NoWHAC- Chapter 3

After driving around for a couple of hours Rani stamped her foot on the brake and brought the car to a halt, heads jilted forward. The side of Gulab’s face pressed against the back seat of the front passenger.

“Is that your face in my back?” Preeti turned round.

“Yeah,” Gulab pulled her face off the seat and sat back, “It was.”

Rani shuffled around in the glove compartment, Jags leaned in to see what she was doing.

“Ok Rani why the emergency brake? And what the hell are you looking for?” Jags tried to hide the hint of annoyance in her voice.

“I’m looking for cigarettes. It’s a police van...They always have cigarettes!” She thumped the steering wheel. “I don’t know where we are!” She got out of the van and slammed the door behind.

Bilo followed her and offered the packet of cigarettes that she found in the station. She gave Rani a reassuring look, “Just chill, we’ll find a way.”

Rani didn’t know how to respond to that, she exhaled a puff of smoke and thought of how she had made matters worse. She felt like she had dived into the deep end and dragged the girls down with her in the process, they were going to be free in a few months, what was to become of them now? She recalled the conversations that they had in the cage, about being alone, having no one to turn to once they got out. Maybe they had no choice but to stick together from here on.

Preeti sat in the car with one hand on her head, trying to think of a safe way to get out of the Punjab. Gulab was getting fidgety, she began chewing the end of her chunni. Jags watched her and thought about controlling her anger but Gulab's fidgeting was becoming more and more irritating. Jags leant over, opened the door forcefully and booted Gulab out. She rolled out of the van and hit the dusty road.

“Aye you stupid!” Gulab shouted, she picked herself up and brushed off the dirt from her white salwar and fitted kameez. Jags remained seated in the van cross-armed and cold.

“Don’t worry I didn’t crack my skull!”

“Shame, I was hoping to knock some sense into you!” Jags slammed the door shut.

Gulab was in the midst of cursing when something caught her eye, it was an owl perched comfortably on a branch of a tree. She was fascinated by birds, she hadn’t been so close to one before. Preeti stepped out of the van and noticed Gulab staring at the owl, she tapped her on the shoulder.

 “If you keep on staring, you might grow a pair of wings.”

“Oh look, I think it is about to fly, maybe this is a sign just like in the story of Jesus, you know the one…”

“The wise men following the star?” Preeti couldn’t work out where this was heading.

“Correct! I knew there was a reason for being friends with you,” Gulab cheered.

“Really? I thought it was because you had no choice and I was the only one who laughed at your jokes?”

Gulab took a moment to think then continued. “Yeah but the love is there, the love is there.”

Rani finished her cigarette. “Let’s make a move,” she flicked the end away.

“Hold on, I think Gulab may have a point,” said Preeti.

“See I knew that one day I’d have a point,” Gulab shook her finger in the air.

“Birds usually fly to a safe area, away from predators,” said Preeti.

“And we’ll put a bag over Jags' head so it won’t get scared,” added Gulab.

“I heard that!” Jags shouted from the van.

“Good!” Was Gulab’s response.

“Ok, Come on,” Rani took a deep breath, got in the van, started up the engine.

The owl flew north and led them deep into a woodland area, further on was a forest. Preeti noticed that they were running out of fuel, she decided to keep quiet to avoid any unnecessary panic amongst the group. This was tricky when Preeti was a bit of a panic queen. Rani squinted as the headlights began to dim, the engine was struggling to go on and was making a rattling noise. The van gradually gave up and broke down, Rani tried starting up the engine again, she tried a few times but there was no joy, she huffed and thumped the steering wheel, they all noticed the smoke seeping out of the bonnet. They hurried out one by one and Gulab being the last to get out slammed the door shut. A second later, the door fell off and smacked the ground- missing her foot, by inches. Gulab looked at the door on the floor and then turned to the others wide eyed.

“And this just gets better,” Preeti placed a hand on her head and the other on her hip and looked at the van.

“Ok either this is a poor excuse for a vehicle or I have this amazing super strength that I wasn’t aware of,” Gulab waved her hands in the air whilst stepping away from the van.

“Wow that would be so cool if you did,” said Bilo with look of amazement.

Out of frustration, Rani kicked the front tire, she took a deep breath to think calmly. Gulab looked at the tire and then at Rani.

“See, if I had done that I bet you the tires would have dropped off.”

“Yes, it would take a foot of an elephant to do that,” Jags sparked up a cigarette.

“Jags of course you’d be familiar with large animals, I mean since you are one!” Gulab crossed her arms with a fake smile.

“Guys, please-not now,” Rani looked around too find plenty of trees.

“I really don’t want to waste my breath on someone under the height of 5ft!” Jags edged closer to Gulab.

“I am 5ft 2 inches thanks! And 3 inches away from stamping on your freakishly long feet!” Gulab hid behind Preeti to protect herself from Jags hand or leg.

Jags patience ended with her cigarette, she decided to become the mechanic. She forced open the bonnet, a puff of engine smoke shot out, right in her face. She wiped her eyelids and saw the black substance on her hands. Preeti quickly turned the other way to hide her laughter whereas Bilo and Gulab were less discreet. They burst out in hysterics, nearly in tears Gulab tried to breathe whilst Bilo was practically rolling on the floor.

“What are you laughing at?!” Shouted Jags.

They laughed even louder and harder. Rani's patience had deteriorated, she pulled Jags back and stood between the chuckle twins and the human explosive.

“Do you want to shout any louder Jags? I don’t think the whole of the Punjab heard you! We are stuck in the middle of nowhere, the police are probably out searching for us...” She turned round to the others, “AND WILL YOU SHUT UP!” Her voice echoed through the forest.

The laughter stopped and there was silence for a moment. Jags looked round at the others and then turned to Rani.

“So was that to make sure that the whole of Punjab definitely heard us?” Jags crossed her arms.

Gulab and Bilo worked on keeping straight faces, they couldn’t help giggling every time they caught sight of each other. Preeti had noticed a large scenic waterfall, glowing in the moonlight. It was only a few yards away from the broken down van. She waved a pack of cigarettes and lured Jags to the area so she could wash her face. Jags climbed on a rock under the rushing waters. She cupped her hands under the rushing water, splashed the contents onto her face a few times, and took a deep breath. She felt more awake as she patted herself dry using the end of her chunni. Preeti too decided to refresh herself, the ice cold water would do a good job of keeping her alert. Jags called out to the others.

“Hey stinkers! This water is amazing, come and try it out!”

“Hey Snow-white, we are coming right over!” Gulab shouted whilst skipping to the waterfall.

Preeti and Jags went back to the van to collect their guns and then returned to the gushing waters of the waterfall. They sat on a large rock and laughed at the others having a water fight. There was a rustling noise coming from some bushes behind the rock, soon the noise reached Jags’ ears. She slid off the rock and slowly cocked her gun whilst creeping up to the bush; Preeti too heard the rustling and followed her lead. Jags focused on the shaking bush and aimed to fire. Preeti tried to control her trembling hand.

