S02E01 - It's not the end!!

The Resurrection
(The time is near)
(Mini web series)

Have you read the 0th episode yet? Read it here, if not...!

Episode 13: It’s not the end!

Mysterious things happen to everyone – things that they do not have any control over and sometimes even the things that are beyond the normal realms of human understanding. People either lose somebody or something, or end up witnessing a fate that they never believed could be theirs, for their entire life! What does one do then? Or what exactly is one expected to do at those times? I guess, there is no predefined protocol to dictate the course of action in situations like these, and the actions vary from perceptions of the individual to individual.

Ritika woke up, a bright smile sparkling over her radiant glow in the early Sunday morning. Last night had been a memorable one for her – a long night of togetherness followed by intimate dinner and passionate lovemaking. She was in a happy space finally. Like everyone involved, she too had been shattered with the tragedy when she had lost her soul mate, her brother and overall her best friend – Abhay, on that mysterious island, 2 years ago in front of her very own eyes. The loss was intangible, and the scar that it left was even deeper. It had taken her a considerable amount of courage and therapy sessions to just hang in there then.

But wounds don’t heal just like that, do they? It took her something – or somebody to be precise – a lot more real than a bunch of shrinks and therapists. Akshat had been that light in her life that she had so desperately needed then, to just guide her through the darkness surrounding her. Things just fell in place and for six months now, both of them had madly been in love with each other.

As she sat there on the bed, she looked at Akshat lying near her, so peacefully asleep that she couldn’t resist kissing him on his forehead. She felt lucky enough for this new start and put on her white top on her bare body and went to the bathroom, to begin her day. When she was done with her routine chores, she went to the kitchen downstairs, and made herself a quick breakfast of bread and omelet with orange juice.

She then prepared a chilled banana smoothie and poured it into a glass jar and then arranged the breakfast on a tray. She took out a bowl of dog cereal and poured it into a dish. Arranging the items on the tray cleanly and orderly, she left the kitchen and went to the basement. Down the flight of stairs of the main duplex apartment, opposite to the dining area, that was the dark and gloomy arena in stark contrast to the bright and lively atmosphere of the house above it. She eventually reached the door and knocked it. No answer.

As expected. 

She waited for a few minutes before she kicked open the door, breaking the latch in the process.

‘Why would you do that – again??’ somebody groaned. ‘This is the millionth time that you’ve broken that damned latch!!’

‘And this again is the millionth time that you wouldn’t open the damned door after mere knocks!!’ Ritika shot back as she switched on the lights, making the entire room visible to the naked eyes. Pathetic, just disgustingly pathetic sight it was – way worse than what a nomadic would likely survive in.

Simons turned over in his bed, pushed the dirty linen off from his face and groaned again. He looked worse, even compared to a guy who had been bedridden for 10 years with nothing but oodles and oodles of alcohol by his side. With shabby clothes and unkempt beard and hair that he had, a wayward nomadic would beat him in a beauty contest! ‘Will you just stop with that, already??!!’

‘Here, have the breakfast.’ Ritika said, as she left the breakfast tray over the table and left the ummm whatever it is that you might like to call that deplorable and pitiable bunker for a room.

Told you, there is no predefined protocol to dictate the course of action in situations like these, and the actions vary from perceptions of the individual to individual.

While Ritika chose to grow apart from the pain into a normal life, Simons chose to let himself sucked in deeper into the mess that their lives had been after that tragedy. He had just snapped and seemed to have descended into a hole so deep, that it was impossible to revive him. Ritika had offered him a place to stay at her new home, and he had declined. He then had relented under the weight of persuasion but chose to stay in the basement rather than the actual premises. As for Vodka, the dear fur ball, he seemed indifferent to everyone and everything around him and lay in the same basement, beside Simons. Talk about actions to get over a loss!

 When Ritika reached upstairs, Akshat was all ready and waiting for her. ‘Last night was the best of my entire life!’ he said as Ritika sat beside him.

‘I know,’ she said as she kissed him. ‘I so wish I’d met you sooner Akshat.’

‘A guy gotta breathe in some fresh air to live, you know?’ Simons interrupted the short lived romantic moment, as he reached the drawing room. ‘If you lovebirds are done polluting my air, I’d really like to breathe for a change. It stinks of cuddles and kisses in here!’

