..Girl Number Seven..

Claustrophobia and Womanophobia don't go hand in hand.

Chapter-4- Stuck and Paranoid

I walked out of the theatre and stood outside. A light breeze visited the empty street, blowing away the paper rags lying on the pavement. Spooky, you might say? Letting out a lousy yawn, I turned left and followed the road to wherever it led.

It was quiet... too quiet. But I wasn't the type to get scared so easily. I was as brave as a roaring tiger that stalked the jungle. I had the keen eyes of an eagle; cunningness of a fox, stealth of all superheroes combined... You get the point, eh?

I took off my black jacket and hung it over my shoulder. My footsteps echoed off the gravel smoothly, creating soft noises of chunk that resonated through the haunted neighborhood.

Suddenly, from the corner of my eyes, I noticed them. Dark figures were blocking the street far away. When they caught sight of me, they began to approach me at a slow yet daunting pace. I stood there; my legs had become paralysed and my breath was caught up in my throat. I couldn't move or even yell for help.

The scene reminded me of the video of Thriller.

As the figures began to approach me, I realized that they wore golden masks, which glimmered against the yellow streetlights. With hidden faces, they raised their arms in zombie fashion and began to let out blood curling screeches.

I took a few steps backward until I hit the wired fence. They surrounded me in a circle and stood motionless. Their shadows towered over mine, intimidating me with their power. Calmly, I waited for them to move. Out of instinct, I curled my fingers into a tight fist. I was ready to knock my way out if I had to.

The leader raised a hand to his mask. He unhooked the clasps and allowed the mask to fall down. In slow motion, it fell down effortlessly to reveal the horrible creature behind.

No, it wasn't a zombie. It wasn't a bloodthirsty vampire or Jack the Ripper.

It was-

-a girl... the girl next door.

Shit…

And that's when I woke up in a pool of sweat. Panting slightly, I looked around. The surroundings were familiar much to my gratitude. Sunlight emerged into my room from the gaps among the curtained windows, annoying me a little.

I blinked at the white ceiling up above. It was a dream- a nightmare to be more precise. Muttering a few curses, I tried to get up from bed but accidentally tripped and plummeted towards the floor. After more tries of untangling myself from the stubborn clutches of my covers, I managed to stand straight.

It was then when it happened. A sharp bolt of pain traveled through my spine. I staggered towards the bedpost. Grasping hold of it, I managed to regain balance. But my body was still hurting..

Shit. I must have broken my back. It could be a slipped disc… Great! Just what I need to add to my problems…

Summoning all my strength, I stumbled to the cordless and picked it up. Their number was on my speed dial. Being rich did have many benefits… like the privilege to pamper oneself. Though I despised their methods, today I was in dire need of their help. The dial tone continued to ring and my hopes were beginning to fade. But a sudden click brought back all my optimism…

"Monaco Spa for the cool, groomed and groovy. Can I be of any assistance?" a familiar voice rang out with fake enthusiasm.

"Hello Carl," I greeted grimly.

Dead silence ensued.

"Rob? Is that... you?" Carl asked in disbelief, after a long pause.

I sighed out aloud. This wasn't going to be easy.

"Yeah. It's me. We need to make an arrangement. Are you available this afternoon?"

"You want to come here? Is your mother forcing you again?"

"No. I just need a massage... "

Carl became quiet again. I was getting impatient with his attitude. "Alright. How about 2:30?"

"Will do," I replied and thanked him hurriedly.

I hung up before the tall, burly man could waste more of my time. I had been there a few times before, only because my father had accused that I looked like a savage beast. Unfortunately, pop still lived in the eighteenth century where men still wore penguin suits and women wore corsets.

I was sick of being the son of a rich snob. That was one of the main reasons I moved into an apartment of my own. But till now, things hadn't gone according to my plans.

I walked to the mirror and stared at myself. I had run out of razors and hadn't shaved for a week. My hair looked like I'd stuck my hand in a socket. I could have carried groceries in the bags under my eyes. But the best thing of all? I didn't care.

To me, freedom is what I had always wanted. Freedom from my pesky parents and seclusion from the species that called themselves as 'women'.

Ben was right. I do sound like a guy going through mid-life crisis.

..--..

Ouch!

Ow!

Aargh!

Oh God!

Who would have thought, lifting a pen from the ground could cause so much grief? I rubbed my back muscles, hoping to rid of the throbbing pain lingering on my back. It felt as if hot coals were being applied everytime I bent, straightened or even lay down on my bed. After an unsuccessful attempt at trying to unpack some leftover packages, I decided to relax by reading a book.