“What do you think it is?” Her voice quivered.

“I don’t know, whatever it is I’m going to shoot it and I swear if you don’t stop shaking I’m going to shoot you too!” She pulled back the trigger and shot at the bush.

The gun shot alarmed the others, they rushed out of the water and hurried over to the rocks. After a few seconds of silence, the rustling began. All of a sudden, a 6ft tall stranger burst out of the bush, the girls screamed so loud that the stranger felt his ears ring.

He wore dark clothes with a bandanna round his head and a dagger in his hand. He jumped over the rock and stepped towards them.

“Do not think about shooting. My men surround you.”

Gulab’s eyes narrowed. “What men?” She took a look over her shoulder, saw more men creeping out of the bushes, she then faced the stranger. “Ok those men…’ She laughed nervously, raised her hands in the air and looked as if was going to cry. 

Eight men with rifles and bandoliers across their chests, stood behind them ready to fire. The girls moved closer together looking a little petrified.

“Drop your weapons and put your hands where we can see them!” He held his dagger steady.

“How about near your face!” Jags' level of fury was rising like a hot air balloon.

The girls held Jags back, before she knocked the stranger out of his senses. Preeti, dropped her gun instantly, she felt the barrel of a rifle digging into her back.

“Ok!” She said in a high pitched tone. Jags threw her gun at the stranger’s foot with spite. The girls put their hands up, Bilo was cold and wet, the urge to sneeze crept up and her attempt to hold back failed.

“Aaaachhuu!”

“Bilo!” Gulab felt the wet spray on the back of her head.

“Sorry luv, but I feel so relieved,” sniffed Bilo.

“Can’t believe you did that!” Gulab wiped her wet neck with the end of her chunni.

“Don’t try to be smart!” Warned the stranger.

“Trust me there is little chance of that,” Bilo wiped her nose with the end of Gulab's chunni.

“I’d like to see you stand still if someone sneezed on you,” said Gulab with a look of disgust.

Rani asked if they were working for the police, the men looked at each other and burst out laughing. The stranger told her not to insult them by referring to them as the scum who wouldn’t know the meaning of the word ‘justice’ even if it slapped them across the face. Jags clenched her fists and watched the stranger and his group chuckling away. Eventually one clenched fist violently swung and smacked his jaw. The 6ft well-built stranger hit the floor and bounced back up, he shook his head quickly and grabbed hold of Jags and forced her close to his muscular body.

“I could do some serious damage to you, pull another stunt like that and I swear I won’t let you off so lightly!” He pushed her back.

Rani caught her as she fell back and shouted at the stranger, “Who the hell are you and what do you want!”

“I should be asking you that after all you are in my territory!”

“Did he piss on every tree?” Asked Gulab in a quiet tone.

“Oh we must have misread the signs that are displayed all over this forest!” Rani stressed.

“I’m sure we didn’t pass any signs, did we?” Asked Bilo looking round at the others.

Preeti slowly positioned herself between the stranger and Rani. She politely smiled and looked into the stranger's deep grey eyes that had a slight tint of blue.

“We have no intentions of causing trouble... The thing is... we’ve escaped from prison and desperately need to get out of Punjab. Our van broke down and we don’t know where we are.”

“Give away our life stories why don’t you,” Jags gave her a serious look.

Preeti negotiated peace with the stranger who seemed skeptical about what he was hearing, he signaled his men to lower their weapons. He paid close attention to what the girls were wearing; the white long sleeved kameez, baggy salwar, the dark blue chunni. They seemed to be dressed in prison uniforms, he just received a right hook from one of them so they might be telling the truth.

“My name is Badshah,” he slid his dagger in the leather pouch hanging from his belt. “Badshah Khan. We’re freedom fighters but the government think we’re terrorists, I suppose our situations are similar.”

“I’m so glad we have something in common,” said Gulab, cheerfully bringing her hands together.

Badshah rubbed the back of his neck. “You are at the foot of Jammu and Kashmir- now I’ll give you two options-”

“But there’s five of us,” said Bilo looking worried, just as she was about to say something else Preeti placed a hand over Bilo’s mouth.

He focused on Jags. “You can continue your journey from here or come back to our camp where there is food and shelter. What’s it to be?” He asked then looked at the others.

“Can I phone a friend?” Gulab raised her hand.

“We’ll go our own way,” added Jags with heightened pride.

“Where’s this camp?” Rani asked.

“Where’s the support!” Jags scoffed.

“I can understand how it’s so easy to forget that we are in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night and really need a place to stay, did I mention we’ve just escaped from jail?!” Rani tried not to sound defensive.

“It’s late and this forest isn’t the safe, wild animals tend to come out at this time,” Badshah hoped they would accept his invite.

“Don’t worry we have Jags, she’s like the Alpha beast,” Gulab ducked to avoid a swinging fist.

“The camp is a 10 minute walk from here,” Badshah gave the girls some space to think.

He formed a huddle with his men who were worried about taking the girls back to their base. Badshah listened to his cautious comrades then took a look over his shoulder where he caught a glimpse of Jags. There was something about her, other than her looks. Badshah had a strong desire of getting to know her in depth, even if it was just friendship. If anything, she would be an excellent freedom fighter.

The girls began to bicker amongst themselves. By now, word would have spread about their escape and the two guards locked up in the cell. Gulab and Bilo trusted Rani with their lives and agreed with whatever she decided. Jags disagreed with the idea of going to the camp and Preeti was apprehensive.

“No luv, we can’t go back with them, I just punched the guy, why would he want to help us out?” Jags crossed her arms.

“Cos I’m pretty?” Bilo shrugged her shoulders

“And that’s one of the things I’m worried about, I mean they are terrorists,” whispered Preeti.

“And we have halos floating above our heads! Look, I’ve met a lot of bastards in my time. These guys seem different, if they wanted to do something they would have done it by now,” Rani crossed her arms, she was feeling the evening chill.

Bilo looked up for floating halos, Gulab got fidgety and anxious.

“Let’s just go to this camp, I’m hungry.”

“Me too,” Bilo noticed Badshah heading towards them.

Badshah cleared his throat, “We don’t have much time to wait, you’re welcome to stay at the camp, if not then this brief encounter will be one to be remembered,” Badshah turned away to head back to his men but was stopped by a gentle yet brisk touch on the shoulder.

He looked back to discover it was Jags, she quickly moved her hand back by her side, she couldn’t understand what made her do that. The feeling was weird, they stared at each other for a moment. The others were confused, as was Jags, she felt a sudden, unusual feeling in the pit of her stomach. One of Badshah’s men called out for him and killed the moment.

Half way to the camp Gulab’s senses were hit by a beautiful smell, it was fresh ground spices-ginger, garlic, fresh coriander. She barged past the guiding men and allowed her nose to lead the way; Bilo ran up to her thinking it was a race. Meanwhile Preeti got talking to one of the freedom fighters.

“Sorry I forgot to introduce myself, I’m Preeti.”

“I’m Imran.” He paused when they reached the entrance of the camp. “Here it’s, nothing glamorous but it is home.”

