Chapter 07: Shining Knights

Inspector Indrajit watched Cecil place his calls to the next of kin. He wondered. Could this be a hoax, after all? It could very easily be a bunch of wealthy kids, trying to have their fun with the strong arm of the law. If it turned out to be so, Inspector Indrajit gravely thought, then he would ensure that each person involved understood the implications of the word ‘strong’ in the phrase ‘strong arm of the law’. The thought of teaching a lesson to such nuisance-creating youngsters brought a smile to the Inspector’s lips. One way or the other, he was going to have a hectic few hours.

Inspector Indrajit had been brought up in a home where reading and literature was held in high regard. As a consequence of this, he had finished reading most of the popular classics by the age of 12. Dickens had always been his favourite. In fact, Mr. Bumble’s ever-famous quote, “If the law supposes that, then the law is an ass,” helped push the young Indrajit towards studying more about the huge machinery of the law and its various functions. He could have become a lawyer, or something else, but he wanted to get into the Police force so that he could be directly on the frontline, defending and upholding the law while bringing criminals to justice. And now, looking at Cecil finishing his call to Rachel, the Inspector wondered if he would be required to defend, or deliver justice, in this particular case.

When Nate returned, the Inspector requested him to sign a few papers required for the First Information Report. The general public widely believed that policemen would not file a First Information Report without a bribe being handed over. But the general public has rarely walked into a police station, let alone filing an FIR. Cecil was pleasantly surprised to find that the general public were misinformed regarding this fact. Inspector Indrajit did not hint or request or stall, for a bribe of any sort. Nice, Cecil thought.

An hour after the phone call to Rachel, Cecil was among the tiny ‘force’ that was being gathered by the Inspector in the Station parking lot. He had put together a team of six, including the Inspector, with two jeeps for transportation. He also loaded some gear like a high-powered GPS Receiver, Satphone communications device and a few powerful-looking handheld searchlights. A camera, voice recorder and the Inspector’s laptop were added too.

Riding out of the police station on his black Pulsar, followed by two police jeeps with their sirens blaring and their lights flashing, Cecil felt he was leading a pack of modern knights. In the days of old, when a damsel was in distress, she could always rely upon any passing knight to save her…

“Sire, please save me from my predicament.”

“O fair maiden, what foe hath befallen thee?”

… or something like that. In the modern world, chivalry had all but died. Men unsuccessfully attempted to defend their dignity, their place, and their rights in a society and world which was filled with protests and demonstrations to help the ‘fairer sex’, as women termed themselves. The only ‘knight’ that a modern-day lady recognised would be the metaphorical ‘knight in shining armour’, whom she would marry and live happily ever after. Such ‘knights’ rarely wore shining armour. It was ever rarer that such men could even be termed as ‘knights’. Turning his thoughts to the tiny army following him in the two jeeps, Cecil wondered. How different were Policemen from Knights, really? Sure, they wore caps at jaunty angles, and donned uniforms that pre-dated the Jurassic era. But at the heart of it all, weren’t they, right now, coming to the rescue of people in distress? Much like the Knights of old. Without any actual armour, but shining, nonetheless.

As they sped down the last few kilometres to the spot, Cecil noticed that not many passers-by were present. This gave him a tiny source of happiness – just for a second. Cecil hated being noticed. He was no introvert, but that didn’t make him feel good about people staring at him. Who does like such things, really?

Nate, Rohit and Susan could hear the sirens a few minutes before they could actually see the headlights and the flashing lights. Hope stirred in them again. They’d been waiting in this desolate spot for nearly three hours. They’d begun to wonder if something had happened to Cecil as well. The relief that sprung up inside them upon his return was huge. The sight of the Police jeeps almost turned that relief into sheer joy. Cecil quickly filled them in on what had happened. He told them of losing his phone en route to the city, the phone call to Inspector Indrajit, and the visit to the Police station. When he finished, all four turned to see the Policemen shaking their heads, as if disappointed. Apparently, none of their equipment was functioning. To be more precise, none of their radio/wirelessly-connected equipment was working. The Laptop was booting fine, but the BSNL EVDO modem wasn’t obtaining a network signal. The Satphone didn’t appear to be logging onto the network at all. The GPS receiver was behaving in a bizarre manner.

Inspector Indrajit was stumped. What could this mean? He had read several stories related to the Bermuda triangle, but none of that had been proven. Here was a spot along the National Highway that was totally cut off from any means of Wireless communication. A crazy thought entered his head. He walked over to one of the jeeps and tried tuning into the FM Radio. Nothing but whines and static. Wow, he thought. Who could have known that we’ve got our very own Bermuda triangle-like scenario right here on the National Highway?

He decided that nothing could be done about their communications. He had to search the area, as soon as possible. They still had to confirm if this was a simple ‘Missing Persons’ case or a criminal case. They had to make sure. He asked the men to fan out and search the area, sending them out in twos, each pair holding a hand-held searchlight. Two pairs of men went off to the left of the road, where the tyre marks had been seen going of the road. The Inspector, and another policeman, pointed a searchlight into the darkness on the opposite side of the road, and decided to check out this side.

What’s he doing??? Nate’s mind screamed. He’s wasting time! Why’s he looking on that side of the road??? The tyre marks clearly lead off onto this side! Frustrated, tired and now angry, Nate spoke loudly. “Inspector sir, the tyre marks go off to this side. Wouldn’t we save time to search on this side of the road? If you want, we could even show you the place where we saw some strange ‘dragging’ marks on the ground.”

Right. The Inspector mused. That’s what I need. A smart alec.

“Listen,” he replied. “It makes sense to ‘sweep’ the entire area to ensure that we’re not missing anything. We are the police, and we’re experienced. Trust me.”

Nate shrugged and turned away. What a waste of time!

The first mistake humans make when under stress is to doubt and question everything. The second mistake that humans make, is to lose the ability to view a situation from multiple angles and to try and obtain a birds-eye view of the whole thing. Nate, had succumbed to both. It was inevitable, and it had occurred. It was only a matter of time now, before he succumbed to the complete loss of hope itself.

An excited shout from the Inspector brought all four of them running to a bush on that side of the road. What was going on?! The Inspector appeared to be holding up a small black object. Cecil and Nate looked at each other. That was Sudha’s phone!

The phone appeared to be nearly out of battery, but the voice recorder application seemed to be open. With trepidation, the Inspector reached out and pressed the buttons to playback the last recorded file.

There were a few seconds of a hissing sound that recorded audio makes, when nothing is heard. There seemed to be a faint rustle accompanying the standard hiss, but it was too faint to be sure. Everyone leaning in close to the phone had to move their heads away when they heard Sudha’s shout next “WHAT ARE YOU???” They looked at each other quizzically. Who or what was Sudha talking to? Then the rustling appeared to grow louder. When the rustling sounds suddenly stopped, they heard something like a whimper from Sudha, with screams of “No… No….. NOOOOO!” Then pure silence. Complete silence. The stunned group looked at each other. The Inspector, the policeman by his side, Nate, Cecil, Rohit and Susan. The file was still playing on Sudha’s phone. There appeared to be more than half a minute left. But this time, there was nothing else to hear, apart from the recording hiss. With a grave face, the Inspector turned to Cecil and the rest.

