ECHOES OF COMBAT

Runa cowers under the bed, panting heavily, with her heart pounding like a war drum.

- by Sreelekha Chatterjee

Uncontrollable tears continue splashing on her dress, blinding her. Unexpectedly, a deep, hollow sound, followed by a frightful roar outside, startles her. She drops her mobile. It clatters onto the floor without any visible damage. Stirred, her eyes wander around the objects in the room, appearing blurred and indistinct.

“Runa, are you there?” One of her colleagues taps on her closed door.

“Y-yeah, I-I’m h-here.” Runa wheezes, mumbling under her breath.

“We're waiting for you downstairs. Come soon!” The same colleague resumes.

Runa can't hear any more knocks on her door, but her beleaguered mind can identify the thudding of heavy guns and the rumbling of tanks somewhere nearby.

An appalling flash of lights emerges on her windowpane like a petal burst of bloom, followed by a loud, rushing sound in the air that dies in a shrill explosion, cracking the branches of trees in the forest beyond their guesthouse. What if they are hiding in the jungle? They'll reach within no time. She wonders how her colleague is so calm and composed. Didn’t she see the army men stationed at various points while entering this border town? Now, gunshots are being heard. Dropping flat onto the floor, Runacrawls out from under the bed. She decides to keep an eye on the window to trace any blazing missile. The smoke will certainly apprise her of any adversaries’ attempts to disarray their tranquility. Just then, she hears loud music coming from the lawn. Cautiously, she inches her way upto the window.