Rishton Ki Dor

13. Fear

Ayaan couldn't sleep. For some reason, no matter how much he tossed and turned, he just couldn't get himself to relax. Finally, after trying for what felt like hours, he gave up.

Sitting up with a huff, he glanced at the clock on his bedside table. 12.07 AM. Ayaan sighed and reached for his phone. Maybe he could play a game or something till he felt sleepy. But just as he unlocked his phone, a breaking news notification caught Ayaan's attention.

Flight 3A XXXX travelling from Mumbai to Bangalore crashes on arrival.

Ayaan froze with shock, all breath leaving his lungs. Mumbai to Bangalore?

He sat up. No. This couldn't be his bhaiya's flight. It couldn't be. Immediately, he dialed Mihir's number.

'The number you are calling is currently switched off. Please-'

"Damn it!" Ayaan cursed. He got up and began to pace as he dialed the number again, only to receive the same message.

Ayaan was starting to freak out now. Why wasn't Mihir picking up his phone?! He would've landed by now. What if...what if that flight....

Ayaan felt like he couldn't breathe. No, no no no. He couldn't think like that. Mihir would be fine. Nothing would happen to him.

Ayaan opened his phone again and dialed another number.

Ahil picked up on the fifth ring.

"Bhai!" Ayaan said, "Aapki bhaiya se baat hui kya? Wo pohonch gaye kya Bangalore?"

There was silence for a second. "Ayaan," Ahil said, and immediately Ayaan felt dread rise up in him at Ahil's tone. Something was wrong. "Meri abhi Mihir se baat nahi hui Hai. I'll let you know-"

"Jo flight abhi crash hui hai," Ayaan said meekly, cutting him off, "wo...wo kya..."

There was a deep sigh from the other end of the line. "Wo Mihir ki hi flight thi, Ayaan."

Ayaan staggered in shock. No...his bhaiya...

"Mujhe abhi tak uske baare mai koi khabar nahi mili hai, but I'm leaving for Bangalore right now. Jaise hi mujhe kuch-"

"Mai aapke saath chalunga!" Ayaan blurted out without thinking. "Bangalore! Mai bhi aapke saath chalunga!"

"What? No Ayaan, mai jaa raha hu na, I'll let you-"

"Please, bhai," Ayaan pleaded, his voice filled with desperation. "Please. Mai nahi reh paunga yaha. Mai aapke saath chalunga please." Ayaan was sure that if he stayed here, he would go mad. He needed to see Mihir.

Ahil sighed. "Fine, agar Aunty allow karegi to. Be ready in 15 minutes, okay? Mai tere ghar ke paas aa raha hu."

Ayaan wasted no time. Putting aside his panic, he quickly got ready and went down. He stopped outside Alisha's room. He should wake her up and tell her what was going on, he knew that. And Ahil had told him to get her permission. But Ayaan was sure that if he woke her up, there was no way in hell she would allow him to go to Bangalore with Ahil. And right now, seeing Mihir was the most important thing for Ayaan. He couldn't care less about anything else. Sighing, Ayaan looked around for a book and paper. He wrote a note saying where he was going and why. He left it on the kitchen table and left the house.

Ahil was waiting for him outside. "Aunty se poocha tune?" he asked.

"Haa bhai, pucha, she said it's okay," Ayaan said quickly. He totally sounded like he was lying but thankfully, Ahil was too distracted at the moment to notice.

"Kuch pata chala kya bhai?" Ayaan asked him fearfully. "Mujhe bohot dar lag raha hai. Bhaiya theek to honge na?"

Ahil sighed. Ayaan looked so vulnerable right now it broke his heart. He reached out and pulled the distraught boy in for a hug. "Abhi tak kuch pata nahi chala hai, baccha...crash abhi abhi hi hua hai na." Ayaan closed his eyes as tears leaked out, soaking Ahil's shirt. The fear was nearly overwhelming him. If anything happened to Mihir...

"Lekin jab tak hamai kuch pata nahi chalta, we shouldn't speculate," Ahil continued, pulling back. He looked Ayaan in the eye. "Tere bhaiya ko kuch nahi hoga. Don't overthink. Hum jaake use dhoond lenge, okay?"

Ayaan nodded numbly. He prayed with every fibre of his being that Ahil was right!

*

Ahil drove like a madman through the empty streets. Soon, they'd reached the airport and had boarded their flight.

Ayaan couldn't stop fidgeting the whole time. He had never been a very patient person, and right now he was really loosing his mind. Ahil tried to his best to calm him, but he knew it was hopeless. He was aware of what Mihir meant for Ayaan. If anything happened to Mihir...Ayaan's whole life would fall apart.

And Ahil himself was not doing much better anyway. Mihir was more than just a friend for him. He was a brother. He had always been there for Ahil. When Ahil's twin had died...Mihir had played a huge role in helping him move past his grief. The thought of loosing another brother was too scary for him. But Ahil knew he had to be strong for Ayaan's sake, so he refused to let his fear show.

The Bangalore airport was a pandemonium. The authorities were trying their best to control everything, but there was chaos everywhere. The terminal where the crash had happened had been shut down. Like Ahil and Ayaan, relatives of those who'd been on the plane had flocked the airport, desperate for some news.

Ayaan looked around the place. He had no idea where to even begin. He could see some people who must've been on the plane reuniting with their families, but he couldn't see his brother anywhere. He tried going around the place to look for Mihir, but no luck. Just as he was starting to get panicked again, Ahil called him.

"Jo crash mai injure hue hai unhe City Hospital leke gaye hai," Ahil informed him, "Mihir yaha nahi hai, I checked with the authorities. Come on, let's go."

The two of them rushed to the hospital. Things were better controlled there, but it was still overflowing with injured people.

"Tu ruk idhar," Ahil said, "I'll check." Ayaan nodded as Ahil went off. As he looked around, something caught his eye. A crowd of people were gathered around a board at the end of a corridor, checking something pinned there. Ayaan went over to check.

"Excuse me, kya hai ye?" he asked someone standing over there.

"Un logo ki list hai jinki us plane crash mai maut ho gai hai," the person replied.

Ayaan was shocked. He didn't know people had even died in the crash. He looked at the board. He was too far away to see the names, but he could see that maybe 5 to 10 names were there on it.

Ayaan's heart was racing. He felt his like his world was narrowing, until it was only him and that list. He didn't want to check, but he knew he had to. With unsteady legs, he moved forward until he was close enough to read the names.

Ananya Mehta
Rosa Links
Grace Mittal
Mihir Sehgal-

Ayaan froze. His mind went blank. No.

Mihir Sehgal

He staggered back in shock, staring at the name on the list. He couldn't breathe anymore. He opened his mouth to cry out, but no sound came.

This couldn't be happening. He couldn't comprehend it. He couldn't loose Mihir. Mihir was his lifeline, his whole world! If Mihir was gone, then Ayaan would die too!

*

So what do you guys think??
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Is Mihir really dead?

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