Strength |✔️

thirty

Neil

The environment reeks of flowers, tears, and a dead body, which is basically what a funeral setting would look like. I look around my surroundings and see hundreds of people huddled around a casket, weeping and muttering to themselves. I walk towards them, wondering who they are huddled around, and whose funeral this must be.

As I walk closer, I start to recognize the people huddled around the casket. There's my family, whose faces are burnt with tears and they look barely alive. There are some of my college friends who are screaming, cursing the universe, saying why did I have to die... wait... that's me?

I feel my head pounding as I run to the casket, trying to see if it's actually me. But, a thing I wonder is why can't they see me? Oh no. I put my hand on my mom's shoulder and it runs right through it. Shit, no this can't be happening!

I start to burst into tears, but then I hear a sweet girl's voice say, "Neil?"

I turn around and see a small Indian girl, but also seems to be a woman, walking so weak that her legs are shaking. She's wearing a black, silky dress and her hair's pulled up into a bun. She walks towards me, but her eyes aren't focused on me. I sigh. She can't see me. No one can see me. I'm a ghost. And the body in the casket is me. I died.

As the girl starts to walk towards me (or the casket, rather), I can see the weariness and dreadfulness on her face. There are tears endlessly streaming down her face. Her lip trembles as if she is on the merge of having a full mental breakdown, but she just doesn't have the energy to do so. Her grey eyes, that I knew were so damn beautiful, show pain, misery, and emptiness, as if she lost a part of herself. I know who this girl is. It's Alisha, the love of my life.

I put my hand on her shoulder to reassure her, that I am here with her. I may not be physically, but I am technically. She may not know, but I know. At least she is safe, that's all that matters.

"Neil," she says again, whimpering. She walks right past me and I turn around, my lip trembling as well. "Neil, why did you have to leave me? You broke my promise. You said I wasn't going to lose you!" Then, Alisha breaks into tears. My parents hug her. Well, at least she's part of my family now. I sigh. Maybe this was meant to happen. Maybe me dying would make Alisha end up being safer, joining my family. Maybe this was just destined to happen.

Then, I say to her, "I love you Alisha. I love you so much, and I am glad you finally have strength." I sniffle, and I look at her one more time, before I go. But then she looks at me, as if she heard what I said.

******beep**********

******beep*********

****Beeeeeeep****

***BEEEP*****

I wake up with a jolt, and feel a huge mask put on me. My vision turns out blurry at first, but then I see everything clearly.

Why am I in a hospital? What am I doing here? Aren't I supposed to be dead? Was what i encountered... a dream... a vision... a false scene... Feeling confused, I start to get up at first and take off the mask, but I am unable to breathe all of a sudden and pain goes through my entire body. I grit my teeth and scream, and suddenly a nurse comes in, completely surprised that I have woken up. "Mr. Shah... please lay down!"

I lay down immediately. I do not want to go through that again. While I groan with pain, she reattaches the different tubes that go in and out through my body and the oxygen mask so I can get air again. But I keep getting this stabbing feeling near my chest, this feeling that I just can't seem to ignore, that I don't even know how it happened in the first place.

"Wh-what's going on with me? What am I doing here? In this... hospital?" Everything starts to come back to me. "I am supposed to be at my sister's wedding right now. Her... Her reception! I scream. "Oh my God, Alisha?!" The nurse shushes me. "Boy, calm down." Her eyes frantically look at me. "What's your name, son?"

I roll my eyes. "Of course I know my name, dumbass. Neil Shah. Now explain to me why I'm here!" The nurse winces at my choice of words. "Okay... you were shot, Mr. Shah. In the chest. You are recovering now, thank God. You literally have abs of steel." She looks at me curiously. "Do you play any sports?"

"Uh, football?" I reply. I should've said that with more confidence.

She raises her eyebrows. "That explains it."

She goes to a machine and adjusts the settings.  "Uh, where is my family now? And my girlfriend?" I ask desperately.

She sighs drastically. "They are waiting outside, Mr. Shah."

I yelp. "Can I see them?! Pleaseee?" 

She sighs. "I am not allowed to bring in visitors-"

"Oh my God, I am fine," I say, rolling my eyes again. "C'mon, please?"

She looks at me again and rolls her eyes and laughs. "Okay, I'll call them in."

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A/N:

Phew, okay, so Neil didn't die... THANK GOD. Although, the first snippet of this chapter really got to me for some reason even though I KNEW he wasn't gonna die, it still got to me LOL.

So, more light shining in this story... YAAY! Let's see how things go between Neil, his family, and especially Alisha, eh? And two-three more chapters left in this story! *cries*

Stay tuned for future chapters!

-ru <3