After being beaten mercilessly by Lalan Raj, Rajesh lay unconscious for several minutes. But as the pain pulsed through his body, he slowly opened his eyes. The thought of his sister surged back into his mind like fire. His fight wasn't over. It couldn't be. With a trembling breath, he clenched his fist and, through the haze of pain, made a promise to himself — I will save her. Then, with resolve burning beneath his bruises, he closed his eyes again, not to give up, but to gather strength.
---
Meanwhile, at the factory, Vidya sat silently, her mind restless. It was nearly 2:00 a.m., and still no sign of help. No police. No rescue. Doubts crept in. Did something happen? Did Madhu fail to deliver the photos? Questions churned inside her, but there were no answers—only the thick air of uncertainty.
Suddenly, a loud argument broke out behind her. Two women were yelling, pushing each other. One claimed she would be chosen as the tenth slave and believed she would finally be free—even if it meant selling her body. The other resisted, pleading, warning her not to believe such lies. "They'll use you, then kill you. These monsters won't leave even your bones behind," she cried. The commotion escalated as others tried to separate them.
Vidya, unable to bear the chaos, stepped in. She shoved one of the women aside and shouted, "Are you all mad? Do you even hear yourselves? You think this is freedom? Up there, they'll torture you till you beg for death—and they still won't let you die. They are not men. They are beasts. Demons! Fighting amongst ourselves is exactly what they want. It keeps us broken. Divided. If we ever hope to escape this hell, we must stand together."
Her words struck deep. The room fell silent. Some lowered their heads in shame. Others nodded quietly in agreement. Vidya, heart pounding, quietly sat back down in the corner, her thoughts still clouded by uncertainty.
---
Morning arrived.
A goon entered with a woman following behind him, carrying a skimpy dress and a card—the same items given to the "selected" women. With a twisted smile, the goon said, "Alright, ladies. The tenth one will be chosen now."
He shoved the woman forward, and she approached the cages. Without hesitation, she pointed at Vidya. "You're the tenth."
Vidya's heart skipped a beat. Shocked—but in a strange way relieved—she knew this was her only chance to find her sister. Now I move closer to her… I just hope Madhu did her part.
But just as she took the card and dress, the same woman she had scolded the night before sneered and shoved her. "So brave last night, weren't you? Look at you now—just another slave. Go die up there," she spat, laughing.
Some joined in her laughter. Others remained silent, unsure. Vidya didn't react. She clenched the card in her hand, ignoring the insult. This isn't about pride. It's about survival. She knew some still stood with her.
Changing into the outfit, Vidya joined the other nine women. Together, they were led upstairs—toward whatever cruel stage awaited them.
Meanwhile, Madhu and Aman were still unconscious in the back of the truck. But soon, Madhu stirred. Her eyes fluttered open, and through the haze, she saw the men around her laughing, drinking alcohol, and smoking cigarettes. A wave of despair washed over her. Had she failed? Had she lost the chance to save Vidya? What would happen to Rajesh now? Questions echoed through her mind, louder than the voices of the goons.
The truck suddenly came to a halt.
"We're here," the driver called out.
The goons tossed their bottles aside, crushed their cigarettes underfoot, and dragged both Madhu and Aman out of the truck. Aman groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. "Where… where are we?" he asked, weakly.
"In our territory," one of the goons answered with a smirk.
Madhu looked around. The place was worse than anything she'd imagined—an abandoned stretch of land, surrounded by silence and rusting debris. A broken-down factory loomed ahead, empty and lifeless. The goons dragged them toward it, shoved open the door, and dumped them inside like sacks.
Madhu took in the surroundings—only junk, twisted metal, and broken walls. Before she could process more, one of the goons shouted, "Hey guys! We brought something we can enjoy!"
From the shadows, more men appeared—armed with daggers, rods, and sticks—forming a tight circle around them. The goons untied their hands.
Madhu's heart raced.
"What are you going to do with us?" she asked, her voice trembling.
They all laughed.
One stepped forward and grabbed her face roughly. "See, we were told to kill you," he said with a sick smile, "but… we thought we'd have a little fun first." He let her go and stepped back.
Madhu was terrified. She rushed to Aman, trying to help him to his feet. "We have to run," she whispered urgently.
But Aman was still in pain, his body unable to move. The goons began advancing, ready to strike.
Just then—a thunderous crash.
A police jeep smashed through the factory's tin door, sending metal flying. The goons froze.
Madhu's eyes widened. Rajesh was there—standing tall with a team of police officers behind him.
"Bhaiya…?" she gasped.
The officers wasted no time. Shots rang out. Screams echoed. Within minutes, the goons were on the ground, arrested or unconscious.
Madhu ran to Rajesh and threw her arms around him. Tears welled in her eyes.
"Bhaiya… how—how did you find me?"
Rajesh gave her a slight smirk. "I'll tell you everything," he said.
And with that, the nightmare began to break.
A few hours earlier, around 4:00 a.m., Rajesh lay unconscious on the cold ground. A passerby noticed him and immediately called the police. Within minutes, officers arrived, lifting his limp body into their vehicle. One of the subordinates checked his injuries. "Sir, his nose is broken—we need to get him treated first."
But the officer in charge dismissed the concern. "No. First, we question him about this whole cat-and-mouse chase. Our personal doctor will deal with the nose later."
They returned to the police station. Time passed.
Rajesh slowly opened his eyes, blurry at first. The officer from before stood in front of him with burning anger in his eyes. Without warning, he grabbed Rajesh's collar and slapped him hard across the face. Rajesh fell to the floor, clutching his broken nose. Pain surged, but oddly, he felt a strange relief—it meant he was still alive.
The officer sneered. "Are you so shameless that you barged into a lawyer's home? Or are you just scared of getting caught in your own lie—faking your sister's death?"
Rajesh, still calm, stood up slowly. "I think this is more complicated than you understand, Officer."
The officer's face turned red with rage. He moved to strike again, but a senior officer stepped in. "Wait. Let him speak."
"But sir—" the junior protested.
"I said wait."
Rajesh sat down in the chair, breathing heavily. His voice was quiet but steady. "As you know, my sister has been missing since yesterday. And I believe this case isn't simple. If you look closely, you'll see... this is not just about one girl. Many men like me have walked into police stations with missing complaints. Most of the time, they're ignored. No one helps a normal citizen like me."
"Get to the point," the officer snapped.
Rajesh met his eyes. "This is all connected to one theory—women are being kidnapped and trafficked into slavery."
Silence.
Another officer stepped forward, frowning. "What exactly are you saying?"
Rajesh took a breath. "I found my sister's phone at that same factory—where you picked me up. Inside the phone, I found disturbing messages from a woman named Vidya, and dozens of photos and videos… showing girls, women—being abused."
The officer who had hit him scoffed. "You really expect us to believe this?"
But the senior officer turned to him and said coldly, "We will believe it. My own daughter has been missing for four months. I haven't stopped looking. And you? Instead of chasing this man, why don't you check his background? You'll see—he raised his sister alone, gave her everything: food, protection, the love of a mother. If you think he's the culprit here, maybe you're the one not doing your job."
The room fell silent.
"Tech team," the senior officer called. "Get ready. Rajesh, do you still have the phone?"
Rajesh replied, "It's broken… but I removed the SIM card before it was destroyed."
The officer nodded. "Smart move."
Rajesh handed over the SIM card. One of the officers rushed it to the tech lab. Minutes later, the screen lit up with data—images, videos, message logs. The room fell into a heavy silence as they watched.
What they saw… was horror.
No one said a word.