chapter fifty one

Normally, people would have said they fluttered their eyes open and shut it back because of the bright light in the room but in my case,it was different.

I struggled to open my eyes and when I finally did,I saw nothing but darkness. I used my fingers to feel my eyes and they were opened.

Am I blind?

That's the questioned that ran through my mind. I panicked.

I closed my eyes and opened them repeatedly but all I saw was darkness with no sign of light at all.

This can't be!

And I broke down in sobs. What have I ever done to Smith to deserve this? If I did something to him unknowingly,he should have told me to apologize to him and I will without thought.

I roamed my hands on my body in search of purse or phone but I couldn't find any. It was just me,my cloth and my veil.

I got up and walked as slowly as possible to find the nearest wall. I was walking but couldn't find any wall. Am I in a forest or something?

My leg hit something and I quickly bent down to pick it. I spun the thing around and felt every part of it but I couldn't tell what it was.

"Its a dead vulture." A voice from nowhere said and I immediately released the thing and crawled backward.

"Who are you? And where am I?" I whispered cos I didn't know where my loud voice went. I was waiting for a reply but I got none.

Was it just a random hunter? If he was,then he should've helped the poor me.

I slowly lied down and held my knees in serious sobs and I was just praying in my mind. But just why will smith dump me in a forest after making me loose my consciousness? I tried everything I could with my eyes but they were now less than useful.

Its official.

I'm blind and in forest.

......

I never knew how long I cried for but I just knew two things. I became blind instantly and I passed out from crying too much.

I tried opening my eyes again hoping to see light and I got just that only that the light was way too much that I have to close my eyes again.

Blinking few times trying to adjust to the bright light coming from where I was,I couldn't. It was just rays of flash light penetrating into my tired eyes.

Was I still blind? Was this different stages of blindness?

Firstly,I saw nothing but pitch black and now,just for me to open my eyes, all I saw was pure white.

I'm doomed.

But how was that even possible? It doesn't make any logical sense but considering I've got vision issues before,it might a reasonable meaning.

If this was how being blind felt,then I feel sorry for all the blind people in the world. Its so frustrating that you can't see a thing. Those people who were blind since birth, I wonder how they're coping and I prayed the Almighty return their sights as soon as possible.

I tried getting down from where I found myself lying down and that's when I noticed how soft that surface was. I roamed my hands around it and came to a conclusion that it was a super comfortable bed.

Okay!

I got down from the bed and walked carefully so that I could grab anything. Anything at all. I  shivered immediately my feet touched the very cold tiles. I didn't mind it as I walked further.

"Geez girl. Where are you heading to?" Smith asked. I knew his stupid voice without seeing his useless face.

"Smith!" I gritted.

"Yes princess." He laughed. "You must be thirsty." He added reminding me I woke up with an extreme dried throat.

"This water will definitely help." He said and handed me a bottle of water. I collected it with shaky hands and debated whether to take it or not. It might be poisoned by Smith to get rid of me. I almost threw the water at his face but the way my throat felt as if it was been roasted in the palace of hell,I paused the bad idea.

I gulped down the water and I never knew water was so sweet until that day.

"Can I please have more water?" I said to Smith.

"Face me if you want to talk to me." I heard Smith's voice from behind me.

I faced him and repeated my request. "Of course Khair. I want you to be alive so I shall bring you a gallon of water." The happy Smith said.

"From all indications, the light in the room is too much for you." Smith added more to himself.

I heard clicking of button and tapping of something but nothing changed.

I didn't even knew when he went out of the room and got me another bottle of water. I drank it and relaxed.

Why the hell are you feeling relaxed? You're in the hands of an evil psycho freak. My subconscious reminded and my security instincts perked up. Not like I can do much even tho smith attacked me but its better to die knowing that you were protecting yourself.

"Sleep." Smith ordered.

Does he think he's a fairy? That will whisper 'sleep' and I will sleep?

