The Comic Book

The whole forest was covered in darkness.

"Huff! Huff! Huff! Huff!"

A panting voice echoed in the dark forest.

“Tap, Tap, Tap”

The shoes made noise in the silent night as Shama ran, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

Fear filled her eyes. Blood trickled down her head, and her clothes were soaked in crimson color. Her body trembled, and her energy was waning. Still, she ran. She couldn't stop...Not now.

"I have to get out of here," she gasped. "I...I didn't do that."

She glanced back over her shoulder, expecting to see someone chasing her. But as soon as she did, she tripped over a rock and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

*Earlier that day... *

"Ahhhh... It's so cute. "

Shama squealed in delight as she lay on her cozy bed, reading a comic book. As a kid, she had an immense love for fiction and soon to be 18, the girl still hadn't left her childhood hobby. 

"Why don't these stories exist in real life? God, please, please just once, I wanna experience the fictional world"

She squeezed her eyes shut, palms together in a praying gesture, exhibiting her desperation and longing for something impossible.

"Mystical world of mystical creatures"

That was her favorite comic book of all time, which she had read almost a dozen times by now. Her grandfather had given it to her when she was 7. It was a unique comic, a rare edition to be precise. A big fat book, having nearly 1,000 pages. It held a whole other world inside it. A history book, an encyclopedia containing minute details about the supernatural species. Their origin, abilities, weaknesses, strengths, basically everything about the world of Supernaturals. But, the fun part was that it had a plot. The whole information was written with a plot, a story having a protagonist, antagonist, twist in the tale, and all that a basic novel had. The writer no doubt was a genius, a masterpiece creator, a legend.

Shama was brought back to earth by the loud ringing of her phone. Shama hopped off the bed and answered it.

“Hey, have you checked the result?????”

A voice shouted from the other end of the line.

“Ah? Result?”

Shama asked, trying to recollect her memories about the real world, the real-life she was living.

“OH YEAH, I forgotToday's our class 12 result date .”

Shama said hurriedly, opening up her laptop. She entered her details and opened her result. As the screen was loading, she shut her eyes tightly while crossing her fingers.

“God, please let me get good grades.”

She slowly opened her eyes, biting her lips nervously making the lush pink color of her lips turn darker. Slowly picking up her gaze she looked at the webpage in front of her. She had topped the entire state. Her eyes widened at the shocking revelation written on the laptop screen.

“Oh my god, Oh.My.God...I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS.”

Shama shouted in excitement.

“Congrats dude, you topped the whole state. So, party?”

The voice from the other end of the line asked in a happy tone.

“Tara, you knew this???”

Shama asked still not getting over the disbelief and happiness she was feeling.

“Of course, you are in the NEWSPAPER today."

Tara said putting more emphasis on the word newspaper.

"Well, you'll only know this when you stop living on the clouds and focus on real life.”

“Oh, I love you, Tara. I am giving you a special treat today. Meet me at Dominoes in 15 minutes.”

Shama said happily in a singing voice not minding the scolding of her dear friend at all.

“YEAH GURL?? K then, let me go get ready. Bye, my love.”

Saying this Tara hung up the phone.

"Bye"

Shama said smiling at the phone.

Shama also went to the dressing table fixing her look and took the keys to rush outside her room.

*inside her room*

Suddenly the whole room filled with smoke. A gloomy vibe entered it. The comic book glowed in the dark as the pages turned one by one erasing all the words written on the book.

“It’s time.”

A voice echoed in the dark silent room.

*At Dominoes*

“Hey Shama, over here.”

Tara shouted from her seat while waving her hands frantically. Shama followed her friend's action while going towards her to take a seat.

“Ok, so I want a cheeseburger, paneer pizza with joy kit, one bottle of coke, and any dessert that you like.”

Tara said smacking her lips, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“You wanna make me penniless? You are robbing me.”

Shama said, glaring at her.

“Sigh, you told me that you are gonna give me a special treat. So, I ordered what I wanted.”

Tara whined, making a puppy eye and pouting. 

“Ugh, OKAY, eat whatever you want. Just don't make that disgusting face."

Shama said throwing her handkerchief on her face while a genuine smile painted her lips.

"Waiter!”

Shama called out and gave the order.

After some time the food was served. Tara gobbled up all the food while Shama only stared at the food. She had less money so she couldn't enjoy the food at all. But what gave her satisfaction was Tara. Seeing her eat while singing merrily and giving compliments once in a while, She smiled.

Tara was her best friend, her soul friend, someone who was there for her whenever she wanted. She first met her when she was in 9th standard, completely hopeless with her life. Tara gave colors and light to her once boring and exhausting life. She gave her a reason to live, a person to hold, and a dream to fight for. Just like a reincarnation of angels and a blessing she came into her life to pull her out of the darkness she was slowly drifting in.

It was evening by now. They chatted, took photos, did crackhead things together, and had a lot of fun. After all, it was celebration time. Never could they ever get bored together.

“Bye, I love you, Shama. See ya tomorrow at school.”

Tara said, hugging her tightly while placing light kisses on her cheek. After having a whole lovey-dovey moment together, she left the place on her motorbike. Shama smiled and waved at Tara's figure which was slowly disappearing from her sight. 

Shama took a deep breath as she walked towards her home, admiring the bustling streets, tall buildings, honking vehicles, and chattering pedestrians. Suddenly, her eyes fell on two children walking timidly in front of her. They tripped and tumbled over each other so adorably that Shama couldn't help but giggle. The children's mother came rushing over, scooped them up in her arms, and scolded them lovingly. Shama smiled at the sight in front of her while her eyes got a little watery.

Shama reached home and shrugged off her negative thoughts as she pushed open the door of her apartment. The atmosphere felt strange, but she ignored it removed her shoes, and hung her purse in the almirah. She jumped on her bed, feeling tired, cuddling the cozy bedsheets as she made herself comfortable. A sudden headache brought her half-sleepy self back to life. The pang in her head just kept worsening as she tried to reach for a glass of water but fainted.

.

.

.

Shama's head was aching very badly as she opened her eyes slowly. A girl stood before her, her stomach stabbed with a knife and tears streaming down her face. Shama jolted herself up, wide awake, only to realize that the knife was in her hand. Her hands trembled, fear spreading in her veins as she looked at her hands and clothes all painted in red. The girl fell to the ground unconscious as Shama frantically shook her head removing her hold on the knife.

"I... Did I kill someone?" 

Her voice came out as a mere whisper, her head pounding. She couldn't understand anything, the panic too immense for her mind to function well. In front of her, there was a girl covered in blood and Shama was the one who stabbed her.

“Is this some kind of joke? It must be a dream. Yeah, it IS a dream.”

Shama laughed humorlessly, pinching herself hard.

The pain made her flinch but the setting around her didn't change. She didn't wake up which led her to the only conclusion that it was all real. 

“This…This can’t be.”

Shama said taking a step backward. 

"How is this possible? I was in my room just now. Where am I?"

She tried to make sense of her situation, but her mind refused to cooperate. All she could see was the girl's bloodied body, and all she could feel was terror. She wanted to vomit, but her mouth was too dry. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she couldn't cry.

"What should I do now?" 

she asked herself, her voice trembling. 

"Where is this place? Who is this girl? I don't even know her. How could I kill her? What's happening?"

Shama clutched her mouth in her hands, her eyes filled with fear. She burst into tears, her body shaking uncontrollably.