“Kids, we’re gonna have to treat this as an abduction case. You’ll all need to go home as soon as possible, for your own safety.”

Thoughtful as ever, Cecil ventured “But what could it be, sir? What do you think happened?”

“To tell you the truth, at this point, I’m not sure. It’s obvious that Sudha saw something, and decided that it might be worth leaving behind a clue; but it’s not obvious as to what happened. It may not be a human being, as you’ll notice, she didn’t ask the obvious ‘Who are you?’ She instead asked what it was. Until we gather more details, we’ll need to assume it was an ULO – Unidentified Land Object.”

The four felt dejected and scared. Sudha was not simply lost. She had been abducted by some – thing. Which possibly meant that Shiloh had been abducted too. Who would want to abduct these two? There was no connection between the two of them, apart from the fact that Shiloh’s brother was Sudha’s friend. Neither of them was rich, or had wealthy parents. There was no motive.

Finding Sudha’s mobile phone had confirmed a scary fact. The two whom they’d thought were missing, were truly gone. They had no way of finding them. Cecil sincerely hoped that his previous allusion of the police being knights was true. He really needed some damsel-saving heroes now.

Chapter 06: My Darling!

Rachel looked at the clock. It was only half-past nine. Too early to call Nate. She missed him. Of all the things that made up her life right now, she wanted more of him. She couldn’t wait until they were married and she could go down south to live with him. What a joy, that would be! Oh well. Let’s watch some TV instead.

The Steven Curtis Chapman song, though usually loud, was barely audible above the din of the TV. Her elder brother, David, was adding more noise to the room by just being there. Faint as it was, she still heard her mobile ringing from her room. It’s not Nate. That’s not the ringtone I’ve set for him… Who could it be? Curious to find out who could be calling her at this hour on a Sunday evening, she picked up her mobile and looked at it. It was Cecil. Interesting. She thought. She answered the call.

If her brother or her mother had been in her room, they would have been wondering as to why Rachel had such an expression of shock on her face. Pure disbelief was written over the pretty features that made her smile usually light up many hearts. Oh my God! She couldn’t believe what Cecil was telling her. She had known that Nate was going on a bike trip that afternoon, but it had seemed totally harmless. To hear that Shiloh and Sudha were missing was terrible news. She knew both Shiloh and Sudha quite well. She’d met them each a few times. She couldn’t bear the thought of something happening to them.

“How’s Nate taking all of this?”

“He seemed pretty okay when I left him…”

“You left him? Where are you now?”

“Our mobile phones were not working. I came to get help, and am currently at a police station in the city.”

“Where’s Nate?”

“He’s still out there on that deserted Highway, searching…”

Cecil’s voice trailed off into silence.

“How could you leave him there alone? After what just happened? Are you mad?”

“Listen, Rachel, it’s not that big a deal. My cousin, Susan, and her friend Rohit are there with Nate. The three of them are together.”

“Still…”

Rachel wasn’t thinking straight. She was thinking Nate. To expect a woman so in love to think about anyone other than her lover, when her lover seemed to be in possible danger, is a great expectation. Rachel was not prepared to fulfil any such great expectations. She was brought out of her private reverie by Cecil’s gentle voice.

“Don’t worry, dear. Things will work out.”

Cecil spoke with a hint of bravado that he could not, that he did not feel.

“Right now, Rachel, we’d like it if you could inform Nate and Shiloh’s parents.”

“You’re asking me to tell the parents of the man I love, that their elder son is missing?”

Rachel was incredulous. She wanted all this to go away. She wished it was all just a bad dream. But it wasn’t. It definitely wasn’t.

“Yes. I know it’ll be difficult… That’s why it’s best if you called. I’ve already informed Sudha’s family”

“Okay… I guess I have to do that.”

Giving in. Not giving up. Rachel knew what the situation demanded. This was no time to fool around. No time to not want to give bad news. Someone had to do it. And it had rather be her than someone else. With dread, Rachel pulled up Nate’s Dad’s contact on her phone, and dialled.

Ten minutes, dozens of tears, a lot of hurt and a thousand questions later, Rachel got off the phone with Nate and Shiloh’s parents. It hadn’t been easy, but she’d told them. She’d told them all what she knew. Now, it was upto them to deal with their grief. She had a good portion of her own to deal with.

Left to her own thoughts, Rachel brought to the forefront of her mind that nagging thought that had been buzzing around at the far reaches of her mind ever since Cecil had called. Should she go to be with Nate now? She knew she wouldn’t be able to do much to help the situation. But Nate would definitely be glad to have her comforting presence around. She decided to think of the pros and cons of going or not going, but couldn’t come up with a concrete solution. She took the dilemma over to her mum.

Rachel’s mum, as usual, wisely told her the facts – her presence would add further complications to an already-complex situation, as Nate would have to take care of her as well, while looking for his bro. Yet, her presence could help Nate find a little comfort during this harrowing experience he must be having. After stating the facts, her mother looked straight into her eyes and saw that Rachel was hurting. The solution was simple.

“Go to Nate.” Her mum said.

“Are you sure, Mum?”

“Yes, of course. You must be where your heart wants you to be.”

“But I don’t have a place to stay there…”

“I’m sure you can stay at Sudha’s place, dear. Just go. Take the next flight out of here.”

As Rachel packed, her mind was a whirl. She had only one thought inside her head – I’m gonna see Nate in a few hours!

Chapter 05: A Maniac

The wind moving past his face chilled him. He had lifted the visor of his helmet, since dirt and grime had settled on the visor reducing his visibility. A good few kilometres from the spot should do fine. That should take care of the lack of network range. After driving for nearly ten minutes, he felt he should stop and call for help. Stopping his bike by the side of the road, he pulled out his mobile phone. Still no range. That was strange. Trying to find his bearings, he pulled out his PDA to check his location using Google Maps. No GPS signal here, either. Very strange.
Well, nothing to do, but ride on. Starting his bike again, he decided that he’d keep on riding till he reached some signs of civilisation. A good twenty minutes or so later, he saw street lights appearing every few meters. After he passed a turn-off from the Highway, he could see other bikers and motorists travelling along with him on the Highway. This should be a place which has range. Cecil pulled over for the fourth time in the past couple of hours. He reached into the pocket of his pants to pull out his mobile phone, but his hand touched nothingness, apart from the inside cloth of the pocket itself. In disbelief, he checked all his pockets. No phone. The world seemed to be completely unravelling all around him. Cecil Thomas was desperate. He had dire need of two things. A phone, and an aspirin. A painful headache was starting to set in. Unknown, missed and in several pieces, his mobile phone lay where it had fallen on the Highway. Shattered. Useless any more. Far away, a man holding a whip smiled. This had been a satisfying day.

