Silent Downfall

Chapter Nineteen

The door closed on its own, locking a perplexed Nayif inside the room.

"Nayif!" A gentle voice rang in his ears. "Nayif!"

The view around him slowly faded.

"Nayif!"

The opener felt a couple of mild taps on the top of his head, following which he let his eyelids jump open. His right arm seemed to be groaning for blood as he relieved it from the weight of his forehead. He discovered half of his body on the floor and realized that he had fallen asleep, leaning against the side of his captain's bed.

"What are you doing over there?" 

Nayif slipped his fingers under the glasses and rubbed his eyes before looking at Waseef once again. He did not have a precise answer for the question. "Did you sleep well?" he asked.

Waseef nodded. "I guess so. Get up now. The weather is dull; you'll catch a cold."

The opener obeyed and climbed up to the bed. He let out a sigh as he noticed the stuffed lion hugging the surface. Hesitation muffled Nayif's voice as he put forward the question. "How are you feeling?"

Waseef closed his eyes, making him wonder if he should have refrained from bringing it up.

"I don't know," he said, following a moment of silence. "Does it even matter anymore?"

"It does. To me. To us. I wouldn't have bothered to be here otherwise."

The captain smiled weakly. "You can go home if you want to. I'll be fine; don't worry."

"You won't be. I received sufficient proof last night. I won't set a foot out of this house until someone else arrives to watch over you."

Waseef sighed and grabbed a handful of his hair. "I'm sorry, boy. Have I been acting too crazy lately?"

"You need rest. And food, of course. And perhaps even solitude, but not until it's safe enough to trust you with that. For now, I'd rather you heal in company."

The captain made no comment. "Shall we get our breakfast? Or lunch? What time is it?"

**********

Hisssssssss.

The unwelcome disturbance paralyzed the whole of Mayank. With sparks of vigilance in his eyes, he scanned the area around him. His vision arrested a rather curious snake, who did not seem to take notice of the mammal close by. Mayank let out a brief sigh of relief as it disappeared into a petite hole.

A sudden flash of memory from an hour ago blinded his mind for a split second. It was just the boy sadly hugging the door frame. Although it was none of Mayank's concern, he wondered if he could somehow lay his hands on the silly stuffed toy.

The all-rounder offered his head a violent jerk. "That would spare me the trouble of bearing his wails until I dispose of the worm. Irritating little parasite. Won't let me do my job in peace," he muttered in a voice fueled by desperation. The hue of awkwardness on his face was seen by none.

With remnants of the thought wrestling in his mind, he began to move again. If not for the starving beast in his mind that kept him going, he would have abandoned the mission at the mere sight of the ominous jungle. He could not help cursing Vaibhav under his breath since a part of him refused to believe that taking another route would make the job harder to accomplish.

"Son of crap. I ain't dying so easily."

He offered himself a chance to rest as he felt his limbs being stiffened by the burgeoning rage. A crow sitting on a branch nearby locked him under his innocuous eyes. Mayank, however, was not convinced by its amicable demeanor.