Won't Feel a Thing

This is about the time when I was in 2nd year of B.Tech. from CSE. I still remember exactly that I was preparing for the paper of Applied Numerical Methods. Yes we were in midst of examinations and pressure was sure.

In the rumblings of exam preparations a news rang throughout. And yes you may have already guessed it. Someone got crushed in the pressure or more appropriately got hanged by the pressure. I was pretty unfazed at the time. To me he was a stranger and I even got an extra day to prepare for examination. You might call me insensitive but why should I feel for someone whom I don't even know? He was like air to me - never knew about him until someone told me.

Again for me the day was normal. But in my mind I thought - I don't why some people will take such extreme steps? Are people this much fragile? Several questions boiled like bubbles in boiling water but everyone of them disappeared without an answer after surfacing.

The same night I was preparing to sleep. By the way I lived in hostel and in 4 bedded room. I was tired because of preparation and wanted some sleep as the next day was off so I laid down on bed and swiftly slipped into sleep. Sometime later I heard a knock. I woke up, by this time everyone was asleep and since I was the one with the bed closest to the door, I got up and saw no one was there. I thought of it as nothing and slept. Guards used to take rounds at night so maybe one of those could have knocked. I again hear a knock but this time I ignored it and hoped someone else to open.

Again my eyelids closed swiftly only to be open again due shaking of the bed. I woke up thinking that I am in midst of earthquake. I tried to wake up my other room-mates but no one wakes up. I call with my full might Abhyam, Anup maybe 4 to 5 times but they won't wake up. I thought why am I freaking out it might just be dream if there is no ruckus about this. I fall asleep once more.

I coincidently counted just how many times I tried to fall asleep. Four it was four what a coincidence.

This time again I hear something. Something weird, something silence. I can't exactly explain what I mean by that. I tried to get up but I am not able to. I felt tied down and I thought to myself that I have slipped into sleep paralysis. But why my thoughts are so organized. Why this feels so real? And before I can grab the head and tail of situation immediately the sound of silence is broken by the void of murmur that filled the room. I take a look around and there I see the a terrifying sight of four heads hanging from the fans above our heads. Slowly spinning, hanging from ropes dead tied to the fans above our heads.

I try to speak up and scream but to no avail. With only a distance of a feet or two away from my face they swung lifelessly. Why this dream feels so real? Why am I not waking up after this much? Why this continues? - I thought to myself again and again and then suddenly every fan stops and the heads got dead still. It was as if they heard my thoughts. I again try to scream and move but I can't. The heads started to tilt slightly in my direction and then they all open their mouth, with their eyes closed, with the tongue sliding down their mouth.... each one of them murmured - "Yes, you won't feel a thing...". I suddenly woke up and see around myself... my room-mates... were still awake. Abhyam working on WebDev internship project, Anup doing his own stuff. Did I never wake up to open the door? Did I even sleep? I never actually laid down ignoring the knocks? Knocks never happened?

With the most confusing face I look at them as if trying to judge whether I am asleep or not. Whether I am dreaming or awake. But the judgement was made quickly that this is the reality as they look at me and grin widely.