Too Dead To Die...(Alwin Baiju) Too dead to die…


A normal morning. Sampat woke up to the voice of his mother’s calling. She asked him to take out the trash after breakfast. He freshened up and sat down in front of the TV. His mother brought him a tuna sandwich. He looked at it suspiciously and took a bite. The TV had no signal. Sampat grabbed the remote beside and switched to the next channel but to his disappointment, no channel was available. After a while, he gave up and finished his sandwich.

He headed out with the garbage bag and made his way to the nearest can. One swing of his arm. He turned back and walked. In front of him walked a man who looked at Sampat with his piercing eyes. Almost as if he wanted to kill him. Sampat looked away but the more he got closer, the more the stranger’s eyes clashed with him.

Out of nowhere, the man grabbed a knife from his pocket and attacked the unarmed Sampat. His quick reflexes managed to dodge but the assailant managed to slash his forearms. Sampat winced in pain and looked at the man once more in fear. This stranger looked at the poor boy like a predator looking at its prey. Sampat bolted. He ran as fast as he could to his house and locked himself inside. He called out to his mother but she didn’t respond. He called out once more. No response. He searched the house but to his disappointment, she wasn’t there. He went over to his brother’s room to see if he was still there and sure enough, he wasn’t.

A puzzled Sampat found a piece of cloth to cover up the wound for now and picked up his phone. He typed up their numbers but for some reason, they didn’t exist. It’s almost as if their numbers were erased from his phone miraculously. A feeling of terror and panic took over him as he didn’t know what the hell was going on. He grabbed a bottle of water and made his way to Ashwin’s house.

Ashwin was the closest friend that lived nearby. He rang the bell. Sampat’s instincts were on high alert. Fear flooded his heart as it beat faster with each second. Soon the door opened. Ashwin charged at him with a bat. He didn’t hold back his swings. He swung the bat at Sampat intending to kill him. Sampat dodged each swing and blocked the ones headed for his face with his hands. He tried to talk to Ashwin but it was of no use. This sort of primal energy fueled him, making him want to kill his friend. Sampat’s attempts to subdue his friend failed. He managed to get inside his house and made his way to the kitchen. Sampat knew what he had to do, but his heart got in the way at first. He grabbed a knife and charged over to his friend, stabbing him in the chest. Ashwin gasped for air as the knife was pushed further. Sampat cried as he saw the death of a dear friend by his own hands.

He walked out of the house in horror, not knowing what to do. Before he knew it, he puked his guts out. Soon a woof was heard. A helpless woof from Poppy, Ashwin’s dog. Sampat saw the look of worry in its eyes and took it with him, perhaps as a reminder of his dear old friend. On his way back home, a horde of mindless people chased him, all intending to kill him. He saw no means of escape and ran as fast as he could. He returned to his place where he saw his father's car parked under the shade. Using the knowledge he got from watching too much Netflix, he hotwired the car and took off running over them. Poppy jumped over to the back seat.

Amidst all this chaos, he needed to make sure Saaji was ok. She lived on the other side of the city and it was going to be a long drive. He took off to see her. On the way, however, he was interrupted by the other cars on the highway. It seemed that all of them had one mission- to kill Sampat. And he didn't know why. He stepped on the pedal and took off, while the others chased him. Some of them caught up and were later rammed off the road by him. He was high on adrenaline and didn't hesitate to think twice before killing. Just then a cop car pulled up and rammed him from the back. He lost control and crashed into an electricity pole. The cops got out to kill him as well. Sampat had the upper hand this time. He sprayed the cologne he found inside the car's dashboard on their eyes, blinding them, and got out of the vehicle. He noticed the holster and grabbed their gun. One of them was shot in the leg and the other in the head.

He grabbed Poppy from the back seat and coddled it as it trembled with fear. Now he had no car. No means of travel. That was when he noticed the cop car with the keys still on. He got in and checked the dashboard for a first aid kit and patched himself up. There was an unopened bottle of water which he saved for later. Poppy hopped onto the back seat once more. He placed the gun he found on the seat beside him and drove off to find his girl. After an hour-long drive, he reached. The roads were empty. As the bright sun shined bright, he parked the car beside her building. Before getting out, he lowered the backseat window for Poppy to breathe.

