The Defiance of Laboni
Fear no longer resided in Laboni's voice; instead, it was replaced by the unwavering grit of a warrior prepared for death. She stood firm, her back pressed against the wall. Looking Henry directly in the eye, she spoke through gritted teeth:
"I will not go! I said I won't go! What will you do? Kill me? Then kill me! What more power do you have than that?"
She took a step toward Henry, her eyes ablaze with fury. She screamed, "You have tortured my body, you have stripped away my dignity—what else is left? You couldn't touch my soul! This Laboni will not budge. If you have the strength, drag me away, but I will not step a single foot into your hell of my own free will!"
Henry was momentarily stunned. He had expected Laboni to be completely broken, ready to obey his every command. But seeing this fierce, vengeful form, his rage reached its peak. The veins on his forehead pulsed with anger.
In a sudden movement, Henry lunged and grabbed her by the throat. He growled in a low, menacing tone, "You've grown quite brave, haven't you? Do you think I'll just kill you? No, Laboni, killing you is too easy. I will cut off your brother's fingers one by one right before your eyes. I want to see how long you can stand there saying 'I won't go.'"
Henry shouted to his bodyguards, "Grab her! If she refuses to walk, drag her. And take her brother to the torture cell immediately!"
Laboni continued to scream, clinging to the iron bars. She knew this man was a monster. Yet, the girl inside her refused to surrender, even when facing a terrifying demon.
Chaos erupted in the corridor. As two guards began to forcibly drag Laboni away, she let out a piercing cry, looking back at her brother's cell one last time.
The Eruption of Rage
Laboni's limit of endurance was shattered. Seeing the inhuman torture inflicted upon her brother, the silent volcano within her exploded. As Henry, with sadistic joy, pulled her brother's hair to humiliate her, Laboni pounced with the agility of a leopard.
Without a second's delay, she summoned all her strength and delivered a thunderous kick to Henry's stomach. Caught off guard, Henry was thrown backward. Doubled over in pain, he released his grip on her brother.
As soon as her brother was free, Laboni rushed to shield him. She pulled his battered body into a tight embrace. Resting his head on her shoulder, she didn't sob; instead, sparks of fire seemed to fly from her eyes. She whispered into his ear, "Don't be afraid. As long as I am here, no one can touch you."
Henry lay on the floor, gasping. He never imagined a female prisoner would dare to attack a high-ranking officer. The guards stood stunned, but at Henry's signal, they raised their weapons.
Still holding her brother, Laboni turned to face Henry. Her gaze held a primal ferocity. She yelled, "Stay back! Don't you dare take another step. Remember, I am the girl who came here after destroying the pride of power and lies. To save my brother, I won't hesitate to rip out a devil's throat!"
The room was thick with tension—a pained brother and his protective sister on one side, and an officer blinded by insult and rage on the other.
The Darkest Hour
After taking the kick, the beast inside Henry woke up even more violently. Though writhing in pain, he stood up, maddened. He lunged at Laboni, showing no mercy as he grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her toward him.
Laboni's head snapped back, her face contorting in agony. Henry hissed through gritted teeth, "Such audacity! You lay a hand on me? Today, I will give you such a fate that you will beg for death!"
At that moment, Henry gave a cruel nod to his guards. They moved toward her brother. Ignoring the pain in her scalp, Laboni screamed, trying to reach him. But Henry pinned her in place.
The bodyguards carried her brother out like a lifeless weight. In a semi-conscious state, her brother could only reach out his hand and moan. Laboni struggled frantically, but she was no match for Henry's grip.
"No! Leave him! Don't take him!" Laboni's cries bounced off the stone walls and echoed back.
Seeing her brother being taken away broke something deep inside her. She was now alone with Henry, who was consumed by a thirst for revenge.
The Ultimatum
Henry's voice was now ice-cold. Holding her hair in a fist, he pulled her face inches from his. "Today, I will do something to you that will ensure you can never show your face to anyone again. This beauty, this pride—I will grind it all into the dirt today."