Life plunders the lives of several people, by stealing from the not-so-poor, and handing atuff over to the not-so-rich. The not-so-poor in things other than materialistic wealth. And the not-so-rich in things other than materialistic wealth. A hard thing to understand, life is. Whether people understand it or not, they are bound by its laws, and give in to its demands. Mostly.

Awesome. A cluster of lights lay up ahead. There must be a phone somewhere there. Cecil had gotten back onto his bike, and had decided to go for it, no matter what. This time, he really rode like a maniac. Worst of it all, he had to. It had started to rain. When you’re all alone on a pretty deserted National Highway, and all forms of communication to the external world have been cut off, and the one you love is missing, and you’re trying to get aid at the quickest possible time, rain doesn’t help the mood of the hour. Actually, rain seldom helps the mood of the hour. Unless one can dance in it. Alone. And free. Cecil couldn’t do such things. Atleast, not yet.
The sales man behind the counter of the general store where Cecil had stopped, looked up with a curious expression on his face. Why was this biker stopping here? From the looks of him, he should have stopped ages ago, if he had not wanted to get wet. He was thoroughly drenched. As the young man approached, the sales man quickly deliberated on whether Hindi, the supposed national language of the country, or the regional language should be used. He settled on Hindi.
“Kya chaiyi hai?”
What do you want?
”To wake up in bed and find that all this was a nightmare,” thought Cecil. But he asked instead “Phone hai?”
The man pointed over to a phone placed on the counter.
With trembling fingers, Cecil picked up the receiver and dialled.
1....
0....
0....
“Hello. You have reached the Police department. To report a crime, press 1. To file a complaint, press 2. To obtain details regarding police certificates, press 3. For an emergency, press 4.”
4....
“Hello. Inspector Indrajit speaking.”
“Sir... You need to come. My friends are in trouble... We’re on the Highway, and we don’t know what happened.”
Another one of those prank callers. Indrajit had atleast a dozen of them each day.
“Whoever you are, stop fooling around. This is the police. We can trace you and ....”
“Sir... You don’t understand. I’m calling from a public telephone...”
“So you think you can get away with it? We’ll find you and fine you. Do you know that harassing a police officer is a punishable offence?”
“Sir, please! I need your help. My name is Cecil. I’m on the National Highway, just outside the city. I’m telling you, this is not a prank call. My friends have gone missing. You’ve got to help me find them.”
“Alright. Let’s assume that I do believe what you say. When exactly did your friends go missing?”
“About a few hours ago. We’re not really sure.”
“Son, you’re wasting my time. We cannot file a missing persons report until 24 hours after the person was last seen. Where did you say you were?”
“I’m on the National Highway, en route to the Nagi Falls.”
“That’s not even under the jurisdiction of the city police! There’s really not much that we can do.”
“Sir, you need to find them. Please.”
Nobody needed to tell Inspector Indrajit that the caller was pleading with him now. At that instant, he knew that this wasn’t a prank call. It could be a mentally unstable person, with a good imagination. Whoever he was, he really believed that his friends were missing. And that the police should help.
“Listen... Why don’t you come over to my station, and we’ll have a chat?”
“We don’t have TIME, sir. We need to find them.”
“Without paper work of any kind, we’re not authorised to do a single thing. Please try to understand.”
Cecil was defeated. He felt that the Police Inspector talking to him believed him now, but he also felt that the machine of bureaucracy took a lot of fuel to get moving.
“Sure, Sir. I’ll come ...
Defeat. Giving in to life’s demands. Whether people like it or not, they are forced to live by certain orders of life. Life says jump, and they have to jump. There is no choice. Atleast, that’s what most people think. Many a time, the apparent lack of choice is harmless. At other times, it can be extremely dangerous to proceed past a certain point in life without acknowledging the available choices. Thankfully for Cecil, this wasn’t one of those times.
... Just tell me where.”
The Inspector told him. He knew the place quite well. It was atleast another half hour’s ride from where he was. At this time of the night, there would be not much of traffic.

As Cecil neared the city, he was leaving behind poorly paved roads, which gave way to the smooth, recently laid roads leading into the city. Now, he thought, I can really drive like a maniac. Usually, he was a careful rider. He never pushed his bike past 80-85 during the daytime, and never past 50-60 in the night. This night, he was past 75 kmph on unknown roads with the rain coming down in sheets. At those speeds, the rain was not falling down like dainty little droplets of water. The rain became thin ice-cold needles of pain that poked him wherever his skin was exposed to the elements.
He loved riding a bike. He really loved it. But this night, wasn’t filled with an ounce of joy. Sudha. She was all that mattered. If she couldn’t be found... If something were to have happened to her... If she couldn’t be saved in time.... Oh, God. No.

A strange thing. Love is. It beckons each person who partakes of it, to give everything with abandon, to fully empty himself or herself, and then expect nothing in return. Well, not nothing, really. All people want to be loved back. They love because they are born to love. From a mother’s womb, a human being is pursued relentlessly by love, throughout life, until on the deathbed, love holds their hands as life ebbs away; leaving behind love without life. As useless as a life without love.

Nearly an hour after the phone call, Cecil found the police station. Parking his bike outside, he rushed in. Inspector Indrajit was sitting behind the third desk on the left. The name plate on his desk said so. Cecil walked up to him. Struggling to push all emotion out of his mind, he sat down on a chair in front of the Inspector’s desk.
“Sir... It’s me, I’m the one who spoke to you over the phone.”
“Ah... Tell me. What has happened?”
Cecil told him. From the beginning. Of this terrible tale. He spared no detail. None that he knew. To expect Cecil to tell the Inspector of things he hadn’t yet seen, hadn’t yet heard or did not even know about, would be too much to ask.

When Cecil finished, the Inspector was all business. He instructed Cecil to immediately contact the next of kin of all six. When Cecil explained to the Inspector of the mishap with his mobile phone, the Inspector guided him to a phone which had a sign scrawled above it that read “PubLiC Greivances”. He called his parents, first. Assuring them that he was perfectly safe, he informed them of the evening’s happenings. They agreed to inform Susan’s parents as well. Informing Rohit’s parents was easy too; since it wasn’t their son who was missing, they were quite relieved. Sudha’s parents went into shock. They hadn’t even known that Sudha was taking such a bike trip. They were totally devastated. Sudha’s brother had to take over from his father and finish getting all the details from Cecil.
Finally, only Nate and Shiloh’s parents were left. Here was a problem. He didn’t have their parents’ contact details. There was only one option. Rachel. Nate’s girlfriend. She would be able to get in touch with Nate and Shiloh’s parents. With a heavy heart, he dialled her number.