Ritika was visibly pissed at him for pulling the same crap once again. And Akshat was flushed. ‘Hey buddy! How have you been?’ he said to Simons.

‘Hey assface! None of your business dude, none!’ Simons shot back as he went to the main door, that opened outside of the apartment.

‘I’m so sorry Akshat,’ Ritika said as she tried to douse the embarrassment.

‘Ah, never mind,’ Akshat said as he got up to leave for the office. ‘I’m used to his antics now. So, I guess, it’s time for me to leave now, Goodbye honey.’

‘Goodbye dear’ she said. ‘Have a nice day.’

Akshat left for the office and Ritika went to get ready for the day ahead. She had a whole cafeteria to run, after all!

‘I got another letter just now,’ Simons said, as he entered the apartment once again.

‘I bet that this one’s again from your little sister, helplessly trying to reach you again!’ Ritika said, trying to stay calm.

‘No, it isn’t. This one’s is different and you know what it is!’

‘I don’t care Simons. I’m way past that life now.’

‘They are coming for everyone, you know? They killed Prof. Murthy too, the letter was sent to warn us by the team.’

‘There is no team Simons,’ Ritika struggled with her calm. ‘Everything is over. Prof. Murthy got what he had coming, I’m not surprised! Besides, I’ve moved on and I guess you should too.’

‘Right, I know, I know. That’s some real crap you’ve led that poor guy into,’ Simons said. ‘Poor guy Akshat! Doesn’t even know, what kind of a hell he’s getting himself into!’ Well, that was enough to get Ritika to explode.

‘What the hell is your problem Simons??? Why can’t you behave normally for once in your bloody god dammed life??’ She exploded. ‘You listen to me now –’

‘No you listen to me!’ Simons cut her short. ‘My captain died two years ago, so that we could live!!!! It seems you’ve no respect for that or the lives of hundreds of others who sacrificed themselves so that a few like you and I could live and do what their destiny to carry forward, had been! My captain considered you his angel and what an irony would it be that you actually were his guardian angel. You were supposed to protect him, you cold heartless bitch!’

‘Simons just shut up! It’s not like –’ Ritika was losing it but it wasn’t very Simons like to shut up when he had things to say. So yes, he cut her short.

‘I’m not done yet!! He sacrificed himself so that you and I could live!! But do you have any care in the world for that?? You behave like NOTHING… EVER… HAPPENED! YOU DON’T CARE and you’ve clearly forgotten the purpose of the life that you’ve been given here, AGAIN!!’

‘Oh my god! Simons you didn’t lock the doors again??’Ritika yelled as her eyes widened with exploding fear in her eyes at what she saw behind Simons.

‘What?’ Simons was confused when a dart hit him in the neck and his vision began to fade away. ‘What the –’ He collapsed and Ritika felt something pierce her neck too and she began to lose her consciousness, as she saw Simons collapse with horror.

****

Simons woke up when somebody splashed chilled water over his face. His head hurt like the after effects of a terrible hangover. He somehow collected himself as he tried to adjust his vision around the place that he found himself in. It reeked of something disgusting and even though it was oddly as melancholic and as inhabitable as his bunker in Ritika’s basement, it sure as hell wasn’t his bunker. He tried to have a look at the guy who had just waked him up, but he couldn’t get a good look because of the darkness.

The guy then slouched towards somebody lying near Simons – who Simons quickly recognized as Ritika – and splashed a bucket full of water over her too. Ritika too woke up with some uneasiness, holding her forehead in her palms.

Like I said, mysterious things happen to everyone and sometimes end up shattering everything from their utmost existence to their will to live. But I guess there’s definitely one thing that everyone can do in those times – believe! Believe that things would fall in place sooner or later and that what was taken away would be rewarded back to them in one form or another. That they will get all the answers that they felt deprived of. And that it’s not the end unless everything falls in place perfectly. For like everything, even the life was meant to have what we call the closure and sometimes, even a happy ending!

Suddenly the lights into the room were switched on. And the place lightened up. It was some sort of a storage facility. But what shocked both them was the face that had woken them up.

‘Hey guys,’ Abhay mumbled before he collapsed with the empty bucket in his hands.

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