Diffusing the Danger

What's so good than the green mountains covered with clouds? Being from Uttarakhand, I am quite fond of mountains. Whenever I looked up to them, I always feels that they are protecting everyone from many things. For example, the killer cold winds, flood. But at the same time, they are trying to kill you.All in all, they are the most beautiful creation of God."Maya!!!" Someone shouted my name from behind. I looked back to find the unknown person. Subconsciously I noticed a stone rolling down the cliff from where I was standing.These small-small things made my heart goes high, next time I will wait to shove a bigger stone down.My sight fell on the unknown girl who was frantically jogging toward me. I tried to remember her face but couldn't find any memory of her in my mind.She stopped just in front of me, huffing for her dear life."Y... you are... maya... right?" she tried to form sentence while huffing aggressively. I pulled out my water bottle from my bag pack and offered it to her which she accepted gladly."Yes, how can I help you?" I asked politely.She wiped her lower face and gave me back my water bottle."You came in our shop yesterday, my mother said, she is a good friend of you, and she wishes to meet you." The girl ranted. I smiled and tried to figure out the motive behind it.I don't know anyone here, let alone having a friend."What's the name of your mother?" I smiled."Rashmita Gupta." She looked down at her feet. My smile widened, but I still couldn't figure out who this woman was."Oh, where she is right now?"She said nothing but pointed at the building behind her. There were several wooden buildings but the one she pointed at, had a woman who was observing us.I looked back at the small heighted girl, but she was on the run. I huffed and decided to go this 'good friend' of mine.The distance between me and building was not so great with just few steps I was in front of the old wooden building. I looked up to the balcony where that woman was standing few minutes ago.My steps automatically went inside. My guts had a wrong feeling about this place. I don't know why, but for some reasons my feet didn't halt even my intuitions told me to stop. It's the first time.The door opened with a small jingle of the bell telling the owner that a customer had come.It was kind of vintage restaurant, with dim lights scattered everywhere. It was almost full. I made my way furtherer in and found people were tensed. It was odd. Normally, in public places there is laughter or fight. But this place were abnormally silent."How may I help you?" a lady's voice captured my attention. When I turned my gaze at her, I found the same woman who was observing us from the balcony. She was standing behind the receptionist's table with a very forced smile on.The talent of judging people's behavior came a little handy here.I made my way toward her with a smile. With her polite smile she is anything but my friend. She didn't know me, no, she is pretending that she is looking at me for the first time when it was her who called me here."Actually, I-"Oh, you have a VIP reservation. Please follow me." She got out and gestured me to follow her.Now, something is wrong. Terribly wrong, and it tells her shaking arms. She led the way to an empty dim-lighted hallway. There are two possibilities, first she is going to wrap me in a trap or second, she needs some help.Whatever it was, I chose to stay silent with each passing steps.Suddenly we were in the kitchen? Despite, the old look of the hotel from the outside, the kitchen was well lighted and laced with modern equipment.Oh, come on, I am behaving like I was literally in the medieval period or something. Of course, the kitchen would be high-tech."Here." The lady gestured me softly. There were at least 5-6 people present in the area. All had their shoulder stiff. The hush-hush in the scene made me frown.With small steps I reached the space where the lady was standing. I still couldn't fathom what the purpose of calling me here?But now I think, I know. The large cubical wooden box wrapped with wires was placed there. I immediately got stilled. It's an IED, that's why people were having stiff shoulders and were not moving much, smart move."For how many hours it's there?" I asked the lady who was fidgeting with her rings on her finger aggressively."I don't know. Our chef just found it in the morning." I nodded and sat down, much closely to the explosive to my life's likeness.It's not particularly hard to defuse an IED, but if there is even a slight movement, the situation can be bit hard for me to handle alone."I saw in some interview that IED are attached with wires and if we were to cross that wire the bomb can explode any time." A manly voice explained the situation quite peculiarly."Then I remembered your presence here, I have seen you on the news and my daughter is quite fond of you because she also wants to join army and be like you. I called you here quietly because maybe the person who fixed this bomb might be here. If I were to call you directly who knows what that person might have done."I looked at the woman in astonishment, this lady is so smart. I already like her. She is one of those few people who knows to use