A Victory which Matters (Dedicated to 27 and 45)

Part 9

Rohit and Rahane suddenly found themselves in a place they had never seen in their lives.

"Where are we?" asked Rohit, bewildered.

"No idea," said Rahane, just as confused.

They looked around themselves for a moment. In their shock and confusion, both of them had, for some time, forgotten their rift.

Then when they faced each other, the coldness suddenly returned.

An awkward silence fell between them, because even Rohit didn't feel like goading Rahane under the circumstances.

"It looks like a battlefield," said Jinks at last.

"Yeah..." said Rohit, agreeing with Rahane for the first time in ages. "There seem to be two armies--look..."

It indeed did look like two armies on either sides of them, some distance ahead. They were quite safe, estimated Rohit, who had decided to worry about immediate danger before wondering how they had come here.

Suddenly he sensed Rahane freeze beside him. Following his gaze, Rohit saw what Rahane had seen.

In the centre of the two armies --at the spot where they would converge, there was a woman tied.

It was Rahane's wife--Radhika.

Rohit, staring at her, noticed how the world seemed to distort and shimmer around her. It dawned on him that it was just an image--a trap.

Rohit was almost about to warn Jinks... but they couldn't speak freely like they used to earlier anymore. Rohit hesitated for just a moment. And in that time, Jinks had started running towards his wife's image.

The next moment, the most awful sort of guilt seized Rohit.

Rahane had reached the spot--and Radhika's image vanished.

Rohit couldn't believe that he had had the chance of warning Jinks--and he hadn't.

And not Rahane was caught in the spot between the two armies.

The shooting began.

Rohit stood rooted to the spot, frozen with terror.

Before Rahane could realise or react, a bullet hit his shoulder.

"JINKS!" screamed Rohit, suddenly feeling more scared than he ever had in his life. He tore in Rahane's direction as fast as he could.

Rahane clutched his wounded shoulder and staggered.

Rohit suddenly realised that their stupid rift could cost Jinks his life.

His life.

Rohit doubled his speed, if that was even possible. As he entered the shooting area, he felt the impact of a bullet on his arm too. But strangely, he didn't feel any pain. He noticed that he was wearing an unfamiliar jacket.

Bulletproof, maybe.

Rohit had almost reached Jinks. His heart sank as another shot hit Jinks, who crumpled on the ground.

The moment he reached Jinks, Rohit fell to his knees and savagely pulled off the jacket.

There was a terrifying pool of blood around Rahane now.

Rohit held the jacket over him. At any cost, not another bullet should hit Jinks.

Both the armies had come a lot closer.

Rohit covered Rahane's head and chest the best he could. Jinks was clearly unconscious, and Rohit didn't dare to feel for his heartbeat.

At any moment now, the armies would converge on them.

Rohit realised that there was no way out.

Feeling dazed and faint among the battle-cries and shooting, Rohit felt for Jinks' arm, grasped it hard, and closed his eyes, his heart heavy with guilt and misery at how he had treated his best friend over the last two weeks.