"If you don't want to sleep,at least close your damn eyes and try to rest. Its for your own good." He said and he left. I knew he left cos I heard the door closing.

Should I take his advice? OK maybe I should. I pray it should be for my own good as he said.

I looked for the bed and lied on it. I would've stubbornly chose to lie on the floor on normal conditions but the tiles were too cold as if it had underground AC.

Before I knew what I was thinking, I fall asleep.

I woke up and expected to see everything in red or green colour but I didn't. I rather saw everything the way they're normally with less light. The white wardrobe, the mirror, bedsides, the standing fan and everything in the room.

"I can see." I said to myself and cleaned my eyes again and I was still seeing. I muttered an 'Alhamdulillah' and some prayers.

"Well,well,well. Look who's awake." Smith literally sang as he majestically walked into the room.

How did he knew I was awake? Was there camera in the room?

I looked around in search for hidden camera but I saw none.

"Where am I and why are you doing this to me?" I questioned.

"Welllll...." He trailed off.

"Today's not the day I planned on explaining everything to you. But the simple thing I should say that will make sense is 'you're kidnapped by me'. "He explained and laughed. I gave him a confused look.

"Any sensible person would think why they will get kidnapped and be kept in a comfortable room. I kept you in my dark basement without a single window that's why you couldn't see any light. Then my partner in crime decided that since you're a special target,we should treat you specially. So I moved you from my basement and brought you to my room." He explained and I began processing everything.

He said he moved me from the basement and brought me to his room. So he literally carried me to his room. Eww and does that mean...

I gasped as my thoughts ran wild.

As if Smith knew what I was thinking, he said disgusted "Cancel that worthless thoughts out of your head whore. You aren't my type. Eww."

Well,I'm stupid for thinking that also. Eww as he exclaimed.

"Smith come here." An awfully familiar voice said from far.

"Shit!" Smith cursed and walked out quickly.

I heard hushed tone from the background. I was very curious to know who that familiar voice belonged to so I got up and walked quietly to the door which was ajar.

To my disappointment,the person's voice I heard was putting on a pink face mask matching the pink shirt she was wearing and a big eyeglass. I couldn't recognise the person and from the look,the person was a female.

The lady's eyebrow raised up showing how large her eyes grew as she noticed me curiously peeping at her. She tapped Smith and he looked at me with similar large eyes.

Before I could move from that spot to save my life,Smith punched my face real hard making me to fall down in dizziness.

Yeah, as they always says 'curiosity killed the cat' and in this situation, I'm the cat.

"That was close." I heard the female said before I drift into another scary darkness.

......

Third person's POV

Uncle Haroon was so mad and worried when Khair didn't say anything despite him yelling her name through the phone.

He hissed out of frustration and stood up from his hotel room.

"Hey bro." He shook hands with Isma'il who was sitting at the balcony.

"Sup" Said Isma'il with his usual smile.

"I want to go and check up on my sister." Uncle Haroon said.

"Is everything okay?" Isma'il asked.

"Hmm yes and no."

"Explain."

"Well,her car got spoilt at a store and I asked her to wait there but that stubborn girl went and take a lift from someone. When I called her, she didn't give me a reasonable explanation. I was calling her name but I didn't get any reply again from her. I didn't hang up the phone for five minutes and I didn't hear anything. You see I have to be worried." Explained uncle Haroon.

"Oh. You need to check up on her really. Take." Isma'il said handing Uncle Haroon his car key.

"No I will just take a cab." Uncle Haroon rejected.

"OK. Take care."

With that,Uncle Haroon left to all things sweet but he met only Khair's car. He started pacing around in worry.

The security man on noticing uncle Haroon's state,he walked to him and said "hey".

Uncle Haroon studied the man before saying a simple 'hi.'

"I guess you are looking for a lady." Said the security man.

"Huh?!" Uncle Haroon said pretending to be clueless.

