In The Dark

chapter 2

           

It's been an hour and half since they sat in the bus stop. Rohan couldn't understand why their parents didn't want them to walk their way home. The car they bought was a CNG model. He learnt that CNG models caused less harm to the environment. Their car, according to him caused lots of pollution.

The time passed by increasing his fear second by second. A big black Labrador started giving them company. Rohan felt pretty much safer then .Their love for the dog surpassed their fear for it. They started fondling it forgetting the time

Suddenly Riya, with her face wet with dog's licks, jumped excitedly. "MAMA, PAPA CAME!!!"

The street lights showed a white car come swiftly to take a 'U' turn.

"Doesn't our Nano look cute in the dark?" Riya exclaimed staring at the car adoringly

"More like a ghost in the dark" Rohan mumbled

Within a blink of eye, the car tires and the driver's window got shot and the car spun out of control. Rohan covered Riya's eyes with his palm, reflex. The car hit the divider and somersaulted in the air. A few meters away from them, the car crashed onto the ground a bursted into flames.

Rohan's breath caught in his throat. He couldn't interpret the scene in front of him. "What happened?" he asked himself. He felt totally lost. Everything happened so fast. His sister removed his hand from her face. She had to face the reality, but she was too young for it.

The car was upside down, burning in the rain. Their mothers face was totally covered with melted plastic, their fathers half burnt face was almost unrecognizable with all those glass pieces embedded. The blazing car containing their life parents was really hard to take in.

Riya looked at her brother questioningly. "It looks like I'm watching a movie, Anna.  Who are they, Anna? They don't look like amma and nana?"

Swallowing a flood of tears, he said "let's go home walking, Riya"

"But what about the car?  Won't nana pick us up?"

"Looks like he forgot about us –"

Before Rohan could finish, Riya screamed hysterically with her eyes fixed behind him. He whipped his head back to find a man with a knife. The dog gave a fierce bark and pounced onto him. The man wanted stab Rohan. Rohan didn't know what to do.

Riya trembled beside him. Rohan quickly and softly whispered her instructing her to collect the coins and run without looking back. She followed his word.

The man went wild when the dog sank its teeth into him. He was about stab the dog! Rohan looked around frantically. "I have to save the dog" he thought. He found a sharp rock and smashed the man with it. The temple began to bleed profusely. The man's eyes turned up his head and fell on his back in the pool of blood. He laid there motionlessly.
"What have I done?" Rohan thought horrified.
He immediately ran away from the scene and caught up with Riya, taking the knife along with him.
                                                               *********
Riya peacefully rested her head on her arms and slept on the rocky ground right beside Rohan who rested his back against a tree. He drew his knees close to his chest and rested his head on them. The dog slept beside Riya .He couldn't sleep, he replayed the events in his head. His eyes started pooling up with tears. He rarely cried.But he couldn't hold them back any more. They came out in chocked sobs. And then came down flowing like a stream. The dog just then woke up to the sound. It thrusted its muzzle against Rohan's cheek. He wrapped his arms around dog's neck. His entire body was shaking against the dog. He wept so bitterly that he couldn't even see his sister right beside him. He was totally blurred by his tears.

His parents died right in front of him. He felt helpless, very helpless. He couldn't even save them. He was so angry with himself. "Why didn't I drag them out?" he asked himself furiously. "I know that the petrol tank burst but my parents would've got a chance to survive."
His inner voice said "what if three of you died? Who would raise Riya then?"
He wept even harder. He had no control over his body.
His parents didn't wear a seat belt, he observed that. He could still hear the sound of the tires screeching when the car spun around dangerously. The window was shot due to which his father died on the spot. Since none controlled the car, it hit the divider. Since his mother didn't wear a seat belt, she had nothing to restrain her from dashing the dash board. He suddenly remembered that the tires were shot due to which the car lost its control.

He didn't understand why someone did this. He knew that the beggar and his parents were killed by one person. The beggar wanted to tell him something, what did he want to tell him? Why did the man try to stab him? Why did the beggar gasp? Who is behind all this? Rohan's head was filled with questions. He needed answers. The home was really far away, no wonder they needed a car. He took out the knife and stared at it. He did something he never dreamed of. He felt very guilty. He was right now stroking the dog's silky head. It became very close to him. "It's gonna be a long way home." He thought.

"I'll find the one behind all this, the one who took away my parents, the one who robbed our happiness. I will find him even if it takes forever." He thought with his body quivering with determination.

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