1. Have an Interesting Snippet to Share : Click Here
    Dismiss Notice

Thriller: The Ultimate Choice

Discussion in 'Stories (Fiction)' started by Tamrakshar, Jan 25, 2020.

  1. Mistt

    Mistt IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    2,489
    Likes Received:
    7,081
    Trophy Points:
    435
    Gender:
    Female
    @Tamrakshar
    Very intriguing episode and will Srinivas accept DiG's proposal or will he stick to his honesty? Let's wait to read in next episodes.
     
    Last edited: Dec 14, 2021
    Tamrakshar likes this.
  2. Tamrakshar

    Tamrakshar Platinum IL'ite

    Messages:
    726
    Likes Received:
    1,186
    Trophy Points:
    263
    Gender:
    Male
    Yes Mistt, he maybe in a dilemma, or maybe he is incorruptible.
     
  3. Tamrakshar

    Tamrakshar Platinum IL'ite

    Messages:
    726
    Likes Received:
    1,186
    Trophy Points:
    263
    Gender:
    Male
    Episode 46

    "Who told you that? As a good police officer you should have known that the slave trade has ended only on paper. The volume might have reduced significantly, but it's still happening in more than 10 countries in the world, and the profit in this trade has been humongous."

    "Oh really? But, what makes you think that we can't defeat them? Laser guns are still at the experimental stage, and the microwave technology? That's pure crap, Sir! You should know that. The Chinese media had floated that just to intimidate our brave soldiers."

    "So, you don't believe me! I have talked to Khan last night. He is more obstinate than you, he didn't even give me a patient hearing. Since you don't believe me, I have a spoiler for you. You are going to find nothing. If you don't find Rajan, will you believe me?"

    "That I will ponder about later on." Srinivas cut the call and jumped down the stairs to meet Khan after handing over the phone to the cook.

    Others wanted to know what happened, but Srinivas didn't disclose anything to them. He begged some time and took Khan with him to the lawn.

    "What Khan, you didn't tell me about Shivashankara Sir's call?"

    "Oh! So, it was him trying to get into your head to stop the operation? Why did you give him so much time when we have no time to waste? I didn't tell you anything because I thought he took huge amount of bribe from the notorious gang."

    "Okay, I got it. But, he said something at the end that made me think. He said we would return empty-handed. What do you think?"

    "Oh Sri! Don't listen to the naysayers. When the will is strong, the world bows before you. No more talks. Have you looked at your clock? It's only 25 minutes to 4 pm. We have to barge in to the place to save the victims."

    "Okay, let's move."

    Within a couple minutes, the 10 resolute cops of Andhra police, 5 top personnel of the detective agency and 10 local policemen set off for a rescue mission in 3 Scorpios and one Tata Sumo.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Joker had already informed Archana that the final test would be held at 4 PM today. No doubt, the tension was too much, but by now Archana had learnt how to calm her mind. After the horrible experience that she underwent in the fourth stage when death had almost embraced her, she had understood the real meaning of life. She had become more god-fearing, her faith in the religion had increased even more. She thanked the God for every second she lived. So, last night when she went to sleep, she told herself,

    "Let me forget all the tensions. I will do my best to pass the test and live. Let the God be on my side. He will help me in my hour of crisis. So, I will not think about it tonight. I will enjoy my sleep, and leave my fate in the hand of the Almighty."

    She uttered these words a few times doing her "nadishodhan" pranayam. The words and the pranayam had helped her to calm her nerves and let her sleep peacefully in the air-conditioned room.

    As she was hale and hearty having no diabetic tendencies, generally, she never woke up before 5 AM in the morning in this house. But, she had a bizarre dream last night. She saw Siddharth, sitting in a chair tied by a rope, screaming for help. In the early days after her arrival at this hellish place, she had tried hard to think about what happened to her when she left home alone. She needed to fix a few things with her parents regarding her children. After doing that she left her home to meet Siddharth at their preplanned place at a cafe shop at T K street. Siddharth was supposed to be present there, and from there they would have gone to their dream destination at Simla to live peacefully.

    But Simla was a distant dream, she didn't even reach the cafe shop. Within a 5-minute walk from her house, someone from behind held her tightly and put a handkerchief soaked with chloroform on her nose. She lost consciousness and when she found it, she was here in this deadly place. She thought about Siddharth for a day or two. But because of the torturous treatment she received here, her each and every moment had become a virtual hell. Somehow, she totally forgot about Siddharth.

