Accident

Driving at night on hill roads is a real adventure. A touch of mist in the air, the chill like winter, and a road trip playlist. This combination turns Vijay into a driving superhero. He's a legend on these roads. Vijay, Samarth, and Naman were heading back from a late-night party, and their hotel in Manali was just 10 km away. But those winding hill roads made that 10 km feel like a never-ending journey. The music was in full volume, and Naman was fully drunk, sitting on the backseat. He was babbling nonsense, making Vijay and Samarth laugh so hard they almost forgot they were driving in the misty dark.

“Do you know she held my hand, danced with me, smiled looking at me. I'm pretty sure it's a sign," Naman slurred in his drunken confidence. His eyes were closed. A charm in his body. Just like he won something.

"She held this hand... this one," Naman declared, dramatically placing that hand on his chest. "I can feel her, smell her perfume. Her hand, that soft palm. Her eyes and the smile under her lips" He sighed deeply, as if reliving the most romantic moment of his life, while sitting in the front seat Vijay and Samarth tried not to burst out laughing at his over-the-top theatrics.

“How long was she with you? Naman” asked Samarth.

“Can’t remember but it was like we know each other for so long” Naman replied.

“She was with you just 10 minutes, after that she went to her boyfriend.” Samarth said to Naman.

“Boyfriend!” Naman opened his closed eyes in a surprise.

“Yes, the whole party she was with her boyfriend. You know, the tall guy with biceps and beard. Looks like he's from a very rich family. He was wearing a lot of gold chains on his neck" Samarth clarified, shattering Naman's dream.

"Sorry, Naman, time to come back to reality. She will not be yours," Vijay added.

The road was empty, but a bike behind them was trying to overtake. The hill roads were narrow and one-way. Hearing the continuous honk of the bike, Vijay let it pass. The biker zoomed by at high speed, leaving them in the dust and Naman in his shattered reverie.

“Do you know his name?” Naman asked coming closer to Samarth.

“No, I know the face only.” Samarth replied.

"No, no, it's not possible. If she had a boyfriend, why did she hold my hand?" Naman asked, clearly confused.

Samarth and Vijay burst into laughter. "She was totally drunk," Vijay said, still chuckling. "Maybe she mistook you as her boyfriend, just like you mistook her to be falling for you."

It was unbearable for Naman. He imagined a future with the girl whose name was still unknown to him. He was insanely obsessed, while she was completely unaware of Naman.

“Vijay, turn the car back,” Naman demanded.

“What?” Vijay responded, surprised.

“I want to meet her again. While we were leaving, she was still there. I saw her looking around. Maybe she was looking for me. Maybe she wanted to tell me something,” Naman insisted, leaning closer to Vijay.

“Or maybe she was looking for her boyfriend,” Samarth suggested. “I didn’t see the guy when we left.”

“Oh God, she’s alone now! Vijay, turn back the car, fast!” Naman insisted, his urgency rising.

“What nonsense is this?” Vijay said, but there was a sense of impending trouble in the air.

“No, turn back!” Naman shouted, leaping into the car, and grabbing the steering wheel. Vijay struggled to keep control as Samarth was trying to stop Naman, who was clearly out of his mind. The car swerved dangerously close to the edge of the cliff, where a fall would mean certain death.

For a few terrifying moments, it seemed they were destined to over the edge. Somehow, Vijay managed to regain control, but just then, a bike appeared out of nowhere. He slammed on the brakes, stopping the car at the very edge of the cliff. The biker, however, wasn’t so lucky. The bike collided with the car and was sent flying over the edge to dark valley.

They sat in stunned silence, listening to the sound of metal crashing with fading scream of the biker.

Vijay and Samarth both jumped out of the car quickly. From the top of the cliff, they could see only the headlight of the bike, blinking faintly in the darkness of the valley. Vijay's heart raced with panic. His breaths came in short, rapid gasps, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He had never harmed anyone before, and now he feared he had killed someone. Samarth, trying to stay calm, grabbed Vijay's shoulders. They looked at each other for a while, didn’t understand what had just happen.