With its many twists and turns, life can be quite harsh. With love, with hope, with determination, it still ends up being a tough ask, sometimes. At such times, giving in does not necessarily mean that one gives up. Giving up would be a total surrender to the situation. Giving in is a simple acceptance of the cards that life deals out, hoping against hope that better cards are on the way. Cecil hadn’t given up. He had simply given in. To life. Quite unlike a maniac.

Chapter 04: Whatever

As Nate was praying silently, Rohit and Susan were lost in conversation. From a distance, Cecil watched as Susan was making quick, fast gestures. Rohit sometimes nodded his head in agreement, and at times, disagreed. Cecil was watching. But he did not notice it. Life seemed to have been stuck in glue, with all movable elements paused. Cecil’s thoughts were on one person only – Sudha. Where was she? Was she fine? God help her. Almost like a flash of lightening, the thought entered his head and was immediately sent up in prayer. He hoped. Again.

Having finished his prayer, Nate was walking back to the edge of the Highway, where Susan and Rohit were still lost in their conversation. Rohit was heatedly putting forth his own points.
“Hey guys. What’re you discussing?”
Rohit glared at Susan as she spoke up.
“Rohit feels that someone should go away. I disagree.”
She gave Rohit a sour look. She could be mean too, if she decided to be.
“Go away? I don’t understand. Where to?”
“Well, since this place obviously doesn’t have any mobile phone network connectivity, he thinks we should go off to someplace nearby which would have connectivity, and then call for help.”
“I only feel that we should do something about this, since standing here isn’t helping anyone. We’re just wasting time.”
“Oh, pipe down, Rohit. You don’t know the first thing about wasting time!”
“Really? What’s that supposed to mean?”
Nate broke in.
“Guys, we’re all tired. We’re all a little unsure of what’s going on. Let’s not turn upon each other. Please. We really need to support each other through this.”
With semi-guilty looks that spoke louder than any words could have spoken, Rohit and Susan embraced.
“It’s going to be alright, Susan. We’ll find them. Don’t worry.”
Nate was thoughtful for a moment. He was thinking about Rohit’s suggestion. He was weighing the possible good against the possible bad.
People generally tend to have very logical conclusions with regard to tough decisions that they are forced to make. When the situation itself is tough, the choices are easy. The decision takes longer to make, since the effects of the decision could have several far-reaching effects. Lives would be at stake, if not limbs.
This made Nate take his time in deciding. Cecil walked up next to him.
“What’s going on?”
“We’re thinking if we should search here, or go somewhere closeby from where we could call for help.”
“Somewhere matlab?”
“Somewhere along the National Highway, where there would be network range.”
Cecil didn’t even think for a minute. He wanted to go and see if anything could be done.
“Someone should stay here, though. All of us shouldn’t go.” Nate cautioned.
“I’m going. I don’t care what anyone else does. I can’t stand around here doing nothing.” Cecil declared in defiance. Defiance to the night, defiance to the Highway, defiance to the situation, defiance to life itself. Proud, strong and tall, he knew his place. He had prayed. He believed.
“Maybe you could go alone. The rest of us will stay here and look around. They must be around somewhere – they couldn’t possibly have vanished into thin air.”
Nate was still hopeful that they were somewhere here.
As Cecil walked over to his lovely bike, Nate leaned in close toward him.
“Dude. You need to ride like the wind.”
Cecil cracked a grin. A rare one, considering the grim nature of the circumstances that they were in. Like the sun bursting forth through gloomy clouds.
“Sure. I’m gonna be riding like a maniac.”

With Cecil vrooming off into the distance, Rohit decided that they should start doing some serious searching. He went to the spot where the bike tracks lead off from the Highway. He wanted to begin their search from that spot. To help in their search, he started his bike and brought it over to this spot. The headlight clearly lit up the surrounding area; it was obvious that a bike had been through this part recently – the dirt tracks were fresh. They followed the tracks slowly, looking all around for any signs out of the ordinary. There were none. The bike’s tracks moved on. They saw the tracks swerve a little now and then, and they wondered if Shiloh had lost control.
Walking a few paces ahead of the bike, Susan was the first to see it. The bike tracks stopped abruptly. They just didn’t go on any further. That is, they didn’t go on any further forward. Strangely, there were tracks in the dirt that indicated that the bike had been dragged to the right. Immediately, Susan fell to her knees looking for footprints. They had to be here somewhere. One, if not two, sets of footprints must be around here somewhere. She looked on both sides of the tracks. Then she found it. It wasn’t what she was looking for. But it was footprints. She had found marks in the dirt that indicated a foot being dragged across the dirt, along the same direction of the bike. She didn’t know what to make of it. How could she? The unknown is never feared or thought of, until one sees it face to face. The trio slowly followed the drag-marks uptil about a few meters away, where things seemed to get really messy. It looked like a whirlwind or a sandstorm of some sort had descended at that point. The intriguing fact was that the radius of the whirlwind didn’t seem to be more than half a meter. All tracks were virtually non-existent beyond that. There was nothing to the left, to the right, or beyond the strange whirlwind like tracks,
What fiendish phenomenon is this, thought Nate, that two people and a bike would disappear in such a manner, leaving such mysterious traces.
“Well... Whatever. Let’s keep looking.”
Susan’s words sounded confident, but her face lacked the conviction that her words emanated. She was not so sure that they were going to find Shiloh and Sudha soon, after all. She had hoped. That vain kind. When you know that nothing better’s going to come by. Her hope was fading as fast as a man runs when he’s being chased by a tiger.
Rohit didn’t like this. He didn’t like this one bit. From the start, he had been a little jittery about the whole thing – the way they had waited for Shiloh and Sudha to show up, then making their way back to this spot, the discovery of the tyre tracks, the drag-tracks and the whirlwind. None of it made any sense. None of it lead them even a step closer to where their two friends were. Rohit closed his eyes for a few minutes and wished that this entire situation would just vapourise. He believed strongly in the power of the mind. Now, if he could only wish it all away. Then things would be fine. If he could atleast wish himself and Susan out of here, that was enough for him.
His conscience chided him. He knew Sudha quite well. He called her chaechi, which meant sister in English. He was quite affectionate towards her. But he didn’t know her very well. Right now, he wished he had known her better. Then maybe he would want to find her and Shiloh more than wanting to be spirited away. Again, if he hadn’t known her at all, he wouldn’t be here.

The human mind can be a cruel thing at times. When a person is faced with the toughest of situations, the mind brings to the fore two contrary thoughts. One that would seem the easiest, but the more evil, and the other which would be tougher, harder, but was more sugar-coated. At times like these, the mind never ever presents the alternative. To ignore such pointless flights of fantasy, and focus on the physical reality of the present, which would then chalk out its own path into the future – whether easy or tough, good or evil; whatever it was, it could be endured. It must. If one wanted to survive.

Looking at Rohit’s expression of despair, Susan knew that she couldn’t go on much longer. She was tired, she was hungry, and she wanted to get back home. As Rohit looked up and her eyes met his, she wanted something much much more. She wanted to be held. His arms... His scent... His strength. She wanted to be safe, comfy and assured right then. Her eyes said so. His eyes read hers. He wanted to hold her too. It would be the nicest thing. If only Nate wasn’t here.