“Home is always glamorous, believe me this is five star treatment compared to where we’ve escaped from.” Preeti stopped laughing when she noticed that there wasn’t much humor in that sentence.

The camp looked like a cozy village with numerous huts positioned close to one another in one part of the camp. There was a stable next to a large training ground of some sort there were little obstacle courses, wooden statues and benches. A roaring camp fire next to what seemed to be an outdoor kitchen was the focal point of the camp. Eight big pots were heating up on eight large gas rings. Gulab had a huge grin on her face when she realized that the mouth-watering aroma was seeping from the shaking lids of the pots.

The girls were amazed, while admiring their surroundings, they noticed a small woman by the fire. Five out of the eight freedom fighters dispersed as soon as they saw this elderly woman. Badshah and Imran remained on the spot, lost for words. Badshah pushed Imran forward to go over the fire, he took nervous steps towards the woman who was simmering with rage. She picked up a rolling pin, whacked Imran’s arm, and began shouting at him. She whacked him a few times with the rolling pin.

“Umi we’re sorry please put the rolling pin down!” Imran yelled.

Gulab took a few steps back. “Let’s make a swift exit out of her before the rolling pin psycho heads this way.”

“But she’s so cute!” Shrieked Bilo.

“Define cute for me?” Jags frowned.

Before the girls could do a U-turn, the tiny rolling pin psycho spotted them; she power walked over to them, she moved really quickly for a frail old woman.

“Stop right there!” She said in a fierce tone.

Badshah gently grabbed hold of the woman known as “Nora Umi” the mother of the pack.

“My dear Nora Umi, these girls were lost in the jungle, they haven’t got a place to stay so I thought…”

Nora Umi eyes narrowed, she took a look at the girls then pushed Badshah.

“Kya?! Lost in the jungle at this time of the night, are they daughters of Mowgli? And what were you doing there? Yah Allah! How many times do I have to tell you?!”

“Umi, you’ve always said that helping those in need is a good deed and… we’re doing a good deed!”

Rani stepped forward, “Umi, we don’t want to give you any trouble, so we’ll leave.”

Nora Umi gave her a suspicious look and after a short pause she said, “You are not going anywhere till you have eaten, follow me.”

 The girls couldn’t refuse, so they silently followed the little woman into the heart of this mystical area. They were led to a spacious indoor dining area; the interior was wood and decorated with handmade candles. The decor seemed to have a strong Gothic influence. Gulab rubbed her eyes thinking she was hallucinating, she had not expected this.

The girls were presented with generous portions of lamb curry with rice and freshly cooked naan garnished with coriander and fresh green chilies. This was the first decent meal the girls had in nine months. It was a change from watery, tasteless daal and stale chapattis, which were a challenge to eat but the need for human survival, forced them to eat whatever was thrown at them.

Nora Umi insisted on getting to know them in depth in the morning. Before she went off to bed, she ordered Badshah to take the girls to the guest hut.

“The guest hut?” Quizzed Gulab.

“That’s the room where they’ll feed us more, then cook us for their next meal,” Jags answered casually.

“No, that’s the room where we’ll dip you in a tandoori marinade then hang up upside down overnight, then take you to a different room where we’ll cook you,” Badshah chuckled. “And that was a joke which nobody found funny… right the guest hut is this way,” he briskly left the room full of concerned looks. There was a good reason why he didn't do 'funny', he wasn't sure what had gotten into him.

From the outside, the size of this hut was questionable but the inside was spacious and airy. The interior had a wicker like look with white walls, very different feel from what you would expect in a camp or a village next to a forest. Old lanterns shed light onto a double bed, one single and a bunk bed, the room was cozy and warm.

Badshah said good night and left the room, Jags followed him out a few seconds later.

“Badshah?” She closed the door behind her.

“Is everything ok?” He asked taking a step towards her.

A cold breeze blew against her face and brushed her hair back, she crossed her arms.

“This may sound cynical... I can’t work out why you’re doing this for a group of strangers, and even after I attacked you… what I'm trying to say is that I’d like to… apologize for...You know,” Jags avoided eye contact.

“We are freedom fighters and I can see that you are seeking freedom too. I don’t know why and don’t need an explanation; all I know is that this place is safer than where you were planning on spending the night. Call it an act of humanity,” he walked away.

“Thank you,” Jags tried to smile.

She watched him go into his hut a few yards opposite theirs. She convinced herself that this outlandish feeling was triggered because she’d spent nine months in prison. This was the first attractive guy she had come in contact with in a long time.

Bilo and Preeti crashed out on the double bed within moments of their heads hitting the pillows. Gulab climbed up to the top bunk, Rani took the single bed and this is where Jags had the problem, she insisted on swapping beds with Rani.

“No luv, you take the bottom bunk,” Rani snuggled into the thick fur blanket.

“No, you take it, I don’t want to sleep under that thing!”

“Hey! This thing has feelings!” Gulab stuck her head out of bed.

“This isn’t fair!”

“Jags build a bridge and get over it, I’m not moving so you can sleep… where ever, good night!” Rani blew out the last candle that was by her bedside.

Gulab couldn’t hold her laughter in, they‘d spent the last nine months sleeping on concrete, you would have thought that the sight of a proper bed, despite its location would seem like heaven. Jags had no choice but surrender to the bottom bunk, she took off her chapel and whacked Gulab with it.

She rested her head on the pillow, closed her eyes and a sudden image appeared. Her eyes shot wide open, she wondered why on earth she’d seen an image of Badshah.

***

Paperback available here and ebook available here

NoWHAC- Chapter 2

Rani

I was an excellent student in housework, my knowledge was a gift from the mature women of the village. Their skills and wisdom stemmed from the grounds of Ajnala, a small village on the outskirts of the holy city, Amritsar. The area was home to carpenters and farmers.

I enjoyed school, I had my heart set on going to University to study Law and English but my dream was far too ambitious for a village girl. My schooling stopped when I was 15 years old. Baba Ji, my father could no longer afford my fees. I had a small family, Baba Ji, my sister Bindi and the only man I ever gave my heart to... Arjun.

I often think of those sunny, colorful days, running through the rice fields with Arjun chasing me, I was too quick for him.

“Rani! You run like you’re fleeing from the police…" He would say whilst chasing me. Funny how it all turns out.

We would sit under the mango tree outside our house and dream about our wedding, how we would make our home, names for our unborn children. There is nothing I want more than to go back in time and spend only a few moments in his arms, to feel his gentle touch, to see him smile, hear his voice. Arjun was my childhood sweetheart, the village hunk, he was my first and last love. He was everything I wanted and was all that I needed, to feel complete.

“Rani, I don’t need much, the sky is my shelter, your heart is my home and your love is what keeps me going!” He never got tired of saying this.

Arjun was an orphan who grew up on others hand downs and leftovers. That is why he had his heart set on building a huge house and having a dozen children to spoil rotten. He was an excellent carpenter, he picked up the trade from Baba Ji. Bindi adored him, he was really good with her, never treated her differently or patronized her for having the mentality of a twelve year old at the age of twenty-seven.

