The rays of the sun pierced through Dhruv's eyes like showers of arrows. It cut through his deep sleep like a sword of menace. He tried to resist with all his strength, but all he achieved was finding himself sliding the curtains.
He put a watchful gaze upon the wall, narrowing his eyes, looking at the clock. He was late. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He went to the washroom. While he was brushing and the water from the shower ran down on his body, he had no sense of worry. Not even a single emotion was on his face. He seemed more like a moving statue than a human. He got ready. He lifted his bag, opened the door and said, "I am going." Even though there was no one in the house to listen to him.
Luckily, he wasn't late enough to miss the bus. The driver was still waiting for him. As he got on the bus he heard the driver cursing him loudly. He ignored him in the best way. Seeing this the driver became angrier than ever. But some questions were still eating him from inside—how could he forget to set the alarm? Is the shower still running? Why is the sky so strange…
"Here, you nerd!"
A voice rushed into his ear from the left. He was Kabir Singhania. The only one that cared for him. The only one that understood him. The only one he shared his absurd thoughts with. And on top of all, the only one he could call a 'friend'.
"Where are you lost?" Kabir asked as Dhruv quietly slid into the seat beside him.
He exhaled and told him the reason for his delay. Their college was in the next town, a long ride away, across the wide bridge that connected two cities.
They were crossing the bridge, cherishing the beautiful view of the river and the lilies floating on it. But they couldn't ignore the fact that something felt off the track.
It was when Kabir interrupted, "The sky is strange, isn't it?"
"That's what I was thinking about," Dhruv continued. They both became completely silent like a graveyard for a few moments. Breaking the silence, Kabir said in a rather comic way, "Imagine if the earth split in half like a coconut! Hope we land on a softer side."
"Shut up that nonsense," Dhruv said.
Kabir began laughing. He was always like that, always laughing and smiling. His such cool and calm behavior made him extremely rational by thought. Even when he was accused of various big crimes in school and college by his jealous classmates, he managed to stay calm and get out of the situation with unnatural ease.
His classmates hated him because he was extraordinarily smart. Enjoyed to the fullest. Got best marks. Adding to this he had good height and looks. But his actual inner self was still hidden behind the curtains of his smile.
"The sky is slowly turning faint violet," Dhruv thought.
"The sky is slowly becoming lavender," Kabir said. It pretty much always seemed like Kabir could have read Dhruv's mind. Although Dhruv didn't say a word for aeons, Kabir was like his mouth. He often expressed Dhruv's inner feelings to everyone.
Dhruv cut through his thought and said, "How about Tulsi? Your relation seems to be in a bad way." Dhruv, no matter if only a little, but got a bit open and kind of socially active with Kabir.
Kabir hastily said, "Wh.. wha..What? What happened?" Turning red.
Dhruv opened the window and said, "Well, she ma..." He fell silent. His chest tightened as fear ran down his spine. He started suspecting the air. Trembling, a voice rushed out from his throat and in an instant shouted, "Don't breathe! Anyone! Please don't breathe!"
He had speculated something strange in the air. Something life-threatening. Suddenly, the bus went out of control. The sound of screams filled the bus. It fell into the river just like a corpse. Students in water, gasping for breaths, tried to swim. Some opened their eyes and pushed upwards. Others just held onto others' feet to get to the surface. Students managed to reach the top. Catching their breath, bodies shivering with terror, they saw people falling down with no clue.
Then Kabir said in urgency, "Please don't breathe. Anyone! We must find out a way out of this. But what is this?!!"
Then a blinding flash of light appeared before them. A purple radiance, mysterious and intense, that changed the fate of humanity forever.
~ * * * ~