Calming The Storm🌌 (#wattys2019)√

13. Emancipation I✔

"We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope. "
-Martin Luther King Jr

Sampurnaa's pov:

Everything was black around me when I felt someone shaking me back to reality.
It was Zeenat with the other woman who apparently ran the place.
They sprinkled some water on me to bring me to a conscious state.
I woke up with a lot of difficulties. A pounding headache restraining me from opening my eyes completely.

The woman did not give me a chance to recover, she had to speak, "Listen you girl! I want you to get up and eat something before getting dressed up properly. Customers would be arriving soon. Zeenat will help you get ready and mind you, this passing out business won't get you anywhere. It is better if you submit willingly!"

She stormed out of the room while Zeenat helped me up.
She gave me some water to drink and also fed me some dry chapati ( an Indian bread) that I had trouble swallowing.
After all this, she pushed me to take a shower.

When I came out, she draped another heavy Saree that was showing more skin than a normal, decent one. She did my hair and applied some lipstick. I was sitting like a corpse all this while. Was I trapped in a way that there was no escape?
Zeenat left me after a while and locked the door again.

This time I did not break down into sobs.

Crying would never help me!

I searched for my phone and found it exactly where I had left it... Under the bed. I picked up the Saree I had worn and took out the mini camera. It had shut due for some reason.
I sighed hopelessly.

And then decided to call someone and google my location. There was no internet access here! Someone must have deliberately blocked servers so the women here have no means of contacting anyone outside.

I tried calling Senior and my teammates but the network here was not strong enough! I tried calling Mr. Chakraborty. After multiple failed attempts, I stopped.

It was 7.30 now... Was there truly no escape for me?

I could hear some noise coming from downstairs which indicated that more people were arriving gradually.

As one last hope, I dialed Mr. Chakraborty's number.
I prayed for this to work out! I prayed for my safety!
And as if by miracle, the call went through!

"Mr. Chakraborty? I am Sampurnaa! I am still here. Please send someone here to rescue me! There's something big going on here undercover! I don't want to get caught by the women here. I have to be here for gathering some more evidence! But please, do save me from being violated! Send someone from the team in disguise so I can be safe! Just don't expose my identity! I must be here and pry a bit more! I would also need a new recorder and camera! Please help me! I am not very far from Grant Road Station. Might be a 5-minute walk from there. The name of the place is Jannah!"
I spoke in one breath and then disconnected the call. I couldn't risk keeping it on for too long! The people who had blocked all servers of this area for discretion and security were more than capable of tracking my phone and tapping it.

All the lights nearby were on now. This clearly indicated that the nightlife in the darkest part of the city was just commencing!

I sat down on the floor, apprehensive about the future.

"Will I be able to escape? Is there any way I would be safe? "these thoughts rushed through my mind and I kept rooted to my place.

The night was beginning...
What would happen now???
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