The gravity of the situation was overwhelming, and just then, drunk Naman stumbled out of the car, the one responsible for all this chaos. He swayed unsteadily, unaware about the situation he had caused.

“Guys, what’s going on?” Naman slurred, a clueless grin on his face.

Samarth shot him an incredulous look. “Naman, do you have any idea what you’ve done? There’s someone down there because of you!”

Vijay looked at Naman, a mix of anger and fear in his eyes. “We might have killed someone, Naman. This isn't a joke.”

Naman blinked slowly, the reality of their words starting to sink into his alcohol-fogged brain. The blinking headlight below served as a reminder of the potential tragedy. The sound of distant metal crunching and the haunting echo of the biker's last scream filled the air, adding to the heavy, suffocating tension surrounding them.

“We need to leave this place fast,” Samarth concluded.

“What! One innocent man is down there. Maybe he is still alive,” said Vijay.

“So what? Will you go down there? Can you?” Samarth asked. “If we go down, we might not make it back.”

Vijay remained silent, the reality of the situation sinking in.

“Come on,” Samarth urged, pulling Vijay back towards the car. He got into the driver's seat, taking control. Naman, now silent and sobered by the situation, quietly got into the car as well.

Samarth took a deep breath, inserted the key into the ignition, and turned it. The engine roared. He carefully shifted the gear into reverse, glancing over his shoulder as he gently pressed the accelerator. The car inched away from the cliff's edge, gravel crunching under the tires. With a bit more confidence, he shifted into drive, ready to get them out of there.

Suddenly, the car let out a strange coughing noise and jerked to a stop. Samarth tried to start it again, but nothing happened. The car was as lifeless as a rock. No matter how many times he turned the key, there was no response.

Vijay and Naman exchanged bewildered looks. For the second time, they didn’t understand what’s going on with them.

Samarth and Vijay stepped out of the car once more, frustration evident on their faces. Vijay kicked the tire in frustration, while Samarth paced around, searching for a solution.

"Why does everything have to happen today of all days?" Vijay exclaimed; his voice filled with irritation.

"I wish I had an answer, but I'm not a fortune-teller," Samarth replied, equally exasperated.

"You're just unlucky," Vijay joked half-heartedly.

"Hey, you're in this mess with me too," Samarth shot back with a weak chuckle.

"What to do now?" Vijay asked, his tone more serious.

"We wait," Samarth sighed, the weight of the situation settling heavily on his shoulders.

An hour passed, but no body passed the road. It was nearing 1 am, and the only company they could expect at this hour seemed to be ghosts. The cold was biting, and even under their jackets, it was hard to stay warm. Naman had fallen asleep, snoring away like he had no idea what had just happened.

Vijay finally broke the silence. "Samarth?"

Samarth, half-asleep, mumbled, "Hmm?"

“A car is coming!”

Both got excited, like they'd found water in a desert. They scrambled out of the car and stood in the middle of the road, waving their arms frantically. "Help! Help!" they shouted as soon as they saw the headlights.

But then they noticed some red and blue lights also blinking on top of the van.

“Oh shit! Police!” Samarth exclaimed.

"POLICE!" Vijay echoed; his eyes wide with panic.

"Is this what we were waiting for?" asked Vijay, his voice shaking.

"Oh my god, how did they find out?" Samarth said, his voice rising.

"They sure found out fast!" Vijay added, the absurdity of their bad luck hitting them like a ton of bricks.

 

They were terrified. They had unintentionally killed a man, and now the police seemed to know already. Maybe they were searching for both the victim and the driver. Vijay started chattering like Naman, panic overtaking him.

"I’m going to be arrested! I’m going to prison!" he babbled, his mind racing.

In his panic, vivid images flashed before his eyes: his parents' disappointed faces, his new girlfriend's tearful eyes. It was as if he was already seeing them from behind bars of jail. Samarth stopped him, “Shh…”

As the police van screeched to a halt a constable stepped out, walking over to them. He posed the million-dollar question: "What happened?"

