The Night Band

one

                Hilantipur. the city of criminals. The town honoured the title of most criminally active city of India. Often time before moving to hilantipur I wondered why people moved to such a city. A city that made headlines twice a weak and hardly for good news.

Me and my friends laughed at the people who moved to hilantipur. We pitied them oh but how much of an innocent fool I was. how clueless I was that soon I was going to one of those people packing up the last rupee to my name and move to the crime capitol.

That summer holidays, my last of childhood days were spent running between friend's house, playing, and bopping around with not a single care in world. With no idea how soon, things were going to change. How things were going to get a lot worse, force me into adulthood. How things were going to get dangerous leading to so many deaths and even though I was not its reason I was its instigator.

The summer came to end and the 15-year-old me was separated from all things she loved and moved to hilantipur. The summer of the accident. The summer that began the cycle of deaths. The summer I wish had never come.

I remember day, the cycle of my torment began. Amma, appa and I were coming home from the movie I was in the back seat angry about something earlier, amma in the driving seat and next to her appa. the woman on the radio singing her heart out. The song that was on every lovesick girls' lips including mine. I pressed my lips shut tightly forcing myself not to sing.

"don't make me sing alone" appa said turning on his side to look at me his hand finding mine in the dark and he gave a light squeeze. I yanked my hand out of his without looking at him.

His humming and singing had irritated me back then. I tuned my head looking out of window. "let her keep sulking. She won't have her way this time" amma said hands on steering wheel.

"I never have my way, never. Everything in this house has to go according to your wishes. You are the queen, me and appa your subjects here to keep you happy. I wish you would just die" I snapped throwing my phone on the seat next to me.

As if the gods were listening a deer ran in front of road amma tuned the steering wheel to left. everything had slowed down to the tenth of seconds amma moving here steering wheel to left one hand coming off moving toward appa trying to hold him back in his seat. My own head banged against appas seat. I lost complete control of my body moving as the force took me. Things flying around us. The car now off road collided with a tree and came to stop.

I must have passed out because when I woke up with a loud ringing in my ear the world around me had stopped. Everything dis-shelved. It didn't take long for my brain to realize what had happened. I looked around trying to get hold of my phone but it was no where to be found before me amma and appa lay unconcise. Amm's hand on appa's lap her head on steering wheel. Appa's head on dashboard I moved forward shaking both of them. The though of being alone without them scared me.

"amma" I called when I felt the wetness in my fingers.

"appa wake up" my voice cracked tears pouring out of my eyes. I had done this it was my wish that had done this. shaking my head free of its thoughts I shook appa violently as if my life depended on him. It did back then. he moaned under his breath. The smell of petrol tingling at my nose.

I tried opening the door maybe it was jammed I kicked it as hard as I could. It flew open. I crawled out of my door. Trying to stand up was a bad decision I fell back down on the dried piece of land, tiny rocks and dried leaves leaving their mark on my knee. Using to door to balance myself I stood up. I saw amma her faces, her beautiful face was devoid of everything. She didn't look like herself. like she was already gone. I could see appa breath I could hear his raspy breath. Holding the handle, I tried yanking the oddly bent door it did not move. I found a rock with all the force in me I hit it once my hand came back for a second. the minute the rock touched the glass window I felt being pushed behind by the explosion, the car lit on fire. I saw everything starting to burn as my vision faded and I fainted.