    As per the instructions of the Joker, she had to beat Rajan to pulp at the the first stage of her tests. The anger and the hatred she had grown for Rajan began to fade after that. Slowly she had started to forget about Siddharth, and Rajan had once again started to take place in her mind. She forgot all the ill treatments she received from Rajan.

    After watching the bizarre dream, she woke up from her sleep to notice that it was 4-45 AM in the morning. She noted that her heart was pumping very hard and she felt extremely thirsty. She got down from her cosy bed and drank a full glass of water.

    She thought about the dream. Why did she see this? Siddharth, what happened to Siddharth? Why did she see him as another captive in this hell house? Was Siddharth also captured by this abominable gang? If not, Siddharth should have found her by now. He was mad about her, he sacrificed his career for her.

    While Archana was in her trance, the monitor suddenly switched on, and for a change the frigging face of the Joker didn't appear. The screen showed few clips. Archana's eyes popped out to see that how Siddharth was captured. There were two masked men following him on an empty road. Siddharth was walking briskly on the street as if he had a very important work to do. Suddenly, he turned back and punched one of the masked man on his face. What a blow! The masked man lost his sense and fell on the ground like a lifeless object. Archana realized that Siddharth had apprehended that he was being followed by few hostile men.

    The other masked man was startled by this incident. He was holding a handkerchief, and Archana was sure it was soaked with chloroform. This man took a few seconds to react. The other man was supposed to hold Siddharth, and he was supposed to put the handkerchief on Siddharth's nose. The momentary discombobulation of the masked man was good enough time for Siddharth to make him go to sleep. Archana understood that the camera was probably placed on the button of this man. As he fell, the picture was distorted for a moment. But within a second another camera from a long distance showed that Siddharth was trying to bring the first masked man back to his sense.

    He slapped the man on his cheeks few times. He even spat on his face. After a few minute's effort, the masked man woke up. Siddharth tried to yank the mask out of his face. The masked man screamed at full throttle, but the mask didn't come off. Meanwhile, the picture became closer and closer. On one time Siddharth looked straight into the lens, but it appeared that he didn't care. He asked the masked man,

    "Who are you? Why are you following me?"

    There was no answer. Siddharth forcefully turned the man and put his left knee on his neck. He tried to untie the thread of the mask. Siddharth understood that he needed a sharp edge to cut it, as the knot could not be disentangled.

    The man was gasping and groaning, as Siddharth's strong knee was choking him, but he didn't say anything. Giving up the hope of unmasking the guy, Siddharth in a stern voice said,

    "Will you speak up or will you die?"

    To be continued on tomorrow night
     
    Last edited: Dec 15, 2021
  4. Mistt

    Mistt IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    2,489
    Likes Received:
    7,081
    Trophy Points:
    435
    Gender:
    Female
    @Tamrakshar Good to read that Both Srinivas & Khan stick to their honesty and it gives satisfaction of some candid cops still exist.
    Now, Siddharth was also entered in the scene and it is making the story more gripping.:beer-toast1::thumbup:
     
    Riverstream and Tamrakshar like this.
  5. Tamrakshar

    Tamrakshar Platinum IL'ite

    Messages:
    726
    Likes Received:
    1,186
    Trophy Points:
    263
    Gender:
    Male
    Thanks Mistt for your comment! Yes, the forgotten character enters the scene.
     
    Riverstream and Mistt like this.
  6. Tamrakshar

    Tamrakshar Platinum IL'ite

    Messages:
    726
    Likes Received:
    1,186
    Trophy Points:
    263
    Gender:
    Male
    Episode 47

    The other masked man, meanwhile got back his sense. So, Siddharth had to momentarily release the first man as he again put the second man go to sleep with a solid punch on his jaw. Meanwhile, the first man got up on his feet, and tried to flee. But, Siddharth was up to the task. Like a prowling tiger, he jumped on him. Again, he put him in the same position. Archana noted the picture was shown from a very close distance.

    Suddenly, an old man, from the voice Archana guessed as he was not in the picture, enquired,

    "What happened? Who are these guys? Why are you beating them?"

    "Tell me who are you? What are you doing here?" Siddharth shot back.

    The old man seemed to have been slightly surprised, but he regained his composure quickly as he answered,

    "I live here. My name is Sudesh Gaonkar. I am a retired IAS."

    Looking at Siddharth's face, in which disbelief was manifested, he took out an identity card from the pocket of his shirt and offered it to Siddharth for inspection. As Siddharth was inspecting the card, the old man took out a gun from the pocket of his pant in no time, and shot Siddharth on his right thigh.

