Crush - KarEena

Chapter 32

Chintu had wet himself. It was the definitive humiliation. The second-grade nightmare had been revisited to validate his cruel nickname. There was only one variation, today no one had noticed the dark stain on the front of his trousers. They'd been too busy trying to control the chaos.

Following the gunshot, all hell had broken loose, and that was how Chintu had managed to escape. There were advantages to being small in stature and easily forgettable. In the aftermath of the shooting, he'd been the last thing on anyone's mind.

When he saw an opportunity to slip out of the interrogation room, he had seized it. He'd used the fire escape stairs rather than taking the elevator. It wasn't until he had exited the building that he realized he'd peed himself.

All the way home and the 3-hour distance had never seemed so far, he'd expected a squadron of police cars to come screaming after him.

But the department had much bigger problems to deal with than one missing would-be confessor who had come to his senses. A bleeding cop was a major event, especially since it had been another cop who'd made her bleed. Probably no one in that room would even remember that Chintu Kichlu had been there to witness the shooting.

Even so, he was taking no chances. He figured he was long overdue for a relocation. He would start looking for another place. All he needed was space for his lounger, TV, and bed, and enough electricity to support his computer setup. When he moved, he wouldn't leave a forwarding address.

With unsteady hands, he unlocked his front door. He tossed his keys onto his TV tray and entered his bedroom in a rush. He groped beneath his bed for his suitcase. It was covered by a thick layer of dust, but he set it on his bed, unlatched the top and raised it, then turned toward his narrow closet.

He screamed in fright.

"Hello, Chintu," Roy was leaning against the opposite wall, arms and ankles crossed, looking perfectly relaxed. And deadly. Noticing the stain on the front of Chintu's trousers, he grinned, "Did I startle you?"

"H-hi Roy. How's it going? I was just-"

"About to pack," He gestured toward the suitcase, "Going somewhere? But then you've already been somewhere, haven't you, Chintu?"

"Been somewhere? No," He was trying very hard to keep his teeth from chattering

"I've been calling you for a day and a half"

"Oh, I was, uh... my phone's out of order"

Lazily Roy unfolded his arms and legs and crossed to the rickety table beside Chintu's bed. He lifted the receiver of the telephone. The dial tone buzzed loudly.

Chintu swallowed, "Son of a gun. They must've got it working again."

Roy replaced the receiver and came to stand close to him, "I was getting worried about you, Chintu. You rarely leave this dump of yours. So where have you been?"

Chintu had to crane his neck to look up into Roy's face. He didn't like what he saw, "I-I'm sorry I wasn't around. Did you need me for something?"

Roy ran his index finger along Chintu's hairline, "You're sweating, Chintu"

"Uh, listen, whatever you want me to do, I'll do it for free. No charge. You know, because I wasn't here when you-"

"You've peed your pants, Chintu. What made you nervous enough to lose bladder control?"

Roy removed a switchblade from his pocket. With a flick of his wrist and a deadly click, he opened it inches from Chintu's face. The small man whimpered in terror.