The Evasion - Original Version

Chapter 2

I repeatedly hit the horn, hoping that the blaring sound of the car horn could help me wake up, but no use.

I sit there waiting for my mom to wake me up in real life so that the dream could break, and I can come out of the dream world. Time passes by, and I have no idea how long I have been sitting like this, but it feels like an eternity.

When the dream started, the time seemed to move faster, and there were time leaps too. But now, sitting here feels as though the time has come to a halt.

I check my watch to find time has stopped for real, it's still 2:50 PM. My college hours usually gets over by 2:30 PM, calculating the time when I had the conversation with Mahima and the drive until this spot, the time must have stopped when I realized it's a dream.

But for the time I have been sitting in the car and trying out every possible way to wake up, it must have at least taken two hours.

I can't be stuck up here for long. I have to find the way out from here, sitting here could never help.

Escaping this dream world is my only goal now. If I have to accept the events happening around me and follow the rules, I will. The moment I start the car, my watch starts ticking.

I reach my house, and gratefully, my house is the same as the one I'm residing now.

"You arrived, get refreshed, I will make coffee for you," my mom speaks from the kitchen when I enter the house.

I wash my face, by splashing water strongly against my face, but no use. The dream is not letting me to wake up so early. I get changed in a pair of loose T-shirt and pajama pants before going to the living room.

I turn on the television and tune into a news channel to check whether any real-life news is reported. Instead of news reporting, a crime report program is running, and experts discuss the case details of serial murder happening in my college.

My mom comes into the living room with my coffee. Handing over the coffee mug to me, she takes the television remote and turns it off.

"Mom, why did you turn it off? I was watching something important," I yell at her.

"No need to watch anything. Enough of mourning your friend's death, this program will rekindle your sorrow. After drinking your coffee, go to your room and relax for a while before you start studying."

Calm down Pooja, it's just a dream.

"I'm not a school kid anymore, don't keep on pestering me to study. Everyone is worried about serial killing, but you are still sending me to college. All you need for me is to finish the degree and get married." I finish the lukewarm coffee in a single gulp, push the cup into her hands, and walk into my bedroom and close the door with a thud.

Entering the room, I feel even more shattered as I couldn't understand what I'm going through and definitely, I don't want my mom to know my situation.
I remove my mobile from charging and lay on the bed. I click on the YouTube app and search for the news channel live streaming. I start watching the show from the beginning by sliding back the video's time bar.

The program started with the host providing the voiceover for the visuals. The letters get typed on a dark background with blood spots on it. The background sound of the typewriter typing sound syncs with the feeding of every letter.

Date: 22/06/2019. Early morning at 06:00 AM.
Aarthi was found dead in her bedroom with a bullet shot on her right temple. Reportedly, Aarthi's mother went to wake up her daughter. When she opened the door, her whole world crumbled, seeing her daughter lying in the pool of blood and still blood streaming from the bullet hole. Aarthi's father rushed to the scene after hearing his wife's scream. He finds his wife fainted before seeing the dead state of his daughter. Before doing anything hastily with emotions, he called the state emergency number and reported his daughter's murder. A police team reached the crime scene within 10 minutes, and a group of forensic experts arrived after 20 minutes at the case scene.