"I just saw a resemblance with you and a lady who owns that car behind you and you looked worried. She came here minutes ago and left in young Mr Gaulten's car. I don't like the idea because for all I know,that guy won't be up to any good and the lady really seemed to be in danger because of the threatening note she got after someone deflated her tyres." The security man explained himself and uncle Haroon just froze in thought.

"Why did you said young Mr. is up to no good?" Asked uncle Haroon.

"He's my neighbor for four years now. I know his tactics pretty well. He looks kind but behind that kind face is a different man. At least,that's what I've seen and heard about him."

'This man seem to know much about this Smith guy. Its better I act fast to protect Khair before he hurts her' uncle Haroon thought.

"Can you please take me to his house?" Pleaded uncle Haroon.

"I would've love to but my shift's not yet over. I'm still on duty."

"You have another man that will replace you right? Then ask him to take over your duty before you come back. I will pay both of you for this,I promise." The desperate uncle Haroon said.

"Well,I have to talk to him first. Wait here for a minute." The security man said and left without allowing uncle Haroon to say the price he wants to offer them.

The security man upon reaching his post where he found the guy patiently waiting for his shift to come, he called his name several time before he responded.

"Nate!" The security man shouted getting Nate's full attention.

'This guy is always thinking out of this world.' The security man thought.

"I've got some news for you." And with that,the security man explained the offer to Nate.

"Well let's hurry out before he reduce the money he's offering to us." Nate said pushing the man together with himself out of their post.

"Wait,you agree? You don't have a problem taking over my shift before yours?" The confused security man asked.

"Of course not. As long as I'm getting paid. Now go and do your business with him." Nate said and they both walked to the main door where uncle Haroon was impatiently waiting for them.

"Let's go." The security man told uncle Haroon.

"Your partner has agreed?" Uncle Haroon asked.

"Yes. He said as long as he's getting paid." The man shrugged. From there,uncle Haroon called a taxi and they both hopped in. The man directed the taxi man to their destination.

Upon reaching there,they alighted and uncle Haroon paid the taxi man.

"That's his house right?" Asked uncle Haroon pointing at a house built separately from others. It was the biggest house out of all the houses in that suburb.

"Obviously." The man scoffed and uncle Haroon ignored him.

"How am I gonna get in there?"

"It will be hard. Really hard if I might add. There are camera's almost everywhere around the house. They're four huge bodyguards who are always by the gate." The man informed.

Uncle Haroon was just blinking waiting for more explanations and the other side of his brain was in serious thought on how to get pass all those security in that house.

"Did you know maybe a little something about their business affairs?" Uncle Haroon blurted out the idea that popped into his stressed brain.

"I do know a lot of things about them. Gaulten's family loves show off so anytime they achieve something or about to achieve something, the whole world must know." The man started and told uncle Haroon few of the important things he knew about the family. "Right now, Mr and Mrs Gaulten are on a vacation in Hawaii and from there,they will meet some investors of their perfume business out of the thousands of business they've got. That's the latest news of them that I got." The man said and uncle Haroon nodded with different ideas running through his mind with that little information he got from the man.

"Thank you so much for this. I know what to do already." Uncle Haroon said making his way to Smith's house but he stopped when he remembered something. He jogged back to the man and said "what if Smith didn't come here directly with my sister? Everything I will say will be suspicious to the bodyguards."

"You're right. I will ask my children. Wait here." The man said.

'This man has children? He looked like nothing more than twenty five' Uncle Haroon thought.

'But who am I to judge him?' He said in his mind and cancelled the thought.

"My eldest daughter said she saw him coming out of his car with an unconscious lady. So that explains everything." The man said.

Uncle Haroon was wondering how the man's daughter knew but decided not to ask what does not concern him. He have gotten all he needed to know so off he went.

Uncle Haroon stood at the magnificent gate of the Gaulten's house cooking up believable lies in his head.

He almost knocked but saw something on the gate. It looked like a speaker and a button attached to it.

