Things Exit The Train

Apoorva was standing in horror. She was still stupefied. She could feebly feel the train pulling brakes gently. The train stopped. She looked out. It was the Nallapuram station, which was a small village between Shivadwar and Devanagari. She regretted for having entering the train at the last moment. 'However I need to find Shreni now if I stay' she thought and started searching for Shreni in the adjacent cars of the train. She couldn't enter into one of the cars, which was full of people. Apoorva blamed Shreni for not having a phone for herself. 'Instead, I can go back to Devanagari and tell Yugank what's happened' she thought, 'He'll be freaked out once he notices that we're not there or the train has gone. He might be waiting there for us too. If I can reach him in time, we can board the next train together'.

'Then why did I even board this train in the first place?' the other part of her brain asked, 'Pchh'. She stood there and thought in silence. She blamed Yugank for having given his phone to her; else, it would've been easier. Then she made her mind to go back for him.

She exited her car and stood on the platform. Then, she got reminded of Daktar. 'Gosh, this trip's a bummer!' she said to herself. She started running towards the station hall, to enquire for the next train to Devanagari.

Shreni was usually very patient, but now she wasn't. She was confused of what will happen then. She longed to reach the Shivadwar station sooner.

'Once I reach Shivadwar' she thought, 'I'll tell Viraj what had happened and then at least he would do something; call Yugank or Daktar. Gosh! I totally forgot about Daktar! He missed the train too! I hope at least he, Apoorva and Yugank will do something together. But… Daktar doesn't know where Yugank or Apoorva are! Blow!'

She looked out of her window and noticed Apoorva running. She was on the train after all! Shreni tried to call her, but in vain. She screamed for Apoorva but she just couldn't hear her. She couldn't get off as the train started moving again.

Shivadwar was reached in no time. Just as the train slowed down, heaps of people shot down on the car. The pressure of getting in was so high and hence, no one could get out. No one wanted to, though, except Shreni. She moved further back. She was half-afraid that the train shall start moving before she got out. The people blocked every single door and window. It was dark in the car. The crowd kept falling on each other, trying to get on the train. There were all kinds of people – old people, young ones, some about sixty, men, women, including children. There was nowhere to move, except to dance with every wave of pushing by the people in the front. Shreni urgently wanted to get out of the train, but nobody let her. The murmurs of the people and cries of their children entered into her ears like the roar of a giant waterfall. She could bear it no more. Exhausted and angry, both on the people and Viraj, she thought she wouldn't get out that day if she just stayed there. So once the number of people coming inside reduced, she started screaming and pushed everyone to the entrance of the car. She pushed several teens and one of them caught her hand instead. She looked back, red. It was Mihira! She looked all tired and a feeble smile was on her face. She held Mihira tightly. She looked around for Viraj, thinking he would be there, holding Mihira's hand but Gosh! He was nowhere about.

"Where's Viraj?" Shreni cried.

"I don't know! I lost him!" Mihira cried back.

'He might still be outside' Shreni thought.

"Move! Everyone!" she shouted at the top of her voice and advanced forward, dragging Mihira with her. Some kind people on the way, moved, but some didn't. Shreni pushed everyone until she could see the door. Her luggage, including Mihira was slowing her down, being an additional weight and an additional volume.

The train then hooted. Shreni's heart stopped. She then put the humanity in the farthest corner of her mind and using all her strength, fiercely made her way to the door. The train hooted again, and the car's floor below them rumbled. The train was to move in a moment, when Shreni tackled the last person, who was standing on the footboard, and made it to the platform at last. She threw her bags on a bench and sat down, catching her breath. Before her and Mihira, the train slowly moved out of the station.

Mihira thought Shreni was out of her mind. "Why would you pull us out of the train?" said the confused girl.

Shreni didn't speak. "There's no one in the train" she said after a while, gasping for air.

"What?"

Shreni had a tough time explaining her what had happened, in the shortest way possible. But then she remembered Viraj again. "Where is Viraj?" she asked in hurry.

"I don't know" Mihira said and it was her chance now, to narrate her story. Shreni went blank. Viraj surely didn't board the train… or did he?! Some corner of her mind told her that there were chances that Viraj hadn't boarded the train, looking for his lost sister, and instead, stayed on the platform. He loved his sister of course. He wouldn't just leave her. So they decided to search for Viraj; if he surely is there.

* * *

Apoorva hadn't reached the enquiry centre yet, when an announcement came over the speakers, making it clear that the local train which was on the second platform, was to set out for Devanagari. Apoorva didn't think twice. She ran to the second platform and boarded the train just when it started moving.

* * *

Wind hit Daktar's tuft on his forehead and it swung back. He utterly cursed his alarm clock, for he thought it was the reason he missed the train. He felt he was in too much hurry to sit in a seat; and so he stood at the door of a car in the local train. He was really confused. 'Yugank and Shreni might have already got into the train' he thought, since he has not seen them anywhere near Apoorva.

'How dare they?' he said to himself, 'Yugank knew I was coming; Apoorva saw me coming; and yet, they did not wait for me! Just wait till I reach the train at Shivadwar. Yugank's gonna die today'

Then he got reminded of Viraj. 'Once Mancherial Express arrived at Shivadwar, Viraj and Mihira would get in and wonder why I am not with Yugank. Then they might wait for me' Daktar wished his train reached Shivadwar before the Express's departure, 'What if they lose hope that I'm coming? Its better if I call Viraj now'. He dragged his phone out of his shirt pocket and started dialing Viraj. Viraj, on the other hand, did not answer.

Just then, the train Daktar was in, stopped at a little station. Daktar hung up the call and tried once again. Yet, no answer; instead, it said Viraj's phone was out of network coverage area. Daktar groaned.

The train started moving again. It was not out of the station yet, when Daktar was standing on an edge of the door, holding his phone freely. Daktar's car moved to one of the pillars at a corner of the tracks and it struck the phone in his hand. Daktar could not get hold of it as soon as it got knocked out of his hands. The phone fell dramatically on the platform. He could do nothing but stare at it. A board stating 'Nallapuram' passed by and soon the railway station was out of sight.

Daktar then came into his consciousness and he cursed himself for holding his phone so recklessly; now he has lost his only hope in contacting the others.