Episode 48
"So Hero, have you changed your mind?" Ranjan asked.
"No such luck man! I will rather die hungry than agree to obey your dictates."
Siddharth might have been weakened due to hunger, but there was no sign of abasement in his voice.
"But, why do you want to die? Don't you have any near and dear ones who would cry on your death? Isn't there anyone who would lose the meaning of life on your death? Ranjan came closer to him and crouched on the barren floor beside him. There was clearly a sign of softness in his voice which was hitherto unheard by Siddharth.
Siddharth had resolutely gone through all the torture, and two days of starving could not break his iron will. But, the rather innocuous question seemed to have slightly unsettled him. He seemed to have gulped back tears and remained speechless for a while.
Rosa, the member of the body language team, exicitedly whispered in Ranjan's hidden ear chip, "It's working, Boss! Carry on."
"Everyone dies, everyone has to die. Being a mortal you are not left with any other option. But, have you ever thought of your loved ones? What will happen to them when you die? Will they have enough motivation to live after your death? Are you sure that they will not commit suicide?"
Again, Ranjan's voice was very soft and friendly. Siddharth's body might have withstood the barbaric torture with comfortable ease, but his mind seemed a bit vulnerable. Ranjan could clearly see that the corners of his eyes had become moist. He didn't fail to notice that he had again gulped.
"There is no one in the world who loves me or will cry for me when I die. So, please kill me and end my agony." Siddharth pleaded to Ranjan, but there was not much of conviction in his voice.
"This reality show is all about death, young man. You take a wrong step, and you will die. There is not much of glory in dying here. So far, we have killed hundreds of innocent civilians, who even didn't understand what their faults were. Our master, the Joker is a very cruel guy. He doesn't give two hoots if you are killed.
Therefore, living in this despicable hell is definitely a thing that you should try. What do you say?"
"No, I will not participate in any show hosted by goons like you. For that I am ready to withstand any amount of torture. As I told you, it will be better if you kill me." Siddharth refused to listen anything.
Ranjan didn't get annoyed with his answer. In a calm voice he said,
"By now I know you are a man of extraordinary resilience. Yes, you can withstand any amount of physical torturre. But can you withstand the torture of watching your loved one being brutally abused?"
Siddharth's face turned pale for a moment. He didn't say anything, but it appeared to Ranjan that his method was working. So he continued,
"We are not good people, my dear young friend! We can do anything and everything to achieve our goal. You maybe saddened to know that we have also captured your near and dear ones in the US." Ranjan didn't say any more and left the room. He knew that this method needed time to work.
Siddharth was astonished. He closed his eyes and put his right hand on his forehead. The clip ended there.
Archana wanted to cry loudly. Watching the torture of Siddharth had ripped the peace of her mind. She tried to hide her emotions by covering her face with her palms. Her body was quivering, as she could not prevent the unrestrainable sobbing.
She was given hardly 5 minutes before the monitor was again switched on, and this time the freaking, frigging face of the Joker appeared on the screen. His usual nasal voice sounded propitiatory as he said,
"Sorry to disract your concentration on a day when you need it the most! But as I told you previously that today will be the day of make-or-break for you. Either you will perish or you will walk out of here as a free person. In any case, you would have never known the truth of what happened to Siddharth.
I know very well that you are no longer attached to him mentally, but as a matter of fact, you cannot deny that this guy had been very close to you. That's why we decided to show you what happened to him. I am sure you are in no mood to see any more clips. So, I will briefly narrate you the after events.
Our blow hot and cold technique hadn't worked much, as this Siddharth guy is extremely obstinate. But, when we showed him your clips, where you were shown as being tortured, he finally budged. He agreed to take part in the reality show with the condition that you must be alive, and everyday we have been showing him some of your live activities."
"Why are you saying all this to me?" Archana yelled, as her nerves could not take it any more.
"Calm down, calm down! So much of anger is not good. You need to concentrate to walk out of here as a winner. I have got a good news for you. I am sure you will love to know the fact that both Rajan and Siddharth have cleared the fourth stage, and they will participate with you in the final test."
"And what will be the final test?" There was clearly a glow on her face and little bit of life in her voice.
"You will know that in due time." The monitor went blank.
Archana threw herself onto the soft bed and hid her face under the soft pillow. The Joker had not done well by telling him the news of Siddharth, she thought. She had completely forgotten about him. But now, the news had caused a great consternation in her mind. It apperaed to her that the old memories had been waiting outside the door of her mind. Now getting an opportunity, they gate-crashed into her brain flooding it with sweet memories of her romantic time spent with Siddharth.
She was also taken aback to know the deep love Siddharth had for her. She was hiding her face, but the white velvet cover of the pillow was getting wet with her uncontrollable tears.
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Srinivas looked at his wristwatch. In fact, he had been watching it after every 30 seconds. The cream leather analog watch was worth rupees 500 and it was around 5 years old. Almost everyone told him to dispose it and buy a more trendy one. His good friend Khan, who used a waterproof quartz tungsten steel black gold big watch, had pulled his legs for his frugality on many occasions. But, Srini was nonchalant not just because he was frugal, but this watch had a fond memory. His girlfriend, now wife, presented it on his birthday.
"Relax Srini! We have 15 minutes in our hand." Khan quipped from the left corner ot the middle seats. Srini was sitting beside the driver in the front seat of the Napoli Black Scorpio S9. Roy was sitting in the right corner of middle row with Khan and Das, one of his colleagues from the Ravenous Eagles.
"What's the update on that hell house?" Srinivas asked Roy.
Roy was looking at his OnePlus 9 Pro very keenly. One of the secret agents of the Ravenous Eagles, Sam, got the membership of the dirty show the Survivor after winning their confidence. Sam had been working as a drug dealer in Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea for the last 5 years. Everyone related with drug trafficking knew him, and that was the reason the Joker's team didn't suspect him when he got membership of this grisly reality show. He was transmitting the real time event to Roy's phone.
The next episode will be published on tomorrow night
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