"Hmm, so um.. do you see anyone?"

"Well.. there's noone on this side for sure, and you had closed the gate before departing, so..." saying that, Avinash glanced back at me wearing a look resembling disappointment on his face. He stood behind a tree near the end of the woods, sticking a portion of his head out. 

"WHOA WHOA WHOA~~! Now don't you try to put the blame on me... You were the one-"

"Okay okay, relax.." he whispered, switching his gaze back on the gate. 

"Uh... but you know, I don't think the guard should be there in this heavy downpour," I said, gazing at the sky. Although the rain had toned down considerably compared to its initiation, it was still packing a punch provided the fact that we were thoroughly unprepared for it. 

" 'Should'... that's hope not assurance, but okay- That will do for now,"

"Hmm.. What more do you want anyway,"

"Okay then, let's proceed.."

"Are you sure that you don't want shelter under my umbrella?" I questioned, pushing my umbrella in his direction. The realization that I had an umbrella in my backpack hit me just moments before- when I was unconsciously gazing at the canopy above us.

"Nah- I wouldn't want to ruin my 'umbrella fantasies' you see.." he answered, sarcastically waving back at me.

"O-Oh Okay, suit yourself then; someday maybe.." 

"..Says the man who carried a girl in his arms for more than half a kilometre.." 

"WHOA WHOA~"

"NO NO~ no need to console me... I am-- I am totally fine..!" he said, rubbing his eyes, putting forth an act of weeping.

"YOU- You never, HUH...! And I was just about the impression that you had finally grown up a little!" 

"Haha ha ha ha," he burst out laughing at my panicked expression, "I guess, Legends Never DIEEEE~"

"STOP- Get Some HELP!" 

"HA HA Ha... O-Okay okay, let's keep moving," he said, forcefully dispersing the smile from his face and stepping out from behind the tree, he was standing. Dragging my feet through the stagnant water at our feet, I set out after him. 

Both of us walked all the way up to the treeline at the perimeter of the woods and then took cover behind a tree. 

"Do we really need to be worried about the cctv, this time around?" I asked, wearily checking out the cam on the fence, 

"Well... taking a little precaution wouldn't exactly be harmful, you know," Avinash replied, thoughtfully.

"Okay, I'll be going ahead then-"

"Oka- Hmm..!?" Before he could react to my actions in any way, I dashed forward towards the gate, splashing water in all directions.

"GROW UP you... FOOL!" 

"HA HA HAHA..!" 

As soon as I reached the gate, I pushed it open. 

"WHAT'S THE SCENARIO OUT THERE?" yelled Avinash from behind me.

"Well..." To my relief there was noone waiting for us on the other side as I had intially presumed would happen, after we were caught by the cctv camera on our way to the factory. From what I could see, the pond which was located near the gate was overflowing from the excess rain and frogs were jumping around in all directions. The landscape in general was quite mellow compared to the aggressiveness of the woods on the other side.

"..IT'S SAFE HERE!" I answered, stepping inside the college campus after what felt like an eternity... Glancing at my watch, I realized that somehow another whole hour had passed since the time I had previously checked.

Seconds later, Avinash came running and entered through the gate, shutting it behind him. This time, he was completely drenched from the rain, and the mud on his right side had also washed away to a great extent. 

"How about joining me under my umbrella?" I questioned, a hint of taunt in my tone.

"No thanks!" he replied sternly, dashing off towards the hostel buildings. "Ha ha..." I smiled, sprinting after him. As we began sprinting towards the hostel dorms, the experience we had in the woods painted my thoughts with hues of melodies...

Everything we experienced out there in the unknown was so much different from our usual flow of life. The strings of mysteries, fear, excitement, all these colourful emotions... will it all disappear in just a matter of two months? 

"HEY," Avinash yelled from the front interjecting the threads of my sentimental imaginations, "LET'S STOP BY THAT SHED, OVER THERE, FOR A MINUTE...!" he declared, pointing at a small shed located a few metres to our right. 

"OKAY... BUT WHY?" 

"*Argggh* WELL.. I NEED TO THINK... A PLAN OF ACTION BEF..E RETURNING," he spoke, his voice breaking in multiple places, indicating that he was affected by being drenched for so long.

"Okay...!" I affirmed, speeding up and catching upto him. From what I could see, the shed was made of bricks and was covered with a tin roof. It was not a very dependable structure but it was enough to suffice our need of taking shelter. Just as we were about to enter into the shed, a thought flew past my head like a gunshot - 'What if the security guard was inside that shed and not in the hostel dorms?'

But it was too late... Avinash was already in front of the door! He pushed open the door without any second thoughts, barging into the shed. Then, 'WHOAAAAAAAAAA...!' he yelled, jumping back, crashing into the brick wall behind him, and finally, falling to the ground. 

'And... we are caught!' I thought, shielding my inner conscience for a face off with the guard. 

As I closed my umbrella and stepped inside the shed, someone sitting on my right voiced, "Warm Greetings, my friends...!" 

But... the voice was not that of a security guard; rather, it was a heavy voice-- a voice that I was really familiar with, a voice which I was exposed to even just moments before on the phone call. He was sitting on a chair, facing the door and was gazing directly at us with a majestic smile on his face,

"Of Course..!" I muttered, shutting the door behind me. 

"S-S-Sh..ushmin~ Wh-What are yo- doing here!?" Avinash exclaimed, gaping at Sushmin with his mouth wide open. 

"HA Ha haha, and you guys thought that you could give me the slip!" Sushmin proclaimed, leaning back in his chair and smirking at us.

"Wh- How, W-" Avinash was still staring at him, wearing a dumbfounded expression and struggling to figure out the scenario.

" 'How'? C'mon.... who do you think he is?" I said, sticking out my hand towards him.

"Ah... Oh-O... Shit, I-I think I get it..!"

"Ha ha haha hah..."