brains at time given."It's good you didn't panic." I smiled at her encouragingly."But may I know, how many people knows about this?" I frowned at the possibility of having a panic attack in people. If those people went berserk, who knows how many people will die today."Actually, we don't know how but many people knows about this. But rest assured we have talked with them and told them not to move, they are doing great job till now, but I'm also afraid that, that man will do something." She quickly assured me and put forth her worry.This lady is just fearless."If your daughter possesses same genes as you, I'm sure she will make a good soldier." I chuckled and again shifted my attention to the IED."And don't worry, the person who had fitted this explosive here can't do anything." I assured her with my voice down.I heard few sighs before I pulled a transparent wire out of the box."Thank God, if it's you. We are glad." An unknown voice sighed. And that just boosted my ego."What, don't be scared. Do you guys don't know that she was leader of the Andaman and Nicobar mission? Where had some terrorist group made our people hostage? Which world are you guys living in?" he shrieked."Hey, quite down." I gestured them to keep their mouth shut without looking up and the environment suddenly quite down.I got up and held the transparent wire in my hands. I need to know the origin of this wire. Slowly I followed with the wire."Stay with me and leave this place." I declared and in no time, I felt them walking behind me, with my pace.I covered almost all of the hallway and reached the main hall of dining. People shifted from their place but didn't get up. The wire followed till one table."Please get up slowly and mind this wire." I stated as calmly as I can. The couple's face paled but got up as I had mentioned. The wire continued to the next table.I explained this couple again and they did as I say. From table to table, I slowly got out from the hotel and found the wire's origin.The wire was wrapped up in the stone and was put just ahead a dog hole. These were lucky that no animal crossed this hole in the meantime.I held the wire in my hands gently and started pulling. If anything, happen I can die right here, right now. But only thing I had in my mind is the step I am on and the next step I'm going to. There is no in middle.I pulled the wire till the detonator and juggled it up right on the top of the box.And now, the most crucial part, getting this explosive out of the public area. Without any second thought I raised the box up and went out as fast as I can. No, I didn't run, I just walked fast.To put situation in my luck, we had a whole cliff ahead of us. Now, I just had to shove it and strike the box with the stone so it can explode before touching the ground.Making my way out of the hotel premises I saw horrified expressions of the people's face.I made a run of my life, because if I didn't shove it down from the cliff, not just me but these people will also die. And I can't risk it.Just like a javelin, I threw the box in the air and picked up a stone from the ground. In 5 seconds, the box started floating down and I strike the box with this small stone.And just like I expected, it exploded on a large scale. It was such a large scale that I couldn't notice the loud shake of the ground I was bending on.I heard a loud cheer of the people and got up slowly. I had just dusted my clothes when I experienced the ground shook hardly.But before I could have taken a step to save my ass, the good part of ground just got split right under my shoes. And the ground slipped down with me standing on it.I closed my eyes while falling down. There is no way I'm gonna be alive after this."Hey God, please forgive my mistakes I have done unintentionally, now I'm coming to you. Please have mercy on me." I muttered."Don't leave me alone. I'm really sorry. I love you.""I will wait for you."Huh? Whose voice is this?"I can only love you; I will only love you."-Is the last sentence I heard before my back touched the surface of the water down. I struggled to keep my head up to breath. My body ached harshly but the desperation for life won over my physical pain."Did you really not see it? Or were you too afraid to look. Silly girl, can't you see the truth right in front of you? This is his kingdom, and you are not the queen anymore."Wait, I have heard this line before. Isn't this line from my book? Why I suddenly hearing this out of nowhere?And on top of that, why the pressure of this not-so-aggressive river is so great? I had visited this river a day before and it was not this deep, what happened suddenly? Maybe flood? If that's the case I think I'm going to die from drowning."I know I had done a great sin, but please don't punish me like this, get up and scold me, beat me, do anything you want to do, but please don't leave me alone. Don't leave me in this Viraha." A very aggrieved voice clenched my heart.I felt suffocated, partially because of the water and partially because of the vague pain in my heart. Not just the aggression, what I felt was pure rage but for what reason I couldn't pinpoint. Before I can know anything, my eyelids dropped.Soon, I was engulfed in the darkness. It's the end.