Lilith

3. The Road's End

T H R E E

THE ROAD'S END
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Everybody inside the bus was appalled by the misty darkness of the now-abandoned highway. But Rewa had a very different attitude towards it. Maybe when someone's entire life gets surrounded by gloom, they develop a different behavior towards it. She wasn't terrified of it. She was tired and just wanted to be assured they would reach their preferred destination at the right moment.

"We wholeheartedly apologize for our service but as the time has gone past eight o'clock, we believe that following the route to Dawki would be highly unsafe, not only for us but for all of you." Rewa heard a disembodied voice coming from somewhere in the front. She guessed that it was either the conductor or the driver.

"So what do you want us to do? Sleep the night away in these unsafe roads?" Someone taut, clearly not pleased with the current situation.

"There are many cheap lodges and inns nearby. We will gladly return half of your money and you can use that for the night stay." The familiar voice responded to the query.

"But how are we supposed to find a lodge here in the complete darkness? Most of us don't even know this place." She heard Riyan asking.

"We can drop everyone in front of a lodge if you want." The presumed conductor by Rewa answered.

Various voices of agreement and disagreement echoed through the bus. None of the voices were clear. The sudden outburst of chatter around the bus made Rewa uneasy. She was already tired from the journey of the whole day. And presently being near such a source of noise pollution did nothing good for her.

She shut her eyes, concentrating on everything apart from the oncoming voices. She waited for a moment and then for two, for the commotion to die and when it happened, she heard her brother's voice once again, instructing her that they had to get going.

She stood up, her legs being wobbly from sitting straight at a place for such a long time. She clutched the seat in front of her, giving her feet the much-needed support, and then slipped her hand into Riyan's. He made a path for them, she following him close behind.

"Everything is black and I can't see a thing without this flashlight on my phone." Riyan began speaking, describing the things once again. "We are near the steps so be careful Rewa." He instructed her the path down and she listened to him carefully, following his every order. After a minute, Riyan declared that they were standing on the roads of Jowai.

Nothing felt different to her. It was all the same except for the climate. The cool breeze flowing down the path made her shiver and she hugged herself with her free hand. Footsteps echoed behind her as more of the passengers kept climbing down. Riyan brought her a few steps away from the place they were standing and then mumbled. "I will be back in a moment after taking our luggage. Don't go anywhere."

She nodded her head and Riyan took off towards the crowd gathered, collecting their remaining fare and grabbing their luggage. Now when she was standing alone, she felt an eerie feeling creeping inside her. Maybe it was merely an intuition but she didn't like Riyan leaving her side for a second. As she tried to calm herself down, she felt a heavy push on her shoulder, probably from someone passing by her side and she stumbled a step back, trying to regain her balance and hit somebody else on her way.