'How can a gate have a doorbell?' He thought.

He composed himself and pressed the button professionally. He can't look like a fool in front of the camera staring at him that moment.

"Hello who's there?" A voice said from nowhere. He almost ran away but remembered it was from the speaker attached to the gate.

"I'm...." He kept quiet not knowing the name he will disguise himself as. He has planned everything except the name.

"I'm Brock Lesnar." He blurted out. His eyes widened at the name that he just mentioned.

"Seriously?! Upon all the billions of name in this world I couldn't say any name except a wrestler's name? Way to go Haroon." He whispered to himself feeling to knock his own head to calm his nervous spirit down.

"Who are you looking for Brock?" The voice from the speaker asked.

Uncle Haroon was surprised he didn't suspected anything. That was still good tho.

"I'm the assistant manager of de luxe perfumes. Mrs Gaulten sent me here to collect some papers in her safe for the investors coming tomorrow." He said.

"But the investors are suppose to come next week." The voice said.

"Change of plans. The earlier they come,the better the growth of the business." Said uncle Haroon smoothly.

"Right but we have to tell young Mr Gaulten about your arrival."

"No. Mrs Gaulten warned me against it. I can't let Young Mr Gaulten know about me. Before you ask,the reasons are personal."

"But the keys to the main house is always with Young Mr Gaulten. You can't go in without the keys except you're a burglar."

"How can you accuse me of such a thing. I can make you all lose your jobs if I let the Gaulten couples know about how you accused me." Uncle Haroon threatened.

All these conversations weren't part of the plan. Darn!

"We are very sorry Mr Lesnar." The voice apologized.

Uncle Haroon almost laughed at his new found name but decided against it by saying. "And about the keys,I will collect them from the lady young Mr Gaulten came here with. She's working under me."

"But...." The voice started but uncle Haroon interrupted "but what? Don't let me loose my patience. This job is very important. Open the gate before I call your boss."

As he just finished saying that,the gate automatically opened. Uncle Haroon sighed in relief and walked inside like the serious assistant manager he was.

Getting in this house was very easier than he thought.

"Apologies Mr Lesnar. You're welcome." A heavily built man said coming out of a room.

"Never mind." He waved him off and the man uncle Haroon knew must be a bodyguard went back inside.

'Just how dumb were these guys? An assistant manager was suppose to appear in a suit or any business like clothes but I'm wearing a casual shirt and a jean,yet these guys didn't suspect a thing? And they suppose to ask of an ID or business card but they didn't. Why the hell did they employ these people to protect the properties? Or since they're bodyguards, they are only good at protecting bodies not a safe. Well,it was of the best since I have passed through them.' Uncle Haroon thought.

Immediately he moved his foot to walk to the main door,he saw someone coming out from the far end of the house carrying another person in their arm and heading to another large door opposite the main building. He recognized them instantly. Smith was carrying unconscious Khair in his arms. He felt like moving there to strangle Smith with his bare hands and flinging him across the high fence.

Smith started looking around to make sure he was still the only one in the compound.

Uncle Haroon's first instinct was to hide from Smith. He gently walked side ward where he was sure Smith cannot sight him from there.

A weird groan was what made him turned his head to the direction of where the sound was coming from. He looked straight but saw nothing there. He immediately regretted looking down where he was met with the fierce angry eyes of a very huge German Shepherd.

His heart somersaulted at the sight he just witnessed and was still witnessing.

"Pls dog,I beg your pardon don't bark and expose me." Uncle Haroon whispered moving backwards a little.

He was cynophobic. In fact all his families were. It was hereditary. But uncle Haroon never considered that anything. 'How can a fully grown man of his age be afraid of any kind of dog?' That was always uncle Haroon's thought. But today,reality proves him wrong.

"Don't make noise please." Uncle Haroon continued pleading but his voice seemed to anger the already angry dog more. The dog let out deep groan that uncle Haroon felt the ground beneath him shook. Before he could blink,the dog started barking very loudly.