Propping myself against a nice, fluffy pillow, I reached into a cardboard box. My mother had been sweet enough to help me pack it. Though I highly doubt whether she did the actual work. I bet she appointed one of her maids to do the lousy job.

My fingers grazed over a hardcover and I pulled it out. Its cover was made of red velvet and the title read 'Fool's Paradise by K.J. Stromer'. I admit, it sounded very intriguing. Without reading the summary, I turned the first few pages and started the book.

Half an hour later, my face had a scorn inscribed to it. The more I read... the more I wanted to rip the pages apart.

Why, you ask?

-

Her crystal blue eyes squinted against the blazing sun. Trotting on the hot desert sand, her white robe flew with the wind. To the nomads of the desert, she remained the ever-beautiful white specter. But princess Livonia was herself facing much difficulty in crossing the desert. Her breath slowed and she found her feet numbing at an alarming rate. Dehydration was taking a toll on her. Before she knew it, her mind became pitch black and her knees gave away. She fell into the arms of her lover, the handsome, enigmatic camel rider, Madrid.

When she opened her eyes, her gaze met his dark eyes.

"You saved me, Madrid... " the words escaped from her lips that were drenched with thirst.

"Hush, my darling. I can always carry you when your gorgeous legs can't."

"Oh, Madrid. I can always rely upon you.. "

-

I didn't read a single word more. The book now lay as a bundle of torn pages at the bottom of my bed. No doubt about it. It must have been a maid who packed the books. Maybe she mixed up my dear mother's personal favorites with mine.

Cheesy romance novel? Jeez.

I stared at the opposite wall. There was nothing to do and my back ached like hell. Glancing at my watch, I found the time to be 10:25 AM. I had more than three hours to kill. What should I do?

Letting out a sigh, I got out of bed with great difficulty. I staggered to the closet, cursing my back half of the way. Picking out a fresh flannel shirt and a hooded red sweatshirt, I got dressed hastily. Five minutes later, I was all set to go and wander on the street. Mudraksha didn't give me a card or her surname. But if I asked around, I might find her shop. Hopefully, she did have one. All con artists did need a base for carrying out their operations.

Trotting to the front door, I gave one last glance to the house's interior. Atleast Ben and I had managed to make it livable. After having locked the door to safeguard my property, I walked down the corridor passing three doors on both sides. The first one I passed was number seventy-seven. It was the same apartment where the girl Aisha lived.

Coincidence?

I hoped not.

Not that I cared. The girl had not crossed my mind, even once since last night's events. So, why was I thinking about her now?

Scowling with disgust, I moved to the grand elevator at the end of the corridor. My keen eyes found a small kid meandering around the area aimlessly. When I walked upto him, he quickly noticed my presence and was trying to hide a small board behind him.

"What's that, kid?" I asked him straight forward. Well, yes, I never beat about the bush. I should also mention that kids don't have an affinity towards me for some strange reason.

"No-nothing…" the tiny trot mumbled incoherently. He had wild black hair, whose color matched with the paint on his hands.

I raised an eyebrow in disbelief. Pointing to his smeared fingers, I asked again, "What's wrong with your hands?"

The kid shook his head frantically. He began edging away from me until he found a gap in the adjacent corridor. Looking at me one last time, he made a frenetic dash towards his exit. I was left behind, staring at him without a single clue in my mind.

Must be normal behavior for a six-year old twerp…

Shrugging to myself, I stepped into the elevator. A mirror at the back reflected my image, much to my despair. The sight of my reflection reminded me of how I looked like an untamed wild beast. My jet-black hair was tousled as if someone had roughed it up on purpose. In the end, I had acquired this gangly look, which I wasn't proud of.

My eyes turned to the menu board and I was about to hit the 'G' button.

The only thing stopping me was a girl running towards me hysterically. My mouth opened in surprise when I saw who it was. Her long black hair swayed to her sides, as she picked up her speed. Aisha Robins might be a gutsy girl but when it came to sheer common sense… she was obviously lacking something in that department.

"Stop! Stop! Don't go!" she shouted in a frenzy voice.

My inner conscience was suggesting the opposite.

Come on, Rob. Hit the button before she catches up. Come on! Press it!

My head quickly turned towards the girl. She was close, too close for comfort. What if she had another complaint? She might accuse me of stealing her cat again. Should I act the chivalrous gentleman and allow her to come in? Was I really that nice?

Obviously not.

I jammed the 'G' button with all the force my fist could gather. The doors began to close, slowly blocking the view outside. I squinted my eyes through the closing gap. I was about to shoot the girl a triumphant glance. But a pair of fingers found their way into the tiny creak and wedged the doors apart.