Scientists have researched it. Healers have vouched for it. Babies still prove it. The healing power of touch. When one human being reaches out to another through a physical medium of communication, it embodies trust, confidence and a deep emotional bond. A bond that destroys darkness, and all powers wrought by it. A bond of love. Simplistic and pure, this bond can break down barriers and walls. It has. And it will. Yet again.

“Quick! Over here!”
The urgency in Nate’s voice was unnecessary. Susan and Rohit may have been thinking of other things, but they knew the dire depths to which the current situation had sunk to. They quickly moved to where Nate was bending over a bush. He was picking up something white and thin from the branches of the bush. As Nate held it up for them to see, they could make out something, some fabric which was coloured white. The material looked thin and flimsy. If Susan didn’t know better, she would wager that it was a ripped off piece of a stocking. The question was – what was it doing here? Neither Shiloh nor Sudha had worn clothing that resembled anything like this. Was there another person involved? Who was he? Or she? And what did they want?

Oh well. Another bunch of pointless questions to which they wouldn’t get any answers for now. Rohit felt that if they could write down every single question that had cropped up in each of their minds over the past two hours, that would make a decent-sized book. Maybe even one that was worth reading. Whatever. Time to keep looking.

Whatever. The mind tends to dismiss much. What the mind does not fully comprehend, what the mind does not fully see, what the mind does not fully like, the mind dismisses. Much of it, stuff that shouldn’t be lightly treated or dismissed. Oh well. Whatever.

Chapter 03: Off The Road

He was sure he had heard it. The noise that Cecil had dismissed as nothing had been picked up by Shiloh’s keen ears. He strained to listen, while slowing down. The other two bikes were fast vanishing into the distance, but that wasn’t a problem – he could always catch up with them later.

Turning his head so that Sudha could hear him better, he asked “Did you hear that?”

“What? I didn’t hear anything.”

“I heard a noise. It was coming from somewhere out there.”

He pointed to a location away into the wilderness. Though she strained her eyes, Sudha was not able to see much apart from dark forms in the failing light. There were no lights here; no houses or shops. There couldn’t have been a noise.

“No, Shiloh, you must be mistaken. There’s nothing here really. Let’s go.”

The bike had come to a stop by now. Shiloh was looking out into the distance trying to make out one shape from the other, as each form melded into the next to form the gooey blackness that humans call darkness. It didn’t sound like anything he knew; it didn’t sound like anything he didn’t know, either. In fact, it didn’t sound like anything. It was simply a sound. Some sort of a noise. Shiloh’s mind raced. With an IQ over 160, he was often quicker with his mind than with his body. Like now. The bike had stayed still for some time, but his mind was working furiously, trying to narrow down the possibilities of what it could be.

“Sudha, we need to check it out.”

“Check what out? There’s nothing there!”

“There could be someone out there, calling for help. We need to go see if anything could be done.”

“Shiloh, please... We don’t have any time on our hands. The other two have gone on well ahead of us. We really need to catch up with them. Besides, there couldn’t be anyone out there because there has been no one on this road at all. Not a single soul, not a single vehicle, not a single person.”

“Exactly, my dear. If there is someone who needs help, and we don’t assist them, then that person could be lost, since no one is on this road. Think about it.”

She did. She thought about what could go wrong. How they could get lost. How the others would worry. Why it had to be them. Why the others as well couldn’t have heard the noise. Pointless questions. Purely rhetorical. But begging answers. Shiloh’s next few words pierced through the fogginess of the answer=laden questions.

“That could be either you or me, Sudha. Think about that.”

This time, she didn’t need to think. She knew what had to be done. If in case, someone was in danger and in need of help, then they had to go. If it was just the wind acting crazy, then it was still worth checking out, in the hope of saving another soul. Hope. That darned thing again. Busy as she was with her thoughts, Sudha failed to realise the obvious alternative to the two possibilities suggested by reason. What if it was something that would endanger them?

She had decided that they must check it out and see if someone was in trouble. But she didn’t want to abandon the comfort of the Highway. Shiloh knew. He quickly made up his mind.

“I’ll go check it out. You wait here, and call Cecil.”

Trying not to appear relieved, she got off the bike.

“Okay, but what should I tell them?”

“Tell them that we heard some noise off the road, and we’ve stayed behind to investigate the source and nature of the noise.”

“Should I ask them to come back and join us?”

“Not really. You could ask them to just pull over by the side of the road, wherever they are, and wait for us.”

“How long would it take? Any idea?”

“Sudha, dear, if I knew the answer to that question, we probably wouldn’t be here, needing to go there.”

She smiled. Shiloh did have his way with words. Quite an older guy, but pretty witty with his lines. She watched as Shiloh and the bike moved away into the night, her smile fading as the bike faded into nothingness. For a moment or two, she just stayed like that, staring into darkness. There was nothing there. Nothing, really. Oh wait. She had to call Cecil.

People always say that hindsight sees a lot more than foresight. And they’re right. If only the same people could remember that, before doing whatever it is they do which makes hindsight better than foresight.

Shiloh rode slowly forward. Dirt and sand is not exactly the kind of place that one wants to ride a Pulsar after dark. Especially, when one doesn’t know what he’s doing there, or where he’s headed to. As Shiloh moved forward steadily, the Highway disappeared quickly into the darkness that was behind him, while the darkness in front of him was unrelenting. Within a few minutes, Shiloh wasn’t even sure as to whether he should change direction. Which way had the noise come from? There was nothing out here other than small bushes and clusters of rocks. Who would have thought that right next to urban India, a barren desert wasteland thrived and survived? Looking to his left and to his right, he kept moving forward, still unsure. When all of a sudden, he heard it again. It wasn’t just a noise this time. It was a shrill, piercing squeak. It made him want to get back. The thought of getting back made him look over his shoulder towards the Highway. Nothing. In the thrill of coming out here, Shiloh had not realised it – there were no street lights or lights of any other kind on the Highway. Sudha was out there all alone, in the cold, without a single light. At the very least, he thought to himself, she could keep chatting with Cecil.

Sudha looked at her mobile for the sixth time in half as many minutes. No change. The tiny bars that generally indicated that she had network signal range were simply not appearing. She had held the phone this way and that, pointing it up towards the sky in the vain hope that somewhere, somehow, she would be able to catch a smidgeon of network signal range. Hope. That blasted thing again. If only she had known then. In hindsight (another wonderful thing, that hindsight), even if she had known then, there was next to nothing that she could have done. To stop it. To stop life from happening the exact same way that it eventually did happen. To all of them.

