurable grunt reached her years, followed by Zohal's screams. She remembered a particular scene and anger surged through her veins. 

A growl escaped her throat and she like a lioness ran towards them and threw the vase at the man's head who fainted at spot. She helped the girl to stand up and wear her clothes which were thrown here and there on the floor. After they were done, the girl looked at her.

"Thanks for helping me," she said. Roshanay felt like, everyone has left the haveli as quite a minutes have already passed and those men were already here.

"Thanks but its not the time. We've to hurry, this brothel is under attack," she said in a hushed tone as she held her hand and they moved towards the door. The girl following behind.

"What?!"

"Yes, we've to run. And I've a feeling they're already in the haveli," she apprised, her hand turning the handle down.

"What?!"

"Yes," she said, opening the door slightly ajar and peeking into the corridor when she heard their voices. And she almost lost her calm. She was about to gasp and bang the door shut but she controlled herself and stealthily closed the door, in the same way as she opened it.

"They're here. We need to be careful. These bloody murderers have no heart, they can kill us in a beat. May Allah save us," she whispered, her heart beating wild within her chest cavity as if it would explode. It seemed like the angel of death was standing at the other side of the door. And her fear increased more she heard the footsteps getting near followed by the sounds of opening of doors, like they were checking the rooms.

She was done. 

The footsteps were coming towards this room.

She looked towards Zohal who was looking at her fearfully.

"What should we do?" she asked in a horror stricken voice.

"Don't worry." Roshanay consoled, though her eyes were expanded to their maximum capacity due to the fear.

"We'd-" she said when her eyes fell on the window, "we'd run through that window," she pointed.

"Hurry!" she whispered in a hushed tone. 

Zohal moved towards the window and looked down, while Roshanay turned the lock, and locked the room.

"I don't think we can jump. The ground is low,"

"Make a rope from the bedsheets in the cupboard. We would make it. Be quick!"

They both began to take the sheets out of the cupboard. She knew that every room in the brothel had couple of bedsheets as the girls were asked to change the coverings after the session.

They began to bind the sheets together forimng a rope, quickly but it was too late. Someone was already turning the knob and began to bang when the door didn't open.

"There's someone inside!" the man barked from outside to his other fellows as his fist began to collide with the door while they moved to the window sill, opened it, bound the other end of rope and laid the rope down. It reached almost to the ground.

The commotion grew outside and someone was trying to open the door by hitting his shoulder. They both worriedly looked at the door, it was about to get out of its hinges. They had a very little time.

"You go down first. I'll follow. Come on," Roshanay said.

"Okay okay," the girl replied.

She held the rope and began to slide down whilst Roshanay stood up, waiting for her to reach the ground, so she could slide down. The bedsheet rope couldn't bear the wait of both of them as it wasn't bound to a firm end. Roshanay turned around to look at the door. She knew the door was about to break she did one thing which her mind suggested at that predicament. 

She moved towards the bed and took one piece of the broken vase which she had smashed on the mans head, took it and hid under the bed, hurriedly. She had taken the piece of broken vase as a piece of self defense.

As soon as she got under the bed, the door broke off its hinges and fell. She saw two to three men entering into the room and moving towards the window. 

"Hey! Woman stop or we'll shoot!" one of the men shouted and it wasn't difficult for her to gauge out whom they were barking at.

Zohal.

And it seemed like the woman didn't stop.

"Go run after her! We can't afford to lose her. She'll help us get some money. I'll shoot at her leg," one of them ordered the other while her heart was beating wildly. Dread had creeped her so much. She could just hope that they leave as soon as possible.

After listening the order, the other man ran out of the room to get to Zohal when she heard a gun shot and she immediately placed her hand on her mouth as she was about to gasp aloud, again.

"How could they know that we were about to get here? Damn it! We would have gotten our hands on dozens of women to fuck and sell! Our money bags ran away!" the man gritted. 

"Always fucking is on your mind," the other replied, "if you think on the plan rather than fucking the prostitutes then we might have suceeded in our plan,"

"AH! SHIT!!" he grunted with annoyance and smashed his fist on the wall.

Then his eyes wandered to the man laying the bed who was fainted or dead.

"Look this fucker was also enjoying some filthy slut. Let's wake this fucker up, if he wakes up,"

They both moved towards the bed and she felt her heart jumped to her throat. She saw two pairs of black boots to the left side of her bed and her eyes widened. She was practically feeling the wild beating of her chest and hear it in her ears.

