Pest Control - 10

Read part 9 - here

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Uma found herself walking through narrow streets, still following the bastards’ car that had now slowed down to near halting, moving cautiously through the extremely narrow lane that perhaps wasn’t even meant for something as bulky as a car which his car wasn’t but looked like a hulking intruder while making its way through the cramped road indifferently littered with small potholes.

This was a part of town that Uma had not known much about. She’d passed it several times, only glimpsing the confined spaces from afar, seeing the shoddily constructed houses and haphazard residential buildings thrown with abandon on either side of the overwhelmingly limited passage through which his car now passed.

No one lived there anymore and the entire area had been vacant for a few years; supposedly illegally built, the Government had put a stay order but that didn’t stop shops from cramming the two sides of the limited lane and there was a certain amount of busyness that evening. 

People moved about, scurrying across the roads in an effort to keep themselves from being hit by vehicles both small and large while industriously shopping, the entire area crawling with vegetables and groceries stores, almost seeming to pop up in Uma’s face with each step she took. It was to her advantage as well, it kept the car she pursued painfully slow, so much that Uma had to stop every few minutes to give it a head start. 

The cardinal rules of following someone is to not let yourself get ahead of them and she carefully hiked after the car, guarding her movement, staying well hidden under a scarf, concealed behind the shopping rabble.

She wasn’t sure what her next step would be or how she’d even end the day. 

Was she going to confront him and stab him? But this place was rich with witnesses and was she actually going to stab someone? Of course, she’d willingly kill him and likes of him but stabbing? That would be murder but then how would this bastard die? How long would she have to wait until death came naturally? but she didn’t have time and he didn’t deserve a natural death?

What he needed was a disgustingly violent act of unadulterated hatred and fury so maybe stabbing was far too tame.

Maybe she should just tell Manu everything but that can of worms would always stay open in their midst.

The clear streams of pristine waters would muddy up because some blackmailing stalker from the past who’d physically abused her, mentally tortured had resurfaced and she felt the maggots squirming within her.

No, she’d just stab him and run away and hope for the best. Not a great plan!

Suddenly the population of energetic vegetable buyers began thinning, the incapacious little street widened into a large concrete road and the bastards car immediately accelerated and sped.

This was an unwanted twist of events because Uma’s car was parked somewhere far behind and she contemplated going back for it but her feet decided to break into a brisk pace and so pulling her jacket hoodie over her head, pushing her scarf down to cover her mouth she began running.

Uma felt fear prying its way back into her guts. At this moment she doubted her actions. Where was she going? 

What if he spotted and came for her? She was being silly because what would he do? what could he do? he’d done enough already. Uma didn’t do well to console herself and she trembled with anxiety, feeling light on her feet she ran faster than she’d intended to, and almost felt relieved on spotting a dirty grey dot in the distance disappearing behind a bend.

The kafkian starkness of the atmosphere in its suddenness after the burst of commotion was deafening in its silence through the loud throngs could still be heard but only as a babel progressively diminishing.

There were no houses or buildings except a few small sheds that didn’t look occupied. The entire area Uma judged was a green belt and perhaps one of the reasons why the illegal colonies she left behind were deemed illegal. 

The broad concrete road was slowly turning soft under her feet, eaten with grass, moss and fallen leaves. Shrubs to either side of the road had grown thicker turning into trees and a few strides later she halted at the abrupt calmness eerily merging with the greenery.

The concrete road was now a grassy trail that passed through thick forestation with two fat bald vehicle tracks that were the only suggestion of human life beyond the thickets. 

The silence was annoying in its screaming spookiness. She walked soundlessly hearing her heartbeat through her teeth. The bend behind which the car had disappeared was approaching and she crouch walked, ducking and crawling, trying to keep low branches and twigs from slapping and snagging her.

Uma kept herself concealed, easier now that evening had descended and she stayed low, hidden under the thick cover of woods, long grasses and stinging weeds. Her clothes were muddy and wet with moisture that still clung to leaves and earth. 

Uma peered through the mesh of leafy thickets to see dim lights and dismembered houses, except one which looked undecided whether it was complete but was more or less done.

The darkness fell thickly and the dank greenery seemed to obscure everything. 

The bastard was talking to someone but she didn’t know where he was and she couldn’t stand up to survey the surroundings to find her exact location and so planting her stomach to the ground she slowly crawled until suddenly her fingers groped something that felt like a car tyre and she immediately retracted because her head was sticking out of the bushes and she saw the bastard screaming in anger.

‘Pick up the bloody phone Uma’ he cried standing at his doorstep, frustratedly kicking at the door after which he bent down and yanked a small clump of withered plant from a nearby pot to retrieve his house keys from its bottom, replacing the plant back into the pot and pushing it out of Uma’s line of view. 

‘That bloody bastard’ Uma exhaled.