The Captive – Part 2

Read the first part here.

The place was abuzz with activity. The phone had been ringing off the hook, its shrill tone now falling on deaf ears. Everyone had a long day ahead with an unenviable list of tasks set out for them. For a usually quiet precinct that came across petty crimes at best they were seeing an unprecedented bustle clearly not accustomed to. The press and locals had created a pandemonium outside for the latest updates and, although a novelty at first, were proving to be a distraction. “Wonder how the Chief is putting up?” the three officers silently pondered.

Agent Hart considered himself of a robust constitution. However, sitting next to the beaten, starved, and broken young girl lying on the hospital bed wrapped in multiple bandages across her body made his stomach churn. A deep red patch peeked out of the dressing declaring the deep gashes on her wrist and the blackened bruises on her face and arm confirmed the inhumane torture she had gone through. She had daringly clawed her way out of death’s deadly grip. Most disheartening though was the fact that her mother’s cursory inebriated visit was orchestrated only by their incessant calls.

“Poor girl.” He thought. Her innocent face reminded him of his sister but he quickly berated himself for getting emotional. He had a job to do and needed answers. This bombshell case could ascend him to the big league and get his handsome face plastered on front pages of newspapers and television channels. His six foot frame, athletic body, light complexion, dark brown curls, and washboard abs cut a dashing picture in his police uniform. With luck, his new-found fame could propel his chances of meeting the future Mrs. Hart too. Who knew?

Come to think of it, the case had literally walked into his station. The harried girl had witnessed a rather un-police-like scene and stopped in her tracks, dumbfounded. The two young lady officers were standing at their tables holding an invisible mic and performing a song fit for a karaoke bar while he and the other officer from his team were cheering on and devouring a slice of pepperoni pizza. They broke away and settled at their desks awkwardly as she unsteadily ambled in and asked for the Chief. Her name was Flora and she looked like a high school student.

Flora sat down in front of Agent Hart and looked around uncertainly. She hastily chugged the glass of water he offered her. Obviously rattled, she mumbled something about a lost friend. Her parents didn’t want her getting involved but Karen was her dearest friend and she had to. The lady officers got on either side of her to calm her down and gently requested to narrate everything to them. What she conveyed had them perplexed but interested.

She and her apparently lost friend Karen often studied together and shared their live locations with each other to keep track of their whereabouts. They had nothing planned yet Karen sent her a live location two days ago which she hadn’t checked until that morning as she was busy and out of town. Karen’s phone was switched off now and her last location was at a house far away on the other side of town which none of them had ever seen. Her mother knew nothing about her and couldn’t care less. Was that Karen’s call for help? Was she in danger? Was Flora overreacting? She was terrified that something untoward had happened to Karen and begged them to check, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Agent Hart patiently took the details and decided to trust the girl’s instinct and allay her fears. He promised to inform her of any developments and let her go. A missing girl was a big deal and warranted thorough investigation. With one lady officer from his team in tow, he took to the road. Their usual car games and chatter were replaced with somber discussions as they ruminated about the vicious possibilities.

They parked their car at a distance when the house came into view and gingerly walked up to it. It was a dull neighbourhood with a few dilapidated houses scattered around and not a soul in sight. The reek of abandon and hopelessness had settled in the air instigating any visitor to quickly retrace their steps. As they got closer, faint noises from a television trickled outside disturbing the eerie silence. Agent Hart squinted and glimpsed a man sprawled on the couch in the dark room from the window and rapped on the door. He stirred but didn’t get up. He knocked again forcefully yet no response. What happened after that was a scene straight out of a motion picture.

Agent Hart brought the door down with a powerful kick, the loud thud finally waking up the guy. Bill, drunk and groggy, was too shocked to utter anything. Agent Hart immediately ordered his officer to search around the house while he pulled Bill up by his collar and interrogated him about Karen. A tough nut to crack, Bill repeatedly claimed innocence. However, a few broken teeth and a fractured femur got him singing like a canary. Karen was in the basement, gravely injured but alive. She was being prepped for the final act but sadly for him now the curtains were prematurely drawn. He shrugged, inviting a sharp slap across his already swollen face.

Rescuing a terribly battered and barely conscious Karen and arresting Bill was just the beginning of unravelling a gruesome racket spread across multiple states. Young girls were kidnapped, starved, and then tortured and killed live on the dark web as faceless hounds hungrily fed their violent maniacal bloodlust with their agonising screams and ripped apart bodies. Their torment went on for days even as every ounce of life evaporated out of them through every cut and every passing moment. Some fought a losing battle, none survived. Except Karen.

Bill was a small cog in the entire machinery but with the information gleaned from him they were well on their way to uncover the mastermind. Given the high stakes of the case FBI got involved and the easy access to trained professionals and sophisticated technology became a huge advantage. Even as Agent Hart waited to take Karen’s statement, abandoned factories and warehouses were being raided, with punches and occasional bullets rained on anyone resisting. In the short time they had already managed to imprison fifteen people. They would have their man sooner than later.

Karen opened her eyes with effort, the nurse’s calming presence and Agent Hart’s genuine smile marginally abating the shock and horrific ordeal of the last few days. On his encouragement, she recalled being hit on her neck and waking up giddily in a car trunk due to the rough ride. Her bag was thrown in with her, a big mistake on Bill’s part as she immediately took her phone to share the live location with Flora praying she would act on it. The smart act was caught as Bill opened the hood before she could hide it. Her phone got crushed under his feet and her hopes inside her resigned heart. Time stood still after that as she surrendered to the captivity, despair, and unbearable pain and beseeched a quick end.

Thankfully, all that was over now. Agent Hart lauded her courage and promised to extend every possible help to her. Would she be able to put this behind her though? Maybe not. Wasn’t it yet a blessing that she had got a second chance at life which several unfortunate girls her age hadn’t? She was alive and safe, that’s all that mattered. After this, she could survive anything. Right now, she needed to sleep and dream happy dreams.

This blog post is part of ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.

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