The shack was not different from the others that surrounded it. But today, its sole inhabitant was unlucky. The neighbors had grim faces as they stood surrounding the bed on which he lay, visibly healthy except for the fact that he was dying. His desperate breaths and violent thrashing broke the silence of the dusk. His body was in rots, as if it had started decaying even before his death, his muffled screams gave the effect that he was being choked and tortured by some unseen force….the neighbors were helpless… so were we.
I suddenly recalled how our walk to this place seemed so long ago now. Only a few moments ago we were walking across a park we had visited so many times, with so many friends. But unlike then, there had been a brimming tension and nervousness today. We knew that a short distance away, our worst fears might have already come true. I remember how he had glanced at me, perhaps hoping to see a flicker of fear on my face. I was scared… but in no mood to let him know about it. We had turned a bend, and came to the place where we stood now.
“Do you think it’s the Dovoc that did this?”
His voice startled me...as I woke up from my reverie. Dovoc was a code name, because we didn’t really knew what it was called. Fearsome, powerful and deadly, that was all anyone knew of it.
“Yeah, maybe…..”, I managed.
One of the neighbors suddenly turned and glared at us. Another. Then another. No sooner, we were being glared at by all the people present there. We didn’t need to read their eyes to know what their stares said: why don’t you just leave us alone?
We slipped away, and almost instantly broke into a run, back the way we had come. As we ran across the park, I had a strange feeling. I jerked my head back to confirm it, and what I saw was enough to paralyze me if it were not for adrenaline. Some fifty feet in the air, in its projectile like path was the thing we both dreaded the most. It could not have been Dovoc because it could’ve easily fit into my palm, but I knew it was a part of it.
“Its here, run faster!” I called out to him, and I needn’t see his face to know the horror that had just swept past him. He was nearer to the gate, and if I waited for him to get out first, then he would be the only survivor. So made a frantic decision: to jump over the 4 ft tall park wall. I knew the trees that lined the wall were going to be a problem….. but I had made my decision. I jumped without breaking my run, hoping that my speed would carry me across. And it became the longest jump of my life, both in terms of distance, and air-borne time. It never seemed to end, as I hurtled through the branches over the wall, seemingly weightless, or perhaps like gravity had lost its meaning. Bur I realized my mistake. In jumping so high, I had unwillingly neared myself to it. I could almost hear it rushing through the leaves right behind me, its path perfectly aimed at me. In my descent across the road, I made another frantic decision and twisted myself mid-air to avoid the slightest contact with that object, which would have been enough to put an end to me. I succeeded, but at the cost of my balance. It went brushing slightly against my sleeve and landed on the ground at the spot where I’d have landed, but could not because I had lost my balance completely. I landed roughly on the ground and once again avoided contact with it. I got up fast without even daring to look at it lest it should cost me my vision, though out of the corner of my eye, I could see its acid green surface, dreadfully peaceful.
The next few moments were a blur as I scrambled up to my feet, ignoring my bruises. He joined up and we again started running down the lane…. I don’t think he knew where he was going… but neither did I. He suddenly turned right to another small road and took off without looking back… perhaps he thought I was following.
“That’s the wrong way you’re going, you must not go there!” I called to him. He seemed not to have heard and kept running. I half wanted to follow him, but I knew that path was a wrong choice. Feeling helpless, I carried on my way….hoping that none of us would later have to regret our different choices. I kept running….kept running….for what seemed like ages…
The next thing I knew, I was on a bicycle. I had obtained it from….I don’t know where… I was riding it, pedaling faster. I wanted to say goodbye to everyone I knew before I left this place forever. I had no idea where my family was… I just hoped they were safe… this really had got to be the end of the world…
I saw a house. Somehow, crossing its lawn seemed to be the only way to get to the other side. So I did. But unluckily, its inhabitants were moving around, and certainly no one would miss a bicycle passing through their neatly kept ground. I was told to stop. I knew I was to be punished now…police, probably. But only if I could make any good excuse…and stay here for some time… I’d be safer… I realized soon that I needn’t make any excuse. The house belonged to one of my relatives. They were glad to see me (alive, I realized soon). They had tears in their eyes when they told me how people were missing every day and every hour. Many others of my relatives had gathered there… and many more were absent. No news of my parents either… they were not picking up the phone..