There was a mad man in the village called Murli, he was the local tramp that most of the villagers chose to avoid. He claimed that Bindi was his lover in a previous life. She was the cutest and sweetest little girl in the village; she befriended everyone, even Murli. Baba Ji never spoke about it, he stopped speaking from that day onwards. It happened during the summer, two days before her twelfth birthday. Bindi had gone missing, the villagers found her in a barn, unconscious, wearing nothing but a blanket. Her body covered in bruises and blood, she had a wound to the back of her head- it seemed that she did put up a fight. Murli was dangling from the ceiling, he probably knew that the villagers would have killed him.

 The pain and guilt drove mother to finish off a bottle of poison. Baba Ji felt that he had failed on every account, he sunk into a deep state of shock. He blamed himself for the tragedy that was to haunt Bindi for the rest of her life. I had to fill the shoes of an elder sister without much choice. Baba Ji did his bit by putting food on the table, he spent most of his days and nights working in a paper mill factory in Amritsar.

After leaving school, I began making clothes for Bindi and myself. Arjun bought me a reliable sewing machine, which I used to make clothes for him too. Whenever he took me to the pictures, usually once a fortnight, I would memorize the latest designs the actresses were wearing and sketch them down in the theatre. I would use the sketches to make the same outfits when I got home. I developed an art for tailoring, I earned good money by making Punjabi outfits for the local women. We could afford little treats, like eating out, fancy toiletries, new chapels etc. The dark clouds were fading away, allowing a ray of hope to shine upon our small world.

During a summer’s day, just a couple of days before Bindi’s twenty-eighth birthday, Arjun took me out on a shopping trip to Amritsar. I needed some fabrics and a present for Bindi, there was a doll house she had her heart set on. Though it took me a year to save up, I found that I was still short, so Arjun put some money in for the present. He was doing well with selling his handmade furniture. He brought a motorbike that he needed to show off that day.

We first visited the most sacred place of worship, the Golden Temple, which is a historical landmark for Sikhism, it is like the Mecca for Sikhs. We spent all morning wandering around, joking, laughing and haggling with shopkeepers. On our way to a fun fair nearby, I had a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach, I squeezed his arm as my heart began to race.

“We have to go Arjun,” my feet would not go further.

“No we don’t, it is early and I’m really in the mood for a Kulfi and a-”

“Arjun, please, I want to go home now, I don’t feel too good- we’ll come back tomorrow!”

“I want that in writing,” he joked.

“Arjun!”

“Ok, we’ll go home,” he realized that I was being serious.

The journey back was awful, it poured down with rain, the winds were so strong that we nearly had an accident. We reached home to see no sign of Bindi, she was not waiting by the door as expected. I called out for her a few times but wasn’t getting a reply, I ran out to the back of the house. Arjun checked the kitchen and the roof top, I ran behind him into the room I shared with Bindi. Arjun found her in bed, she wasn’t breathing so he ran out to get the local doctor. I tried to wake her up, I thought she was playing one of her pranks.

“Bindi, this isn’t funny!” I touched her face she was stone cold. I tried to hold my tears back. “I’ve got a surprise for you… if you don’t wake up, you’re not going to get your present!”

The doll house on the back of the motorbike had fallen and shattered into pieces, just like me. I held her close and rocked back and forth, crying and begging her to wake up.

The next day, the villagers gathered outside the house with tears streaming from their eyes. They took Bindi away to the deserted field by the river, to say goodbye. She looked so beautiful in the traditional Punjabi red bridal dress. I had to ask her to wake up just one more time. Baba Ji carried out the cremation ritual as the priest recited a prayer for the passing of her soul to a place where she could rest in peace.

I stood by Baba Ji’s side and watched the flames take our Bindi, turning her to ashes. Time had come to a standstill as we stared at the continuous smoke. Baba Ji told me about an argument he had a few hours before she died.

“I was speaking with your uncle, about arranging your marriage. I didn’t know that Bindi was listening. She screamed, shouted… She thought I was getting you married to punish her. She thought I wanted to separate the two of you.”

After Bindi’s funeral, Baba Ji and I spent more time together, he would take time off work to go out on family trips around the city. Arjun found it difficult, he knew that Baba Ji wasn’t too happy with him hanging round me all the time. Arjun didn’t own land or property, he lived in his workshop. At times, he seemed too carefree, this was a trait that Baba ji didn’t like.

 The memory I look back in fondness is of a wedding celebration in the village, it was Arjun's best friend’s wedding, the entire village was invited. The ceremony took place at the Golden Temple. We sat cross-legged with heads covered and listened to the priest reciting passages from the Guru Granth Sahib. He spoke of the meaning of marriage, commitment, loyalty and love. Arjun and I were in perfect view of each other. Though we were sitting apart, we couldn’t keep our eyes off each other, for a moment it felt like we were getting married. When the bride and groom were asked to stand up, Arjun and I were about to get up, we stopped midway, realizing that we were getting shameful looks.

The after party was back at the village where a live Punjabi orchestra played classical Punjabi and Hindi songs. The guests arrived to an enormous 10ft high crème marquee. Clay lamps light up the inside of the marquee with silk red, yellow and mauve fabrics draped over the hand carved pillars that supported the marquee. The bride and groom sat at a backlit area, looking like Royalty. They were so thrilled, you could tell by the way the groom looked at his bride, he could not wait for this party to come to an end. Arjun and I stood from a distance watching the newlyweds and guessing what they were saying to one another. We made up our own comical version of the conversation taking place, we thought we were so funny.

Arjun wore traditional but up market male attire, he looked more handsome than usual that night. He had perfect skin, the only man in the village with a six pack. His beard was neatly trimmed and had a tint of brown, as did his glossy hair, which he kept under his turban. I wore a fitted turquoise, delicate gold patterned Kameez with a lungi (long skirt). He was glued to my side, making sure that I didn’t get any male attention, I was happy being by his side, I didn’t notice anyone else, I felt free whenever I was with him. We performed a dance that impressed the other guests. Luckily, Baba Ji was having drinks with the elder men at the quieter end of the venue.

We returned home just before midnight, Baba Ji went to bed as soon as we got in. I was in the midst of undressing when the clock struck 12, there was a tap on my window.

“Rani let me in,” he whispered.

“Arjun?” I opened the window.

He crawled through and landed on the floor with a loud thump. We heard Baba Ji’s footsteps, Arjun hid in the wardrobe, it was a tight squeeze. I had to control my laughter at the sight of him climbing back out.

“That was close, I’m telling you, if he comes back- I’m not hiding. Remind me to make you a bigger wardrobe,” He closed the wardrobe.

“What would you have done if Baba Ji caught you?”

“I’d look him straight in the eye and say that he won’t find a better son-in-law than me, so be a good father and give us your blessing,” he wrapped his arms round me.

“Really?” I placed my hands on his chest. “And what if he said no?”

