Episode 4: Heaven
Neil: “Wow! What’s with the smoke? Is this heaven? Am I dead? No! Man, I had plans.”
Litu: “Well, it doesn’t feel
like it.”
Neil: “What are you doing in
my heaven?”
Litu: “Seriously? That’s
your concern? You should be asking if you're dead too!”
Neil: “Are you going to
argue in heaven too?”
Litu: “This looks like a
movie scene. I didn’t think heaven would be real. And if it is, why does it
look like this? How did people know about it?”
Neil: “Maybe they were
reborn.”
Litu: “As if I’m going to
believe that.”
Neil: “Hey, you believe in
heaven but not reincarnation? Hypocrite.”
Litu: “Something’s odd. I
feel something at my feet.”
Litu: “Oh shit! Abhi!”
Neil: “He’s here too? This
is a perfect reunion!”
Litu: “Shut up and help me.
He’s not moving.”
Neil: “His pulse is fine,
just unconscious. Slap him!”
Litu: “What??”
Neil: “I think he’s
half-alive and half-dead, like Schrödinger’s cat.”
Litu: “Whose cat?”
Neil: “Never mind.”
Neil patted Abhi’s cheek:
“Hey! Abhi! Abhi!”
Litu shouted at the body,
“Don’t die on me!”
Suddenly, Abhi opened his
eyes with a gasp, caught his breath, and muttered, “I... I’m... I’m
hungry.”
Neil: “Welcome aboard in
heaven!” and hugged him.
Litu: “That’s still
debatable.”
Abhi: “What did I
miss?”
Neil: “Earth, my friend!
Earth.”
Litu: “What is this place,
actually? It’s all dense smoke and white.”
Neil: “And fragrant.”
The mist slowly began to
fade, and the college campus came back into view. The sun set as soon as the
mist disappeared.
Abhi: “It was just mist.”
Litu: “Yeah,” (softly).
Neil: “Run!”
Abhi and Litu: “What?”
Neil: “RUN!!!!”
 |
| Walk in heaven |
They could feel something closing in, a presence hunting them. Panic surged through their veins as they bolted from the college, heart pounding, feet barely touching the ground. Desperation led them to the old, abandoned shrine, seeking refuge. But as they stepped inside, a strange man with a sinister air emerged from the shadows. His unsettling appearance sent a chill down their spine, forcing them to change course.
Without thinking, they
darted into the dark, dense forest, their breath ragged, fear fueling their
every step. They threw themselves behind a cluster of jagged stones, trembling
as the relentless, bone-chilling roar drew nearer. The sound hovered close, lingering
by the rocks, as if whatever was chasing them was just a heartbeat away. And
then, suddenly, it faded into the distance.
For what felt like an
eternity, they stayed frozen, huddled in place, not daring to move, every nerve
on edge. Half an hour passed, but they couldn’t shake the feeling that
something was still out there, waiting.
Neil: “I think it’s
gone.”
Litu: “I think so too.”
Abhi: “Let’s go.”
Neil: “Where?”
Litu: “I don’t think we’ll
make it home tonight. Let’s stay here till morning, then leave.”
Abhi: “We can’t stay in
there.”
Neil: “Guys, we can stay in
the shrine.”
Abhi: “Shrine? Are you out
of your mind?”
Litu: “No, I think we’d
rather deal with that man than this creature.”
Neil: “Finally, you agree on
one thing.”
Abhi: “Okay, but we’ll scope
it out first and then talk to the man.”
Neil: “Fine by me.”
Litu: “Let’s go.”
Outside the shrine, Neil
circled the perimeter, while Litu found a cave-like storeroom. There was no
sign of the man.
Neil: “This place is
mysterious. I can’t find that guy.”
Abhi: “Me neither.”
Litu: “Same here. But I
found a cave. It’s more like a storeroom; we can stay there.”
Abhi: “Shall we light a
fire?”
Litu: “Are you an idiot? We
almost died, we have no idea what’s after us, and you want a fire?”
Abhi: “If you’ve got any
bright ideas, share them. No need to get mad at me.”
Neil: “Abhi, I’m hungry too.
Do you have anything?”
Abhi: “Of course,
darling.”
Neil: “Seriously?”
Abhi: “Yeah, I’ve got chips
and bread.”
Neil: “Nice!”
Litu: “Fine, let’s make a
fire.”
Abhi: “There you go!”
To be continued...