They stood beside the bed and saw the vase pieces lying on the bed and it was easy for them to guage out that someone hit him in the head. And it might be that girl who was running away.

They stroked the nozzle of their riffles to his face but the man didn't wake up.

"He is dead," one said.

"Yes he is," the other replied.

The illetirates didn't even know that he won't wake up just by stroking their riffles to his face. 

Suddenly, she heard a phone ringing and one of them picked it up.

"Hello," 

Someone replied from the other side of phone to which he looked at his partner and soon he hung up the call.

"What happened?" his partner asked.

"The trucks, we caught them."

"Which trucks?"

"Which has the residents of this brothel. All the sluts are now in our captivity. I've asked him to send those trucks to our point," 

They both laughed together. Their laughs ugly like them.  While her breath hitched. They all were caught, including her mother and here she was hiding under a bed.

"Money is on our way," one said.

"We'd be untouchable now," the other laughed.

She found them weird, as they were laughing on something which she didn't find even close to being funny. 

"You know this bastard Irtaza would be after us once he came to know we're getting active again."

"Let us sell these sluts then we'd be rich, and then we'd get more girls and sell them and get more money. More more money just like that and we'd be untouchable. This feared mafia don would fear us," he laughed heartily, again and his partner joined him. She felt her throat clogging, if they get their hands on her, they'd sell her and to God knows whom.

"Those three would fear us now. We'll have their heads soon,"

"Boss said, he wanted us to do our activities secretly. We're not strong enough to fight them yet,"

"He is right. We would pee if they came across infront us now but let us have power then we would be feared,"

"You'd pee. I won't,"

"Moosa!" his partner said, suddenly and the one who was bluffing suddenly lost all the color on his face.

"Where? where?!" he asked and his partner laughed.

"You don't need to act like you're not scared of them. If they entered through this door you'd be the first one to run,"

"They wont dare come across me," he bluffed again, "let's go," And they left the room.

She didn't get a word whom they were talking about but she could already deduce a hint of fear in their voices. Whoever they were might be extra ruthless as these terrorist were also scared of them. She could just pray to God to save her from these ruthless people. These terrorists and those 3 men whom they were talking about and from all the evils.

She let the some time pass, round about two to three hours so when the coast was completely clear she'd get out and run. She didn't have enough coirage. She felt like, iif she got out any moment somone would come up and take her away.

After she felt like enough time has passed, she slowly got out. When she stood up, she found the man still fainted. She felt like banging another vase on his head but she didn't have enough time. What if they came back again? With this thought on her mind she ran towards her room. The haveli was silent and dark. There was no one around.

The money she had saved were hidden under the bed and she stuffed the money into the purse with wobbly fingers. She was the only person left in this entire brothel and it was night. The sky was so dark. She was so scared of being alone and dark nights, she  felt like some terrorist might come out of nowhere and take her to sell her. The thought alone made her movements fast.

She hurriedly moved to the washroom, washing her face. The sound of the running water could be just heard. The surrounding was so silent and dark and her heart was beating wild. Her fingers were shaking.

She changed her clothes, wearing some decent one and covered her head with a scarf then covered her shoulders with a shawl. 

Her legs moved her to the small dressing table and she took out her mother's medical reports, some important documents and the locket. The last piece she had with her which was connected to his memories. 

"Oh Hayder," she whispered, before putting the chain within a pocket of the small pouch. She looked around the room, giving a cursory glance to her mother's bed, when she felt tears running to her throat but she blocked her emotions. She went to the kitchen, taking pepper spray and a knife out of the drawer and then she walked out of the haveli. Her palms were sweating, she was scared someone might see her. Someone related to them.

Getting out, she placed her feet on the street and began wandering on the roads. She had to find a safe place before she gets under attack again.

The roads were empty and desolated at this time of night. It was 12:30 a.m. She didn't stay in the haveli because she had a feeling that they might come back there to search for her. 

What if her aunt out of jealousy told them that Roshanay wasn't present among them? And they'd come to look for her. She was just so scared.

