Dreams

Blast

I hurry down the steps of school, worried that I would miss the school bus. Unfortunately, I see the bus going out the gates by the time I make it to the parking lot.

It's strange to see that I am not the only kid who's missed the bus. Not once have I seen such a huge crowd of students stuck in school.

Suddenly, as if a switch flips in everyone's mind, each person starts running towards the gate, but they are closed shut and no matter how much we try, they won't budge.

To make matters worse, we hear gun shots. More panic is created. I run towards the school building, desparate to find a hiding place but before I can enter I am magically transported to outside the gate on the other side of the building.

Giving a little sigh of relief at the sight of deserted streets, I start sprinting down the end of the road and reach the local market.

Fates are really three cruel sisters at times because I find myself in the middle of the war zone. Now it's not just a bunch of school kids who are trying to avoid being shot, there are a whole lot of mature, grown ups who are searching for a safe place.

Gun shots ring again and a queue of people rushes inside a building that's seemingly safer than the bazaar roads.

I follow the crowd and end up straight in the rabbits hole, for the building is the head quarter of the miscreants.

I am forced inside a room with a bunch of other girls. A man, whose face is unidentifiable from my place at the back, starts shouting instructions at us and the only thing I hear is that we are not supposed to move.

A few more men enter with guns and start the killing spree. I am again magically transported to a mall where I see my parents.

We run together to find an exit. Yet again there is a sea of people in the mall who are all trying to find a way to leave!

We come across a few people who are escaping through the vents. I try to climb up too but my sweaty hands make the task impossible.

My father takes my place but before he can climb up, a masked man with a gun spots us and asks us to follow him.

Thanks to the crowds, we lose him and start running again only to realise that my mother is no longer running with us.

When I turn back, my heart comes in my mouth because there she is at the gun point of the masked man, with people swarming around like bees.

I run towards her, afraid I won't make it in time, each step making my heart beat at a 1000 beats per second.

God takes mercy on me because before the man can harm her, another crowd of people comes running, distracting him and giving me an opportunity to take hold of my mother's hand and together the three of us find ourselves in the car.

Once again the roads are empty as if no has ever lived in this city. The street lights are turned off and the way is so dark that my father drives purely on instincts.

Using as little of the car lights as possible, to avoid trouble, we reach an area where people are roaming around like everything is fine.

But how could we have been that fortunate? The minute we decide to step out, there is an announcement that it's time for curfew and everyone is supposed to go back home unless they want to get shot.

Where would we go now? The terrorists start lighting up the cars a few blocks away from us while we sit there in the car, holding each others hands, saying I love yous to each other and preparing ourselves for our last breaths.

A few of them come and start banging on the car windows. Tears fall out of my eyes. Is this it?

Heart beating, body shaking with fear, eyes moist from the panic, I wake up in the middle of the night. A feeling of relief washes over me as I say a small prayer thanking God that it was just a dream. Eventually, I find solace in sleep again.