Chapter 2

The blood continued to pour from Vinod's body – his nose, ears, mouth, eyes, and other orifices. His body wouldn't stop shaking, like a vessel possessed.

Outside the door, his mother stood. "Vinod, have you gone to sleep already? You haven't eaten anything. Did someone say something to you? Did your father or I unknowingly upset you? Tell me, son."

Poor mother, she had no idea the terrifying situation her son was in.

Vinod wanted to move, but he couldn't. He tried to scream, to call out to his mother, but he was utterly helpless. The sound he tried to utter wouldn't escape his mouth.

In his dream, Vinod was moving closer and closer to the tree's eye. He was in a trance, completely under its control. On the bed, Vinod lay helpless. He wanted to call for help, but his body wouldn't obey. He could feel his life slowly ebbing away.

His very soul was leaving him.

Vinod's inner voice: Mom... Dad... Ramana... Shanmuk... Pooja... They are my world. Without them... Is this where everything ends...?

Silence...

Silence everywhere.

After a stretch of silence, Vinod opened his eyes.

Vinod's inner voice: Is this beyond life? Or life after death?

Bright whiteness surrounded him. He wondered if he had arrived in heaven, everything glowing. He still couldn't fully comprehend what was happening.

But then, he saw his parents and his home in front of him, and he was shocked. He had thought he was dead. He couldn't understand how he was alive. In his confusion, he hadn't noticed things properly. Now, looking carefully, he observed his parents appeared older, their hair streaked with white.

Vinod: What happened to you both? Why do you look so old, with white hair? Did you forget to dye it? Tell me! Tell me!

He asked, taking his mother's hand. But then he saw his own hand. A needle was in it. A breathing tube was in his nose. Seeing these, Vinod was terrified.

In his fear:

Vinod: What is this? What happened to me? Why are these things on me? Nothing happened to me; I'm fine. I just had a small nightmare, that's all.

He tried to get up from the chair, grasping its handles. But then he realized he was sitting in a wheelchair. His fear intensified.

Vinod: I'm scared. Please tell me what happened to me.

He looked at his reflection in a spoon on the table. The tension and fear of seeing himself grew.

Vinod: Where's a mirror? I need to see myself now.

His mother quickly went and brought a mirror. He looked at himself in the mirror. He couldn't believe his reflection. His hair was shaved, his head bald. The breathing tube was in his nose. His face was covered in wrinkles. Not the wrinkles of old age, but those that come from severe neglect. He couldn't recognize himself. He looked like a patient. What had happened? How could so much change in just one night?

Vinod: Mom, what really happened to me? Why am I sitting here like a patient?

Both his mother and father sat there, their faces filled with sorrow, saying nothing.

Vinod: Mom, please tell me what happened. Dad, you tell me. I can handle it. Please tell me.

Vinod's father's eyes welled with tears. He looked straight into Vinod's eyes and said:

Vinod's Father: You have cancer. You are going to die soon.

Vinod gasped, breathing heavily. His heart pounded fiercely. An unbearable pain, a heavy weight, settled in his chest.

Vinod: How... how did this happen? I was fine just a moment ago.

Next to him, Vinod's mother couldn't control her tears. She tried to cover her mouth and stifle her sobs, but she couldn't. She was breaking down.

Vinod's Father: You've had cancer for a while. Inside...

Vinod: No, nothing's wrong with me. I'm fine. I'm healthy. Only my dreams are a problem.

Vinod's Father: You only have two days left. I... I don't know what to do. There's nothing I can do.

Vinod: No, no, no... Nooo!

His heart pounded. His heart pounded. Vinod couldn't bear the pain. He was breaking down. He couldn't handle it. He collapsed internally. He couldn't stand the pain.

Vinod: I wanna live! I wanna live! I don't want to stay here. I wanna leave! I wanna live! Take me back to the dream!

Suddenly, the screen went black.

Roots grew.

.......

Voices were audible. They weren't clear, just blurry voices.

Vinod heard the voices, but his eyes remained closed. He kept them shut. Slowly, the voices became clearer. He tried to understand them, very gently. The voice felt like a command to Vinod. He opened his eyes. This time, too, everything was bright. But this time, the brightness didn't come from sunlight, but from fires. Fires surrounded him. There were many dead bodies. He was hiding behind a tree trunk. From the opposite side, shots were being fired at Vinod. They were on a battlefield. Vinod, Ramana, and the others were all naxalites, dressed in naxalite clothes. The army outnumbered Vinod's group significantly. Naxalites, even if they fight for peace, often die at the hands of the army for various reasons. Now, death was upon them too.

Ramana was next to him. He was commanding Vinod.

Ramana: Many of our people are dead. They outnumber us. We have to leave before we also die. Otherwise, we'll all perish. Get up and run immediately!

Vinod didn't even have time to fully understand what was happening. He had no choice but to do as Ramana said, immediately.

As Vinod fell back from his position, his mind raced: Where am I? Why am I here? I don't even know.

What's real? Was what happened before real, or is this real now? Which one is the dream? Which one is reality?

I thought my life would change completely when the visa letter came. But now, I don't even have a life. I can't tell what's real... Was the visa also a dream? For the first time in my life, I wanted to live, but now I'm struggling just to live a normal life.

But I can't stop running. I don't want to die here like this. I have to escape immediately...

Just as he thought this, he saw Shanmuk. By a tree, in a pool of blood. Motionless. Like a lifeless corpse. It seemed to take a moment for my brain to process that Shanmuk was dead, because my legs wouldn't move. He stopped. If he didn't stop to grieve, how would his friend be shown respect?

Ramana tried to cover Vinod. He fought the army as fiercely as possible, using all his skills. A bullet hit his left shoulder, but despite the immense pain, he didn't stop firing at the army. With only his right hand, he protected himself and Vinod from so many soldiers. The army showed no signs of backing down. So Ramana had to escape. He fled as fast as he could.

Ramana looked at Vinod, who was holding Shanmuk's dead body, sobbing uncontrollably. No one could stop themselves from crying when they saw a close friend die. So Ramana also stopped, seeing him. He had never seen such a sight: his best friend dead, and Vinod crying so terribly.

Vinod had never cried for anything before, but now, seeing Vinod like this, Ramana didn't know what to do. Recognizing that their own lives were more important than their fallen friend, he forcibly pulled Vinod up and dragged him away. Despite his own tears and regret, Ramana swallowed everything and kept moving.

Vinod still hadn't stopped crying. Ramana quickly found shelter and hid.

Vinod: Shanmuk! Our Shanmuk! He's gone. We can't see him or talk to him anymore. What's the point of escaping now? We'll just die like him. No one will survive. They'll kill everyone.

Smack!

Ramana: If those with us die, should we die too? Death isn't the only way for everything. Show them what happened by living. Shanmuk died like this. If you die with him, will you destroy all the memories you have of him? If you give up so easily, why did you even come here? Look! Our Shanmuk won't come back. Accept this. Let's preserve his memories.

With that renewed courage and motivation, both decided to escape. Vinod held onto Ramana. Ramana's body was a bit weak from his injured hand. After they had gone some distance,

The army threw a bomb near their feet.

Boom...! Blast! Smoke everywhere...

What could have happened? Let's see what happens next...