CHAPTER 4


    The morning was colder than yesterday. It was just like what had been told in the radio broadcast. The fog hugged the streets, the dew on wires and railings had all been frozen, but there was no trace of that chilly wind. Maybe it was better for Neil.


    Because today, most of his time was going to be spent out of home, seeking a job.


    After having a light breakfast—''chapati'' with a cup of ''chai''—adjusting his newly bought sweater and cap, he tugged his backpack straps tighter and headed out.


    "Today is going to be a rough day. It could be good if I can find even a part-time job somewhere," he said, rubbing his palms covered with gloves.


    He took out a small piece of paper from his pocket. "Hmm, let''s see which one will work out." Last night, he had spent a lot of time convincing himself and making a list of places where he could try or had the possibility of getting a job.


    There were many grocery stores, restaurants, and motels near his apartment, so he hoped maybe his luck could work in any one of them.


    "Alright, boy, let''s go." He headed left from his apartment.


    The first stop was a motel. Seeing the poster of the advertisement, he headed inside.


    "Oh, a customer?" A lady stood up abruptly from the counter desk.


    "Hello, good morning, ma''am," Neil greeted. In response, the lady nodded.


    "Ma''am, I saw the job advertisement outside—"


    "Uh, you are not a customer?"


    "No, ma''am, I am here for the job—"


    Neil politely tried to tell her, but soon he understood as he saw her expression and her eyes scanning him.


    ''There goes this one—cross,'' he thought in his mind, waiting for her reply. ''I know what you''re probably thinking: "He came for a job? Like this?"''


    "Umm, well, that advertisement was from last month, and we have no vacancies for now."


    "Yeah, I knew you''d say this. It''s not like I could buy a suit with the money I have," Neil thought as he greeted her again and left the motel.


    "Huff, cross. Let''s check the second one. Best of luck to me, I guess." He crossed the name of the motel off the list and headed to the second point—a grocery shop.


    Most of the jobs he sought were related to cash register handling, delivery, or something similar but not below his level. His conscience still wouldn''t agree to any job below it. After all, he was once a top student in 12th grade.


    "We are sorry for the misunderstanding, but there are no positions available currently."


    Another cross. And just like this, it was noon by now. The fog had mostly dissipated as the little rays of sun became visible, accompanied by a small breeze of wind.


    And still, he got no job acceptance. All he heard were: "Sorry, sir, but the applications are closed," "No openings, kid," "Sorry, there isn''t one here. Maybe the shop in front has one." All he got were rejections. Some judged him by his clothes, while others demanded at least one year of experience.


    "Ugh, why do you paste advertisement posters if you don''t even want to see someone''s resume for a job and just judge them by their clothes?" He was fuming in frustration and anger up to the brim.


    Evening had come, and still, Neil didn''t have a job. What little warmth the sun rays could provide was now fading as the cold resurfaced.


    "Haa, today was a total waste. I haven''t even had lunch, just non-stop seeking a job. And what was the result? None." He was really tired now and didn''t have much strength left to go around to a few more places.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Rummaging through his pockets, he took out a crumpled note of 20 rupees and decided to head home.


    Slowly, he walked up to the bus stop but saw that the bus was already there. He ran up to the stop and caught the bus.


    Sitting at the window seat, he slumped in comfortably, loosening up a bit. The people outside seemed to be heading home from work. Most were in suits and clothes that looked expensive to him.


    "It seems my destiny is hollow from the inside," he thought, looking at those people, some seemed happy as they talked onto the phone or some chatted with their companion with a smile.


    But as some couples walked by, holding hands, a bitter taste crept onto his tongue, prompting him to shift his gaze elsewhere.


    He took out the book from his bag,and glanced at the 20 rupees note placed between the first page of the book and its front cover. This twenty rupees note had his name written on it.


    "I didn''t even know that I had this, mom used to write my name on it, whenever she gave me some for pocket-money" He recalled, as a bittersweet smile surfaced on his face.


    "Hadn''t I seen it earlier, I probably would have given it to the bus conductor."


    The bus stopped at the intersection for the red light. The countdown for the light to turn green started ahead.


    Neil looked upfront, towards the driver, seeing some people in saffron. Their upper bodies were almost naked, except for a strip of clothing running from their bottoms—''Dhoti''—to their backs. Some had strange makeup on their faces and were dressed like dancers of ''Kathak.''


    The people in saffron together carried some sort of consort-like structure on their shoulders, while those with makeup danced around. It was a strange dance; every time they moved, their expressions seemed full of anger.


    Shivers ran down Neil''s spine as all the people suddenly looked towards the bus—or more specifically, towards Neil. What was even stranger was that the people sitting on the bus didn''t seem to notice or even see these peculiar individuals.


    Soon, a loud bustle started. The bus suddenly jolted forward, startling everyone seated. Neil, with a jolt, shrank back into his seat, and when he looked again, those strange individuals were gone.


    And unbeknownst to him, a line appeared on the first page of the book, that was blank earlier. --"In the thin veil of life and death, the walls of fate falter."--


    Suddenly "HONK!" A loud honk came from the left.


    <BAM—CRASH>


    And before he could even react, all he could see was something like a truck''s head running right into the middle of the bus.


    <Boom>


    The world revolved before Neil as the bus toppled. The screams that were so loud just now fell silent. Fragments of glass swam in the air around his eyes and face, and with a huge CRASH, everything went black.


    ????


    A little later, Neil opened his eyes. He could notice the blurry figures around him and faint sounds of sirens, screams, and shouting. He felt small vibrations in his back as he was seemingly moved into some van—maybe an ambulance.


    He blinked, but the scene changed. His surroundings now were white, different from the earlier darkened ones, filled with neon lights and bright blurry orange.


    He could hear some mumbles. The figures were still blurry, but when his focus shifted to his own body, he wasn''t feeling anything—no sensation, no vibrations like earlier. Although he could see blurry figures passing by, he couldn''t feel any part of his body. It was as if his head was the only thing he was composed of.


    ''Ugh...'' He tried to lift his head, but something pressed it down again. A blurry figure moved its head in front of his eyes, mumbling something he couldn''t hear.


    Again, he tried to lift his arm, but he couldn''t feel it. Gathering every bit of strength, he focused on his left arm and somehow managed to lift it.


    He grabbed something. Just as he lifted his arm, his hand grabbed at anything it could touch.


    A blurry figure came in front of him again. This one was in blue, compared to most near him, who were in white.


    "Please don''t leave me," he said softly. These words automatically blurted out of his mouth, like a pre-recorded response. He muttered them with all the strength he had left before blacking out.


    The nurses and doctors, who seemed to be the blurry figures in white to Neil, dragged his stretcher away into the ICU.


    Meanwhile, the blurry figure in blue seemed to be a patient herself, with long black hair and a palm now covered in blood.


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    VOCAB


    STRETCHER - A movable bed used in hospitals, used to move critically ill or injured patients around the hospitals, also be placed in an ambulance.


    CHAI - It''s a type of tea, usually consumed in south Asian countries, made up using dried teal leaves, milk, water and sugar


    DHOTI- A traditional dress worn in India.


    Kathak- A traditional and famous folk dance