How I Survived

03

I stood there in horror, searching for Pratik.

"Pratik" Ranjith and Ketan shouted together running towards the campfire.

We ran along with them.

Everything changed so sudden.

Our happiness was all shattered at once.

The truth of the forest was too deep for us to understand.

Pratik!

There was no answer.

Terror struck us.

Dakshi began to cry loudly.

"Pratik! Where are you? Pratikkk!!!"

We searched everywhere for him.

But it was in vain.

Ranjith and Ketan asked us to stay near the campfire, and said they will go look for him.

Ishika and I shouted that we wouldn't stay there, and come along with them.

Nooo.....

We heard a cry from a distant.

I looked in horror at Dakshi and Ishika.

The boys ran to us.

"Stay calm, it's ok. Stay calm" they said.

The cry was of Prathik's.

Yes, we all could recognise his voice.

"No,no, somethings not ok" Dakshi cried.

"I'll not let anything happen to him" Ishika said and she started running in the direction of Prathik's cry.

"No,wait!" Maneesh said.

"We have to go back" he said.

"Shut up, you selfish b****** " shouted Dakshi.

I didn't know what to do. I felt the earth around me shiver.

I, and Dakshi went along with Ishika in search of Pratik.

Ketan and Ranjith joined us.

We went into the deep forest.

We heard something coming near to us.

Run!

Ranjith shouted.

We didn't dare to look back and ran forward.

It was never stopping. It came more nearer to us now.

Ahhhhhh........

Dakshi shouted.

I stopped and turned back.

Dakshi was lying on the ground above the dried leaves.

"It's me, its me, help"

"Help" we heard.

It was Pratik running behind us.

We all stopped at once hearing his voice.

" Pratik, are you ok?" We surrounded him.

He was running behind us and tried to stop Dakshi and she fell on the ground.

"We should run from here, it is so... so... bad" Pratik cried.

He was bleeding all over and was badly hit.

"Who did this to you ?" Ketan put his hand over Pratik.

"It is there, right behind. Run, please run fast" Pratik repeated the same thing.