Hunt for Survival

Mirage

Shaurya

When I saw this bright light, I was hopeful that I might have found the exit and this dense white nightmare which I see when I am wide awake would be broken.

Prashant must have got inside already and here I am still lacking behind. I have to get inside and see the outside world which is behind this fog.

I was motivated and now I am all alright to get inside and cross this as well. I went inside and there was a white light which was way too bright for my eyes and I quickly covered my eyes as I thought that this light would make me go blind.

After that, I didn’t hear any single thing. I slowly uncovered my eyes and looked ahead and saw a familiar place had and I looked behind and there was still that light through which I had entered that place. I looked ahead and tried to recognize this place and then I remembered that this is the place where we used to live with my whole family and this was also the place where I was born. Was this the exit to the real world? But shouldn’t this open in my room? But no problem. I guess I can go back to my home.

I was happy about that when I remembered something and that was Prashant. I had completely forgotten about him. I am not seeing him anywhere. Has he also gone back to his home? Maybe.

But it is really weird if this is the exit. Then why was there so much drama about this king and all that? Why do we have to fight so much when the exit is right over here in this dense fog or is this a trap? What if this was not the exit? I wanted a trap which was like a dream which I wanted and wanted to trap me, and I suddenly remembered the words of the Princess and only one thing was roaming in my mind and that was that

I have to be alert.

I walked further and came across my old house and I heard the voice of someone crying.

“Don’t cry Shaurya.” My eyes widened when I heard my mother’s voice.

“Ma? What she must be doing over here and she had called my name, but the baby is crying.” I said to myself and my eyes widened. What the…? How come I have come into my past? I went inside the house and none of them noticed. I went to the room and saw my mother and me in her arms. Why am I seeing this also? I looked at her leg and saw my brother who had attached himself to her leg and wasn’t letting her go. Suddenly, Papa came inside and took Bhai in his arms and he looked at me while being in his arms and, suddenly, Bhai looked at me and smiled and I was confused. I looked behind but saw no one. Then in whose direction he was smiling. I looked ahead and saw him still smiling.

What the hell is going on? I couldn’t understand anything at all. All this is way too confusing. I was about to take out my knife when someone stopped me and I looked at my side and saw my Bhai, who was of the same age when he had died.

“Shaurya!! You have grown up already.” I looked at him suspiciously. “What is wrong, Shaurya? No greeting, just looking in my way like that.”

“Bhai, now I am older than you. I am already nineteen.” He chuckled.

“You are still having that kind of humor.” He looked ahead and I also looked ahead and saw us again. This was the happy family which I had dreamt of, but a dream breaks when we open our eyes and it comes when we sleep and this dream, maybe very beautiful, but at the end it is just a dream which will eventually break.

“What are you thinking?”

“Aren’t you dead? Why are you over here and what the hell is going on?” I just can’t let my guard down. I must be sounding rude, but that is the only way through which I can ensure my safety.

“What is wrong with you, Shaurya? Why are you acting so cold towards me?” His voice is making me disturbed. They are disturbing my feelings and bringing cracks in my guards.

“Both of our sons are so handsome. We are going to have a hard time.” I heard our father’s voice and I looked at him. These are really playing with my feelings. I looked at him and he was smiling.

“Please don’t do that.”

“What is wrong with you? Aren’t you happy to see me?” I was shocked to hear his words. I composed myself. I have to get to the root of this thing. I am not sure what this is and I pray that Prashant also keep his guard up and get out of this place as soon as possible.

“Bhai, it is better that we never meet again like this. This is not the good way that we met.”

“Why? What is…” Before he could complete his words, I ran away from there[N1] and came out from there and when I was in the street, I ran away as far as I could from my house and, running to a certain meter. I came to a halt and fell on my knees.

“Shaurya.” I heard his voice again and I looked at my side and saw him holding me and his younger self around him and he and his younger self were looking at me and I looked behind and saw that I had reached my house only. How could this be possible? I have run somewhere else; how come I have ended up here?