Saaji lives with her father. She met Sampat through their mutual friends. Her courage and boldness are what attracted him to her. Over time they grew close and on her birthday he asked her out. They shared their first kiss that day. He recollected all the memories they shared as he walked up to her apartment. He noticed the door was open. He regretted not taking the gun with him. He took cautious steps but it wasn’t enough. Her father charged at him with a book and caught him off guard. He managed to push him to a room with all his strength and jammed the lock. His mind diverted to Saaji’s room and so did his body. He made his way to her room– only she wasn’t there. She hid behind the door, waiting for him. As he got in, she emerged and tried to strangle him with an extension cord. Sampat struggled for a while before overpowering her. He held both her hands and looked her in the eyes. She struggled to let go. The more she fought back, the more his grip on her tightened. He looked and spoke to her, convincing her to stop. It took a while, but he made it work. Soon the primal instinct she had to kill him faded away. Her heart managed to recognize the man she loved, surpassing through the violence that clouded her. Her eyes rested on his. She went over to hug him tightly. He hugged her back. She asked him what was happening to which he had no answer. He explained what he faced on the way to which she asked: “Why are we all trying to kill you?”

She was right. Amidst all this, he never had a chance to think about that. Why did they wanna kill him? For what? His mind went to the thought of this being a dream. But this was too real to be a dream. The pain he felt was too real to be a dream. He looked at her once more which gave him a calm sensation. He questioned why he was able to convince only Saaji. Then it hit him. The emotional connection they share perhaps must be the reason why he was able to change her.

Saaji couldn’t ignore the banging from the other room. Sampat explained how he locked her father inside and told her that they needed to leave because these people may come to kill her too. She hesitated to leave her father alone. Sampat gave her hope that this would all be over soon. But deep down he knew things will never be the same again. It took a while, but he managed to bring her with him. They got to the car where she met Poppy. He held her hand and told her everything’s gonna be back to the way it was. They drove off. Saaji suggested that they needed to find a place isolated from the city. The nearest remote village was located on the hillside. So he stepped on the pedal. Saaji and Sampat talked all the way, catching up on what happened. He asked her what she remembers before becoming vicious. She described it as a cold feeling. One moment she was busy on her bed after which she blacked out. The next thing she knew, this raw killing instinct took over her which seemed to increase with Sampat’s arrival. “What if there are others like you as well?” She asked. He knew for sure that he was alone in this as everyone he encountered wanted him dead.
This is his survival story. One day he woke up to find the entire world against him. Even the ones closest to him wanted him dead. So far Saaji is the only one by his side. He desperately wants to find out why this is happening and there was no way of finding out. All he knows is that this thing started the moment he went to throw out the trash. And all he knows now is to survive the odds.

The moon took over, taking the place of the sun and bringing the night sky along. The cold winds of the hillside comforted them. All they had was a bottle of water for dinner. Their eyes peered into each other as the cold winds blew. She leaned in for a kiss slowly. Her lips landed on his and he joined in.

The next morning, they got out of the car. Poppy rested its soft body on Saaji’s hands as she carried him. They walked up the rocky hills in search of food and hope. Along the way, Saaji spotted a familiar face. It was Khadeeja. Ever since Saaji moved to the other part of the city, Khadeeja was the only one she felt the closest to other than Sampat. She wasn’t there to chat, however. She too had the intention to kill. Sampat wasn’t hesitant to kill either. Before he could proceed, Saaji stopped him. She talked him down and ensured that she could talk her out of it just as he did. Khadeeja rushed at him. He stood there trusting Saaji. She managed to thwart her attack and pin her down. Their eyes locked on each other as she tried to coax her. Her determined eyes pierced through the violent eyes of Khadeeja and after a while, she came back to being herself. She too had no memory of what happened. One moment she was taking pictures for a magazine and the next thing she knew she was dead set on killing Sampat.

This was going nowhere. The Why factor is what’s intriguing him. Why do they wanna kill him? The duo now had one more addition to the group.
Together they set on an adventure to find more people. Moments after they find themselves in front of a pier. There was a yacht and a boat nearby, of which none looked inhabited.