“I’d pick you up and take you away,” he threw me over his shoulder. “Do you want to take the door or the window?”

“Arjun put me down!”

“Where? Here or there?” After swinging me round, he gently placed me on the bed.

“You don’t have the guts to ask Baba Ji for my hand.”

He laughed. “Why do I need ask for something that belongs to me?”

“Arjun I’m serious!” 

“My love, I want to get stable first, I’m working on getting a house, there’s a piece of land out-”

“By the time you get yourself stable someone else would have taken my doli.”

“Aye! Over my dead body!” He gave me my birthday kiss.

He was always the first to greet me on my birthday. Every year, he would creep into my room just gone midnight to wish me a happy birthday. That evening I had turned eighteen and that was the first time we made love, it was the most beautiful night of my life, I wish that night had never come to an end.

Baba Ji was so thrilled when a prestigious family from the city, made a request for my hand in marriage. The suitor was Gurpal, he was Arjun’s business associate, I met him a couple of times at the workshop. I thought he was creepy but Arjun was convinced that he was a decent guy. Baba Ji thought that Gurpal was the right husband for me. When they came to our house on my birthday, they allowed us to talk alone.

He told me how happy he was with this proposal, he stared at me as if I was a piece of meat. I told him that I was in love with Arjun and I couldn’t go ahead with this marriage. The elders had already arranged our engagement and coming from a poor family I could not turn Gurpal down, only he could break off the engagement. He promised that he would but he never did and to make matters worse, Arjun had disappeared. People thought he was doing business in Amritsar, it was unlike him to go off without letting me know where he was going.

The night before the wedding, Gurpal told me that he had spoken Arjun and he’d said that he wanted me to marry Gurpal because he couldn’t offer the life I deserved. He handed me a letter from Arjun, I read through it and understood that something was seriously wrong. I begged Baba Ji not to destroy my life, I told him about my relationship with Arjun to which he responded by slapping me across the face. He soon broke down in tears.

“Get out of this poverty, I’ve given my word, please fulfill my one wish beti and free me from this burden!” He sobbed.

I’d never seen him cry, never seen him beg, his tears tortured me. To keep my father’s dignity I closed my eyes and walked through fire. That was the day I stopped smiling.

The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. The Chana family appeared wealthy and respectable but behind closed doors, it was a different story. It was behind these doors I suffered in silence. Gurpal was an alcoholic, the only time he was sober was when he slept. His father was consumed by his illegal dealings and wasn't concerned about anyone else other than himself. The other family members were not to question him or look him in the eye. My mother-in-law reviled me because I wasn’t from a wealthy family and arrived to their home without a dowry, I was the toy her son kicked and screamed for. She would find any excuse to taunt and hit me, I kept on thinking that if I followed her orders, maybe she would have a change of heart and start treating me like a daughter. Gurpal’s brothers and friends thought I was their property, they’d touch and grope me when Gurpal had his back turned or when he was too drunk to notice what was happening. When I defended my honor, his brother labeled me ‘the whore’.

I spent six years in that hell hole, I think the frequent physical and mental torture made me stronger. During the sixth year, I was immune to any pain. I was lifeless, drained and possibly in a state of shock over what was being done to me. An indescribable force pushed me from day to day. There was a point where I tried to end it all by swallowing a bottle of bleach, I guzzled it down like water and it didn’t work.

Then came the moment I cracked, it happened during one evening when Gurpal returned home drunk. The family had gone to a wedding in another village, this was the first time in six years that Gurpal and I were alone in the house. I’d finished cleaning and could tell that he was itching for an argument, like most nights, I never argued back, I’d sit there in silence and listen to the shouting and slurring. He forced me to sit down on the hardback sofa in the living room, he slammed a bottle of whiskey on the coffee table and staggered into the kitchen to find a couple of glasses. I felt a headache as he slammed the glasses on the table and poured me a drink; he spilt most of the bottle on the table. That night I discovered the reason behind his excessive drinking. He was talking about things that made no sense, I couldn’t be bothered to respond or pay attention to what he was saying. He threw his glass across the room expecting some kind of reaction. The glass had shattered to pieces and all I could think about was how I would have to clear that up before the witch got back. I sipped on my drink and remained calm even though I could feel his eyes on my skin, which was always an unpleasant feeling.

“What the hell is wrong?! In six years you haven’t shown me any love- what sort of wife are you?!” He shouted.

Well, did he not notice that I was busy playing the family servant and punch bag, maybe I was too busy to fit him in my daily schedule of slavery and abuse?

“Why are you doing this Rani? Don’t you know how much I love you! I'd do anything for you, I would kill for you!” He cried.

I stared at the pathetic man before me and could no longer keep quiet, the one question that had been playing on my mind came out my lips.

“Just like you killed Arjun?”

“What?! No! He never loved you- he left you the letter… he…”

“Oh, that letter, the one he wrote?” I looked at the blank wall ahead.

“Yes! He did! I was there, he wrote…” He didn’t know what to do with himself.

I watched him stuttering for a while and wondered what I had done that was so bad for him to ruin my life. He shouted and screamed to convince me that his lie was the truth when I knew all along that it was far from it.

“I’m bloody telling you! He wrote it in front of me! He never loved you, he left you that letter! Damn it! He used you Rani!”

“Really Gurpal, you watched him write that letter?” I took another sip of my drink serenely.

After a few seconds of staring at me, he rammed his fist into the wall behind my head. I could smell his awful breath.

“You don’t believe me! I’m your husband and I’m telling you the truth, Arjun wrote that letter himself!” He moved away looking as if he was about to scream.

“Gurpal,” I glared into his dismal eyes. “He didn’t write that letter because he...” I could feel a lump in my throat. I gave him a long hard look, held back my tears and told him the one thing that not many people knew.

“Arjun didn’t know how to write or read,” I took another sip, felt my insides burn. “How did he write that letter?” I looked up unsure of whether to laugh or cry, all I could think about was how I had my happiness robbed.

After a while, Gurpal fell to his knees, cried his heart out, and confessed that he had killed Arjun. He shot three bullets into his chest then buried him under his own workshop. For the last six years he couldn’t touch me, he claimed that every time he tried to get close to me, he would see Arjun, this is why he drank so much. The only way he could share a bed with me was by knocking himself out. At first, I didn’t understand and at the same time, I was glad that he didn’t touch me.

Gurpal was on his hands and knees, whimpering. Guilt had weakened him and Arjun had been haunting him. I had turned to stone; my arms were crossed, my eyes watched this piece scum for whom I had no sympathy. I didn’t even hate him, he was not worthy of my emotion. I told him exactly what I thought of him and his family, which reduced him to further tears.