At Henry's signal, the heavy door was locked from the outside. The light was dim, and the silence felt like an omen. Henry began to loosen his belt, stepping toward Laboni. His goal was to permanently destroy her self-respect.
Laboni's Inner Strength
Though tears fell from the pain, a strange smile touched Laboni's lips. She looked into Henry's eyes and said calmly:
"Faces should be hidden by those who commit sins under the cover of darkness, Henry. I have nothing left to lose. But what you do today... the judgment for it will happen within these very walls."
Henry grew even more incensed. He squeezed her jaw tightly. "Still talking? I'll show you!"
He tried to shove her toward the floor. But as she fell, Laboni's eyes locked onto a piece of iron or a shard of broken glass in the corner. She knew that to survive this monster, she had to do something extreme.
The Broken Soul
Laboni's legs wouldn't stop trembling. The barbaric treatment Henry subjected her to was enough to crush a human soul. When she finally stumbled out of that room and stood before her brother's cell, she was unrecognizable.
Seeing her disheveled hair, torn clothes, and pale face, her brother broke into loud sobs. He shook the iron bars like a madman.
Laboni collapsed onto the floor. Looking at her brother, she burst into tears. The suppressed sobs finally broke free. "Rehan... he destroyed everything. My dignity, my body—everything! I can never show my face to anyone again... I am finished!"
Rehan reached through the bars, trying to touch his sister's head. "Sister, forgive me! I will rip that devil's heart out, please don't cry!"
Laboni just shook. Yet, amidst the tears, a strange emptiness took hold. The fact that her brother was alive was her only remaining anchor. Henry had scarred her body, but the fire of revenge now burning in Laboni's heart was something Henry could not imagine.
The Shadow Returns
Laboni eventually sank into a deep, tormented sleep. Suddenly, the silence was shattered by the sound of heavy boots. A female police officer stood before the cell, looking at Laboni with mechanical coldness.
She nudged Laboni with her boot. "Hey girl, get up! Enough drama. You've been summoned upstairs."
Laboni startled awake, her body still shaking. "Don't take too long," the officer said, pulling the chain on Laboni's wrists. "Sir Henry is waiting. Tonight, you're being transferred to another cell."
Laboni's heart thudded with fear. What did 'another cell' mean? The officer leaned down and whispered cruelly, "If you want to live, don't disobey Sir Henry. His temper is very bad."
As she was dragged away, Laboni looked back at her brother's cell. Inwardly, she prepared herself—either she would meet her end tonight, or she would tear through the heart of this hell to find a way out. As the guards dragged Laboni along, she continued to scream and resist. Her toes scraped against the cold floor, but the guards showed no mercy at Henry's command. She was dragged through the darkness of the corridor toward the special cell—a place where no scream could ever reach the outside world.
Henry followed behind, a demonic smile of victory playing on his lips.
Inside the Shadows
When the heavy iron door creaked open, Laboni was tossed onto the freezing floor. The room was silent and damp. The door slammed shut with a heavy thud. Henry ordered his officers to wait outside and stepped into the room alone.
He walked slowly toward Laboni and stood over her. She lay there trembling, her physical strength completely spent. Henry leaned down, grabbed her chin, and spoke in a cold, chilling voice:
"See? In the end, you had to come to me. What was the point of all that defiance? Now, there is no one left to save you."
Laboni's Eerie Silence
Laboni didn't scream anymore. Instead of tears, a fixed determination appeared in her eyes. She realized her brother's life now depended on this fight. She pushed Henry's hand away and, trembling, stood up on her own. She composed herself, clutching her torn clothes.
Henry stared at her in surprise. He had expected her to beg for mercy at his feet. Instead, she stood tall and looked him in the eye:
"You think you've won? You have only imprisoned my body, Henry. But remember, from today, I am not just your enemy—I am your reckoning."
