Death Wish

What is Death? Is it the end of one's existence or the beginning of a new story?

Darkness had set in and in a posh room of the Taj, Peter longingly waited for his newly married wife Melanie to finish her bath. In the lobby, Ashok Sharma smiled at his subordinate Rajiv, as he edited a final point in his presentation which he was about to present to a prospective client. Unknown to them, two pairs of dark, emotionless eyes communicated among each other their intended plans for the night.

In the blackness, he moved slowly on the pavement, enveloped by the darkness both physically and mentally. He could see the guests in the lobby, busy with their own work. Rich, pampered infidels. Even though a pang of jealousy cropped within his sinister mind, a persistent hatred remained towards those disbelievers. He adjusted his heavy backpack and pulled together his overcoat, hiding the weapon intended to put an end to the enemies of his religion. He signaled to his companion, "Ready when you are brother. Let us show no mercy to these disbelievers. No love"

"I love you Mel", Peter uttered as he caressed Melanie's lips with his. He closed his eyes and let his mind drift to the moment they had kissed for the first time; back in Australia, about an year back. They had been together since then and had entered into the blessed union of marriage last week. It was Melanie's idea to have the honeymoon in India, she being interested in its heritage and its mystical history. "I am so happy that we are here", said Peter, holding her in his arms, "Here's to our successful union".

"Successful deal, I am telling you; this IS going to be a successful deal", Ashok Sharma spoke excitedly to Rajiv. Rajiv smiled and nodded approvingly. "How important are they to us?", he enquired. Ashok looked at him and replied, "Very important. Especially at this time of crisis. A deal such as this could make us a strong player in our domain. So, you better be ready. We need to impress them. Watch out, I am going to pull our division from the jaws of death itself".

So, what is death, you might ask? A severance of our connection to the mystical Earth? A complete annihilation of consciousness? A state where emotions cease to exist? An abrupt obstacle to the journey of hope? Is it more than just an end of life?

Life seemed to stand still for Peter and Mel as they embraced, naked, in the bed of their hotel room, having lost all sense of time. He looked at Melanie, her perfect contours mired by the mish-mash of her long, tangled hair. "You are amazing", he said, "You look so perfect now, your body, your eyes, your hair". So perfect. So beautiful. And so chaotic.

"Chaos. That is what we are going to bring here brother", the terrorist shouted at his companion, as he removed the AK-47 from under his overcoat. No remorse showed in their eyes. "Everything will collapse. They should fear us and fall.", replied the other and signalled, "It's time".

"What time are they supposed to be here?”, Rajiv asked. Ashok looked at his watch and answered, "Almost ti.....". The abrupt end to his voice was followed by an open mouth, as he heard a loud shot and observed his colleague fall down to the ground. He quickly turned and noticed two masked men showering bullets indiscriminately. Before he could react, a bullet pierced his heart and he collapsed, cringing in pain; no time to worry about the other lives lost.

They lost no time in brutally killing people in the lobby. Bodies littered around them. Covered in blots of blood, they moved over the bodies, into the interiors of the hotel, continuing their dastardly deeds whenever a human life appeared in front of their eyes. Seconds passed, minutes passed and all the while their fingers decided the life of any human being they saw. The darkness stared at many; absolute darkness. They went along the narrow corridors of the hotel, opening every room and hunting down people. They were there that day to decide everyone's fate.

"Destiny. Nobody can change what is written on the brow. Look at him". The commandos had entered the hotel, on hearing about the incident. It had started about an hour back and the initial reports indicated some individuals shooting each other. Only when they reached the lobby did they realise the magnitude of the attack. Bodies, covered in crimson blood, lay all around the lobby. Exquisite sofas were drilled with bullet holes and painted with blood. Broken vases could be found everywhere. It was a mess, a bad mess. "Look at him", one of them said, "I know him. He was in news last week. Ashok something. Educated, big shot, achiever. Achieved a lot in his day. Yet, was destined for much more. Look at him now. A body among a number of bodies". Death, a terminator of hopes, culminator of achievements, disruptor of destinies, bringer of darkness.

Peter hid in the dark, under his bed. Melanie was next to him, shaking and cowering in fear, tears in her eyes. The shots and blasts appeared to come from a nearby room. Suddenly, the pattern of the shooting changed and it appeared that the terrorists were fighting the police or some security forces. Melanie held his arm and asked, "What's happening Peter? Stay here. With me". Peter kissed her forehead and hugged her. A loud blast followed and the door cracked and shattered. Two black masked men entered the room, and took defensive positions near the entrance and started firing at the commandos outside. On seeing them, Melanie screamed and one of the terrorists suddenly turned and fired a deadly shot killing her. Peter stood aghast, his eyes refusing to believe what had happened. A bullet pierced his arm and he fell down on the ground and crawled towards Melanie. The other terrorist lost his concentration and a bullet from a commando pierced his head and splattered his skull. The surviving terrorist shouted, abused, forgot the presence of Peter in the room and bit a grenade. A bullet hit his hand and the grenade rolled and a loud blast ripped the corridor. The terrorist screamed and collapsed, unconscious.

Melanie's lifeless body lay in front of him, her face still displaying fear. The once beautiful, perfect body was now limp and punctured. Peter, could still see her, despite the dust and debris all around. He crawled next to her, ruing his misfortune. Death had taken his love. Death had clipped and separated the connection he had with her. He tried hard to keep his tears from flowing but Death had created a deep hole in his heart, ironically, without a bullet.

Bullets and splinters covered him, as he clutched his arm. A searing pain shot across his hip and he was bleeding profusely from a hole in his waist. In his death throes, he felt a previously unfelt remorse over his victims. He imagined how he might have affected people, killed their hopes, clipped their aspirations and separated hearts. But, it was all for a reason. He was doing God's work. He was fighting his enemies. Death might be a loss for many. But, death.....A bright light appeared in front of his eyes. He found himself in a lush, beautiful garden. The ground was beset with soft, green grass and it felt wonderful walking on it. Bright flowers decked the edges of the garden and there were all kinds of flowers. Lilies, roses, jasmines, dahlias, orchids and every imaginable flower ever. There even was a pleasant lake full of bright lotus. He felt no pain whatsoever, but free of all discomforts in a shaded shelter. From the edge of the garden, he noticed a bunch of beautiful maidens with plates full of delicacies. Was this his reward? Was this heaven? Jannat?....But Death, for him, was a bringer of hope, the beginning of a new stage of life, the giver of eternal pleasure, the sustainer of unimpeded happiness.

His smile turned into a flinch because of the pain which had returned. He opened his eyes and through the blood between his eyes, he saw Peter groveling towards him. He saw him painstakingly lift a plank of wood and before he could react, it came heavy on his head. The last thing he heard was "Go to hell, you bastard. Rot in hell. Rot in hell".