An Unoriginal Adventure, The Finale

Present Day

I wake up, with an intense throbbing at the side of my head, only to find myself back in the bar. There’s no orgy of fluorescent lights, only the sunlight, bathing the floor, filtering through the glass. There is no hazy smoke, blinding me. The place is drenched in a calm, unruffled repose, interrupted by the clinking of beer mugs. A man walks past me, towards the bar, with a stack of thirty mugs, carrying it effortlessly. It's the bartender from last night. He comes over and says,

"Dude, its me, Gerald. Are you okay? You were lying unconscious out back. Did you get robbed?"

I rifled through my pockets. I could feel the photograph.

"I'm fine, except for this nasty bruise. Nothings been stolen."

I reach for the photograph. I never thought seeing her so happy, would make my heart hurt so much.

I have to see her.

I thank Gerald, and head for the door. This is gonna end today.

'First I've got to find Scarface. He knows where she is. At least I know where he works', I said to myself. I hail a taxi.

Sometime later.....

'A fine dump of a place this is', I mutter to myself, as I look at the deserted streets, with dirty newspapers littered among the conspicuous filth. I look up at the only light in the building, burning brightly. And through the window, I see his partially hidden face. 'That scar is unmistakable'. I pick up the crowbar lying next to the staircase.

I make my way up the stairs. I'm standing outside his door, crowbar in hand.

'I've got to be quick. That's the only advantage I'll have on him.

I burst through the door, rage burning in my eyes. Our eyes meet, and he's shocked, to see me standing at his doorstep. The shock lasts for a second. I rush towards him. He sees me running towards him, gets up from his chair, and I see his hands ball up into giant-sized fists. But he fails to spot the sharp, metal object in my right hand. The crowbar comes crashing down on his head, and he's dazed and falls to his knees. I reign down innumerable blows on his head, until I'm sure that he's passed out. I tie him up in the chair. He wakes up after a while.

"Where is she?", I ask.

"I ain't telling you anything".

"Well, I think I'm gonna have to get creative with you".

I walk behind him, and with a short backswing, stick the crowbar under his right shoulder blade. His screams echo across the room, as I try to pry out his shoulder blade.

"I ain't telling you anything".

I proceed to the other shoulder, but he still doesn't budge. I pick up a couple of pins from the desk. He knows whats coming next. I take his right hand, as he struggles and tries to free himself. I can see the fear in his eyes.

I lift the nail of his index finger, and slowly start shoving the pin in the nail bed. Tears start flowing from his eyes, and he begins to scream for dear life.

"Where is she?", I ask again.

He doesn't have the energy to reply. I move to the middle finger. As soon as I get the pin in, he shouts, 

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you".

Armed with the address, I leave him lying in the chair. As I leave the building, the skies open up and it starts raining.

There, I stood, drenched in the rain, staring at the house. Beyond that door, lies my heart. I look back at the good times we had. How did it come to this, I wondered.

                 I walk towards the house, and knock on the door. She opens the door, looking aghast.

"You! How did you get here?", she enquired with a shocked look on her face.

"Aren't you gonna let me in?", I asked.

She pushed the door open, and stepped back a bit.

"I've come for you".

"I'm not yours to take away. I'm happy here. I'm with someone now. It's over between us".

"I should never have let you go. I made a mistake. Gimme a chance", I said as I stretched my arms out to her.

"Where were you I needed you", she asked angrily. "I waited for you, for so long".

"I know I wasn't there for you. i couldn't be there for you. But I'm here now". I walked towards her and held her in my arms. She resisted at first, but later gave in. "I wanna be with you. I can see it in your eyes, you want to be with me".

"I can't leave him now. I won't do to him, what you did to me".

She pushes me away.

"I'm not leaving with you".

"Then, I'll have to make you leave".

 She moves towards the table next to her, opens the drawer, and brings out a gun.

"Leave, and don't ever come back".