It was just my luck, here I was giving the man who ruined my life a piece of my mind and in walks my mother-in-law. She began swearing at me, jabbing my arm, then she dragged me into the kitchen by my hair and threw me against the wall. She said that she was going to kill me, she continued to swear at me, I drew the line when she started insulting my father. She picked up a large wooden spoon, still ranting and raving, she swung it back in the air. I watched this heavy wooden spoon coming towards me and all of a sudden, a strange force, overpowered me. My eyes widened and my heart was pounding so hard that I thought it would explode. I grabbed hold of her hand, snatched the wooden spoon from her grasp and I battered her black and blue. She got hold of a gallon of gasoline; she unscrewed the top and threatened to set me on fire. I wanted her to shut up, I had to put an end to this horrible woman who had made my life a living nightmare for the last six years.

I grabbed hold of her neck, pinned her up against the same wall she had thrown me against and forced her hand to tip the entire gallon over her own head. Though she was in no position to argue, she continued to fire nasty comments at my family, thinking that I would get scared. I do not regret striking that match, it felt satisfying to step back and watch her go up in flames.

I packed my belongings, sold my jewelry gifted by Baba Ji and bought a train ticket back to Ajnala. The feeling of going back home was amazing, I felt so liberated on that journey, I felt as if I could breathe, I felt free.

I was eager to see Baba Ji, I hadn’t seen him in six years. We kept in touch through letters in which I lied about being happy in my new home. All I longed for was a warm hug from my father, which I didn’t receive. I walked into my old home to be greeted by the police and a pair of handcuffs. I forgot that there was one telephone in the whole village and Gurpal’s clan didn’t waste much time in contacting my father and the police.

“Baba Ji?” All I wanted was to see his face.

“You’ve lost the right to call me that, I am not the father of a murderer.”

He had his back to me, he didn’t even want to see my face. His last words to the police were, “Take her away from my house.”

My trial was short, I pleaded guilty, the judge had no interest in my reasons. The police made up their own version of what happened. I was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder. I blindly signed the paperwork knowing for a fact that my voice was not going to be heard. There was no point arguing, I had lost everything… who was I going to fight for?

***

Paperback available here and ebook available here

NoWHAC- Chapter 1

A little girl leant on a balcony overlooking her father’s rice field, which flourished in the oldest city of Punjab, Jalandhar. She had gazed over this view many a time but during this late afternoon, she noticed something different. She spotted a patch of dry land beneath the pinkish glow of the sky. Upon this land, stood a lonesome building made from stone, wrapped in a blanket of metal fencing, it was the type that had spikes. She recalled the stories told by her mother, the ones about Jalandhar Jail, the first female prison. Her mother’s voice rang through her ears, snapped her out of her daydream and forced her little feet to run back to her comfort zone.

Jalandhar jail stood far from civilization, the nearest town was a thirty minute drive away. The new security guard sat in the passenger’s seat of a rattling van, he felt the wind beating his skin while crossing the barren land. Manoj was thrilled to have found a job with the Indian Police force. He walked proudly in his Khaki uniform of a short sleeved shirt and trousers, which were far too short for a tall man. He thought keeping an eye on five female prisoners in one cell, during a night shift was going to be a piece of chapatti.

Tiny flies greeted him as he stepped into the office, he waved them away from his face and stopped his hand from swinging across the senior guard’s head. He looked round the grey bricked room, there was a large desk with two chairs and a couple of filing cabinets on one side. Opposite the office was the cage, numerous bars stood from floor to ceiling. Five young women in their early 20’s, resided behind the bars. One stood with her back to the others, she was looking out of the tiny window. Three were sitting on thin mattresses, scattered on the floor and the other wandered aimlessly round the cell. Neither one of prisoners thought it was necessary to acknowledge the guards presence.

Tejpal, a short, chubby officer finished his speech about the job. He paused for a moment and adjusted the needle to his wristwatch, the date was never correct. He squinted at the calendar pinned to a wall and focused on the current date- “5th Jan 1999…” he muttered something while setting his watch.

Manoj stared into the cell like a spectator in a zoo. “These are the criminals? They don’t look the type,” the chair creaked as Manoj sat down.

Tejpal sat down and pulled out a bottle from under the desk, “Hard to believe na, behind that beauty is pure evil!”

Tejpal unscrewed the bottle of Indian liquor and poured into two steel cups. He placed a cup before Manoj and referred to it as “the perks of the job.” Manoj was curious to find out what the girls had done. Tejpal settled his curiosity by pulling out five tatty files from one of the cabinets.

He pointed at the cell and said quietly, “That one sitting cross legged on the floor... holding the bars, Gulab Kaur Gurwala…” He realized that the prisoner was giving him a dirty look, “Oh teri! Who do you think you are staring at?!” He struck his cane on the desk, Manoj flinched but the prisoner didn’t.

“Watch this one, she shoots venom from her eyes,” Tejpal sat back and picked out her file.

Gulab shifted her hazel eyes from the guard and cursed under her breath. She resented this entrapment; she hated being watched by perverse guards, she was sick of hearing the verbal abuse targeted at her and her fellow prisoners.

Tejpal opened her file, “Gulab ran away from her family home to pursue her disgraceful lifestyle, which involved alcohol, drugs and affairs with various men. She worked as a barmaid at the ‘Shanti Bar’ near Chandigarh rail station. She lived in the flat above the bar where she freely carried out days and nights of sin. Gulab refused to pay her rent for 12 months and avoided paying her medical bill of 3000 rupees. She placed great, financial strain on the landlord, Mr. Pingal who had to seek police assistance. Gulab was arrested on May 10th 1998. Her lack of remorse and respect in court resulted in a 12 month prison sentence.” Tejpal moved on to the next file. “Preeti Kaur Phull, she’s sitting in the far corner, writing.”

Preeti sat cross legged in a corner of the cell, jotting notes in her blue notebook. Her dark skin glowed when she thought of a useful idea to note, her big chocolate eyes twinkled as they scanned the moldy ceiling. She mumbled something to herself, nodded and continued to write.

“Preeti wanted to move away from her family home to Mumbai without getting married. Her argumentative nature encouraged her to humiliate her guardians on several occasions but on the night of May 6th 1998 she ran away from home and stole a motorbike belonging to a policeman (witness statements enclosed). Preeti admits to stealing a police vehicle for joy riding purposes,” he took a gulp of his drink and opened file 3.

He pointed out the prisoner who stood out from the others, simply because she had more movement going on than the others, she was twirling in the middle of the cell.

“Bilo Kaur Bhamra,” Tejpal shook his head from side to side, “Always bloody dancing around, not right in the head…” Tejpal noticed Manoj drooling over the prisoner who was oblivious to what was going on the other side of the cage.

Bilo tied her chunni round her waist and tied up her long dark brown hair, which was naturally glossy. She danced round the cell to the music in her head and could not resist humming out loud. Her ocean blue eyes saw a world that no other could see, her imagination was the one place where she was free.

“Bilo accepted the marriage proposal from Timmy Bhogal, a wealthy young businessman from England. On the day of the wedding, she saw Timmy Bhogal in person and refused to proceed with the ceremony. She ran to the 24 hours Singhsbury’s Superstore car park. Here, she broke into a Maruti 2000 and vandalized four other cars. When the police arrived, Bilo was in a hysterical state, she attacked a fellow officer who tried to calm her down. The incident took place on May 7th 1998. Bilo pleaded guilty to vandalism of five vehicles, attempted theft and assault on a police officer.” Tejpal looked at the cell and pointed out another prisoner. “See the one lying on her back, Jagero Kaur Thind. I've heard the others call her Jags.”

