ME & YOU

Hard time

The forensics department finished their work by collecting the evidence, leaving the National Laboratory clean and locked. Gurpreet was watching with his car parked from a distance. The streets were filled with silence. Gurpreet checks the watch in his left hand. The minute hand was slowly ticking towards 12:10. There were three watchmen. One was sitting in his cabin and drinking coffee while the other two were patrolling the outskirts of the Laboratory.

He slipped out from his car door quietly and walked towards the backside. The cool breeze was hitting his face like the waves on the shore. He had his pliers out, running towards the cage. The security was standing right ahead of him. He didn't hear the sound of the plier. Before he turned, Gurpreet choked him with the chloroform in his Napkin. The cabin security slept within a few minutes not noticing the unusual activity.

Gurpreet entered the laboratory after plying out the metal cage-like barrier. He quietly ran into the Laboratory. The centre of the ground floor of the Laboratory had a huge globe surrounded by a pool of water. He ran straight to the Lift right across the Globe.

"It... should... work." He prayed to himself. "It has to work."

The lift came to a halt on the sixth floor. He noticed the nuclear reactor from the small window of one room. He went straight for the table, looking for some tools in the drawers beneath the table.

"Where is the bloody spare? I left it in one of these." He shouted. "Don't tell me he took that too?"

His hands were moving frantically through the files in every drawer. It wasn't there. He switches to the next and the next. He bends down to pull the Last and final drawer from the last corner table. It didn't open. He tried to pull again, but it didn't budge for the slightest bit. It was locked with a key, of course. He slipped his hands in his pockets with disappointment. "Everything is useless, here. How could I forget the Keys? Simply, I got my wallet. It just has...". Credit card. He hoped the trick worked. He placed it in the slight gap and used all his force. It shook a little. He tried to muster all his force on the card's edge. It worked. The drawer opened like the cork of a champagne bottle. Gurpreet's eyes glistened at the sight of the small black box. Inside, He found a round-shaped pendant covered in ash slightly with hints of sparkly blue.

"Please work. I know it failed but please give me something. Please something."

He placed it slowly on his chest and closed his eyes with his head on the table. "Please...Please... Please...". Then, He heard the noise of birds chirping around him. He opened his eyes. He found a girl standing ahead and looking at the sunshine.

"Kayla?" He smiled.

As Her face turned, His Jaw dropped in confusion. It wasn't her. A girl was staring at him with her brown eyes. He had never seen this young lady in her life.

"Who are you? Where is Kayla?"

"There is no Kayla."

Then, The girl's image glitched slightly. Then, Kayla reappeared in a loose white shirt wearing brown shorts. Her eyes were showing remorse. Her hands reached out to Gurpreet's hands.

"Kevin, I don't want to stay with them please."

"Kayla?"

Then, Kayla's face glitched and disappeared. The previous girl reappeared again.

"There is no Kayla, sir."

"What did you do?"

"Nothing... She's dead. Nothing to do about it." her lips turn into a wide smile. "HAHA...HA...HAHA...HA"

Gurpreet pushes himself off the table and starts panting loudly. The Pendant toppled over and broke into pieces.

"Don't... No way...This... fuck"

He punched his thighs, groaning with anger. What worse could happen?

BEEP... BEEP...

The emergency alarm was raised. Finally, Hell has arrived.

"Honestly...Just Kill me."

***

Today, the rectangular glass table had three plates on it but it still missed someone. Kevin was sitting quietly next to Natasha's dad. Kevin's legs were shivering as he saw the stoned look on Natasha's Dad's face. He thought of maybe starting a conversation to break the silence between them.

"Sorry for bothering you during these hard times, Uncle."

"Oh no! Please don't feel like that. We always thought of having a second kid but we didn't since Natasha refused to have one." He replied with the most fake version of a smile.

Aunty came to the table for his rescue to make it less awkward. She brought all the food on the tray and brought it to the table. The aroma of the butter chicken made his mouth water. However, Natasha's Dad was unbothered with his favourite food on his plate.

"Here, everything is ready. Let me serve it for you." Aunty announced.

After serving all the plates, she sat down adjusting the chair. Kevin started to eat too while Jeevan was stuck in his thoughts. His hands were slowly tearing the chapati. Just when it was going to reach his mouth, he threw it in disgust and walked away from the table. Kevin found him sobbing as he ran over the stairs. He wished he could help him but didn't know how to. 

Uff! Why am I bad at this?

"Natasha meant a lot to him. He has supported her a lot throughout her life. Her death hit him like a thunderbolt. I am sorry for this but it will take time for us to recover." Aunty replied noticing pity in Kevin's eyes.

"It's fine. I understand."

"That's the problem, Kevin. You won't. You won't understand. How much ever you try to you won't." She replied slowly chewing the chapati in her mouth.

Kevin's throat went dry hearing those words. Why? Why won't I understand?