Sampat walked on further while Saaji and Khadeeja slowed down. Out of nowhere, Khadeeja snapped back. She pushed Saaji away and charged toward Sampat. Poppy barked. Saaji yelled out his name. He turned back and found himself tackled by a savage girl. Saaji got up and hit her on the head with a wooden bar she found lying. She kept on striking Khadeeja till she bled out to death. The sight of her becoming violent alarmed him. He got up and grabbed the bar from her hands, tossing it away. He confronted her and the two got into a heated argument. She killed her friend because she had to. Sampat argued that she shouldn’t have done that. Saaji spoke out that she turned on him despite her managing to bring her back.

His eyes opened. She was right. He realized that there was a timer on this. That means Saaji could turn on him too. But when? It could be anytime, anywhere. The primal instinct was like a cancer cell. It can grow despite being subdued. And we can’t say when. Saaji was a ticking time bomb. He inadvertently invited his death.

Sampat knew how he was going to die and by whose hands. Knowing how you die is a blessing. But when you find out how, it stings. He decided to cherish his final moments with her. Their argument ended with him. Saaji grabbed Poppy and they both walked toward the pier. As they got near, Sampat's walkie-talkie that he got from the cop car beeped. Somebody was out there, trying to make contact. He responded and found the first of a few people who didn't want to kill him. They were underwater in a submarine. He explained the situation and they offered to help. A while later, the duo spotted a submarine rising to the shore. The hatch on top opened. A smile bore on his face as he realized that there were people out there not affected by whatever this was. The crew got out. As he saw their faces, his smile faded away. They surged forward. Sampat did not hesitate and shot them down.
They were fine underwater, but the moment they came up they went wild. The primal instinct to kill didn’t affect anyone underwater.
Saaji and Sampat made their way inside the submarine. She walked around, familiarising herself with the interior. Meanwhile, he was reading the manual. After a couple of minutes, he gave up and winged it. All he knew was that he pushed some buttons and pulled a lever. The submarine descended.

He didn’t know where they were going and decided to leave it up to the sea. Saaji found packets of oats and water in the pantry. He looked at his watch. The moon was about to come down. He changed out of his clothes and wore a tank top found in the cupboard. Moments later, Saaji joined him in the pantry wearing a tank top as well. She smiled at him as she grabbed her bowl and prepared her oats. They ate. All he could think of was that this could be his last night- in this world, with the one he loves... The one he shares a deep emotional connection with.

That night as he looked out the window into the abyss of water, Saaji called him. He went over and found her making her bed. She asked him to lie down beside her. He looked at her, grasping the info that she will be the one to kill him. He couldn’t bring himself to kill her because what if he was wrong? He won’t be able to live with himself if that happened. He placed his hand on her cheeks and leaned in to kiss her. That night he made love to her, with his heart bearing the heaviness of the truth. One that made him tear up. He cuddled her one last time before falling asleep.

The next day, he woke up to Poppy’s barking. His hand still cuddling her. He got up and kissed her on the forehead before heading off to Poppy.
The hungry dog barked for food. Sampat searched the cabinets for dog food and found canned stew instead. He grabbed a bowl and poured it all and gave it to the dog. He made his way to Saaji. To his surprise, she wasn’t there. He figured she went to the shower and didn’t bother to check. He should’ve. As he stepped foot into the pantry, he felt the sharpness of a knife pressing against his chest. He looked down as it pierced into him and he looked at the hands of its holder. Tears formed in his eyes as he looked up and saw the wild instinct back in her eyes.

Her becoming a wild one… It shouldn’t have hurt because he knew this was happening. He was prepared for it. Yet it did hurt. It stung like hell. Was it cause he wasn’t ready to let go of her? As the final seconds of his life began counting down, he closed his eyes realizing that the world wanted him dead and he did not know why. He closed his eyes as he was happy to be able to spend his final moments with the woman he loved. His face bore a small smile as he took his final breath. Thus came an end to his story of survival. A story that spanned 3 days.

The next day, the sun rose. Everything seemed back to normal. Every person who died was alive. All except one: Sampat. He was nowhere to be found. His entire existence was wiped off. His mother never gave birth to him. Saaji never met him. None of his friends knew he existed. Reality reset and it took this one particular human out of existence. Why?
Saaji looked at her new dog, Poppy. As she looked at him, there was a lingering sensation. An unfamiliar feeling. Something she couldn’t place her finger on. Her mind was trying to remember something that never existed.
Or someone…


Fin.

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