Shiloh thought of stopping the bike and getting off. But he decided against it; the bike’s headlight was the only available light here, and he needed that. Turning the bike to the left and to the right, he tried to throw light on the darkness that was present all around. Curse this darkness. Curse this highway. Curse the noise that he had heard. Curse the ---

Shiloh froze. His ears had picked up something again. Something more than a noise. Something worse than just a noise. Fearful of the unknown, he slowly turned his head towards it. The sound had come from a point away to his right, just a few meters into the night. Right there, in the faded darkness of this gloomy night, he could see a bush. The bush was anything but spectacular. It was just a bush. What scared him wasn’t the bush. It was what was happening to the bush. The bush was growing larger by the second!

Sudha had walked a little ways to and fro along the National Highway, from where she’d been standing. She was still trying to find that perfect spot which would have network range. Her mind conjured up frightening thoughts; thoughts which were not based on any reason. She pushed such thoughts away from her mind. She tried to convince herself that not having range here was normal. They were on a dark, desolate stretch of the Highway. Obviously, one couldn’t expect network operators to put in network towers in every possible location in India. Not even Airtel – India’s leading mobile services provider. Sudha started wondering if Vodafone would have range in this spot. It actually didn’t matter much. Shiloh should be back soon, and they would be on their way. This wasn’t a hope. This was a surety of knowing exactly what she expected to occur within the next few hours of her life. Or so she thought.

Getting back to wherever Cecil was, was the only thing that kept her from getting scared. His warm eyes, his loving look, his amazing presence. Oh man! If only she could ---

She was sure she had heard it this time. A noise. Was this the same noise that Shiloh had heard? She couldn’t be sure. If it was, then Shiloh was wrong. This noise had come from the opposite side of the road, away from where Shiloh had gone off into the darkness. She crossed the road to the other side. Straining to see into the night, she was looking to find the source of the sound. Just when she was about to give up, she heard it again. It was closer and almost right next to her. If her ears had heard it right, it was coming right from that small bush which was just a few meters away from her, to her left. She was about to step out onto the barren land to check out the bush, when she froze. Someone was looming up behind the bush. Someone or something. She wasn’t really sure which it was.

At times, when a person is scared beyond everything that has ever been known, the mind tends to wander. It wanders into questions which have no point. These questions become pointless because in the light of what is going to happen, you really don’t care too much for the answers. But the mind still does what it does. It’s the only thing that the mind knows to do.

A few hundred meters away, Shiloh couldn’t move as well. His limbs felt like lead, and his mind was like jelly. There was nothing really that he could do. He was alone, in a place that was quite some distance off from the National Highway. No lights. No people. No anything. And a bush, that had been making the scariest noise he had ever heard, was now growing. He wasn’t sure whether the bush was coming towards him as it grew, or whether him and the bike were being drawn to it, like iron to a magnet. Whatever it was, the bush, which had grown to the size of a tree by now, was just three feet away. And then he saw it. It wasn’t a bush at all. Oh man! How could he have been so blind? The noises, the size-increase, everything made sense now. But that would also mean that he was going to be---

That was the last thought Shiloh’s mind could have, before it lost consciousness.

Caught in in inescapable situation herself, Sudha knew she should run. She also knew that flight, however quick, was a waste of energy – it would be only a matter of time before that monstrosity caught up with her. Her mind raced. Frozen as she stood, there was not much she could do. Then she remembered her mobile. She checked it to see if it had range by now, without hope. There wasn’t any.. Quickly deciding on her course of action, before whatever was about to happen to her happened, she held the mobile down, and switched on the voice recorder with the fingers of just one hand. Once she was sure that the voice recorder had been switched on, she threw the mobile towards a bush on her right. True, her mobile couldn’t record more than a minute of continuous recording. But Sudha didn’t feel like she had more than a minute. Whatever it was that was moving behind the bush, anyone who came looking for her should know about it. They should be warned.

She shouted. “WHAT ARE YOU?”

There was no response. There wasn’t going to be.

The looming shape kept growing to monstrous proportions. There was nothing that she could do. Strangely, the shape made no motion to get closer to her. She parted the bushes in front of her and headed towards the shape behind the bush. Oh my God! Sudha nearly dropped in fright. She knew she couldn’t run – shouldn’t run. But she wanted to. Oh, how she wanted to! Even the thought was useless. Whatever was going to happen to her, her mind had calmly begun to accept it. As it sank into near-nothingness. She was aware of a dull pain in her temples. Then she passed out completely.

Life throws many things at people, as it walks them by. The things they know and are used to, they term it ‘routine’. The things that are unknown, they never fear. They never wonder about such things. Until they come up face to face with them. Until such things catch up with them in a manner that is so far from routine, that their wildest dreams wouldn’t have dreamt of such things. Until those same things envelope them within a cold, deadly embrace. Until they lose consciousness because of these things and all happiness is drawn from them, as a child is drawn from its mother at birth.

Chapter 02: A Sunny Day

The call came on a Tuesday. It was Cecil.

“Machan, Nate, let’s take a trip this weekend. We’ll all go on bikes to some nearby place.”

“Awesome. Who all are coming?”

“You, me and Sudha, for now. We might add a few more.”

Nate thought for a few seconds.

“How about Shiloh?” he asked.

“Sure. He can join us.”

“Let’s do it then. When exactly do you wanna go? Saturday or Sunday?”

“Sunday, dude.”

“Cool. Let’s leave at around 12.30.”

“Okay. Done. Anything else, Nate?”

“Nope. That’s it”

As the call finished, Nate was smiling. It was going to be a weekend with something to look forward to. Something out of the ordinary. It had been simply ages since he’d taken a proper bike ride. This would really be a lovely experience. Happy thoughts filled his head, as he attended to the next waiting customer.

Meanwhile, Shiloh had been having a hectic day at work. First, the client had been relentless and exceedingly demanding. Then, his manager called him in to tell him of another of his team mates being promoted over him. Just when he thought that things couldn’t get any worse, Cecil called.

“Hey Shiloh!”

A tired voice answered “Hey da…”

“How about a bike trip this Sunday?”

“Sure. Where we headed to?”

“There’s this Nagavalli falls nearby. It should be a good ride.”

“Fine. Do you know the way?”

“Not really. Could you help us out with figuring out the route?”

“Of course. Let me see what Google Maps has got on this place.”

A few checks on his computer brought up the route from the South Western portion of the city, to the falls. Quite simple and straightforward. They should be able to make the distance within three hours.

He told Cecil.

Minutes later, as he got back to the dreary mundane chores that brought him his income, Shiloh was pleased. So what, if work was a drag? Sunday was gonna rock. Thank goodness for that.

As Cecil finished both his calls, Sudha was patiently waiting by. She was contemplating the possibility of inviting Susan along. If Susan had to come, they would need to invite Rohit. She checked with Cecil, who was totally cool about the whole thing. Cecil thought of Susan as a sweet young sister. What’s more, she and Sudha got along quite well together. It would be nice for Sudha to have some company along with her, on the trip. A smile caressed his lips. A smile that was mirrored by Sudha’s face. It was going to be a great day, this Sunday.