After walking for about an hour, she didn't know where she was. She felt like she has reached another corner of the city. She had no idea where she was going, there was no cab available. No hotels were available. She was living in a backward area and she hadn't stepped out from that brothel since a while. Her uncle has stopped her education, after the fourth semester on the insistence of her aunt who said that there was no use sending a  prostitute to study. She couldn't get a chance to finish her studies. Her last day at her university was the last day she stepped out of that haveli.

After walking a few minutes more, she found the exit of the city. The road she was walking on was surrounded by trees from both the sides. And when she looked into those woods, she could feel the depth of those woods. Though, it was dark. She turned her head away, she was scared looking into the trees.

As soon as she was about to exit, suddenly a man came out of nowhere. She didn't see him coming, rather she didn't notice his presence.

She analysed his dressing and she knew something was off. She stealthily began to unzip her purse.

"Where to madam?" he asked.

"What is it to you?" she said, "and who are you?"

At this the man laughed and gave her a lewd look, analysing her from head to toe.

"You don't know us?"

"Us?" she frowned.

"COME OUT!" the man barked and two men came out of the woods and her mouth went dry.

"We've confiscated this area, you don't know?"

And her eyes widened in recognition. She knew who they were.

The one whom she was running away from.

Those terrorists themselves.

A few days ago, Yasir told her about the area being confiscated by the  terrorists. They were slowly taking control and mostly seizing the backward areas as the government won't pay much heed to them. And her region was also backward, with minor facilities and no attention of the officials. Due to their negligence, these vile men have taken the control and now standing infront her, blocking her way, not letting her go. And she knew, soon they would abduct her too.

"What do you want from me?" she asked, courageously.

"You're a woman. And we want to sell you to earn money," the man replied straightforwardly. knowing that this woman can't do any harm to them.

"Get her and send her to the point," he ordered his other men and they began to come towards her.

"Look, don't dare come near me," she said, backing way. Her eyes widened with fear as adrenaline rushed in her system.

"So what you would do? Kill us?" one of them said, threatening her.

Her fingers immediately moved and got the pepper spray out. As one of the men approached her, she suddenly sprayed the spray into his eyes and groan with pain.

"Oh you bitch!" he gritted, rubbing his eyes.

"Attack her!" one of them barked, they were total three of them.

After witnessing it, she quickly turned around and began to run into the woods and they followed her.

She ran and ran but still she could hear footsteps following her and they were getting close. They were constantly barking, calling names, threatening her but she didn't dare stop. Her breath was quickeneing, her shawl was no where to be found  neither was her scarf as she lost them whilst running. Her hair were opened swaying in the air as she held tightly her clutch, while the pepper spray was still in her hand.

She felt like her insides were burning and suddenly her speed began to slow down then she felt someone grasping her hair. She knew who it might be, and she immediately turned around, banging the pepper spray bottle at his nose and the man fell down while the other two were still chasing her.

"HELP! HELP!" She began to call out, knowing there would be no one to help her in these woods but still she screamed.

"STOP BITCH! FUCKING STOP!" They shouted.

"YOU BITCH! YOU'RE A BITCH!" She screamed back at them.

"LET ME GET MY HANDS ON YOU, I'LL FUCKING CUT YOUR TONGUE,"

"BEFORE THAT I'LL MYSELF! YOU BASTARD!" she shouted, "HELP! HELP!" She said again, when her eyes caught the sight of road, emerging from other side of the woods and she saw some men standing their.

Her determination increased making her steps fast as much as she could. She wasn't letting her foot resting on the floor, she was running on her tiptoes, when a pebble hit her, disturbing her balance and she fell down.

She was about to stand up, when one of them reached there and kicked her in the stomach and she coughed. She looked towards the road, those men were still there but she had no idea whether they could see her or not. There was total a difference of 70 steps almost.

"Help," she croaked out when the man again hit her stomach.

"We got our hands on you, BITCH!" he spat on her face and that's when fear began to settle in her. She began to crawl away from them but he squatted down and held her arm.

"HELP! HELP! PLEASE HELP ME!" She screamed with all her might, using all power which her throat could provide. It was when he turned around her body and slapped her hard. Stars began to dance infront her vision and she fet dizzy. And she didn't know when she fainted. They were about to grab her when they felt a silhouette coming out of dark.

"What are you doing with the girl?" the man asked.

"Who are you?" one of them questioned him.

"Moosa,"

And their faces filled with terror.

"Moo...sa," they croaked out.