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The sun was high up in the sky — it was noon now. Two boys walked down the quiet road. On either side, a few small houses stood with one or two shops scattered between them. Mostly, there were trees and grass swaying in the soft breeze.
Both of them were silent for a while. Then Narayan spoke, breaking the stillness.
"Where do you think Abhishek went?" Narayan asked, glancing at Mayank.
"Maybe he ran somewhere. His mental state didn't seem so good anyway," Mayank replied, trying to stay calm. "Hey, idiot, why don't you just teleport yourself home like you teleported everyone else?"
"Well, teleporting everyone took a lot out of me," Narayan explained. "I had to rest after teleporting each person before doing it again. I still don't have enough stamina to teleport myself home. But I can teleport you — your home's close anyway. You might start crying like a baby for your mom."
"Nah, walking's fine. And who the hell are you calling a baby?" Mayank shot back. "Anyway, I've got no worries — my sister's Diwali vacation started yesterday and my dad took leave today, so everyone's home. And if I leave, who'll be with you?"
"Are you my wife or what?" Narayan said with a light grin. "Same for me — my siblings are having vacation too. After I teleported my phone, the first thing I did was message everyone to stay home."
"When we left, nobody was at school, right?" Mayank asked.
"Probably not," Narayan said after a moment of thought. "There were no vehicles left in the parking lot, so the teachers must've gone home. We didn't see Abhishek… maybe he left too."
"You know what? I think we're too relaxed," Mayank said. "Don't you remember how worried everyone was when the topic of family came up?"
"Yeah," Narayan replied with a small laugh. "They all wanted to go home as fast as they could. Aryaraj even forgot he couldn't control his speed."
Both of them chuckled lightly, tossing playful insults at each other as they walked. But despite their banter, the road was unusually quiet. It wasn't a busy area normally — yet today, it felt too still.
"Don't you think it's strange?" Narayan asked after a while. "We haven't seen a single person till now."
"Maybe everyone's staying inside," Mayank said, his tone uneasy. "There's so much news today."
"Maybe you're rig—" Narayan stopped mid-sentence.
He turned his gaze toward the distance. Mayank followed his eyes. At the far end of the road, a man was running toward them — covered in sweat, his face full of panic and desperation.
Mayank squinted, trying to focus. Then his eyes widened.
"Dad?" he said, disbelief written all over his face.
Moments later, the man reached them and pulled Mayank into a hug. Relief washed over his features, like he'd just come back from the dead.
"Dad… what are you doing here?" Mayank asked, worry creeping into his voice.
"I… I saw the news," his father stammered. "We were worried. I saw some boys destroying things… so I came for you…" His voice trembled, on the edge of breaking.
"What! Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Mayank's words were full of concern.
"I'm fine," his father said softly. "Let's go home. Your mom's been worried sick."
"Yeah…" Mayank nodded, then looked at Narayan. "You should go home too. Your family must be worried."
"Don't worry about me, idiot," Narayan said with his usual grin.
And in the next second — Mayank stood outside his house.
'Hah, that idiot,' Mayank thought, smiling faintly.
He opened the door and stepped inside. The moment he entered, his mother hugged him tightly, tears streaming down her face. Her emotions couldn't be described in words — that's what a mother's love is like.
In the corner, his little sister stood watching — too young to understand everything, yet overjoyed to see her brother safe.
His mother cupped Mayank's face with trembling hands, her voice filled with worry.
"What happened? Are you hurt? Why are your clothes covered in dirt? Did you get into a fight?"
"Don't worry, Mom," Mayank said softly, trying to calm her down. "It was just a small fight. I'm fine now."
His little sister hugged his leg tightly, as if she would never let him go. Mayank smiled faintly and gently patted her head.
A while later, the whole family sat together on the sofa. His mother brought snacks and insisted he eat more, refusing to take no for an answer.
For the first time that day, Mayank felt the warmth of home. The chaos, the fear—everything that had happened—faded away for a moment. It all felt… normal again.
Back on the road, Narayan stood alone for a moment, listening to the faint sounds within the silence — the gentle rustle of trees swaying in the wind, the soft patter of leaves falling to the ground.
He walked a little further and sat down on the stairs of a closed shop nearby. A thin layer of dust covered the steps, and the shutter was rusted in places, worn down by time.
'Maybe I'll have to wait for a while now,' he thought, exhaling slowly.
Leaning back, he let the cold wind wash over his face. For a while, he just sat there — watching the empty road, surrounded by silence.
---
Meanwhile, at the school…
The entire building was empty. The main gate stood open, a few classroom doors left ajar. Silence filled every hallway.
On the rooftop, in one shadowed corner, a boy sat — Abhishek. His head rested in his hands. He'd been there since Narayan had started teleporting everyone, muttering to himself endlessly.
Then, he looked up — and froze.
Dhruv.
It was impossible… yet he stood there. It was nothing but a hallucination, but to Abhishek, it felt real. Too real.
Dhruv looked at him quietly and spoke.
"Let's end this, Abhishek."
A faint, broken grin crept onto Abhishek's face. Slowly, he stood up and walked toward the edge of the rooftop. He stood there, still as a statue, looking down at the ground below. Then he turned back toward Dhruv, as if silently asking — Is this the right thing to do?
"Would you be happy after this?" Abhishek asked.
Dhruv didn't answer. He just smiled gently and nodded.
Abhishek looked down again — and jumped.
A loud crash echoed through the silent school. His body hit the ground, blood spreading slowly beneath him. He lay face-down, motionless.
In his final moments, he tried to lift his head slightly — as if to see Dhruv one last time.
'This is the least I can do,' he thought.
And then, his breath stopped.
No one saw him.
No one heard him.
But even in death, his face wore a faint smile — one of strange peace, of quiet fulfillment.
A soft breeze blew through the schoolyard. Leaves drifted from the trees.
Once again, the school was empty — swallowed by silence.
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