Kalaba Kadhala | Part 1

Chapter 2

(Italics- translation )

The street was bustling with people, cars zooming past and pedestrians hurrying along the sidewalks. It was a typical evening in the city, where everyone seemed to be in a rush to get somewhere. Among the crowd was a young man, walking briskly, his mind preoccupied with thoughts of the day's events. He barely noticed the sleek black car speeding down the road until it was too late.

With a sickening thud, the car hit the man, sending him flying through the air before he crashed onto the pavement. The car didn't stop. Anyone witnessing could say it was intentional. It continued speeding down the road, leaving the man lying in a pool of blood. His body was broken, limbs twisted at unnatural angles. Blood oozed from multiple wounds, staining the concrete beneath him.

People on the street stopped and stared, their faces masks of shock and horror. But no one moved to help. They were paralyzed by the gruesome sight, too stunned to react. Some took out their phones, capturing the scene on camera, but none stepped forward to offer assistance.

Anushka was driving down the same road, lost in her thoughts. As she drove, her eyes caught sight of the crowd gathered on the sidewalk. Slowing down, she saw the man lying on the ground, his blood spreading across the pavement like a dark, red tide. Her heart skipped a beat, and she felt a rush of urgency. Memories of her mother's death bed flashed before her eyes, and she knew she couldn't just drive past and do nothing.

She pulled over to the side of the road, jumped out of her car, and ran toward the injured man. The sight was quite disturbing for her.His injuries and blood triggered her past memories and fears. But she knew it was not the time to get carried away by emotions, the guy needed to be saved. She went near him and said "Hey... hey". She patted his cheeks as she saw him blinking his eyes. "Someone call an ambulance!" she shouted, but the crowd remained unresponsive, still in shock. She glanced around, noticing the blank, stunned faces. A sense of suspicion crept into her mind—why was no one helping?

Determined to save the man's life, Anushka knelt beside him. His breathing was shallow, and he was barely conscious. His eyes fluttered open, a look of pain and confusion in them. "Hang on, I'm going to help you," she said, her voice steady despite the adrenaline coursing through her veins. She carefully lifted him, doing her best to minimize his pain, and tried to carry him to her car. Even though he was barely conscious, he tried his best to stand on his feet and limp towards the direction she was leading to not make it anymore difficult for her. Placing him gently in the back seat, she grabbed a blanket from her trunk and covered him, hoping to slow the bleeding. She then got back into the driver's seat and sped toward the nearest hospital, her mind racing with thoughts of how to keep him alive.

"Stay with me," she kept saying, glancing in the rearview mirror to check on him. The man groaned, his face pale and clammy. Blood continued to seep through the blanket, and Anushka knew time was running out.

"Thank you..." the guy managed to say amongst his whines.

"Say thank you once you're fine". She said focusing on the road only. "Do you want me to inform anyone? What's your name?"

"Dhruvv..." She heard the guys saying.

"Dhruv... don't close your eyes. We are about to reach. Shall I call someone?"

"yes... my brother..." She saw him reaching out for his phone from the pocket through the rear view mirror. "His number is in this".

"Ok". She nodded taking the phone from him with one hand, the other one still on the steering. "Mutala hospital poroo... athku apparo I'll inform your brother.(first let me take you to hospital, then I'll inform your brother)" She said and heard another scream from him.