Hollow Senses

By Swati Joshi

“Living became so futile. I wanted to give up on it, the deadliest task I did everyday.”, said Reema.

“Now , how do you feel? Does it still feel the same?”, said Zara, her therapist.

“I do, but I found more asserting tasks in my life.”

“Like what?”, asked Zara

“Just like that.”

Reema moves back into her car. Puts in the key and motors off to her home. There are millions of thoughts in her mind but she refuses to face a single one, it is not the time to get lost in the same circle.

There is a huge thump and she puts a break, gets out of the car in horror to confront the driver of the van who has hit her car midway. She shouts, “ What do you think you are doing?”

“ Ah, cool down dear.”, said the driver.

“I hope you are stable up there. What the hell are you even intending to do?”, said Reema with annoyance.

There is a huge thud and this time it was not her car but her head which was hit. She laid limp on the ground.

“What are you waiting for pick her up and put her in the van. I will deal with her car.”, said the man.

Reema wakes up and finds herself in a basement, tied in ropes and bleeding from the wrists. Her mouth has been taped , her screams are just low mumbles. The more she struggles, the more it hurts. She sits still now. Suddenly her mind blanks and she can see visions of a girl tied and struggling but it’s not her. Her vision is disturbed by a sudden intrusion.

“Hey, look at her , she has woken up.”, laughs the man, now his features were more distinguishable. He must be in his mid 40s , black beard and moustache covered half of his face and it appeared to be not maintained just haphazard.

“ Look at this woman, gazing at me with those murderous eyes. Embrace it while you have it “

“ What are you even saying? Are you for real?”

“ Embrace it while you have it, your life.”, repeats the man.

He leaves.

Reema sits still closes her eyes and looks back at the entire incident and contemplates why what happened, happened. Was it a dream, was her mind playing or was it the drugs that the psychiatrist prescribed. Probably not. It was mostly her own imagination, but why does it hurt. It had happened before but that was a dream , this can’t be real. She was suffering.

The day passed. She could reckon that while looking out the window. 

The man appeared again. This time there was a gun in his hands. After a while , it was the first she was fearing death, she was fearing losing it all. It wasn’t the same when she tried to end her life on her own. She looks at her wrist and the scar which has still not healed.

He removes the tape from her mouth and look at her closely. Then he speaks, “ I could have never imagined that a murderer would look like this.”

Her eyes constrained, “What nonsense are you spitting.”

Looking at her it was an utter new blame and quite absurd at that.

“Have you lost it? You kidnap a random woman from the streets and then treat her like butcher meat and then dare say that she is a murderer. I am fascinated, truly.”, ads Reema.

The man was actually convinced for a second but then realised something. He gets his phone out of his pocket and opens a picture and throws at her face. 

“Look at her, don’t you remember her.”

She looks at her and is confused as if to why all this has occurred. She doesn’t know the woman.

“I DON’T KNOW HER.”

This time the man sat next to her and took a deep breath and asked her,

“Are you not lying?”

She remains silent.

He throws a glass bottle lying beside her and asks again loudly

“ Are you telling the truth?”

“ Yes, I would certainly remember if I killed someone. Please, you can run an entire investigation on me , I haven’t done any of this deed.”

He gets up and leaves.

She closes her eyes and tries to look into back of her mind. She felt being betrayed by life. She hasn’t had any water or food since a day, her mouth was dry , the ropes were irritating her skin. Even though the tape was no longer on her mouth, she was too tired to speak.

The man came again and this time he looked angrier than ever.

“You thought you could fool me with your act. You are the culprit and I will be the one who makes you atone for all your crimes.”, says the man on top of his voice. He pulls the revolver out of his pocket and in a blink of an eye , he is stabbed on the carotid by Reema with the glass piece which was left behind and there was splash of blood all around but he smirked and called out.

“How would a snake not bite?”

She starts running towards the gate while the visions of a girl running kept coming in her mind but she focused on escaping the place which was on the verge of becoming her deathbed.

She reached her home , still traumatized. First of all, she drank a liter of water and dropped on the kitchen floor , still panting.

Suddenly she had an urge to go the basement as if someone was calling her. She walked slowly through the stairs and her legs faltered at the sight of a boy sitting in a chair tied by ropes and mouth taped. She went in front of the boy and the boy started whimpering as if scared. She removed the tape.

“Who tied you in my basement? Why are you here?”

“You…youuu…..you have……you tied me…..you monster.” ,boy hardly manages to say.

She falls back.

“Where are you lost today Reema?”, says the therapist Zara

“Nowhere, I was just thinking about me. Does it even make sense?”, says Reema half heartedly.

“You or the other you?”, asks Zara politely.

“She doesn’t come much now. I don’t let her.”, says Reema.

The next day Reema disposed of the boy’s body and inhales a sigh of relief.

“ I won’t let her destroy my future.”

By Swati Joshi