    "You bozo! You shot me?" Siddharth quickly pulled out the dart from his leg. From his facial expression it looked that he had been badly hurt.

    "I will get you." Siddharth jumped on the old man even with his injured bleeding limb.

    But, he could not get him, instead he himself went to sleep. A steel coloured Scorpio appeared at the scene from no where, and all the characters vanished in the car taking Siddharth with them in no time.

    In the second clip, Siddharth was seen hanging from a rope which was fastened to a hook attached to the top wall of the room. His hands and legs were tied together with ropes. There was not an iota of clothes in his body. Four stout guys were surrounding him. They had hose pipes, steel chains and sticks in their hands. The red marks and the blood oozing from his body made it evident to Archana that he had been tortured badly by these four goons for quite sometime. But, Archana noted that there was no emotion on Siddharth's face. He was neither crying, nor groaning in pain. In fact, the four goons looked fatigued and frustrated.

    Suddenly, Ranjan entered the room. Though he was wearing a mask, Archana had no problem in recognising him now. Ranjan asked,

    "Any progress Rod?"

    The 6'7" tall black, muscled guy replied,

    "This guy is made of steel, Boss! We have beaten him mercilessly for the last three days, we tortured his each and every body part, but we could not break him yet. I can't say on behalf of others, but I can't do it anymore, Boss. I have got respect for this guy."

    As Ranjan shook his head in disgust, another tall, black, muscular guy said,

    "I am completely in agreement with Rod, Boss. This guy must have been a secret agent of a spy network like CIA or RAW. He knows how to take pain, but not to bow down before the enemy. I, too, got respect for him, and I am absolutely sure Boss, torture will not give any results."

    "Are you done Roger? Are you done?" Ranjan fulminated. His voice sounded like a tiger's roar.

    "You will teach us what to do? This is the Joker's den, the most powerful man in the universe, the best son of the Satan. It doesn't matter if this method hasn't worked. We are full of tricks. We have other plans. Just wait and see. Now, you get out. I have to send this guy to the hospital immediately. The way you beat him, he will die in an hour if not attended right now. The clip ended.

    Tears rolled down from Archana's eyes. She closed her eyes, but the bruises on Siddharth's body still appeared in front of her. Blood was gushing out from his body. Still, he didn't beg for mercy or even groaned in pain. What a man, Archana exclaimed silently. Suddenly, the third clip started.

    "The first method has failed, Joker Sir." Ranjan announced the news to the board of directors.

    "Hmm! We apprehended that Ranjan, didn't we?" The Joker said.

    The Chinese billionaire Xi became nervous as he blurted,

    "Is it true that this guy was in RAW? In that case we have made a huge mistake by selecting his as one of the contestants of our megahit show."

    "Don't panic Xi. He ain't any ex-state agent. We have studied his history. He was a very good athelete up to his college days. He could have chosen sports as his profession. Actually, he was selected in the engineering college in sports quota. However, after getting a job, he has been quite detached from sporting activities. But, after watching his resistance, I tend to think that he might have detached himself from formal sports, but he exercises regularly.

    Anyways, this guy seems to be bullheaded. Our research team didn't inform me about that."

    Ranjan opined.

    Nigella, the tall lady, asked,

    "How do we cow him down, buddy? What are his weaknesses?"

    "Why don't we kidnap his parents and blackmail him?" Sabbir, the ruthless Arab billionaire, suggested.

    "That's a great idea." Xi almost clapped, but resisted himself at the last moment.

    "No doubt that's a great idea, but there is a problem, Bro! He lost his parents early in his childhood. He was brought up in his maternal uncle's home. But in the last decade, Siddharth has gone there on only one or two occasions. His uncle is dead, his aunt is surviving. She is old, and very poor. She is angry with Siddharth, because he doesn't send her money. She hasn't even reported the abduction to the police.

    So, I don't think that will work. Besides, after the kidnaps, the Andhra police must have become alert." Ranjan declared in a calm voice.

    "Oh my Satan! Then what will we do?" As usual, Xi panicked. He started blinking his tiny eyes and licking his pale lips in tension.

    "Why doesn't he send money to his aunt?" Nigella enquired.

    "Oh, this guy has been spendthrift. His income is not that high. Previously, he used to waste a hell lot of money on his girl friend. Now, he wastes almost his entire salary on Archana."

    "Got it! Got it!" The Joker interjected.