"Do it, pull the trigger. I'm not going anywhere. I'd rather die than be heartbroken. I've lost too much. I've got nothing else to lose".

She raises the gun to my face, her hand steady, and finger on the trigger.

"I love you", I said.

And the next thing I hear was the loud boom of the gun going off, and my body is pushed back, by the force of the bullet. I fall to the floor, and the blood starts gushing out of my head. I see her face for the last time, as the light begins to dim on me.

Epilogue

I can see it now. I can feel everything. The skies are clear, interspersed with a few white clouds. The sound of the waves, almost harmonious, as they crash against the sand, wave after wave. It feels like Nature is trying to send a message, through its music. The rustling of the leaves on the large coconut trees, moving rhythmically with the sea breeze. The shining down on me, and I'm basking in its warm glory. There's no more waiting. There's no more hurting. The pain has gone away. Its been replaced by a feeling of lightness. It feels new to me, but its good. A woman walks towards me.

"Is this taken?", she asks, gesturing to the empty beach chair.

"No".

She lays down her towel on the lounger, and sits down next to me.

"What's your name?", I ask.

"Nadia".

"Okay Nadia, Would you do me the honor of sharing this wondrous view with me?".

The End...................

An Unoriginal Adventure, Part 3

3 Years Ago

There were only two things that could wake me up from my slumber. Flea's bass on 'Around The World' cranked up to the maximum, with a 1000 watt speaker next to my ear. The other would be the sound of her melodious voice whispering sweet nothings in my ear. How things change! Now the only thing that wakes me up is the prison warden, screaming at the top of his voice and the guards banging on the steel bars.


I find myself looking through the window, at the outside world, passing by, while I'm stuck, stuck not just within these four walls, but in a prison of my own. I've withdrawn into myself. I've barely uttered a word in over a year. The inmates ignore me, and the guards find me innocuous. I've had no visitors, because no one knows I'm here.


She must think I'm a spineless jerk to have left her. I never told her I was in prison. I couldn't let her know.It would've been too much for her. It has been exactly six months since that fateful day.

I was flying down the road at 100, each bump flinging the car a few feet in the air. The top was stuck, leaving me battling the rain, which lashed away at my face. The phone started ringing. I could barely make out the sound against the backdrop of the rain hitting the bonnet. It was her. I said I would be there in five. Just as I put the phone on the dashboard, out of nowhere, the boy appeared. I stepped on the brakes, and swerved, but it was too late. Everything went dark before my eyes. I had that sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I knew things would never be same again. I saw the fear in the boy's eyes. The innocence was lost and replaced by a raw fear, that left him paralyzed.

His eyes flashed before me, again and again. All I could remember were those eyes. I was never the same again. Every second, every minute, I replayed the events in my head. Regretting every moment since then, I've had a recurring nightmare, where I find myself in a dark place, so dark, I can't even see my hand in front of my face. Is this real? Am I dreaming? I feel around in the dark, only to find walls all around me. The walls are closing in on me. I can barely move. I try to push against it. Suddenly, there's a gush of water. Its pouring down from above. I can feel the water on my face. It's getting too much. I can't breathe. I start taking deep breaths, as the water starts getting cold. I can't move my face away from the water.....and then I wake drenched in sweat.

Today was no different, with me waking up with a startle. I carried on with the daily routine, when the guard comes upto me and says that I have a visitor. This left me a bit uneasy, as no one knew I was here. Who could it be? I asked him if he was sure and he responded with a 'Do you think I'm an idiot?' stare.

I walked into the visitors room and there she stood before me, as beautiful as the day I first met her. My stern expression gave way to guilt and remorse. I couldn't look her in the eye. We sat there for over ten minutes, without a word being spoken.
She began,
"Its been 2 years".
"I know".
"You've put me through hell".
"I know, I couldn't let you know".
"I'm leaving you. Don't ever try to find me".
She stood up, and walked away. I sat there, speechless. I didn't know what to say.

My world just got smaller.


to be contd....