Escape from Prison - The Plot

If you reading this blog for the first time, I suggest you read the "Perfect Plan" story and then start with this, as this a continuation of that story.

Escape from Prison - The Plot

Exactly twenty days had passed since Tanya paid me a visit, and since then every minute was spent thinking of the Revenge. She betrayed my trust my love, and I would make her pay the price of the betrayal. I sat there on my cement platform, looking at the iron bars which had me locked up; I sat there thinking of an escape, an escape from the prison.
It was almost mid-night. The moon light through the small heavily meshed window in the wall lit up the room. My cell mate a very old man slept on the cement platform on the other side of the cell. He covered his body with a blanket and all I could see was his small wrinkled face.
He woke up suddenly and sat up looking straight at me. His brown eyes looked at me without a blink. Twenty days had passed and I had not spoken a single word with him. I was not here to make friends nor was I in any mood for rivals. He finally spoke
"I have heard your story. I know what you are feeling now. Revenge would definitely taste sweet."
I sat up straight and looked at the old man, he was easily in his early seventies, hair snow white and eyes filled with experience. I pushed my back to the wall as I asked him
"It looks like news travels faster than wind here. It looks like you know everything about me. Tell me something about you grand pop. What are you doing here at this age?"
He smiled at me and replied with a soft tone
"You want to know about me, huh? Well you are sharing your cell with a person, who escaped from prison fifty years back, ran home murdered his best friend and his younger brother, then got caught stealing a car. So your grand pop is serving multiple life sentences kid."

I was visibly surprised to hear his story. I sat silent for a few minutes with his story playing in my head.

Grand pop continued

"I know what you are thinking, and I will tell you, escape from here is possible. All we need is a perfect plan." he said as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"No more perfect plans for me. The last time I hatched a perfect plan, it landed me in the prison." I replied with a smirk.

He laughed, got up from the cement platform, and slowly walked to the small window, he tapped the mesh covering the window and spoke

"You see this window. This is your door to freedom."

I looked at the window for a minute, then looked at the old man, and spoke with arrogance

"That window? It has at least two iron mesh, and 7 iron bars running across it. How will I break them?"

Before he could speak I continued

"Even say I did break the iron bars and mesh. How will I fit through that hole? It is like one foot by one foot, it is impossible for me to fit through that hole."

He signalled me to come near the window, as I got to walk towards the window he spoke holding the iron mesh

"Getting a hack saw blade to cut through iron, you leave that part to me. You just think about fitting though this hole."

I was now standing beside him, I held the mesh looked out of the window and asked

"How am I supposed to do that?"

He patted my shoulder and spoke with a chuckle

"Do you know, what is the latest fad to have hit Bollywood?"

"No" I replied turning towards the old man.

He moved his hand to my head, patted it a couple of times and spoke

"Size zero kid."

he continued

"Spend all your time, doing push ups and abs. Cut down your three meal diet to two. I promise you, in coming months you will be in shape to pass through a hole half the size of this."

Grand pop was onto something, he had my attention. Suddenly it felt, the escape could be done. There were few other questions in my head, and I threw them at the old timer.

"Your plan sounds good grand pop, but what about the guards circling the building, how will I escape them, and the compound wall is at least ten feet high, how will I climb it?"

He rubbed his unshaven cheek and spoke with a confident tone

"You are thinking a lot, which is good. I have spent so many years in this jail, that I know exactly the guards activity. On 6th June India take on Pakistan in the World cup group stage match. All the guards patrolling will be busy watching it in the office near the entrance of the gate. The hour between ten and eleven in night, will be the time you will make a run for it"

"Don’t worry about the wall now; I have something planned for that."

I rubbed my head, and stood there trying to understand everything he had said. It looked promising, but I was impatient

"June 6th, that’s five months away, I don't know if I can wait that long" I said looking at him

He kept silent for a few minutes, he just stood there looking at me, his eyes were now bright with confidence, he finally spoke

"Have you ever seen a tiger hunt a deer? The tiger employs stealth in its movements and patience in its wait. Two most important things required for a silent kill. I suggest you develop them."

Almost two hours had passed by with us planning, there was hope now. Hope of tasting the sweet flavour of revenge. There was still one question in my mind, and I had to get that out of my system

"Old man, why are you helping me? What's your motive behind this plan?"

He smiled and spoke

"When you are out. I want you to take care of some of my unfinished business; I want you to do me a favour."

He then explained to me the favour, he wanted. I was surprised by the favour he asked me, but I agreed take care of things for him. There clearly an emotional bond now between the old guy and me, he was now near his bed getting ready to sleep. I turned at him and spoke with a soft tone filled with fear

"Grand pop, after I escape the police will kill you for aiding me."