Jags rested on her 2 inch thick mattress, she tried to sleep whilst Bilo hovered round like an irritating fly. She tossed over on her side and buried her head under her pillow in an attempt to control her temper, she closed her eyes and tried to focus on calming thoughts.

“Jagero accused her husband, Sandip Singh Thind of having an affair, this was her excuse to abuse him verbally and physically. Sandip was an honorable gentleman who had hoped that his love for his wife would change her violent behavior but all his efforts failed when Jagero imagined that he was having an affair with another woman. She brutally attacked Sandip and did not stop beating him till the police arrived to the scene. Jagero pleaded guilty to actual bodily harm with intentions to kill on May 8th 1998.” Tejpal closed her file.

“My god!” Manoj was stunned.

“I told you not to be deceived by beauty, all beauty has a beast hidden within. You think that was bad, listen to this one.”

Tejpal opened the last file labeled, RANI KAUR BANSAL printed in bold, he pointed out the prisoner that was leaning against the wall by the window.

Rani spent most of her time, looking out of the small window, the view was far better than the one inside. She would stare at the dull land and watch the day disappear, just like the life she once had. A dusty breeze brushed against her high cheekbones, she blinked then continued to stare into the barren land. Flashes of her past would often be the reason behind the swelling of her dark brown eyes.

“Rani Kaur Bansal willingly accepted the marriage proposal from Gurpal Singh Chana, all to fulfill her father’s wish of being the wife of a successful businessman. The Chana family treated Rani with respect and love. Rani was jealous of the close relationship her husband had with his parents and siblings. Despite the Chana’s efforts to make Rani a part of the family, she made many attempts to cause feuds among family members (please see witness statements attached). Rani’s malicious behavior forced Gurpal to turn to alcohol. When her mother-in-law tried to talk about their domestic problems, Rani got angry and brutally attacked her. Rani was in a sound state of mind when she confessed to murdering her mother-in-law by setting her on fire on the evening of May 5th 1998.”

Manoj was horrified, he took a look at the cage, Rani had not moved from the window.

 “Any daughters Manoj?” Tejpal poured another shot.

“Oh no, I’ve been blessed with two sons.”

“Very lucky! Let’s drink to that!” He raised his glass and did just that.

Gulab was in the midst of an intense day dream, she imagined breaking out of the cage, hyped with rage, leaping over the desks, smashing the bottle of liquor across one officers’ head and giving the other a backhanded slap. The dream switched to one not so violent, she pictured herself sitting in her favorite restaurant- Curry Hut, munching as many spicy dishes as possible, meat and non-veg. Her favorite dish was Saag-paneer with tandoori roti. Such a beautiful vision had the right background music, a soft melody. The record scratched when Bilo tripped over and fell on top of Gulab, pressing her face against the bars. Gulab had two vertical black marks on her forehead. Jags watched the amusement and burst out laughing when she saw Gulab’s face.

“Out of all the things to fall on, you choose me! Thanks Bilo!”

“I’m sorry it was an accident,” Bilo tried to help rub out the bar marks.

“And that’s the story of your life luv,” said Jags while calming down from her fit of laughter.

Gulab slapped her hands away, not accepting her apology, which was repetitive whining of “I’m sorry!” Bilo gave up groveling and stomped over to Preeti’s intelligence corner to find a little sympathy, which Preeti usually offered, but not on this occasion, she was busy working on a plan. Rani finished contemplating for the evening; her desire for change was growing by the day.

“This is getting stupid now,” Rani crossed her arms.

“Do you think I wear bar marks for fashion? Urm NO!” Gulab rubbed her forehead vigorously then asked, “Have they gone yet?”

“I was talking about being in this damn cell! I’m not spending the rest of my life in this shit hole watching…” Rani looked ahead at the officers knocking back drinks, “That every night.” 

“You should have thought of that before you fried your mother-in-law,” Jags sat upright.

Rani ignored the remark and began to pace the cell. Jags looked up at the ceiling and noticed a leak in the corner of the cell, she focused in on it for a couple of seconds. Rani’s footsteps soon reached her ears and travelled along her final nerve. 

“If it’s not Bilo hover crafting above my head at 100 miles per hour, there’s always a crazy Rani walking, just give it a rest already!” She stressed.

“Pacing is the only thing that is keeping me sane. I need to get out of here!”

“Where there’s a will there is a way,” Preeti gave her a hopeful look.

“Why don’t you tell us what you have to say?” Bilo thought they were playing her favorite rhyming game.

“According to my plan, we won’t have to stay here another day,” Preeti tapped her pencil on the page.

“Hurray!” Gulab cheered, a moment later, “Sorry couldn’t think of another rhyme.”

“You have problems with that most of the time,” Jags stood up and stretched her arms.

They huddled round Preeti to see what she had planned.

“What have you got?” Asked Rani in a quiet tone, she caught a glimpse of a pair of blue eyes looking very confused.

“That didn’t rhyme,” Bilo stared at Rani intently.

Rani returned a perplexed stare and wondered how on earth she had put up with this stupid rhyming game, for 9 months! She huffed, “And it was I who committed the greatest crime.”

Bilo clapped her hands, the others got ready to hear this ground breaking plan, Preeti whispered the idea. She paused when she heard footsteps, actually more of a stumble followed by a thump against the cell door. She quickly slid the book under her mattress. Tejpal tapped his cane on the bars and tried to stand straight, the last of the seven drinks had shot straight to his head.

“What- ya- doing- you stupid tarts!” His bad breath reeked from a meter away.

He continued to insult them for a few minutes, which Jags found it difficult to ignore, she walked up to the cell door. He stopped swearing when she came into full view, he took a step back.

“We were plotting to kill your mother for giving birth to an overweight useless lump of humanity!”

“Shut your mouth before I come in there and...” His nostrils flared.

Jags moved closer to the bars, “And what!” She held the bars. “What are you going to do!”

It was a matter of seconds before she erupted, Tejpal felt insulted, he debated entering the cage, Jags had an intimidating streak to her. She was tall, attractive, athletic and 90% of the time was ready to fight. Her striking chocolate eyes would give the most deadly of stares. His reputation was on  the line, this would not look good before the new recruit, who at that point, was so drunk that he had zonked out in his chair, head back, mouth wide open.

The light bulb flickered just above Rani’s head; she pulled Jags away from the barred door and faced Tejpal.

“She didn’t mean to offend you, we know what you are capable of, I apologize on her behalf,” Rani tried to sound sincere.

Gulab ran over, got her knees and turned on the crocodile tears. “We all apologize for her, please don’t harm my friend, she’s promised to take me to curry hut when we get out of here.”

“Do you think that I! Officer…” Tejpal was so furious that he was having problems in finding the words to finish his sentence.