Susan didn’t know what to think. Sudha had just called up to invite Rohit and herself for a bike trip, the coming Sunday. She knew exactly what Rohit would say – “Let’s go!” But she wasn’t so sure about the whole thing. As it was, not too many people knew how she felt about Rohit. She liked him immensely. She simply adored being with him. He was so caring and considerate. Just the other day, he gave up his work to stay with her, simply because she wasn’t too well. He was a gem. She decided that it would be good to spend an entire bike trip with him. She called him up.

“Hi da…”

“Hey baby. What’s up?”

“Cecil and Sudha are planning a small bike trip this Sunday. They wanna know if we’d go along.”

“Of course! Let’s go!”

Smiling, Susan asked him if he was happier about the trip, or about spending time with her. Characteristically, Rohit replied, “Both!” Such a darling, that Rohit. Spending the whole of Sunday’s afternoon and evening with him on a bike trip was going to be good.

How wrong they all were. Smiles caressing lips. Hearts being warmed. Sunlight kissing the deep, dank reaches of their souls. Hoped, they all did, for an awesome time. Once again, life would act out that ancient paradox which makes hope a terrible thing. It would happen.

Sunday morning dawned as bright as ever. There were no swaying branches or joyful birds singing; this was a city. A modern city. There was the lazy bustle that comes with such modernities which make Sunday morning less of a pleasure, more of a sin, and most of all, elegantly dull.

Susan and Rohit were the first to show up at Cecil’s house. Casual in attire, and brilliant in happiness, they looked like they were going away for a long holiday. Sudha couldn’t help but smile. After a few bites of yummy home-made sandwiches, two black pulsars roared out the driveway to Cecil’s house. Shiloh and Nate were already waiting at the meeting point, on a red Pulsar. The Pulsar, striking in black, looked bold, beautiful and daring in red. Soon, the six of them were on their way.

The Nagavalli Falls is a good 50 km away from the Inter-State highway. Considering the fact that the Inter-State had been recently re-laid, and that it was maintained very well, the trio did not think twice before choosing it over the alternate – the National Highway that passed quite close to the actual site of the Falls. Unlucky them. Perhaps if they had taken the National Highway on the way to the Falls, they would have decided not to come back the same away. Alas! Life seldom turns out the way people would love it to turn out.

A roadside Dhaba provided them spicy, but wholesome food. The group ate heartily; few could have seen the food that was laid in front of them, and not enjoyed the whole repast. When all bellies were filled, they set out again. Here is where Cecil brought out that idea which had seemed inspired, at the time. He suggested that they keep rotating the pillion-riders. A few minutes of deliberation saw Nate riding pillion with Rohit, while Shiloh took on Sudha. Susan would ride behind Cecil. To be very honest, Susan did not like the idea even then. She had come on this trip expecting to ride along with Rohit all the way. Now that stupid cousin brother of hers had to come up with such a suggestion. She kept glaring at Rohit and at Nate behind him, but the expression was lost on the duo. They were deep in discussion over Apple’s latest iPod.

The group had to pull in for a stop a little while further on, since Sudha needed to take a break. A good half hour was spent in devouring ice creams, cola floats and cola drinks at a roadside rest stop. Soon, they were on their way again. The ride was pleasant at worst and exhilarating at best. There is little that can excel the exhilaration that a biker feels when travelling at close to 100 KM per hour. Very little.

With a steady average speed of 80 KM per hour, the trio of bikes were soon screaming down the National Highway section that would lead them to the Falls. The group made a note of the fact that the National Highway led all the way back to the city; it could be an alternative route for the return trip.

Five-and-a-half hours after they had left the city, the group reached the Falls. Tired, weary and exhausted, they just wanted to sit still for some time. The Falls had dwindled to little more than a trickle. But there was serene beauty in the rocks, wild grass, and mountainous terrain that was found all around. All mobile phones were out and pictures were being snapped. No one saw the lone man standing at the top of the Falls and watching them; he had in his hand something that looked like a whip and his face wore an expression of grim disdain. But no one saw him. And some one should have.

When people blunder through life, they often miss the most important parts. They often miss the signs that always are present. They look for the signs that never manifest themselves, the signs that never are. And so, the group committed their first serious error. They failed to see the man point to them and make signs towards the sun. Strange, weird signs.

Not soon after, the sky began to grow prematurely dark. It wasn’t yet time for the sun to go down, but it was well on its way out. Reminded that they had a long ride back home, the group of six wearily moved towards the bikes. Cecil suggested another change of pillion riders, to which Nate quickly agreed. This time around, however, Susan made sure that she was back with Rohit. This left Nate to ride pillion with Cecil, while Sudha remained with Shiloh.

The journey back felt quicker than the journey towards the Falls. It is always the same with trips to places one has never been to before; the return journey is a lot quicker.

Dark, gloomy clouds loomed overhead, blotting out what was left of the twilight, while the three modern stallions sped across the vast stretch of the highway. When they reached the point in the road where the National Highway forked off from the route they had arrived by, their decision was unanimous. They decided to take the National Highway. It wasn’t a well-thought out decision. It wasn’t a logical decision. It was simply decided.

Trying to set the pace, Cecil was riding in front. Every now and then, either Rohit or Shiloh would fall behind, forcing Cecil to slow down and wait for them to catch up. And catch up, they would – zooming past Cecil like he wasn’t there. Slowing down, waiting for, catching up, zooming past – one after the other, each rider took his turn at it.

Soon, they reached a stretch of the highway which was desolate, barren and looked like an expansive scene from a Western; scrubs, bushes, barren earth formed the scenery on both sides of the Highway. There was not much to see, nothing to look at. Taking a sharp curve, Cecil thought he heard something. But he dismissed it as nothing since there really was nothing around. Travelling at those speeds, the wind can howl and make all sorts of odd noises in a man’s ears. What Cecil thought he heard, he had dismissed. He shouldn’t have. He never should have.

The three riders had been a treat to watch. Their handling of the motorised vehicles; their poise and grace as they rode the magnificient machines; the way they threw all caution to the winds. Until finally, there were only two. Their antics had become so routine, that no one noticed. At least, for a while. When they finally noticed, it had happened.

Chapter 01: It Happened

He was gone. They had waited for a full thirty minutes, and he hadn’t yet caught up with them. The sinking feeling that had been gnawing at the edges of their minds enveloped them just as the wideness and the emptiness of the barren landscape enveloped their vision. Each bike had been alternating in taking the lead, so nobody felt anything amiss when Shiloh’s had fallen behind. But now, after waiting for him, they were beside themselves. They should have stayed together. They never should have been so far in front. They should have realised it sooner. Life is always full of what should have been, could have been, and would have been. Yet, life plods on. Unmindful of the fact that people actually wish it were otherwise.

