It was the male police officer who knocked firmly on the door, while his female partner stood almost a meter back, her hands casually hovering near her waist. But Abel wasn't fooled; he knew her destination was the gun on her belt.
There was no immediate response from inside the house. The officer was about to knock again when the door was suddenly yanked open.
"Can I help you, officers?" the man growled.
Abel noted that the man had cracked the door open just enough to squeeze himself into the narrow space, much like he had done earlier when Abel was at the door.
From where Abel was standing, he couldn't see the man's face, but he could clearly hear the annoyed tone in his voice as he bellowed at the officer. It was apparent this guy wasn't one for calm conversations.
The policeman started to explain the situation but he was barely halfway through when the man suddenly thrust his head out of the door and scanned the compound, his murderous gaze landing squarely on Abel.
"That brat doesn't know a damn thing!" the man spat, throwing an accusing finger in Abel's direction. He then turned back to the officers, resuming his restrictive stance in the doorway. "And you have no right… you have no warrant, so get the hell off my property!" he screamed, attempting to slam the door shut.
But the officer had anticipated the move.
He instinctively placed his foot between the door and the frame, successfully barring it from closing. Both officers now had their guns drawn, trained on the door. Abel took a step back.
"This guy is nuts," he muttered, retreating to a safe position behind the police car.
He was surprised to see a few people beginning to gather from the neighboring houses the commotion had apparently attracted a lot of attention.
Just as Abel had thought, the man proved to be a stupid one. He let go of the door and suddenly, with violent force, shoved the policeman right out of the doorway.
The officer stumbled several steps back but managed to regain his footing. That aggressive act, however, gave the officers all the reason they needed to use force.
"If you take another step, I will shoot you, sir… Turn around slowly with your arms in the air," the female officer commanded, her voice cold and steady. She now had a clear shot at the man, and he, too, seemed to realize his play was over. As reckless as he was, he wasn't stupid enough to risk getting shot.
The man had barely completed his turn when the policeman grabbed him forcefully, pinning him against the wall right opposite the door
"Let me go, you son of a bitch! Why are you cuffing me?" the man muffled, his face pressed against the wall.
"Let's start with assaulting an officer," the policeman responded coldly as he finished securing the cuffs on the man.
Meanwhile, the female officer had entered the house. A few moments later, Abel heard her shout, "Clear!" from within the building.
Without waiting for more, Abel sprinted past the officer, who still had his hand protectively on the cuffed man.
Inside, Abel found Hilsa seated at an old, worn-out dining set, the female officer's hand gently resting on her shoulder as she tried to calm the river of tears streaming down her face.
Abel took one look at her and felt his heart tear up in anger. Hilsa was a mess, to say the least. Her colorful hair was now shaggy, and bruises covered her face. Just as he had seen earlier, her right hand was suspended in a shabby makeshift sling that hung around her neck.
"Hilsa!" Abel called out, rushing toward his friend.
Hilsa looked up, her tear-filled eyes meeting Abel's. She tried to speak, but the words caught in her throat. Instead, she let out a choked sob as Abel knelt beside her.
"I'm here," Abel whispered, his voice trembling with a mix of anger and sadness.
Hilsa's tears flowed even more freely, and she leaned into Abel, her body shaking with sobs. The female officer gave Abel a nod of understanding and stepped back slightly to give them space, though she remained close, clearly concerned.
Abel wrapped his arms around Hilsa, holding her as tightly as he could without hurting her further. "You're safe now, "He did not know what else to say and everything he came up with sounded dumb even to him...so he just held her in silence.
Hilsa clung to him, her sobs slowly subsiding. Abel couldn't shake the anger that burned in his chest. Seeing his friend like this, so broken and hurt, made his blood boil.
The officer, noticing that Hilsa had begun to calm down, gently placed her hand back on Hilsa's shoulder.
"Hilsa, I've called for an ambulance. They'll be here soon to take care of you. But while we wait, I need to ask you a few questions, okay?"
Hilsa detached herself from Abel and nodded weakly, wiping her tears with the back of her hand, though her sobs didn't fully subside.
Abel stood nearby, his fists clenched at his sides, feeling helpless.
The officer knelt beside her, her voice gentle as she began to ask the questions.
" is the man your father " she asked with the notebook already in her hand " Hilsa shook her head while trying to suppress more tears" My stepfather," she said in a beaten voice, the officer went on scribbling while continuing in her questioning
"and you live alone with him "
again hilsa nodded. "ye..yes...for a month now since my mom went for rehab"
Suddenly Abel felt uncomfortable, she was aware that hilsa was now sharing information that she had previously done her best to keep away from anyone.
still, the officer went on without betraying a hint of emotion
"This young man," she said indicating Abel, "tells me that you looked fine when you left school yesterday, can you tell me what happened since then? "
Hilsa who had somehow managed to calm down a little bit suddenly looked quite uncomfortable, it was as if she wanted to tell the officer but at the same time, she felt quite shy in Abels's presence.
the officer seemed to gather as much because he turned and looked at Abel as if expecting him to do something.
Abel knew what was needed of him.
he put a reassuring hand on his friend "I will be outside" he said as he left