symbol of our love (Completed)

chapter 7

Abhay and Pia got up early next morning. Today they were visiting the sparsely populated Sherrill town to meet the last Claudia Clark as per the description given by the superiors. They both were nervous. If this Claudia too turned out to be normal, they had no idea what they were going to do next. They reached her house by using the address they found on the People Search directory. They rung the door bell, but there was no reply. They knocked on the door, but still there was no reply. The house was in a secluded area so they could not even ask anyone about where she might be. They tried knocking again, but again no reply. Disappointed and frustrated they began to move away when Abhay's vampire ears caught feeble sounds of mumbling. Instantly he became alert to the sound. He could now hear someone trying to mumble and the sound seemed to be coming from inside the house.

 

He pressed his ears to the door, knocked again and asked: Anybody, in there?

He again heard someone mumbling. He was now confident that someone was there inside the house, but somehow that person was not in a position to open the door or give a coherent response. He decided to check out what was wrong himself and with one swift and strong kick, the door of the house fell down to the other side, opening the way for Abhay and Pia to enter inside.

 

The scene inside shocked them to the core. The entire house was showing signs of extreme violence. The chairs lay fallen on the floor broken. The glass of the cupboards was reduced to dust and spread on the floor. The lights of the house were all broken and the cotton feathers from pillows and mattresses were flying in the air. Abhay instantly got into his guard mode and clutched Pia's hand tightly and asked her not to leave his side at all and tread her steps carefully as there was glass all around. Abhay called out again, "Anybody home"and he heard the mumbling again. He followed the direction from where the voice was coming and reached the bedroom on the first floor. There they found her; Claudia Clark tied to a fallen chair with her mouth stuffed with a cloth; with her head bleeding profusely and her breaths steadily declining.

 

Abhay and Pia rushed to her and opened her bondages to set her free. But they found her protesting against them, thus confusing them. Abhay tried to assure her saying, "We are only here to help you. Please trust us." He opened her mouth to let her speak and she immediately spat back, "Trust you!! A blood sucking monster and your accomplice who did this to me and kidnapped my grand daughter!!"

 

Abhay and Pia were confused as to what she was saying. Pia asked her:"What are you saying Ma'm? I am meeting you for the first time and I don't even know you have a grand daughter, leave alone kidnap her"

 

Claudia scanned Pia from top to bottom with her eyes resting on Pia's visible belly. She tried to sniff her and exclaimed in shock: "How is this possible? You are not her! You smell a human and you are carrying this monster's baby, but then how come you fought with me yesterday and took my grand daughter away. You were a vampire yesterday, then how come you are a pregnant woman today?"

 

As realization dawned on them, Abhay and Pia together exclaimed,"Maithili!"

Pia was so shocked that she lost all strength and collapsed to the floor. She was saved from hurting herself, just because Abhay was still holding her hand, though he himself was too shocked. Claudia was looking from one face to another trying to decipher if these could be trusted. She knew that her own end was near. She had lost too much blood in the fight and it was only because of her being a witch that she was still alive. She was losing her breaths and so decided that she has no option but to trust these people, whoever they are. She cried out,"Please save my grand daughter!"

 

Abhay came to his senses and assured her:"I will! But how will I recognize her?"

Claudia: She is an Indian like you. My daughter married a poor Indian. I came to know about my grand daughter just a week back. She turned 18 recently and only then got her powers. She does not even know how to channelize them properly. But Maithili wants her to do some dirty work for her. And so she took her with her.

Abhay: How does she look?

Claudia: She has a wheatish complexion, almond shaped eyes and pear face structure.

Abhay was trying to make a mental sketch when Claudia spoke her last sentence: "And her name is Maya!" She breathed her last with this sentence and Abhay and Pia were horrified and shaken to see her dying like this.

 

The description she had given was too small for Abhay to draw a complete picture and he said in frustration: "How am I going to search for her with this little information. There could be 1000s of Maya with the same description all over the world. And we don't even know where Maithili has taken her."

 

Pia: Maya, Maya,, Abhay what if is it's our Maya? The description matches her too!

Abhay: But she was not a witch Pia!

Pia: But didn't this lady just said that she came into powers just a week back? Think about it Abhay! I may be wrong, but still we can try it as a starting point. At least we have her picture with us.  So we can ask the neighbours.

Abhay: neighbours??? What neighbours Pia? Didn't you see that this house is lying in a secluded farm and there is no one living in the vicinity for more than a mile!

Pia: But then, what do we do Abhay? How do we find who is this Maya?

Abhay: we need to begin our search at the airport and find how many 18 year old Mayas arrived in New York last week. Then see if any of them match the description. We may still try confirming if it's our Maya or someone else. But our search has to begin from the airport.

Pia: But why will the authorities help us out?

Abhay: They won't! And that's why it's time I put my vampiric powers to some good use. I can compel people into carrying out whatever I ask them to do.

Pia: Wow! Then let's go.

 

Abhay and Pia left for the airport and compelled the departure counter official to show them the arrival records. They found that only one 18 year old woman named Maya had arrived in New York in last one month. They checked her passport records and were pleasantly surprised to know that it was indeed their college friend Maya. But now the question remained, where was she? Where has Maithili taken her and why? They had no answers to these questions!

________________________________
Please vote share and comments

Enjoy!