WANTED: for the greater good

The Bollywood-style entry

"No, we can't go on land," said Shreyas. "We can't possibly go on land. Like we'd decided earlier, they only route is through water."

"We can't cross the line to reach the shore at all," Shubman pointed out plaintively, now lying with a protective arm around Virat and Jaddu both. "And even if we reached, what would we do? The checking in the ships would be much more serious now..."

"We'll swim to New Zealand," said Shreyas with a burst of fire.

Jaddu stirred weakly the first time since he'd been brought in, and open half an eye.

"I'm in."

Ash sat bolt upright. 

"You're listening!" he wept. "You're listening?"

Jaddu must have tried to grin, but he failed. "Kinda..."

"Jaddu!" "Jad--Jad--" "Jaddu bhaiya!"

But Jaddu seemed to have slumped into stupour again. Ash threw himself on the stone wall and hit his head so hard he might as well have cracked it.

"Don't, Ash bhai!" said Kuldeep, horrified.

"Don't worry," Virat said. "Just give him a minute..."

Rahul took in a tremendous breath, but before he could let it out, running footsteps trooped into the alcove.

"Zora!"

"Daddy!"

Rohit looked up so fast he strained his neck. Zoravar jumped from Kuldeep's arms straight into Shikhar's, almost slipping on the ground, slick with blood.

And there, impossibly, they were--Shikhar, swinging Zoravar above his head, tears streaming down his cheeks, Kuldeep breaking down as Yuzi flew to hug him, Jinks giving a cry like a wounded animal and flinging himself on the ground, over Virat and Jaddu's bodies, Pujji kneeling beside them and lifting Virat's head gently into his lap to make him drink water from a bottle he'd got, Rishabh standing frozen, staring at the blood, breathing in gasps.

"Where's Jassi?" asked Rohit, suddenly realizing he hadn't heard the kid speak in a fair while now. He looked around frantically at his companions. "Where's Jass--"

"He's all right," said Shikhar, finally squatting down beside Rohit, with Zoravar on his lap, and taking Jaddu's limp hand. "I hope. He went with Bhuvi and Hardik to get a car."

"A--car?" Ash spoke with the faintest light of hope.

"We'll get them to a hospital in time," said Pujara, very quietly, as if not to tempt fate.

"I've never even been to the NCA," said Virat with a weak chuckle, sounding more normal now that he'd had a drink. "Imagine me in a hospital...thanks, Pujji..."

As Pujji moved on to try and coax Jaddu to drink a little, Rohit opened his mouth to tell Virat he didn't need a hospital, they were talking about Jaddu...but Jinks sobbed louder and held on to Virat so hard--he didn't seem capable of even looking at Jaddu--that Virat groaned, and Rahul, who'd retreated into the corner, hid his head against the wall, shaking.

And for the first time, it struck Rohit that unless they were very lucky and could go a hospital in time, Virat might also not make it.

A long moment passed. Rohit pressed Virat's palm to his chest and could not remember how to breathe. Did you have to know how to breathe?

Jump in the ocean, he told him over and over. I'd have jumped in the ocean before anything happens to Vi and Jad.

The mention of the car must indeed have broken Ash out of his crazy daze. He sounded pragmatic--weighing all options like always--as he spoke.