LAST WISH
Sahil Scarmbled down the stairs as he grabbed the coat hanging at the wall. Shit..Shit… Sahil cursed at the air, realising he was going to be late. Again. He stormed down the stairs. putting on his brown coat and juggling the keys back into his pocket. He was Thinking of all the possible excuses he could make. Sorry, sir I am late because my alarm clock died ? or sorry, sir I got stuck in traffic because of an accident ? The phone had started to buzz, as soon as sahil reached the ground floor. He hesitated for a second. and then swiped at the green button. He didn’t even bother glancing at the screen. He knew it was his boss.
“hello?” sahil meekly asked
“Sahil ! WHERE ARE YOU” yep its boss.
“ If You don’t get your ass here in 20 minutes. You are fired. You got that ?”
“Yes.. yes.. I am so sorry. I will be there at 10 minutes at most. I promise”
“This is the 10th time, I have overlooked your tardiness. This is your last chance”
Sahil started to cross to the other side of the road, where his bike was parked.
“Yes sir, I know it. I am so sor...”
A bright light blinded his sight. It was too late by the time sahil turned around and heard the truck's honking. oh fuck no. His life flashed before his eyes, His mom's raven black hair tied into a ponytail as he watched her cook, His dad warm hands holding his shoulders. As he taught him how to ride the cycle. His first kiss behind the school and how rita blushed when there lips touched. His first break up, the way rita glared at him with hate. fuck you shahil. You cheating ass scum. How he regrets not apologizing to her. The vehicle slammed into him, pushing him 5 feet into the air and then he fell on the ground with a thud. Blood oozed down the pavement. His whole body aching in severe pain. His vision turning blurry, as Tears rolled down his eyes. With every second that passed by it was getting harder for him to open his eyes.
Was he going to die ? Nope. That couldn’t be happening. He had so much more to accomplish. He had so much to prove to his parents. He was only 20 for fuck's sake. It wasn’t fair. He did not deserve to die, Not like this at least. The phone in his jeans was buzzing again. He tried to reach for his pocket but his hands wouldn’t move. They were crushed beyond recognition. His brown coat was now drenched in blood. Blood seeping down his white shirt and into his blue jean. He tried to screme for help but nothing would come out of his mouth, except gurgled sounds of pleas. please help me anyone. He heard the clicks and flashes of the phones around him. Passer-by’s Who were close to him yet so far away. Careful not to stamp the blood on the pavement. Dam you bastards. I ain't dead yet. His vision steadily went dark. He was losing too much blood.
“did anyone call the ambulance” he heard someone mumble from the crowd.
“I did” he heard a women’s voice “but does anyone knows how to perform first aid? He is bleeding. Too much”
“I don’t think that would be required. It Looks like he is already dead”
Those were last words sahil heard. As darkness wrapped around him.
………
“hey brat ! get up” Said a harsh male voice.
“Stop playing dead. No one is going to fall for your ruise, We know you are conscious” sahil, felt someone kick at his stomach.
“I think his mind is not fully back yet ” He heard a much softer female voice reply.
Mind is not fully back yet? Wtf. What is going on ? sahil was confused. Didn’t he just get into an accident? He dazedly opened his eyes and gazed around. He found two people standing either side of his bed. A man and a women. Fuck. Who were these people? What’s going on? He was in his bedroom. There was No mistake. It was his bedroom. The grey walls and White windows, the wooden desk and his incomplete novel lying on it. The neatly folded nylon blankets lying next to his unwashed laundry, near the desk. His brown coat hanging from the wall
A surge of will made sahil sit straight—or at least he attempted to until he tumbled backwards realising his hands were tied together.
The man standing next to him burst out in fits of laughter. “kaveri did you see that?...” the man wheezed for air as he continued to laugh “This monkey… This monkey can’t even sit straight” the man held on to the bed post for support. Apparently finding the situation funny.
Sahil glared at him. “Well if you wouldn’t have tied my hands, this wouldn’t have happen in the first place.. And who are you calling monkey? Have you looked at your own face?” the man was dressed in white robes like pant which was a stark contrast to his bronze skin. The man had ceased to laugh. His black eyes were now judgingly looking at sahil.
“shush neel. Cut him some slack. He has just regained his mind.” Said the women, standing at the opposite side of the neel. Kaveri. sahil remembered that’s what neel had addressed her She had curly dark hair that reached till her waist. He eyes were the perfect shape of walnuts and her colour was same shade of bronze as the black headed idiot standing near him. Her white lehenga and his white dhoti were eye catching. What an odd choice of clothes for burglary. Are these Fanatics from a cult or something ?