I needed to do something… It’s all because of me, I knew. The more I remained in hiding.. more the wrath would be… I had to give up… I had to surrender… I cannot afford to lose all of them..
“I am going out” I told them.
“No you’re not! We are not letting you go anywhere” their voices were weak. It seemed they no longer had the courage to utter words. I knew they didn’t want to lose me… but that would put an end to all of us.
“Your uncle has gone to find out about your parents” I was told. Although I had a lot of uncles, I suddenly didn’t care to ask who. I just wanted him and my family back. The television was switched on; the news channels were all buzzing with latest updates. ‘More people missing’ seemed to be the chorus. Photos of dead ones were telecasted with the message that the relatives should come and claim their bodies. But the irony was: there was hardly any ‘body’ left after the nauseating decay that started even before the victim’s death. Then suddenly… a group photo… one that I had looked at so many times before….”…inhabitants of the house were all found dead this morning…”
An echoed gasp across the room… and the TV was switched off. Nobody had the courage to listen or see any more. The news had just confirmed the loss of more of our relatives. Many of them were sobbing silently… many sat there shocked… still no news of my parents..
Then the door opened, a man stepped inside and closed it quickly, as if the wind outside was contagious. It was my uncle. He turned to look at all of us. His face, that always reminded me of a great strength, now was soft and glistening with fresh tears. He said nothing… just shook his head as another tear broke from his eye. And with that shaking of his head… shook my world. My parents…my family….no more… no… it couldn’t be…
I was wishing that this really was the end of the world…. Let it be over….. please let it all be over….
I realized I was not crying… in fact, I was angry. I wanted to rip apart Dovoc… cause it as much pain as I could… so I ran, ignoring the screams and shouts of my relatives calling me back…. saying they couldn’t afford to lose another… But I was not coming back… yes… this was the end….this had got to be.
The energy of an exasperated soul dies away quietly. Fading into oblivion, leaving the soul wondering where it came from at the first place…the silence that follows is ear-splitting…
I soon came to halt. Alone. In the middle of nowhere. Silence.
What about my friend who took the other way? Did he survive? Did he suffer what I did?
I found myself in the grounds of a place that was very well known. I was no longer alone now. I could see my friends at some distance. I ran. They all seemed to be quite happy and unaware of what was going on outside. They even welcomed me as usual….did they know what I had gone through? No, and I won’t tell them now….I don’t want them to sympathize with me. They’d learn the truth when time comes….it cannot hide forever….it was on the news…
They planned to play hide-and-seek, same thing that I was playing with death. I had no armor whatsoever; I had no power to put an end to Dovoc. All I could do is wait…wait for some miracle to happen. I didn’t hide…. I chose to see them playing instead. Their game didn’t last long. Soon it was decided to play cricket. For that they’d need bat and ball, which many of them went promptly to collect, while a few stayed back with me.
Was this the time? Should I tell them my pain?
I decided against.
I sat there on the bench, while they chatted on. Those people would be back soon, with a bat and a ball….back from….
“No!” I shouted.
Their heads turned towards me almost in unison.
“Call them back! They’re gonna be dead!”
“They who?”
“I know… they wont come back… I …”
I had no idea where to begin.
They had not the slightest idea what was happening outside.
Just then I saw another of my friend coming from the direction others had gone. He got to me and said,
“Hey, Ajay! What’s up man?”
“did you… did you see them?” I said.
“see who? What are you talking about? You look scared…. What’s the matter?”
“did you see the others? They went the way you were coming now!”
“No, I didn’t see anybody….”
I turned to look at others. They seemed shocked and surprised. They had no idea what would’ve happened to the others…..
Someone was laughing in the background. I closed my eyes.
‘Stop laughing!’, I thought to myself.
He laughed again.
‘How can you laugh now?? People are dying! How can you laugh?’, I thought again.
People were talking now.
‘Stop talking! Will you just let me think?’, I thought angrily.
They did not seem to be in a mood to stop their conversation.
‘Will you just let me concentrate? I just lost my parents’, I thought furiously now.
A second’s silence, and talking again.
‘Who is this?’, I thought and turned around to see who it was.
My mom and dad stood there. The television was switched on. The rays of the morning sun were filtering through the window, and I lay in my cozy and blanketed bed, sweating profusely. I craned my neck to see them properly. Yes! I blinked my eyes. Yes! Yes! I shook my head, half expecting to wake up from a dream…. But how could I? I had just done so…
