KAFILA - Journey Towards Freedom (part 4)

There was darkness all around her as if the light never existed. She felt like her body was put wrong. Her head was reeling, the air around her stank, and she yearned for some light in order to escape the engulfing darkness. Light at that moment seemed like a life preserver.

Just then the door which the darkness had engulfed with itself opened bringing in torrents and torrents of sunlight into the room. Rukaiya had to shut her eyes against the sudden brightness that suddenly filled each and every corner of the small room. Slowly her eyes adjusted to the brightness and her reeling head cleared marginally. The first thing that Rukaiya noticed was that she was a prisoner. She was bound – hands and feet both.

As she struggled against her bonds, she realized it was futile and a waste of her already depleted energy. Just then her eye caught a figure in the corner of the room – another bound girl, still unconscious. Not one but at least six more women were in the room along with her, all bound. Finally, her eyes left the horror and fell on the thin man standing at the door, the only thing blocking the light. The head of his super tall shadow touched Rukaiya’s bound feet.

RAFIQUE her heart cried out though her mouth refused to open up. But on closer inspection, she realized with a pang of disappointment that it was not him. Slowly fear ran down her body giving her a violent shudder.

WHERE WAS SHE?

WHY WAS SHE TIED UP?

WHERE WAS RAFIQUE?

WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO HIM?

WAS HE ALIVE?

All these vital questions galloped through her mind bringing back her splitting headache. She feebly saw the tall silhouette come close to her. She tried to kick him, tried to move, scream, do something to keep him away, but all was in vain. The man pulled out an injection and pushed the needle into her fair skin. Pain and fear shot through her limbs as her eyelids grew heavy and she fell into a trance again.

KAFILA:

“Rukaiya”

“Rukaiya”

A soft gentle voice coming from a distant far away land. Persistent, constantly knocking on Rukaiya’s consciousness, brought her back to reality. When she opened her eyes, everything around her was in a blur. She could only hear voices and sounds. Someone moving around, glasses tinkering, abuses coming out of a harsh voice, a distant female cry, female voices, engines coming to life, and a gentle voice chanting her name. A lifeless chant, a hoarse whisper as if the name would get angry hearing her voice.

“She is coming around. You have just 5 minutes. Make her understand or we will. And get lost as quickly as you can. The kafila leaves in an hour.”

These angry words were spat out like rotten fruit by Kasim. Rafique heard it all but didn’t say a word. His need was greater than his liking or marriage to Rukaiya. Yes, he felt guilty, guilty enough to kill himself. But he has made himself understand that he had no choice left. Now he and Rukaiya have to live with the consequences of his decision. As Rafique was lost in his thoughts Rukaiya gained her senses completely. For a moment Rafique thought he saw a glimmer of hope and relief in her eyes. But they were soon replaced by anger, fear, disappointment, and curiosity. The emotions overlapped each other like sea waves in her dark eyes. Before she could speak, Rafique quickly started speaking –

“Ruku, I ask for your forgiveness knowing that I will never get it. You will wish death for me in the cruelest way possible and that would be a welcome change for me after what I have done. But now you have to listen to me and do as I say because if you don’t, the pain will become unbearable and survival would be difficult. Do as they tell you to do, it will be hard and painful at first but you will have to do it. Don’t try to run away because they will find you and will hurt you in the cruelest way possible.

I AM SORRY RUKAIYA BUT I HAD NO OTHER CHOICE”

Rukaiya had never heard Rafique speak so much ever before. He was always a man of little words. She was so stunned by the force of his words that for a few minutes she couldn’t gather what he was saying. Finally when she got her head around it. Just one word came out of her mouth. A low whisper but so sharp that it could slice the universe I half. A hollow word.

“Why?”

Before Rafique could answer he was hauled away from her by two men. Her whisper hung in the air eagerly waiting for the answer to come in through the door. Instead, a man of average height, red eyes, unshaven face, dirty clothes, and smelling strongly of liquor came and sat before her. He sensed the question in Rukaiya’s eyes and gave the long-awaited question its answer.

“He won’t come back. He has sold you to us in exchange for his sister. Now your body and soul is ours. Get ready to sell them both, by choice or by force”