The same question was echoing in their minds also- "What is happening?" Here they were, having accidentally become unwitting participants of an accident, and now the police were asking them, "What happened?"

Just as Vijay was about to stammer out some sort of explanation, Samarth, intercepted the conversation with the officer.

"Um, our car broke down. We're stuck. Would you mind terribly helping us out by giving our car a little tug?" Samarth said, flashing his best 'innocent bystander' smile.

The police officer listened intently, then sauntered back to the van to confer with someone. After a brief exchange, he returned with a solution.

"Alright, we'll give you a little tug. But hop on in the van for now," he said, a hint of authority in his voice.

Both Vijay and Samarth let out a collective sigh of relief, not just because they were getting assistance, but also because they realized that the police were still blissfully unaware of their unintended role in the night's events.

They approached their car to wake up Naman, but he was out like a light. No matter what Vijay tried, shaking him, shouting in his ear, even tickling his nose, Naman just kept on snoring.

The constable, observing the whole spectacle, piped up, "Is he even alive?"

"He's just sound asleep," Samarth reassured.

"Alright, let him be. We'll tow the car with him in it. You two, hop into the van," the constable suggested.

Vijay and Samarth complied, heading over to the van. Inside, they found another police officer, who looked like he'd just bitten into a lemon. Samarth flashed a smile and thanked him, but all he got in return was a stony silence.

With Naman still peacefully snoring away in the car, it was towed to safety. Vijay and Samarth climbed into the van, bracing themselves for whatever twists and turns fate had in store for them next.

 

The next morning, Naman awoke to find himself in a hotel bed, with Vijay and Samarth nowhere to be seen. As he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, memories of the previous night came flooding back - the excessive drinking, the hazy recollection of a terrible accident. Samarth and Vijay headed off to repair the car, leaving Naman behind at the hotel. He resolved to apologize for his behaviour at the night before once they returned.

Feeling a sense of guilt and unease, Naman made his way to the hotel's dining area for some tea. Everybody was taking their breakfast. News on the television was playing in high volume.

The news anchor's voice filled the room as today's headline flashed across the screen: "Infamous drug dealer and most wanted criminal, Raj Malhotra's body found in the valley."

Naman's heart skipped a beat as the details unfolded. Raj Malhotra, wanted by the police, had been at a nightclub last night. The police had closed in on his location, but he had managed to escape on a bike before they could apprehend him. Despite an overnight search, the police had been unable to locate him.

But in the morning, a local had discovered his lifeless body along with his wrecked bike in the valley.

As Naman surveyed the scene, trying to piece together the events of the previous night, he inadvertently snapped a photo of the broken bike and the surrounding area from the television. After some time, Vijay and Samarth hurriedly returned with the repaired car. Vijay urged Naman to pack his bags quickly as they needed to leave before the police potentially arrived to arrest them.

 

In the car, Naman brought up the photo he had taken. "Vijay, take a look at this picture," he said.

Vijay examined the photo, his eyes widening in surprise. "This is the same bike we collided with last night, and the location looks familiar too!"

"Exactly, we accidentally killed a criminal," Naman explained.

Samarth snatched the phone to see the picture for himself. Naman continued, "The police aren't after us. They believe it was just an accident. The bike was going at full speed, it probably slipped off the cliff."

"Really?" Vijay exclaimed, relieved.

Then Samarth chimed in, "Do you remember him? He's the same guy we saw at the party."

"Who?" Vijay asked.

"The boyfriend - the one Naman was talking about last night," Samarth clarified. "I remember his face."

Vijay was surprised; they had inadvertently eliminated a criminal without intending to. However, Naman had other thoughts.

"If we got rid of her boyfriend, she's single now," Naman observed.

Everyone in the car braced themselves for Naman's next unpredictable move. And true to form, Naman suddenly leaned towards Vijay, his urgency escalating.

"Oh God, she's alone now! Vijay, turn the car around, fast!" Naman exclaimed, in the same way he did last night.