“Tejpal!” Bilo yelled out.

He took a glance at Bilo, as to say ‘thanks’. He looked at Rani and continued. “That I… Officer Tejpal will let her get away with insulting my Mata ji!” He shouted whilst striking his cane.

“I’m not sure, are you? “ Gulab raised a brow and crossed her arms.

Bilo was confused, before she could question what was going on, Preeti whispered in her ear. “They are just pretending, don’t say anything.”

Bilo nodded. “So I can say anything other than the word anything?” She looked dead serious.

Preeti was about to nod but stopped when she realized that Bilo had completely misunderstood, “No! We’re not playing that game!”

“What game are we playing?”

“Bilo, just Shhh hoja,” Preeti replied patiently.

“That’s new, I can do that- what do I get if I win?”

“A get out of jail free card,” Preeti watched the guard reaching for the keys hanging from his belt.

He managed to grab hold of the bunch of 15 keys, it took a good 5 minutes to find the key to the cell. Finally, he managed to unlock the door.

“Watch now, I will show all…. Seven of you a lesson!” He stumbled into the cell and slammed the door shut.

Bilo looked around in search of the mysterious other two people he had counted. Rani, Gulab and Jags formed a circle round him. Tejpal’s buzz was wearing off, he realized that maybe walking into this cell was not a bright idea. Jags stood before him, clenching her fists, she glared into his eyes. If only looks could kill, we would be falsifying our tears at Tejpal’s funeral. It took one look from Rani for Preeti to grab Bilo’s arm and shoot out the cell.

“Stop! Get back here!” Tejpal turned to stop them, Gulab stuck her foot out and tripped him up.

He hit the floor like a sack of potatoes. He grabbed his cane and jumped back to his feet, telling Gulab that she would be the first to get the beats. As he swung back his cane to strike, Jags caught hold of it. She spun him round and pushed him up against the cold crumbling wall. Tejpal felt her nails digging into his neck.

 “You are making a big mistake!” He struggled.

Jags had crossed the lines of rational thought, she released her anger that had built up over the last nine months. The cage echoed with the sound of cracking bones followed by his screams. 

Meanwhile, Preeti and Bilo raided the police station to find anything of use. Amongst the rushing around, Bilo noticed that Manoj looked as if he was about to wake up. Bilo had tied him to the chair with rope, handcuffs and telephone cables; there was no chance of the phones ringing now. Preeti stopped running around aimlessly when she saw a mummified Manoj. She paused for a moment then decided not to question Bilo’s methods, time was ticking.  

Manoj was woken up by a loud CLANG, he saw his colleague splattered across the bars of the cell door.

“Holy cow!” Manoj’s eyes widened.

“Where?” Asked Bilo looking round like a mad woman.

He wriggled like a worm, “OH!" He strained to break free but failed, "I can’t move, help… BACHAO!” He jigged up and down, still unable to break the ties and knots.

Preeti built up the courage to pick up the empty bottle, took a deep breath and swung it across his head, he stopped moving.

“Oh no- no-no, please don’t die...” She checked if he was breathing, thankfully he was alive.  She threw the bottle to one side and took a few deep breaths.

Gulab and Rani were worried as well as shocked when Jags insisted on battering Tejpal like dirty washing, Gulab tried to pull her back.

“Enough Jags he’s as good as dead!”

“Ok! Alright,” Jags caught a breath and put her hands up to show that she was calming down. 

Gulab edged away thinking that it was safe to do so. Jags thought of the times he had taunted them, the degrading and perverse comments rushed through her head. A few seconds later, she dived back in to batter the limp, unconscious body on the floor. Rani managed to drag Jags away from Tejpal and pinned her to the wall.

“Jags! What does it matter we’re free!”

Jags eased off the struggle and almost froze, she thought about the word ‘free’, were they really, ever going to be free. Was this going to be the starting point of a race that had no finishing line?

Gulab picked up the bunch of keys by the knocked out guard. She couldn’t understand the purpose of 15 keys, there were only three doors with locks, in the whole building. She flung the keys over to Preeti, the heavy bunch landed in her hands. Preeti spent a few minutes working out, which key could unlock the door that led to freedom. Her hands began to tremble as she inserted a key into the lock.

For the first time in nine months, a full moon shone upon the dull land outside the Jail. Preeti and Bilo found a police van parked outside. Bilo could not believe that they were breathing in the open air. She squeezed Preeti’s arm with excitement and shrieked.

“Is this really happening or am I dreaming? Oh God! Pinch me, actually no! I bruise like a tomato.”

Preeti huffed a little laughter, “What? No you’re not dreaming, let’s get the others!” She rushed back into the building.

The others had discovered a box of handguns whilst raiding the office. Rani took a gun and a fist full of bullets and wrapped them in her chunni. Jags got hold of a gun and aimed at Tejpal who was flat on the floor like a helpless insect. Her hand began to shake, at this point she had no idea of what she was doing. Gulab caught sight of her, she zoomed over and forcefully lowered the gun.  “Did you want to be in for life?!” she stressed, waving her hands frantically in the air.

 Rani ran into the cell, pulled off Tejpal’s belt, rushed over to Manoj and tied it round his mouth, it wouldn’t be long before he returned to his senses. They all helped to drag Manoj with chair into the cell and locked it. There was slight relief in knowing that the guards could not stop them. Rani’s heart was pounding when she spotted the Police radio system behind the desk. Preeti dived over and disconnected any cable she could find. Rani was little surprised at how their chain of thoughts had synchronized beyond words.

They dashed into the van one by one leaving the driver’s seat was empty, there was an awkward pause, they clearly hadn’t thought this far ahead. Bilo held out the bunch keys and gave them a little shake. “Ok that’s all of us in the van… so! Who’s driving?”

Rani huffed, snatched the keys from her hands and jumped into the drivers’ seat. She managed to pick out the correct key in a couple of seconds. The engine rumbled as she took a quick look around, her hands gripped the steering wheel, it had been a while since she had done this.

Preeti informed that the guards would have entered and left through the main gates at the front of the building, it was the only way to the City. Rani thought the best way to hide their tracks was to go in the opposite direction, round the back of the building. The only problem was that they had no idea of what was beyond those back gates, there was only one way to find out. 

“You sure about this?” Asked Preeti.

“What do you mean- sure about this? We can’t go back now!” Shouted Jags.

“No, no, I’m not going back!” Bilo cried. “Please just drive!”

“It’s ok, Rani you’re right- let’s just get out of here,” Gulab said nervously.

“How are we going to pass that?” Preeti pointed out the wooden barricade ahead.

“We’re not going to pass it,” Rani focused on the gates, “We’re going to smash through it, hold on tight!”

She stamped her foot on the accelerator, the engine roared as the tires screeched. Heads jerked back as the van smashed through the wooden exterior gates, leaving the prison behind in a thick cloud of dust and smoke. Rani had no idea of where she was going or where they were going to end up, during the manic drive all she thought of was how she landed in this mess.

 ***

Paperback available here and ebook available here