The Turn of Fate
Just as Henry prepared to exert his barbaric power, nature began its own judgment. Suddenly, Henry's face turned blue. A wheezing sound emerged from his chest. He clawed at his throat, gasping for air, but his lungs were starved.
Henry suffered from severe asthma. The excitement and rage had pushed his breathing to a breaking point. He fumbled in his pockets for his inhaler, but they were empty. It had likely fallen out during the struggle with Laboni.
He collapsed to his knees, one hand reaching out toward Laboni. The pride was gone from his eyes, replaced by a desperate plea for life. "Medicine... on... the table... get it..." he groaned.
A Cold Smile
Laboni didn't move an inch. She leaned against the wall and watched. The girl who was cowering in pain moments ago now wore a chilling, almost demonic smile.
She walked slowly toward him and sat down. Henry was gasping like a fish out of water. Laboni looked into his eyes and said calmly:
"What happened, Mr. Henry? Having trouble breathing? Just a moment ago, you said you were the God of this prison, that your word was law. Why can't your law save you now?"
Henry tried to grab her feet, but she pulled away in disgust. "When my brother screamed in pain, didn't you laugh just like this? Where is that laugh now? You said you'd do something to me today so I couldn't show my face. Yet look at you... groveling at my feet like a dog."
Henry's eyes were rolling back. He looked toward the door for help, but he himself had ordered the guards to lock it and let no one in. He was trapped in a cage of his own making.
Laboni leaned in and whispered, "I could scream for help right now. But I won't. I want to see how a killer and a tyrant dies, inch by inch, for lack of air."
The Doctor's Instinct
Laboni's fire of revenge flickered for a moment. She wasn't just a sister; she was a doctor. No one in the prison knew this secret except her brother, but her healer's instinct wouldn't let her stay still. Seeing Henry's agony, she felt that despite being an enemy, he was currently a dying patient.
"I am not a monster like you," she muttered, gritting her teeth. She knelt before Henry and expertly tore open the top buttons of his shirt to reduce the pressure on his chest.
"Don't breathe through your nose! Slowly through your mouth! Don't panic!" she commanded.
An Unexpected Moment
Henry was at death's door. In a primal urge to survive, he reached out and clung to Laboni, burying his head on her shoulder. There was no lust in this embrace; it was the desperate cling of a dying man seeking refuge. Laboni felt disgusted but didn't push him away, knowing any struggle could trigger a heart attack.
She rushed to the door and began kicking it, screaming, "Guards! Get the inhaler! Now! Your officer is dying!"
The Realization
The guards burst in and saw Laboni holding Henry, trying to stabilize his breathing. They rushed in with the medicine. After a few puffs of the inhaler, Henry's breathing slowed. He was still clutching Laboni's hand tightly.
When Henry finally opened his eyes, he saw Laboni looking at him with a mixture of pity and hatred. The girl he had intended to destroy had just saved his life.
Henry sat up and remained silent for a long time. His arrogance had turned to ash in those few minutes. He looked at the guards and whispered, "Take her to her brother's cell. And listen... no one speaks of what happened tonight."
The New Dawn
As Laboni walked toward her brother's cell, she felt an indescribable exhaustion. But there was a strange peace in her heart. She had proven she was nothing like Henry.
When the guards opened the cell, she rushed to Rehan. He was huddled in the corner, terrified. Seeing her safe, he lunged forward and hugged her, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Sister, are you okay? Did that devil hurt you? I wanted to die, thinking of you..."
Laboni wiped his tears and whispered, "Hush, Rehan. I'm fine. Nothing happened. In fact, nature took care of the judgment today."
She didn't tell him the whole story, not wanting him to worry further. But she knew the atmosphere of the prison would change. Henry was now in her debt, and that debt might be their key to freedom.
Laboni pulled Rehan's head into her lap. In the pitch-black cell, her eyes shone with a new light. "If I can save a dying enemy," she thought, "I can surely break my innocent brother out of these walls. This war has only just begun."