Aisha was standing at the entrance, looking like a bull after the red flag.

Thank God, I am not wearing a red flannel shirt today.

She stepped into the elevator, breathing fire through her nose. I could also imagine steam erupting from her lovely red ears. The doors behind her closed quickly. We were left all alone in the confined space.

It was funny how doors had this quality of sensing when to close fast and when they shouldn't.

Was I becoming paranoid?

Yes.

My attention shifted to the girl again. Today she was dressed in casual jeans and a maroon pullover; her purse being the only flashy thing she was carrying. Under the dim yellow luminance of the elevator's lights, I noticed something. She looked nice... if one could ignore her resemblance to a raging bull. She didn't have the features of a super model- she wasn't tall, thin or even astonishingly beautiful.

She was just... simple.

So how could Mudraksha predict that she would be the one for me?

Not that I was interested in getting married. No way. I was still adamant on my stand. See no women, touch no women and live with no women.

Funny pact, eh?

The elevator started to descend slowly. I was distracted when the girl pointed one finger at me accusatively.

"You! You were going to leave, weren't you?" she asked me furiously.

Here we go again. We seemed to have redundant conversations everytime we met each other. I could apologize to her for acting like a selfish bastard. But I wasn't going to. Instead, I slid away from the firing range and staggered to a safe corner. Within five minutes, we would reach the ground floor. Just five minutes…

Come on, Rob. Hang in there!

The girl took my cue and walked to the opposite corner. She stood there in silence, occasionally rubbing something on the ground with the sole of her slippers. Releasing your anger by pretending to squash your enemy was what she was trying to do.

Ooh, I am scared... Please note the sarcasm in my voice.

We passed the fifth floor and were descending to the fourth. I kept counting the seconds flying by. I had to get out… my heart was doing flip-flops in dreadful anticipation. Nerves going haywire, my breathing having become shallow, I have been familiar with the condition for long. I had learnt to deal with claustrophobia but there were still times, when it could get overwhelming.

Aisha sneaked a glance at me. Hesitating, she asked, "Are you alright?"

I shrugged lightly.

A loud sound from above caught us by surprise. It was similar to metal striking against metal and the ropes being tightly pulled against the pulley. When the elevator came to a grinding halt, my panic was obvious. Aisha seemed calm and composed, surprisingly.

Raising her head upwards, she looked at the ceiling. The lights turned from yellow to blinking red, signaling danger.

"What's going on?" she uttered in confusion.

I walked to the menu board and began punching the 'emergency' stop switch. Nothing happened. I tried various other combinations, hoping the lift would start functioning again. There was no response. It seemed to have become jammed. Soon, I succumbed to the only resort left.

I banged on the door sharply. "Hello, anyone there? We are stuck in this elevator. We need help! Hello? HELLO??"

There were sounds of hurried footsteps on the opposite side. After a long drawn silence, we heard a hoarse voice on the intercom.

"Hello, testing, testing. I'm the janitor. Can you hear me?"

Aisha walked to the tiny speaker attached to the menu board. Flicking the switch, she opened the two-way communication line.

"Yes, I can hear you. What's wrong with this lift?" she asked the man.

"It is under repair, Miss Robins. Didn't you see the sign I had put up?"

"What sign?" I blurted out.

The intercom crackled. "Out of service. That was the sign I had posted on a board. Didn't you read it?"

What sign was he talking about? I never saw any board...

… except for the one that kid was carrying.

Oh God. This is humiliating. A six-year old twerp fooled me!

Aisha was beginning to show some signs of panic. The girl's confident demeanor had unnerved me before. With her hand pressed on her forehead, she let out a gasp.

"Wait. How long will we be stuck here, Andrew?"

The intercom chortled again with small buzzing noises. The voice of the janitor rang through to us, somehow.

"It will take four hours. I need to change some nuts and screws. Sit tight and I will fix the system," the man replied calmly and the intercom went dead.

Aisha turned to me with her mouth wide open in disbelief. "Four hours? I can't stay here with you for four hours! Why didn't they change those stuff long before?"

I leaned against the door, letting out a heavy sigh. The only question bothering me was- why they didn't change the janitor.

This was just great. I was now stuck with a girl in an elevator for four hours. I let out a menacing laugh much to Aisha's surprise. A fire raged in my eyes as I realized who was the true cause for all my troubles. That six-year-old twerp better stay away from my sight.

I looked at the raven-haired girl standing before me. Our eyes met and the anger was still visible in her eyes. Maybe she blamed the problem on me. It wouldn't be surprising… she always put the blame on me.

But I was innocent…

..--..

I am not good at keeping promises, am I?

Sorry for the long delay.