Cecil walked over to Nate, a grim expression on his face. “What do you think we should do, dude?” Without a word, Nate pulled out his mobile for the umpteenth time, and attempted to call first Shiloh, then Sudha. The expression on Nate’s face was evidence to the fact that both Shiloh’s and Sudha’s mobiles were still out of reach.

Rohit and Susan were standing a few meters away. They were just kids – barely twenty, yet. Scared and anxious. They knew it wasn’t their fault. They knew that nothing could be done, in case the worst had happened. They also knew, that if Shiloh and Sudha did not turn up in the next few minutes, then all of them would need to go back. Back through that lonely, winding National Highway. Riding through it once had been quite dampening to their spirits. Going back through it again would be sheer idiocy. Nevertheless – it had to be done. With a grim look on his face, Rohit walked over to where Cecil and Nate were standing silently and looking at each other. Silent, but with volumes of conversation passing between them.

“Let’s go back”

Nate looked at Rohit, then at Cecil.

“Can’t we wait a few more minutes? They might have stopped for just a while”

He was almost pleading. Almost as if, if they didn’t go back, then things might work out just fine. As it happens with many people who try to ignore the pain, wishing that ignoring the pain would make it go away. The expression on Cecil’s face needed no words. He wanted to go back.

Nodding his head in agreement, Nate strode over to where Cecil’s Pulsar was standing. A beauty in black, it had captivated him at first. The bold, clean looks of the bike held no affection for him now. Nate kind of understood why Cecil wasn’t speaking much. If anything were to happen to Sudha, Cecil wouldn’t ever forgive himself. Especially, since the whole trip had been Cecil’s idea, right from the start.

Four mute, resolute faces mounted the two bikes. They turned around and started back. As the bleak scenes of their surroundings flashed by, Nate swore to himself that if he ever held a post of importance in the government, he would ensure that all National Highways had plenty of rest stops along the way. Or at the least, street lights.

Painful. Frightening. Arduously long.

The ride back was like nothing that they had experienced in a long time. Eyes scanning the sides of the road on both sides, fearful of what they might find.

There was not one person in the group who had a doubt that an accident had occurred. This did not stop any of them from hoping for the best. They hoped that “something else” might have cropped up to make Shiloh stop. “Something” that they couldn’t explain. “Something” warm and fuzzy, like the feel of freshly plucked strawberries on a bright summer’s day. But what could possibly crop up in such a desolate, dark, lonely place? There had been no one else in sight. No oncoming vehicles or vehicles passing by. Nothing to break the monotonous grim expanse. Despite their hopes, they knew. They knew that an accident must have occurred. Nothing else would explain it. Still, they hoped.

It is a most wondrous thing, this phenomenon called hope. It quintessentially defines human existence while at the same time denying them the very substance of that existence. It makes mere mortals dream of the portals of Mount Olympus, while they are on their way to the deepest, darkest reaches of the Underworld.

Such it was, with Cecil. As his eyes scanned the road, he tried to keep his mind away from what could have happened to Sudha. It was pointless to dwell on things that had yet come to pass; things that he was not sure of yet. His ache deepened as he realised that this may never have happened, were it not for his suggestion. If he hadn’t suggested that they switch the pillion riders, Sudha might still be with him. Then again, none of this would’ve ever happened if he hadn’t suggested the whole trip. Curse his ideas. Curse the foolishness of it all.

It happened, as it often happens with most people who are human. When they are in the deepest, darkest reaches of their lives, they tend to blame themselves. They desperately look for something that they could cling to; some path of reasoning that would place the entire blame of events on themselves.

Susan was brought out of her bundle of confusing thoughts by the screech of brakes. Cecil’s bike had stopped all of a sudden, at a curve in the road up ahead. The foreboding that had been floating in her mind was starting to become a reality now. At any moment, she knew that she would see a sight that she would later wish to forget. She did not know then. How could she? None of them did. She was as scared, and as hopeful, as the rest were.

This trip had been a joyride. Young as she was, she loved spending time with Rohit. He was fun, interesting, and he always took care of her as if she was the only thing that mattered in the world. If it hadn’t been for him, she might have even cried by now. She did not know Shiloh much. They had met just that day. But she knew Sudha quite well. As well as a sister, in fact.

“... must have been them.”

Susan caught up with the three guys, as Cecil just finished speaking. Lost in her own thoughts, she hadn’t been listening as she had walked up to where Cecil and Nate were standing. She glanced at where Cecil was pointing. There were marks. Tire marks. They were leading off the road, into the dusty, wind-swept expanse of the countryside. It couldn’t be. There was no sign of an accident. There it was in plain sight – the tracks of a Pulsar turning of from the highway, into nothingness. The foreboding that each had felt uptil that point, diminished in the light of the curiosity that was swirling in their minds now. They looked at each other. Their faces were blank. There were at least four questions that all were thinking. One was the most important. All other questions were irrelevant. Discarding all the others, the group tried focussing on this one, all-important question.

Why had Shiloh and Sudha, turned off the National Highway, in a spot where there was nothing in sight and where it was an empty landscape?

Cecil walked off into the Wilderness a little ways, trying to follow the tracks. Night had come on quite early, and that hadn’t made things easier. It added an eerie feeling to the already inexplicable episode. Nate thought of the “hour of darkness, when the powers of evil are exalted” as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had written. Rohit was clueless as to what should be done. Pulling out her mobile, Susan tried Sudha’s number again. Incredibly, Susan had no network coverage now. She showed her mobile to Rohit, who immediately pulled out his own. One look confirmed the fact that Vodafone definitely did not have any range at that spot. Almost frantic, he asked Nate to check his mobile. No range. Since Motorola wasn’t really an excellent phone maker, Nate decided to check with Cecil too. He walked over to Cecil.

“Dude, give your phone na?”

“Why, da? What happened?”

“Nothing. Just give it. I want to check something...”

Cecil handed over his mobile to Nate, with a quizzical expression on his face. The expression changed to one of alarm, as Nate showed him his mobile. “Look, there’s no range here.” “Maybe it’s just the place dude. Airtel may not have towers here.”

Hope. That frustrating thing.

“No da. Even Vodafone doesn’t have range here.”

Nobody had realised it till then. The instant Nate spoke those words, alarm rose up in everyone’s minds.

With a sinking feeling, Cecil slowly pulled out his PDA which had Google Maps installed on it. His expression turned from fear to one of horror. Google Maps couldn’t get a fix.

Realisation dawned on them, like the sun rising up against a bloody sky. They were in one of the most deserted expanses along the National Highway. There had been no one in sight, on this particular stretch of road. No passersby. No cars, no trucks, no buses, no motorists. There were no buildings in sight. No houses, no restaurants, no roadside dhabas, no Cafe Coffee Day outlets. None of their mobile phones had range. GPS radios were not picking up signals. And Shiloh and Sudha were still missing. Cecil looked at his watch. The duo had been missing for more than an hour now. Nate looked around and knew what he should do. Silently, wordlessly, without moving his lips, he prayed. Hard.