T minus 5 years

"Where am I?" he asked as he gained consciousness. A nurse was looking at his chart and the monitor which beeped regularly. He felt a slight pain emanating from his head. "You're in Apollo Hospital" the nurse replied. He tried to remember the last place he was in. It was his hometown, the place he stayed - Hyderabad. "How are you feeling?" she asked. Why am I in a hospital? He wondered. "Why am I here?" he asked evading the question. "Well, either you fell down and hit the footpath. Or someone hit you with a rock on your head. You were unconscious and a lot of blood was pouring out" she replied. "How did I get here?" he asked. "Well, your brother brought you here. I'll tell him you gained consciousness. He's been worried sick" she said and she walked out of the room. Brother? What brother? he wondered. A man who looked old enough to be his father walked in. His face was wrinkly but his hair was black. Clearly dyed, he thought to himself.  "How are you?" the visitor asked. "Who are you?" "I'm sorry I haven't introduced myself. My name is Anubhav. I was walking by when I saw you on the road. I called the ambulance and got you here" "Thank you for your kindness. What happened to me?" "I don't know. I walked by where you were a few moments before I saw you to get a tea. When I came back on the same path a few moments later, you were there. I called the ambulance and tried to figure out where you might've fallen from" A fall. That is new information. Where did I fall from? Was I in a tree? "I see. I'm not sure how I feel. There's a certain part of me missing, I feel. It all feels really weird, to be honest" "What is your name?" Anubhav asked. "My name is Vikram. I am part of..." he paused for a moment. Never reveal who you are to anyone. A hoarse voice spoke in his head. "... a software company" he finished. Software was so prevalent, it was practically the best choice to say to remain anonymous. His focus shifted towards the voice. Who was it? "I see. You know, my son also works for a software company. You might know him. His name is Sandeep" he said. "No, I haven't heard the name, sorry" Vikram replied. "Yeah. What was I thinking? There must be so many people in software" "I'm really grateful for you to help me. But I do not have any money on me. How can I repay you?" "Oh, don't worry about repaying me. This hospital belongs to a friend of mine. When he heard I got someone, he offered to do the treatment free of charge. I hope you have some way to go back to your place" he asked. "I'm not sure. I think so" Vikram said. Anubhav reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He gave a 1000 rupees note and a 500 rupees note to him. "Keep this. Eat something and go home safely. Get the medicines and take them regularly. If you need help, call me. Here's my visiting card" he said. "Now, let me arrange for your discharge and you can go home" he added, calling the nurse. Vikram looked at the money given to him. The first thing that struck him was how someone possessed a 1000 rupees note as legal tender in 2020 after demonetization happened in 2017? Something is off. I think more than where I am, I need to figure out when I am. The nurse brought his clothes that he deposited as part of the surgery. He quickly went into the washroom to avoid checking it in front of the nurse. If anyone figures out I'm from the future - it is going to be disastrous. More than that, where was I in the time I am right now? And what is he doing? He emptied the pockets and saw his wallet. He had a lot of money left in his pockets but could see that they were the new notes from 2020. He had money but none of them was gonna make any sense in life. He had to find something soon to survive. Demonetization has hit me twice. And surprisingly in the opposite direction, he thought to himself. He took out his phone to see the date. It was switched off. Am I in a time where a Type-C charger is even available? Where can I buy it? Do my cards still work? He realized he's been long enough in the washroom to attract suspicion. He needed to get out of there, first. He quickly dressed up and started towards the exit. His discharge was completed by Anubhav, who was waiting for him at the main gate.  "So, good luck, Vikram" Anubhav extended his hand. "Be careful when you get on trees, okay. You may not always be so lucky for someone to find you" he said in a tone it was hard to distinguish whether it was advice or a warning being issued to him. "Thanks, Anubhav. I'm really grateful" he said. Anubhav waved his hand and left towards the parking lot. Vikram looked around. He still needed to figure out when he was. He walked towards a nearby newspaper stand and picked up a newspaper. July 15, 2015, the date read. I'm in 2015. 5 years before the apocalypse happened.