That Day

Chapter 3: The Other Knight

I felt a chill run down my spine at the sight of the gun. Strangely, I also felt my palm sweat. Cold, hot and did I mention wet?

My body's varied reactions told me that it could sense the imminent threat. My brain on the other hand, hadn't - how else would you explain the idiocy that slipped out of my mouth next?

"You must be the first ever thief to come back and ask for 'access'. Not very smart, are you?"

Mr. Burly visibly stiffened. He probably thought I possessed enough common sense to know when to shut up. Sorry to disappoint!

The gun was now directly pointed at me. Great. Thanks, brain.

"You.. You'll unlock this right now if you don't want me to forcibly drag you away with me." said the erstwhile knight.

Man, this narrative would be so much easier with names. Let's call this one 'The one with the Gun' or 'Gunman'

The second man ('The one carrying the laptop' or 'Laptop-man' - he was short, stocky and looked.. quite ordinary. Not at all like the henchman he was.) strode in my direction with every intention of getting what he wanted. Dear Mr. Burly, who had anoited himself as the new 'knight in the shining armor', blocked the man en-route.

"I'd suggest you step back, kid. Don't be a hero."

Ouch. That statement did not sit well with Mr. Burly. The tension radiating off of his body was palpable. I think it was the word 'kid' that triggered his next act.

Mr. Burly punched laptop-man square in the face.

And to think that I had just berated myself for not possessing common sense - turns out, neither did Mr. Burly.

The punch itself was glorious. The look of unadulterated surprise that crossed their faces made the entire episode extremely satisfying.

But that euphoria only lasted a minute since it just confirmed that we were going to die today. It was sad that I hadn't even thanked this stranger for returning my phone (or trying to protect me). But, given the fact that he was prematurely marching me to my tombstone, the lack of gratitude was, well, water under the bridge.

So much for 'don't be a hero, kid'. That's exactly what he did. But if Mr. Burly turned out to be a perfect hero, Mr. Gunman was the perfect villain.

He shot at Mr. Burly.

I didn't hear the gunshot but I knew that the shot had been fired. I watched the gunman pull the trigger and right after, my knight stumbled.

I jerked as if expecting to catch him when he fell. Of course that wouldn't have done me any favour - with his frame, it would have felt like an avalanche hit me.

I didn't have to dwell on the thought for too long though since Mr. Burly did not fall. Well, not yet anyway. He stood his ground and I imagined the steady gush of blood staining his front. Where had the bullet caught him? Maybe it missed his chest - maybe he still had a chance.

Even before I could dream of hoping for something good, Gunman fired once more. I heard a girl's gut wrenching scream. It took me a moment to realize that the screaming girl was me.

"No! Stop, please. I beg you."

But it was too late. Mr. Burly did fall this time. I watched in horror as his big, strong, tall body slammed onto the ground with a sickening finality. A complete stranger had just taken a bullet while trying to protect me.

My eyes clouded with unshed tears as I helplessly watched him lay there. The Gunman's whisper caught me just then. "His death is on you, little girl. You could have made this absolutely easy for us."

His proximity made me shrivel but I was hypnotised by his words. I should have known that he was just being cruel. But, in that moment, I believed him. I unequivocally believed that I had been the reason for an innocent man's death.

My mind felt numb. Why? Why was this happening to me? Wasn't I too young to be witnessing such a heinus crime? And to think that just this morning I was stressed about an exam - how insignificant was that?

They say your whole life flashes in front of you moments before your death. But my mind had conjured Mr. Burlys's intense pair of eyes. It had made me so uncomfortable in the morning. Or was it self consciousness that I felt? It didn't matter now because never again will those eyes look at anything with such intensity.

"Who are you?" I found it hard to speak as my throat felt constricted. Though I knew what was going to happen to me, the knowledge did little to abate my fear.

"Just give me access to this laptop and all of this will end for you."

I didn't miss the menance behind his words. Why would he let me live after witnessing a murder and knowing exactly who to point the finger at when the time came?

I suddenly felt weary and tired to my very bones. The fight seemed to leave my body. I felt my lips move - was that the password I whispered?

It was just a matter of time now - once he managed to open the laptop, he'd finish me off and be on his way. There was a weird part of me that wondered how the newspaper would write this story - would it be a sensational page 1 news? Or did these men have enough influence for this event to never see the light of day?

My thoughts spun to my mother - my poor Amma. I imagined her standing by the door and fretting when I still hadn't returned. My father might be a lot more calmer but would either of them be able to cope when their only child came back in a body bag? I hope my parents find the strength in each other. Oh amma - if only I could tell you how much I love you.

"What the hell?"

I was miles away but his voice brought me back. I wished it would have all ended while I was thinking about my loved ones.

"Did she give you the wrong password?" The Gunman grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked it back with enough force to make me cry out. "You still haven't learned your lesson, have you?"

"That is the password! Ask sausage fingers to type right!" I know cheek wouldn't help me right now but the pain was excruciating. My hands desperately tried to pry away from his hold.

I guess we had all been consumed by different things just then - I had become emotional thinking back about my family and paying tribute to Mr. Burly, they had been greedy as they tried the password. None of us noticed that Mr. Burly was no longer on the ground - not until Mr. Laptop had exclaimed.

I watched astound as Mr. Burly appeared out of nowhere and knocked the Gunman out. In that instance, he looked every bit a hero that had fallen out of a romance novel. But, how?

And right on cue I heard the distant cry of sirens as the cops finally arrived.