Sera was horrified with what she saw. She couldn't believe her eyes.
Lying on the ground was a body, as dead as a corpse, as cold as ice, midst that cascade of blood. An unconscious girl, about 5 year old, bathing in her own blood from the lower half of her body, totally naked, stripped of clothes, and in that way, her respect.
It was her girl.
And.. It.. It was difficult to say whether the girl was alive anymore or not.
She shivered, and became as stiff as a stone. When a hand touched her shoulder. She wasn't alarmed, wasn't bothered. She didn't look back to see whose hand it was. Either. She felt she died along with her daughter, who was raped moments ago.
"Cry, Sera, cry. You have lost your daughter.. and not a single tear adorning your eyes? You must mourn, you lost her!" Her husband said, shouting, shaking her vigorously. His efforts were in vain.
He was used to her outbursts since the beginning of their marriage, and was always used to her emotions. But it surprised him when she remained so emotionless. Did she undergo a huge shock? Why wasn't she responding???
He just lost his daughter. Did he lose his wife too? What an ill-fated day it was for him!!
Ankita stepped in that godown. "I called the Doctors. They are soon arriving." She said, in a tone of urgency, running straight to that girl, putting one of her fingers in front of her nose to see if traces of breathing could be felt or not. She couldn't. And that killed her from inside. She touched the icy wrist to feel her pulse-rate. They were there, irregular, feeble. She was alive, but wouldn't last long if the treatment didn't begin soon.
She looked at Sera, the motionless. She didn't know how to react. Left it.
Ambulance arrived finally, when Ankita and Ujjwal helped putting the kid in it and it fled off to rush it to the hospital.
"it was of no use. She's lost." Ujjwal reflected as he went back to the godown to help his wife get over what she saw.
***
"It's a police case! Summon the Police, and then only shall we begin her treatment." The doctor said as he carefully examined the cuts, which probably was too much for bearing by a five year old kid.
"And what if the kid dies?"
"We're not responsible!" was the cold reply.
"A child, who is almost murdered needs immediate medical attention and you leave her giving this lame excuse? Are you a Doctor, the life saviour or the Doctor, who murders?"
"We have got emergency. I shall speak later."
Ankita grabbed his collar. That wasn't an answer. That was rather a harsh excuse to escape an emergency condition. Other patients had other doctors for help!! And that little girl, without clothes?
Didn't the doctor feel a thing.
"You're not supposed to do that!" The Doctor shot back.
She begged, and after almost an hour, the doctor finally gave in.
**********************************************************
"Multiple injuries. We might have to cut open her abdomen.
She could perhaps not lead a normal life. She won't be able to conceive, but that's all. And the emotional trauma. It might not leave her." But she was safe atleast. That was all her aunt Ankita cared about. The surgeon said.
"She's become a victim of extreme depression. She won't be able to overcome it and will have to continue her life like this forever." The psychiatrist said.
***********************************************************
The cellphone in Sera's pocket rang. She still was motionless. Ujjwal snatched the ringing phone from her to receive the call.
"How's she?" He asked, his heart beating, praying she was all right.
Though he did not show, he felt sad. Why not, he was her father after all!!
"No.. no. The police hasn't returned. Sera? She won't move." He said, as he gently touched her cheeks. A drop of tear fell from his eyes. His girl was severly injured, to the extent that she could never be conceived, or be accepted by any man when she grew up.
But her life was more important, though he was unsure whether she would be proud of her father and aunt who saved her, or would think off them as murderers of her joyous death. Living like this was worse than death..!!
Sirens could be heard. The police would soon arrive. Thankfully his wife had made the man unconscious with chloroform. And he was there, still. Motionless.
The arrived, as they began investigating and arguing whether whose area did they belong to. The couple showed no signs of interest in their fights as both of them reflected about the whole incident.
How his daughter had been abducted by her van driver, how she was raped here and how they got to search each and every corner of the city to finally find her in a deserted place, after a whole day of the incident, within that period, as Ankita had informed him via phone, she had been raped multiple times. FRUCTOSE! It confirmed rape.
"The police would take that man away and then he would get out on bail" He commented softly, almost in a whisper.
Sera turned to him, finally. Her eyes were as red as chilly, not out of grief, or crying. He saw anger in them.
She hurried around the whole place like a madwoman from where she found out a knife.
The rapist was handcuffed, and was being taken to the police station. He was slowly regaining consciousness.
"Stop." She motioned the police to stop, as she went near him to take off his pants and cut his private area. Then she stabbed him in the stomach. Once, twice and thrice. The man fell down. She stabbed him brutally, angered. There was no point stopping her, Ujjwal knew it.
Though he tried, she wouldn't. She continued, when finally the rapist stopped breathing. Himself now drowning in his own pool of blood.
"What did you just do?" He asked.
"He had to suffer more, but that is all I could do. He made my girl's sufferings endless. He couldn't have escaped his crime. If government can't take actions on time, it's better I do it instead. I am ready to be jailed forever or be hanged. But I am happy at least. My daughter got justice."
Saying this, she smiled. NOT fearing the handcuffs meant for the rapist now around her wrists. As she went outside, not to see her daughter, not to go to her house and ret, but to the police station where she might have to suffer endless agony. Perhaps forever.
She still smiled, bidding Ujjwal goodbye, unsure whether she would ever get to see him or not.
