On the Wrong Side | Short Story Part 2

In Continuation to Aayat's story, read what happens next. I am sure you will get some answers, and be left with many more questions ;) Enjoy!

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Aayat’s head was still throbbing in pain. Her heart was thumping, as if trying to break free from the safe confinements of her ribs. She tried to open her eyes, but they were heavy. So heavy. Aayat breathed slowly and heavily, taking in all that had happened. She remembered the split second thought of who it could have been, after which the darkness followed.

With all the energy she could muster, Aayat vexed to sit up, only to get hit on the head and fall back on the ground. The pain was way too much now and brought her to tears. She opened her eyes and it was still dark. Blurry and Pitch dark. She had hit the “supposed” ceiling, which she thought was a tad too low for a room or bunker.

Aayat was getting anxious now. She was sure this wasn’t a dream. The pain was so real. She was moving her head, straining her eyes to figure out where she was lying. She could feel the nakedness of earth under her skin and hear a dog bark, at some place far off. So she was not dead or dreaming.

“Where am i?” she mumbled under her breath.

Aayat spread her palm on the ground below to feel where she was. It was all mud, stones and the smell of dust and soil. Confused now, Aayat’s mind started racing. “May be I have been kidnapped. And this is some kind of a container or vessel that I am being carried in” she first thought. So she waited. Waited for the rhythmic to and fro of being carried. Trying to make sense of the direction in which she was being carried, if at all!

But there was only pin drop silence. No sound of the engine running. No movement, what-so-ever. She kicked on the sides to see how solid the walls were. She continued kicking with her legs in every direction possible, pushing whatever of the walls that she could.

She didn’t know why she was kicking. She didn’t know whether the door (if there was any) would just break open. Or if the walls would subside. Or someone would come to her rescue. She didn’t know what to expect. But she knew this was not right, and that simply praying was not going to help.

With the gravel all over her skin, she soon realized that she was underground. Probably buried. Buried alive.

This thought scared the shit out of her! Aayat recollected that she had heard a dog bark. Even though it seemed like a sound from far away. She did. So she started screaming for help, hoping that someone would hear and help her out.

The more she screamed, the more she was running out of oxygen down there. She had started to get breathless. The more her own voice echoed back in her ears, the more restless, anxious and furious she became. “Is somebody there? Please help!” she kept reciting.

Suddenly she felt something cross her leg. Aayat screamed in horror, for she had no idea how dangerous an insect/ creature it was. Besides it was dark, and there was no way she could see “it”.  Throwing her feet in the little space that there was, Aayat could still feel “it” on her ankle!

So she craned herself and tried to reach her ankle with her left hand. The minute she touched her ankle, Aayat’s heart stopped (figuratively, obviously). Instead of feeling her skin and the “thing” that was crawling, her fingers touch a piece of cloth. “What’s this” she thought.

Aayat pulled the end of cloth and felt the elastic around her waist move. As if being buring underground was not enough of a suspense already, here she was with her clothes changed too? Why?

“Wait. Why… am I not in my skirt? Why am I wearing pants???!” said a baffled Aayat. Tears brimming again, fear now had a new meaning. Aayat could no longer feel the “thing” bite her on the ankle. It didn’t matter. Not anymore.

Why was she buried alive? Why were her clothes changed? She wanted answers. But being 10, 12 or how many ever feet under the ground was not going to get her answers! She had to get out fast. The clock had already started ticking. And she didn’t know how much time she had.