    Everyone looked at the Joker eagerly. The Joker took his time, and in his usual nasal tone said,

    "Friends, ain't it elementary? We selected this guy only because of his attachment to the Rajan family. It's a different matter that now we know that this guy had committed great sin by turning his back to his mentor when she was in dire need of help. But, I am damn sure this guy will yield if we blackmail him with Archana's life."

    "You are a genius, Joker Sir!" This time Xi clapped and everyone laughed in agreement.

    The third clip ended, and there was a little hiatus that gave Archana some time to ponder. Everything was becoming clear to her now. She vividly remembered once she was beaten with a whip for two minutes by one of the masked men. Before the beating started, the masked guy whispered in her ears,

    "Shout as much as possible, I will not hurt you. But, if you don't shout, I will hurt you."

    This guy even told her what to say, and indeed he didn't hurt her. There were 4 cameramen in the room shooting the video from different angles.

    She also remembered one more occasion, when there was another shooting she had to do. That time she was groomed very rigourously by the Joker's men. A masked man held a gun on her head, and she had to scream for her life. Now, she understood why these shootings were done.

    Archana's trance was broken by the sound of the fourth clip. Siddharth was lying on the bare floor of a dingy room. He was shivering in cold as he was wearing just a sando vest and bermuda shorts. From his thin mien, it appeared to Archana that Siddharth had been starving for at least two days. He was so weakened that he just gave a glance when Ranjan entered the room, and kept lying on the floor.

    To be continued on tomorrow night
     
    Last edited: Dec 16, 2021
  7. Mistt

    Mistt IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    2,489
    Likes Received:
    7,081
    Trophy Points:
    435
    Gender:
    Female
    @Tamrakshar Story is moving forward with many twists and turns. I can say that if any movie related persons like any producer / director reads this story, they will ask ask you this thriller rights to take a movie. So, please register your copyright for this story if you didn't think of it ( it's not a joke).
     
    Last edited: Dec 16, 2021
  8. Tamrakshar

    Tamrakshar Platinum IL'ite

    Messages:
    726
    Likes Received:
    1,186
    Trophy Points:
    263
    Gender:
    Male
    Mistt, my friend, it's very heartening to read your comment! It feels good to know that readers are showing interest in the story. Thank you very much!
     
    Riverstream and Mistt like this.
  9. Tamrakshar

    Tamrakshar Platinum IL'ite

    Messages:
    726
    Likes Received:
    1,186
    Trophy Points:
    263
    Gender:
    Male
    Episode 48

    "So Hero, have you changed your mind?" Ranjan asked.

    "No such luck man! I will rather die hungry than agree to obey your dictates."

    Siddharth might have been weakened due to hunger, but there was no sign of abasement in his voice.

    "But, why do you want to die? Don't you have any near and dear ones who would cry on your death? Isn't there anyone who would lose the meaning of life on your death? Ranjan came closer to him and crouched on the barren floor beside him. There was clearly a sign of softness in his voice which was hitherto unheard by Siddharth.

    Siddharth had resolutely gone through all the torture, and two days of starving could not break his iron will. But, the rather innocuous question seemed to have slightly unsettled him. He seemed to have gulped back tears and remained speechless for a while.

    Rosa, the member of the body language team, exicitedly whispered in Ranjan's hidden ear chip, "It's working, Boss! Carry on."

    "Everyone dies, everyone has to die. Being a mortal you are not left with any other option. But, have you ever thought of your loved ones? What will happen to them when you die? Will they have enough motivation to live after your death? Are you sure that they will not commit suicide?"

    Again, Ranjan's voice was very soft and friendly. Siddharth's body might have withstood the barbaric torture with comfortable ease, but his mind seemed a bit vulnerable. Ranjan could clearly see that the corners of his eyes had become moist. He didn't fail to notice that he had again gulped.

    "There is no one in the world who loves me or will cry for me when I die. So, please kill me and end my agony." Siddharth pleaded to Ranjan, but there was not much of conviction in his voice.

    "This reality show is all about death, young man. You take a wrong step, and you will die. There is not much of glory in dying here. So far, we have killed hundreds of innocent civilians, who even didn't understand what their faults were. Our master, the Joker is a very cruel guy. He doesn't give two hoots if you are killed.

    Therefore, living in this despicable hell is definitely a thing that you should try. What do you say?"

    "No, I will not participate in any show hosted by goons like you. For that I am ready to withstand any amount of torture. As I told you, it will be better if you kill me." Siddharth refused to listen anything.

