A Different Path

Glass

"Brother?" Dushasana tried again.

Duryodhana's shoulders tensed and he looked up, blinking a few times, squinting at where Karna stood with Dushasan. Then without warning, he threw a log of wood that belonged rightfully at the fireplace directly at them. Dushasan inched backward in response as Karna caught the log with his right hand, ignoring the small cut from the sharp edge of the wood.

"Go away..all of you....leave me alone!" Duryodhana slurred, his words barely audible as he continued to sway wildly, spitting profanities. He was obviously under the influence considering he had barely registered Karna's presence, instead he had taken to staring hard at the floor, picking at the loose thread of the carpet.

"Brother....please...listen-"

"Didn't I tell you to leave?" Duryodhana thundered, crushing the glass shard in his hand. Dushasan gasped in horror as the blood dripped from his hands onto the carpet staining the emerald green in dark red.

"Go...go ...Dushasan go....or you'll die too.....like the rest of them.....my brothers!" 

Duryodhana's voice was hauntingly bitter  "Bhima ..he killed them and made me watch" Duryodhana laughed with a sorrow so heartbreaking, so profound that all Karna could do was stare back helplessly, paralyzed with shock.

"Go away.........you go away" Duryodhana mumbled before chugging down the sura from the bottle like a madman who has been thirsty for days. Finally, he collapsed on the floor and the bottle escaped from his hands and rolled underneath the bed.

"Does he blame himself? For what happened to his brothers?" Karna asked even though he knew the answer.

"Yes.....I've tried telling him it's not his fault but he just..."

Karna walked towards where Duryodhana was, mindful of the glass, and kneeled in front of his friend. "Duryodhana?"

"Go away"

"No."

Karna saw the punch coming simply from the twitch in Duryodhana's face and he blocked his hand not because he didn't deserve it but because he was sure that Duryodhana would end up hurting himself.

"What are you doing?" Dushasan asked in worry as Duryodhana attempted to free himself from Karna's grasp.

"Well you tried being nice and clearly that didn't work out."

"No, I won't let you-----Hey watch out!" Dushasan's warning came too late. Duryodhana had slammed the bottle that he had seized from under the bed, straight at his arms. The glass shattered on impact, as pinpricks of pain shot up in his skin, blood mixing with the sura that had been left over.

For a moment there was complete silence.