The Last Breathe

Muhammad Faisal Jan

I was tired that night. Days were passed in businesses and nights were passed in thoughts. But
that night was rather more dark than ever. I lay on my bed and tried to sleep but the sleep was
farther than I expected. But I had to dive into the world of dreams. A strange fear of travelling
into that dreamy world caught me. I shivered. I felt my body getting sweaty.
" No that won't happen again ". I murmured and closed my eyes with my heart beating faster. I
had taken the risk.
Darkness but with light visible. A wretched house which consists of some rooms with broken
doors. The Windows are left open. There is not a human figure in the house. It seems haunted. I
am riding the bike with my brother. The weather is cloudy. It is about to rain. Besides the house,
there are some plantations. This is a corner house with the pavement linked to its threshold.
The road seems endless till the maximum eyesight. The area is uninhabited.
We stand nearby that wreck. I prefer standing outside, waiting for my brother. He is inside that
house, checking out some things.
" Make haste brother for the weather is not friendly". I say loudly.
He comes out and we two ride on that road. I don't know where we are heading to. But I do
know something terrible is going to happen. How does I know? I was told by... No. Not at all. I
won't tell. Crazy thoughts are not allowed.
After a few minutes ride, we reach an apartment. The apartment doesn't seem spacious. There
are countable rooms. Lights are turned off; rooms blackened. But one of the rooms is lighted. I
can see some men walking to and fro in the room as though they are waiting for someone. I
can't recognize their faces.My brother insists me to go in. He want me to meet with these
mysterious creatures. I refuse. A sudden flash of anger in his eyes. I surrender.
We two move into that apartment. Silence reigns. I can hear guffaws of laughter coming out of
that room. The room is at the top floor. We reach and knock at the door:
" Come in please"
A grave voice replies in an affirmation. I step in. These are six men in near fifties. All are stout,
handsome and beautifully dressed. Some weapons are witnessed by me lying on the table. One
of the men is holding a thick rope in his hand. I am nervous and look into the eyes of my
brother. He smiles haughtily.
One of them breaks the silence and orders me to sit in the chair. I walk to the chair with a slow
pace and sit in it. I try to calm myself but my fingers are flapping. I do not feel comfortable. My
throat is getting dryer and dryer. I try to say something but I can't. I am falling apart.
The man, sitting in front of me, orders the three men to tie me in the chair with that thick rope.
They tie me up. I am stagnant. I can do nothing. The man looks,who more older than others,
addresses me after I have been tied up:
" Mr Faisal! You have come so far. You have brought yourself into that mess. What do you think
about it? Is your life worth living? What's there to live for? Better to die than to suffer.. Am I
wrong?"
I look down at my feet. They are crumbling. I turn to my brother. He is smiling. He can't get me
out of that. He sees me as responsible for myself. All hopes are shattered. I feel death at my
heels. My brother says goodbye to me and leaves the room. The man sitting in front of me
stands up all of a sudden. I am silent. The man, standing besides me, comes forth and selects a
weapon from the table. He checks the reload and makes sure that the magazine is full.
He points that gun towards me. I am looking at the ground but he wants me to look into the
barrel. I try but I can't. He shouts. Bang!

I woke up with a jerk. My hands were shivering. My body was all wet with sweat. I reached for a
glass of water and drank it in a single breathe. I pulled out the drawer and swallowed some
drugs that would make my mind numb. It left me almost dead. But I was glad it was over.