“Shaurya till where can you run?” I stood up and looked at him.

“Until this ends,” I said, and was ready to run away again.

“No use.” I heard his voice from my other side and I looked at that side and saw the same scene and then looked at the other side, saw him again and I did this, times before I looked at the other houses and saw that the structure of every house was the same as of mine and at each door there was my brother with me and his younger self.

“You can’t run away,” he said. After that, another clone of him and then another said. They are all demotivating me. At this point, I was remembering my mother, my friend Rohit and my best friend Prashant. In reality, neither my brother nor my younger self exists, but I am the only one who exists and till this day have been with my mother. I have to keep going for my mother and, right now, for Prashant, because we both want to go back home and we will surely go home together. I looked at my brother whom I had seen first.

“Brother, this is so not you,” I said. I can’t let anyone break me now at this moment when the situation is already critical and is getting messed up in a bad way. My words shocked him.

“What…” He wasn’t able to complete his words and suddenly everything around me changed and we both were somewhere else and I looked around and saw the place where we had found his death and it was nighttime. If that night someone had taken him away to the hospital, then maybe, then maybe he would be alive and would be with us. I went to the place where we had found his body but, to my surprise, there wasn’t anyone. I slapped my temple. Why would he be over here? I squatted down and put my hand on my temple and wanted to cry, but no tears in my eyes and I was ready to go out.

“What were you saying, Shaurya?” I was shocked and I looked behind and again saw him, but I stood up and we were both looking at each other. This time he was alone and no one was beside him or in his hand, but he was surely in the pool of blood. “What does that mean that I am so not me?” He was angry, but about what a lot of I remember that he never really used to lose his temper over small topics, he would always cope with things in the easiest and calmest way.

“Bhai,” I hesitated, but if I have to know if this is real or a mirage which my mind is creating, then I have to take the step of whether it is to hurt his feelings. If all this is real, then I will surely ask for forgiveness in the end, but if this is not, then…. I don’t know. “You always used to motivate me, you would always make me feel that my dreams are your dreams as well and you wanted me to achieve myself anyhow. I indeed want you in my life, but I also clearly remember what you used to say, that if someday something happens to you, then I should take care of your mother and do all the duties which you couldn’t do. I haven’t done many of your duties yet, but now I will fulfill them. Bhai and you also said that there must be many difficulties and that I should not stop myself, as even if you won’t be over here, then you will also be beside me every time and will see me achieving both of our dreams. Then why are you stopping me now?” I asked him and he smiled.

“Did I say those words?”

“You did.’

“Then why can’t I remember them?” I was shocked to hear them. Indeed, he never said those words to me but I wanted to test him and this whole thing wasn’t a complete lie. “Why are you lying to me?” He started to come towards me and took aggressive steps. He is not at all happy about the situation. He came towards me but soon he turned into those goons who had killed him. I took out my knife.

“Even if you haven’t said anything to me, then I also know that you wanted this only when you were dying. It is really a pity that no one saved you and you aren’t here with us now.” I mumbled and attacked every single one of them.

“You can’t defeat me. I won’t fall into this trap.” I said, and at a strike they were all gone and I looked at my side and saw the bright light and I didn’t waste my time and ran away from there and crossed the light and I saw that I had come out from there and I looked behind and saw that there was no bright light behind. I looked around but none of the things were pleasing me.

In the end, that was just a mirage. A trap which would lure me through my emotions and I have won this battle. I fall on the ground and let my emotions flow now. I must have liked that nothing could affect me, but in reality every word was affecting me and they were trying to cut my heart open with those words. In my life, all I ever wanted was my brother to be beside me after my father left us, but reality is way too harsh.

If this wouldn’t have been a mirage and a dream, only then I would have been happy, but this mirage had only opened my wounds. These wounds are hard to take in now. Seeing all those things which I don’t know and the feelings through which my brother must have gone through are unfamiliar to me, but I at least know what he wanted and I hope that I can help him in getting his dream achieved.

[N1]