What is going on? Wasn’t I involved in an accident? I was bleeding all over the road?! Sahil aggressively patted down his body looking for any sign of injury and found non. He was no longer in pain either. why was he tied up in his own bedroom ? Did these guys drugged him? That cause him to have such a vivid dream about an accident? His breath started to pick up. What was he going to do ? How much time had passed?
Kaveri and the handsom black headed idiot were still bickering.
“neel, you don’t have to be so Harsh. We can just complete our work and leave.”
“umm..” sahil interrupted
“WHAT” kaveri and neel snapped at him in unison
“ugh.. Look” sahil puffed his chest and tried to look intimating “You both are free to take what you want and leave. And I will not call the cops on you” please please LEAVE. “You see, I share my home with another friend and he will be back at any moment” imaginary friend. Well they wouldn’t need to know that.
The girl kaveri gasped and turned to neel. “SEE!” she shirked at him. Who was still leaning against the wall. Un-bothered by whatever crap Sahil spewed. “Did you hear that?! That’s why, I asked you to wait. Why can’t you ever listen to me ?!”
kaveri seemed horrified. And that worked for sahil, as long as one of them bought his bluff. They would soon leave him and he would call cops on them. All he hoped was, they wouldn’t drug him again or hurt him. He had to be careful or else he would get himself killed.
“YES you heard me. Just take what you want and leave before my friend gets here. I will pretend like non of this happened”
“oh god. Oh god” kaveri started to panic. “Neel, you created this mess” she snapped at him. “You are going to clean it up. We don’t have time”
Sahil started to panic, ‘clean it up' ? were they going to kill him ? did he push them too far? He turned to neel who was looking right at him. Sahil wanted to squirm under those intense gaze, but continued to look right back him. He had to look confident.
Neel who hadn’t spoken a word, sighed and rubbed his face.
“listen kid, Do you have any idea what situation you are in? huh ?” neel asked patronizing.
“yes I do. You don’t need to threaten me or drug me. You can take what you want. Just leave before my friend gets here” Sahil was irritated. They had drugged him, tied him up and now were denying about it. He just wanted to be left alone.
“threaten you ? drug you? Are you serious?” neel sounded exasperated. Sahil was about to reply, when neel cut him off.
“kid listen to me carefully what was your last memory?”
last memory? Sahil thought.
“You drugging me and having that fucked up dream of getting hit by a truck”
“drugging you ?!” neel sighed. “do you remember us personally drugging you ?” neel asked.
“nope- but..”
“SAHIL” neel walked up to him and looked him into the eye.
“what?”
“sahil, I need you to know that what you saw, remembered or even felt wasn’t a dream. It was real. You are dead” neel said it slowly as if breaking it down to a child.
“what nope. Sahil burst out laughing. Look if this is one of your fucked up cult plan. Ain’t working on me”
neel groaned and clapped twice. The restraint around Sahil’s hand disappeared.
“what the…” sahil couldn’t believe his eyes. Kaveri who had just stood there with a grief stricken expression walked up to him.
“sahil” she said gently. “we are sorry for everything. We are sorry for tying you up. It was just a precaution in case you were a stained soul. We just didn’t wanted you to go haywire”
“look” neel intervened. “I am sorry, kaveri was right. If I hadn’t hastily woken up your soul. Maybe you would have enough time to remember your journey to after world” “journey to after world!?” sahil burst out laughing. “so my bedroom is now the after world?” sahil couldn’t believe this cult maniacs. He was sure he was in his room. It was exactly as he left it.
“sahil” neel snapped. “we are not inside your room”
“THEN WHERE ARE WE?” sahil yelled. He had enough of this bullshit.
“we are inside your mind. We are inside your thoughts” kaveri blurred out.
“What?..NO that cannot be happening. This is my room…Sahil trailed off. Now that he was thinking about it. Why was his brown coat hanging on the wall? He was wearing it when he left for work.
“oh god.No.No” He felt like, he was hit by the truck all over again. This Couldn’t be happening to him. He had so much to accomplish, So much to prove and mom. What about his mom. Who would look after her? Tears rolled down his eyes.
“please can’t you do something about this ? my mom only has me. I cannot leave her alone” He couldn’t believe it. His mom has Alzheimer’s. Her memory was progressively detoriating. Dad had long ago left her for some other women. He was the only one, his mother had.
He had so many loose ends to tie and things to make sure. He really hoped his dad did not conned his mother out of the property she should get. Sahil's blood started to boil at the very thought of this.
“PLEASE” sahil begged again. Tears of anguish and pain brimmed in his eyes.
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