Oliver Benjamin
found. There was nowhere to hide. Once again, I faced almost certain
death, and by this time, I was beginning to grow really sick and tired
of the situation.
White and blue robes held each other in terror, as the bullets
randomly zinged around us. Our only blessing was that the pilot of
the tank had no clue how to aim the guns, or else there would have
been many casualties. Many had already been hit, and the wails of
victims began to accompany the thunder of the guns. I closed my eyes
and silently began to pray.
At first I prayed for rescue. Then I prayed for a way out. Soon I
prayed for mercy. Finally, I prayed for nothing: that is, the mind went
blank while the body sat still.
I was shaken from my trance by a loud explosion in front of us,
and a rumbling from the right. We all opened our eyes to see what
had happened, and realized that the tank had stopped firing. Its
cannon was beginning to rotate, however. As the barrel began to
point towards the rumbling, I looked up and saw another identical
tank firing mortar shells at the first one. The first shot had been a
direct hit, and now a second one rang out, crippling the cannon, and
damaging one of the guns. A third and final strike to the Omniraja’s
tank rendered it useless.
Finally, mercifully, the compound was silent, but for the moans
of the wounded. Slowly, the lid on the tank that had saved us began
to open. A head popped out of the top that I knew well. It was
Haridas. He smiled and called to the crowd, “All is well. Take care of
the injured. The police will take care of the rest.” Behind him, a
barrage of military police cars swarmed onto the ashram, and
Haridas climbed down from the tank.
“Haridas!” I called to him. I ran up to my mentor and greeted
him. “You saved us all! Thank God you’re here!”
“Yes. It is good. But you may call me Vikash now. I no longer
have any reason to hide.”
As if in answer to that declaration, the lid of the other tank flew
open, and a scowling head popped out. “Die Vikash! Die traitor!”
screamed Safora, enraged. “Die, murderer!” She gripped a handgun
and aimed at him. As the bullet flew, so did I, anger becoming
suddenly palpable as I pushed Haridas out of its trajectory. And then,
quite unexpectedly, the fierce Indian sun dimmed and the stars came
out, each of them exploding until there was nothing left.
And then it was dark for a long time.
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