    Ranjan didn't get annoyed with his answer. In a calm voice he said,

    "By now I know you are a man of extraordinary resilience. Yes, you can withstand any amount of physical torturre. But can you withstand the torture of watching your loved one being brutally abused?"

    Siddharth's face turned pale for a moment. He didn't say anything, but it appeared to Ranjan that his method was working. So he continued,

    "We are not good people, my dear young friend! We can do anything and everything to achieve our goal. You maybe saddened to know that we have also captured your near and dear ones in the US." Ranjan didn't say any more and left the room. He knew that this method needed time to work.

    Siddharth was astonished. He closed his eyes and put his right hand on his forehead. The clip ended there.

    Archana wanted to cry loudly. Watching the torture of Siddharth had ripped the peace of her mind. She tried to hide her emotions by covering her face with her palms. Her body was quivering, as she could not prevent the unrestrainable sobbing.

    She was given hardly 5 minutes before the monitor was again switched on, and this time the freaking, frigging face of the Joker appeared on the screen. His usual nasal voice sounded propitiatory as he said,

    "Sorry to disract your concentration on a day when you need it the most! But as I told you previously that today will be the day of make-or-break for you. Either you will perish or you will walk out of here as a free person. In any case, you would have never known the truth of what happened to Siddharth.

    I know very well that you are no longer attached to him mentally, but as a matter of fact, you cannot deny that this guy had been very close to you. That's why we decided to show you what happened to him. I am sure you are in no mood to see any more clips. So, I will briefly narrate you the after events.

    Our blow hot and cold technique hadn't worked much, as this Siddharth guy is extremely obstinate. But, when we showed him your clips, where you were shown as being tortured, he finally budged. He agreed to take part in the reality show with the condition that you must be alive, and everyday we have been showing him some of your live activities."

    "Why are you saying all this to me?" Archana yelled, as her nerves could not take it any more.

    "Calm down, calm down! So much of anger is not good. You need to concentrate to walk out of here as a winner. I have got a good news for you. I am sure you will love to know the fact that both Rajan and Siddharth have cleared the 4th stage, and they will participate with you in the final test."

    "And what will be the final test?" There was clearly a glow on her face and little bit of life in her voice.

    "You will know that in due time." The monitor went blank.

    Archana threw herself onto the soft bed and hid her face under the soft pillow. The Joker had not done well by telling him the news of Siddharth, she thought. She had completely forgotten about him. But now, the news had caused a great consternation in her mind. It apperaed to her that the old memories had been waiting outside the door of her mind. Now getting an opportunity, they gate-crashed into her brain flooding it with sweet memories of her romantic time spent with Siddharth.

    She was also taken aback to know the deep love Siddharth had for her. She was hiding her face, but the white velvet cover of the pillow was getting wet with her uncontrollable tears.

    __________________________________________________________

    Srinivas looked at his wristwatch. In fact, he had been watching it after every 30 seconds. The cream leather analog watch was worth rupees 500 and it was around 5 years old. Almost everyone told him to dispose it and buy a more trendy one. His good friend Khan, who used a waterproof quartz tungsten steel black gold big watch, had pulled his legs for his frugality on many occasions. But, Srini was nonchalant not just because he was frugal, but this watch had a fond memory. His girlfriend, now wife, presented it on his birthday.

    "Relax Srini! We have 15 minutes in our hand." Khan quipped from the left corner ot the middle seats. Srini was sitting beside the driver in the front seat of the Napoli Black Scorpio S9. Roy was sitting in the right corner of middle row with Khan and Das, one of his colleagues from the Ravenous Eagles.

    "What's the update on that hell house?" Srinivas asked Roy.

    Roy was looking at his OnePlus 9 Pro very keenly. One of the secret agents of the Ravenous Eagles, Sam, got the membership of the dirty show the Survivor after winning their confidence. Sam had been working as a drug dealer in Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea for the last 5 years. Everyone related with drug trafficking knew him, and that was the reason the Joker's team didn't suspect him when he got membership of this grisly reality show. He was transmitting the real time event to Roy's phone.

    The next episode will be published on tomorrow night
     
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2021
  10. Mistt

    Mistt IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    2,489
    Likes Received:
    7,081
    Trophy Points:
    435
    Gender:
    Female
    Oh! :fearful:Archana has to shoot moving objects in final test but I'm frightening for the safety of Rajan and Siddharth.
    Srinivas, Roy are looking their phones for updates but I will look for thriller thread in recent posts list eagerly in IL To read next episode.:icon_pc:
     
    Tamrakshar and Riverstream like this.

Share This Page