The Maggot in the Apple — Part II

Chapter 2: Trapped

I enter the world of consciousness with a shudder. I open my eyes but have to shut them instantaneously from the searing pain radiating from my nose. I lie on the floor clenching my jaw, praying that the pain subsides. It doesn’t. My nose throbs harder with each small movement, forcing me to keep my head still. I lift my hand and reach for my nose, and regret it immediately. The touch sends waves of pain piercing through my head, and I utter a low groan. As I lie writhing on the floor, the rest of my senses seem to kick in. I steel through the suffering as I waver my head around, taking in the surroundings. It seems like a room, bound on three sides by walls and on the fourth by… a steel bar door? I feel my eyes widen as I finally realize that I’m in a cell. A cell… no no no NO!!

I sit up so fast that I almost fall unconscious from the pain it causes. My heart races at a hundred kilometers an hour as the reality sets in. I’m back, back in this filthy cell, back with those horrible people. I had failed to escape from this wretched kill-zone. I start to cry, each sob injecting fresh doses of agony into my skull. I slump on the nearest wall, giving up completely. I’m going to die here, I state to myself, staring blankly into the floor I laid on. Light from out the door illuminates a crooked trapezoid, covering that spot of the floor. It is stained with a dark red, the blood from my nose not being dried fully. The minute I set my eyes on the puddle I turn my head away, never wanting to witness the mutilated face that appeared in it ever again. Cringing at the sight, I crawl towards the cell door. I grab two bars and peer through them at the dimly lit corridor. It is riddled with cell doors all along the walls, and behind each door lies a room similar to the one I am in. Each one cages two poor souls, just like me. Two poor souls… two… My heart skips a beat. I can’t be the only one in here. Please don’t be her, please! I beg in despair.

Then, I hear it. A faint rustle, coming from within the darkness of my cell. I turn around slowly and try to use the faint light from the corridor to the best of my ability. As my eyes adjust, I see her, glaring. Her black hair is cut short, just above the nape of her neck. She has a fresh scar down her right temple, and her grey eyes are fixated on mine. The rest of her face, nose and below, lie hidden behind her knees as she stays crouched on the far wall. Her lean figure is covered with tattered clothes, almost like mine. Her hands are wrapped around her legs, fiddling with her toes. She then raises her head revealing a set of lips that finish the jigsaw puzzle of her pretty face, but I see an expression of arrant disgust. From her visage, I can read one word, Betrayer. I shake my head at her, not knowing how to convince her. I open my mouth to call out to her, but the metal door opens behind me with a deafening clang, cutting me off. A huge shadow looms over me from the entrance. I turn around to find the silhouette of a man blocking the light from outside. Amidst the anguish and confusion I am in, I find the silhouette reaching out for my neck and then it drags me out the doorway.

Chapter 3: Capture

That day was overcast, a huge grey blanket in the sky encompassing all that was under it, not a single gap allowing the sun’s brilliance to permeate through. Perfect. I took a deep breath, smelling a hint of rain in the air. I smiled to myself as I walked on the path encircling the lake. School had ended early, and I had decided to walk around the lake nearby to soak in the weather. It was a good day. I found the park where most of the kids from my school play in because the one within the school’s boundaries was a lot smaller. The little kids noticed me as I walked by and waved. I smiled back at them, happy that they actually recognised me. After walking a few more minutes, I stopped and hunched over a fence, overlooking the whole lake.

That was my favourite spot on the entire path. The view from there was incredible. The lake expanded forth in an almost perfect circle, something that no one ever believed was natural. Somewhere close to its center was a petite island, that was ground to the most beautiful gul mohar. Its twisted branches bloomed vermilion flowers, that shone like a massive fire in the middle of the lake. One of the flowers detached from a branch and floated gently with the breeze next to a swan swimming on the surface. It seemed to be startled as the flower glided past it, setting its petals on the water next to it. The swan then took to staring at the orange strangeness, and I giggled slightly at the predicament of the swan.

Then I felt something touch my shoulder. I turned around to see what did, and my heart stopped instantly. There stood Evelynn, two feet ahead of me, her hand outstretched from tapping me on the shoulder. Her long black hair was flowing in the wind, a small strand of it flitting lightly across her face. Her eyes were as grey as the heavens above. Her lips were slightly apart, revealing her teeth in a small, childish smile. She looked cute in her school uniform, with a blue skirt just short of her knees and a plain white shirt. She raised one eyebrow at me, and I realised I must have had an expression worse than that of that swan. As I quickly composed myself, she stretched out her other hand, and in it was a small card. I took it, read its contents and recognised it as my ID card. I looked at her in embarrassment, looking for an explanation. She laughed slightly as she pointed out the spot on the path she found my card on. Before I could say anything, she came beside me and leaned over the fence. Saving my gratitude for later, I turned around and joined her. I couldn’t believe it. Every day in school I watched her studying, playing, talking, or just sitting, dreaming about a time I could bring her to this very spot by this very lake. And there she was, and I didn’t even try. My day had just gotten better. Time passed swiftly as we stood there, talking about our day, our lives. I saw the first raindrop hit the water’s surface, creating neat ripples from that point. The next I saw rolling down Evelynn’s cheek. That’s when we knew our time was up, and that we should be getting home. We pushed ourselves off the fence and turned around as the rain progressed to become stronger and stronger. Little did I know that I would never be able to thank Evelynn, ever.

All of a sudden there was no one around. No couples, no kids in the park, just two huge men in black raincoats lumbering towards us. I felt Evelynn’s fingers tighten around my arm. I looked at her face and found an expression of apprehension, which gradually grew into one of sheer panic. Before I could even comprehend what was happening, they had abruptly grabbed us by our hands. We were overwhelmed as they dragged us towards a black car. All throughout the way we screamed, but our voices were drowned out by the rain. We kicked and scratched and bit, but to no avail. The closer we got to the car, the more hysterical we became. I caught a glance of Evelynn. The man had switched from pulling her by her hand to dragging her by her hair. At a point, two other men got out from the car with handkerchiefs. With a quick jab, they shoved them into our faces. A strong smell of ether filled my nose, and I felt myself losing my ability to move. Barely conscious, I felt myself being dumped into the back of the car, followed by Evelynn. I moaned softly as a black bag was thrown over my head and I blacked out.

This article was written for Festember: The Renaissance by Tejas Harirajan Radhakrishnan