A Brush with Bushsh - Chapter 6: Gagged and Locked Up

Read Chapter 5

Now that she was away from the prying eyes of the monsters, she pulled out her phone and passed

Illustration: M Rithika

it to her son. “Find our location and message Uncle Sandeep. Tell him to get help.” Anyone entering the house would be able to see the children easily, but she could not see any other spot that was safer – the CCTV ensured that it would capture anyone moving about in the room.

She would have to be quick – before the men thought of coming up. She stood outside the doors and heard a man shout – she realised that she was hearing him say the same things the monster was shouting. She frowned in concentration as a thought took form in her mind. Oh, she realised, the monster was being controlled from this room!

She went to the other room and listened through the door. There was silence, and then she thought she heard something knock. She opened the door gently and was shocked and relieved to see Udit. He was tied up and his mouth stuffed with rag cloth. But it was Udit, and that was all that mattered!

She rushed to him and removed the cloth from his mouth first. He gasped. She freed his legs, which was tied carelessly. His arms were tied behind and that knot proved tougher to remove. But she put her desperation aside for a few moments and stubbornly worked at it. When she removed it, it was just about the right time.

For someone said, “Aha! So here you are!”

Udit and she turned in panic and saw a middle aged man standing at the doorway with a gun in hand.

Sulekha buried her face in her hands as all hopes of escaping undetected were dashed.

The man jerked forward and lost balance. Param dived after the man and grabbed the gun in his hand.

There was pin drop silence. It bothered Sulekha, and then she realised why. “The monsters, he was controlling them!” she exclaimed and rushed to the other room, pushing past her children. Puzzled, they too turned. The man was about to pounce on Param, but Udit was alert and tackled the man. Pushing him to the floor, he asked Manasa to bring the ropes and tied the man up, including stuffing him with the rag cloth. “Taste your own medicine!” he said with vengeance but refrained from swearing in front of his children.

Udit also realised that the men who rushed out to look for his wife and children will come back. “Sulekha we must leave quickly,” he said and followed her. He was amazed at the gadgets the other room was filled with.

“Wow! What’s this!” Udit got curious seeing the various panels and TV cameras. They saw the men enter the house in the monitor. Udit grabbed the gun from Param, who had followed them in with Manasa. The leader of the pack stopped back and stared at the gun. Another man peeped into the other room and screamed, “Boss is tied up!”

Udit waved and pushed them all back while Sulekha examined the panel closely. She saw five flick switches with the words ‘inflate’ and ‘deflate’ written above and below them. They were kept in neutral position. She pushed one switch to the inflate side and heard the busssshhhh sound from outside. She flicked another one to deflate, and she heard a hissing sound – like air escaping a balloon.

She looked at monitors above and realised she could see the entire apartment complex. One gave the terrace view and another, nothing. It was all dark. Udit and the kids had managed to lock up the men in the other room. She saw another monitor that was dark, but it seemed to be focusing on a door.

“Cameras,” said Udit as he entered the room and observed the monitors. “Really high up… From even above the terrace… A drone…” He went out and scanned the sky. The men were banging on the door and Sulekha was getting worried. “Let’s leave, the door may give way,” she reminded him following him to the balcony.

His eyes were fixed on the monsters. “You stand here for a second,” he said, ignoring Sulekha’s warning. The monsters seemed to have quietened down since the men were caught and locked up, instead of getting enraged.

She stood staring at the still figures when suddenly one bent low and boomed, making her skin jump in fear. “Udit!” she screamed.

He came laughing. The children were also grinning behind him. The monster had straightened up.

“That was you!”

He nodded and showed her the controls. Her face became grim and she ran down.

(To be concluded)