He laughed, pulled his blanket over him and replied

"The police won't know you are gone till several days, and don't worry, this old guy has one more trick up his sleeve. Sleep now kid, we have done a lot of talking for one night."

My head was still trying to digest all the information, there were already videos of me jumping from the first floor window of the cell playing in my head. I put my body down on the cement platform and closed my eyes. The plot was now ready.

Perfect Plan

The plan was hatched, the moves were made. I sat there on the couch, mentally preparing myself for the one last move. Check mate my friend were the thoughts running in my head. It was the perfect plan, no loops, no witness, one cold blooded murder and one happy couple. Exactly a year back, he had snatched the company away from me; I was reduced to a dummy Director of the company. The humiliation was still afresh in my mind, the memory of the day my dream was murdered was still alive in my head. Time had now come for him to say good-bye; time had come for him to die.

Earlier today, his loving wife had left for Chennai with an actor posing as me, we were going to Chennai to offer prayer at a Shiva temple, and everyone knew about the trip, everyone knew both of us were in Chennai for the trip which we took every six months. We had the perfect alibi. The air ticket bore my name; the seat next to mine was taken by her, his lady, his loving wife Tanya, who wanted the exact same thing that I wanted. Both of us were thirsty for his blood. We had the same dream, a house without him, a company without him, and a life without Arjun.

Sneaking into the house was done; all that was left was one silent kill. The plan was simple, one bullet straight to his head, then one messy house with the look of robbery. Keep the police busy looking for robbers, while we fulfilled our remaining dreams.

As I walked up the stairs, my mind was clear, there was no confusion or second thoughts, and my finger was ready to press the trigger. I had killed him a lot of times in my head, different method I used each time. Each method more brutal than the previous one and each method more satisfying than the previous one.

I slowly pushed open the door, and made my way to into the room. I stood by his bed for a few minutes looking at him. A stream of memories ran through my head, memories of Arjun and me playing together, memories of the college days, memories of starting the company together. They were all good, but they were quickly washed away by the flood of memories, which followed them. Memories of him taking the spot light for my work, memories of him sidelining me in my own company, memories of him mocking my ideas, memories of him then taking credit for the same ideas, those were all a painful bunch. I was a weak guy with no guts to stand up, but not anymore. Time had come to take charge of things; time had come to press the trigger.

I had one last thing to tell him.

Take care my Friend.

His pillow was now wet from the blood, that dropped from the wound on his head. I had an hour’s time to trash the house, and make it look like a robbery. A car was waiting near my house which I would drive to Chennai, and reach there with the first light of morning.

As I walked to the cupboard, I heard a vehicle pull up. I moved to the window to check who it was?

I pulled the curtain and I stood there, shocked to see a police jeep. My mind went blank for a second, how could it be? Who informed the police?

There was no time for questions, I ran downstairs with thoughts of escaping from the back door. Before I could reach the back door, shots were fired and I surrendered.

I sat there on the cement platform, which acted as my cot in the cell. There was no hope, it was an open and shut case.There was no regret in my mind, but there questions, who informed the police? How did the perfect plan fail?

I was about to lie down on the cement platform when the constable came near the cell and called out

“You have a visitor”

The plastic chair on which I was made to sit, felt like luxury compared to the cement platform. The waiting room or the visitor’s room housed six constables. One of them had the keys to the hand cuffs that were on me, if only he gave them to me I thought.

The door opened and in came Tanya. I knew she would come to visit me, our feelings for each other was more than love. We knew we were made for each other the minute we had met a year back.

She walked towards me, she didn’t look that well, may be because of the shock that our perfect plan didn’t quite work out the way we planned. She took the chair right opposite to me, gently touched my fingers and spoke with a smile

“I came here to thank you, thank you for executing the plan the way I wanted it”

I was a little confused and replied

“I don’t quite understand”

She spoke with a soft laughter

“You don’t still get it? Well guess what, I changed the end of the plan a little bit, I never booked the ticket in your name, I booked it in my brother’s name, and that actor was my brother. While you were busy practising with the gun, I was busy telling people that, I was taking this trip with my brother, as you had to take care of some important work, that came up.”

“I just forgot to tell you” she continued.

My world came crashing down; she was the last one I expected to betray me. She broke my trust and kicked my love.

I pushed away her hand and spoke with anger

“You were the one who betrayed me. How could you?” I asked

“Calm down Ishan, lets not get emotional. You wanted him dead more than me. I just loved his money more than you” she replied with a soft voice.

I could not control myself from shouting out with rage

“I swear to God I will kill you”

Before I could jump across the table, the constables had me pinned down on the ground.

She got up from the chair and stood a few steps away from me. A constable stood by her requesting her to leave the room.

She bent down a little towards me and said

“I just have one last thing to say before I leave”

Take care my Friend.