The dog started chasing him while uncle Haroon ran out of the small space shouting 'innalillahi. Wayyo'.

He ran out and barged into the room the bodyguard came out from earlier.

His heart was racing and he was seeing everything doubled. His breathing was unstable but he was able to see the heads of people gathered around him.

He regained his sense after five minutes. He couldn't hear the dog's barking anymore.

"Jeff! Jeff!" Someone yelled from outside and one of the bodyguards rushed outside.

"Who came in here?" Some shouted.

"Nobody Sir." Jeff answered. Uncle Haroon was able to hear everything cos the place was awfully silent.

"Then what made tiger barked so loudly?"

'Wait,that wasn't a dog? It was a tiger?! Oh Lord! What the butt have I landed myself into?' Uncle Haroon thought almost panicking. He almost became a tiger's lunch. That thought was terrifying.

"Nobody can come in here without our consent. But Sir, this is a person's shoe. Maybe someone was trying to get in here and threw his shoe in first to make sure there wasn't any harm. That was may be what triggered tiger to bark." Jeff reasoned and that was when uncle Haroon knew he left his shoes in the process of saving his dear life.

He didn't hear anything again only the footstep of Jeff entering inside the room.

"Young Mr Gaulten has left without further suspicion. Why did you go in there? The dogs are very dangerous." Said Jeff and uncle Haroon told them the truth.

"Was that a dog or a tiger?" The freaked out uncle Haroon asked.

"Its a dog. His name is tiger." Jeff answered.

"You need to go do your job before young Mr Gaulten come in here." Jeff added.

Uncle Haroon just wished the ground will open and swallow him.

That was the most embarrassing moment of his life. A whole assistant manager getting chased by a freaking dog and loosing his shoe at that moment. Worst of it,he was shouting like a possessed dragon.

He can never look at these guys in the eyes again.

Whispering a 'thank you', he stood up and did a walk of shame out of the room.

He thought about his shoes but fear won't make him go near the chained dog to take his shoe. He rather walk barefooted, no,naked than to witness that freaky thing created by God.

He silently walked to the building he saw Smith took Khair to. There was no way he could get inside there. He walked round the building in search of window and to his luck,he found one at the back of the building.

Calculating the height of the window,he shrugged and made a go at it. He held the rough walls and started climbing.

He made it successfully up the window and crawl in after making sure he heard no sound coming from inside. He landed with a loud thud and a groan.

"Thieves and burglars are trying." He said to himself rubbing his sore back.

The room he landed himself in was dim,the only source of light was the window.

He stood up and carefully walked forward,conscious of his environment.

"Khair." He whispered when he saw Khair tied on a chair with her neck in a weird position. She looked unconscious.

He speed walked towards her and knelt in front of her. He straightened her head and stared at her tired face and her reddened nose.

Her wrists were tied behind her so as her leg on the chair.

"Just how wicked is this stupid Smith?" Uncle Haroon asked nobody through gritted teeth.

He wanted to loosen the ropes on Khair's wrist but the faint movement he heard from outside made him stood up and looked around for a place to hide.

He walked as quietly and quickly as possible to the place he thought would be safe for hiding.

Different boxes of different sizes were dumped at that corner and he hid behind them making sure he has a space to see whoever was coming in.

He saw Smith in his skinny self walking inside the room. Smith studied Khair for two minutes straight before saying aloud 'I can't wait for the next five minutes before you wake up." With that,Smith left and lock the door behind him.

He decided to tell someone about the situation they're in. There was no better person than Ahmad to come to their rescue.

With that thought in mind,he logged into his whatsapp and explained everything from the beginning to the end through voice note and sent it to Ahmad. He then sent him an SMS message saying Ahmad should check his whatsapp messages.

After thanking Khair for making his acquaintance with Ahmad into friendship, he switched off his phone totally.

"This is sure gonna be a freaking long day." He sighed.

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