Dream Trap || ONC 2021

Chapter Seventeen: Final Plan

They ate silently, buried deep in their own thoughts. Neither of them shared those, they were too personal or too twisted. It was that moment when in war the soldiers are aware of their fate and yet their role in vital, or that moment when you know that death has come for you because you are seeing your childhood memories ever so bright now. Partly aware of the pain going away, you cherish it, smile you want to but in the next instant you realize that it's not going to last. It's like the last-minute lesson you learn before you depart from this world, that nothing lasts forever, we know it, it has been said and proved over and over again yet the human mind doesn't accept it because everything is eventual. You can't teach a child the fundamental particles of nature because she/he/them haven't learned about stars or space. Everything is eventual and hence the linear balance of our mind. That's why death comes at us after we've learned our last lesson. But it's always the irony, the problem, the crux that one thing always opposes the other. Our mind is linear, but the universe is dynamic.

Jack spooned the last remaining contents out of the can and threw it over. Lisa ate till she felt full, Matt didn't touch his food and Jenny ate only mouthful. Even though their thoughts were awry they shared the same feeling, the fear. Jack thought about his worries, he was supposed to be in his home, that small apartment of his but that was way better than this, he could be on the streets of California walking with his earphones and listening to some hip-hop, he could hop in the local grocery store and buy some cup noodles and drinks. He could hit the bar at night meet a woman, have a good night with her, the next day it would start with love and he would forget about everything following next week he would be dumped by the girl but still all of that would mean far less than this because he would be home, he would safe. Jack clenched his fist and closed his eyes, he let those thought drift away, they had to go for now because if they make out of this then he could do all those things again. He secretly promised himself an expensive dinner and a movie night. That made him calm down.

Then Jack stood up and began to lay his sleeping bag close to the fire, he slipped into it and lay there waiting for others to join. Jenny looked at him, she felt a rush inside her. High school love, or high school crap, label it whatever you want but for Jenny it was true love. But things hadn't worked well between them before. But past is past, she reminded herself. The high school prom was a situation which could turn the heads of the hormonal teenagers 360 degrees without second guessing their steps. For Jenny and Jack it had been the same. Jenny shook her head and put her hairs behind her ears.

Scott Grady had asked Jenny out, but Jenny had turned him down, she planned to ask Jack. But when she saw Jack kissing Carrie Hutson in the gym locker, she had felt the heat within her. That sight from the mirror still brought regret to her and she would cry over it all the time. Through the mirror she could see Jack's lips over Carrie's, an evil side of her showed that Carrie was totally enjoying the kiss. Jack's hand went behind Carrie's back and Carrie slid closer to him, the sight was unbearable to Jenny, so she slammed her locker door hard and ran out. Jack and Carrie parted away suddenly. Jenny hoped to know if, ever, Jack and Carrie had done it. But she was jealous, so she went over to Scott, cried in his arms, and took him to the prom, Jack and Carrie came in pairs. That night, Jenny watched Jack all the time, ignoring Scott's every move to woo her. That night was painful and so were the coming two months. But she had gotten used to it. Jack and Carried dated until the last year at school got over. Then Jenny moved and Jack went too.

But now he was here, same as before only a bit older.

Matt and Lisa held hands together and then all of them went in their sleeping bags. Matt was worried about the next part but Lisa was with him and he believed in her. Lisa took Rose next her and for the last moment they looked at each other. Everyone was willing to do it, they all had to live, they all had to get out.

'With love as our bond nobody can break us.' Lisa said, they all nodded and slowly each of them closed their eyes, just like how each solider went into the field and just like how an old person welcomes death. Their final battle raged. 

Word count:- 847