I wore my mysterious red sneakers and checked my appearance in the mirror. I kept my phone in a plastic zip lock bag and picked up the umbrella.

After making sure that I wasn't looking like a clown, I took some selfies. My father was really happy to see me dolled up, while Mom and Dhara Di told me to avoid some jealous women of our chawl.

I had to catch a fast local train, so I exited my house, bid my family goodbye, and started walking towards the railway station. On the way, I kept admiring my new dress that I had bought with my own savings.

(Bhoomi's dress👆🏽)

There was a light drizzle, so I opened Tejas's umbrella, and tried to enjoy its company as much as I could before I returned it to its owner. Tejas had sent the invitations two days ago, and I had received everyone's texts warning me to arrive on time.

I had kept Yukta's gift in a waterproof bag, so I wasn't worried when the rains got heavier with each passing station.

I was changing my trains from the connecting station when I saw my former teammates posting their pictures on our previous WhatsApp group.

Falguni, Omkar, Gaurav, and Michael had posted their pics of arriving at the venue. I had left home on time, keeping in mind the trains being delayed due to rains. It wasn't me who was getting late, but my friends that had arrived too early.

I climbed inside my second train, and as expected, it got a signal stop. I wasn't worried as even if there were some extra signals, I would have reached the venue only about half an hour late. The party was going to be held for two hours as Yukta needed all the rest before she made her comeback.

To pass time, I watched some videos on YouTube, most of my feed being filled of The Emperors' channel only. I also got messages from Nuke on Instagram, and while chatting to him, my destination station arrived.

I kept my phone back in the bag and left the station premises. The water had filled up in some areas, so I did my best to not get my pretty sneakers spoiled.

The hotel was not much far, and it would have taken me just around fifteen to twenty minutes to reach there by foot. Just as I began walking, my phone rang, and it was Falguni.

She asked me where I was as the party girl had arrived along with Tejas and Manoj, and only I was missing now. I told her that I was coming soon, and we hung up the call.

The rainwater had made the footpaths slippery, so I walked slowly as I wanted to reach the venue in one piece. When I noticed the rain getting a bit lighter, I increased my pace.

"Vaachhva! Koni aahe ka? Vaachhva! (Help! Is there anyone? Help!)"

My ears snapped up. I looked around me as the faint voices kept echoing, the urgent tone making my body go into an alarm mode.

"VAACHHVA! (HELP!)"

The bone-chilling sound pierced my ears. My feet automatically moved in the direction of the voice, and soon, I found myself in an area filled with water all around.

Signs of demolition under progress were hanging loosely from the boards, the poor safety line already being ripped apart and half drowing in the canal. I saw a subway like structure but only half of it was visible.

"Aamhala vaachhva! Dada, Tai! Koni aahe ka? Vaachhva! (Save us! Brother, sister, is there anyone? Help!)"

Where are these voices coming from?

I strained my ears, and after hearing the same voices, I knew that they were coming from the area behind the safety line, but there was water filled everywhere.

"Get out of there, girl!" an uncle shouted at me.

I pointed at the subway like structure. "I think there are people stuck there somewhere. I heard them calling for help."

That uncle shook his head. "There is no one there. Can't you see the sign-boards? Just go on your way. Don't stay here longer. The water level will just keep increasing, and such a thin girl like you will easily get washed away."

"But please check once. I am sure I heard it right," I argued.

Soon, another uncle in a police uniform came and scolded me to just leave. He advised me to not stay in the rains and get back to a safe place.

"Koni tari aamhala vaachhva re! (Anyone please help us!)"

"Uncle, did you hear that?" I asked and told them to listen carefully. "We need to do something."

Both men looked at me angrily as I kept being persistent. Suddenly, a loud voice erupted through the structure under demolition, and all of us snapped our head in that direction.

"O, Kaka, vaachhva! (Uncle, save me!)"

A small slender hand appeared out of that structure, and as the water rippled, a head came into view.

"Oh, no! That's a kid!" Police uncle shouted.

"Please help him, uncle. I am sure there are other people too because I heard multiple voices. I just don't know the exact location," I told the uncles.

They told me to stay back, and police uncle moved forward. While he tread through the knee-length water to reach the kid, the other uncle called up for help. A few men and women gathered around curiously and queried about what was happening.

Police uncle managed to reach the front of the old subway like building and slapped his forehead. He looked at us.

"This is a complete mess! How will I get him out? The gates are locked up," he yelled.

That kid screamed for help. "Please save me, uncle. There are others inside too."

Everyone's eyes widened on hearing that. The local people informed us that it was a very old subway that was getting demolished. But due to poor management, the work never got completed within time, and some orphan kids and families used that abandoned subway as their home.

The homeless people were advised to leave and find another place during rainy season but they never listened. As a result, water had clogged inside, trapping such families in the subway.

Some men moved forward to help the police uncle. A few went to the other side as they knew the other entry side must have been open because otherwise, the trapped people wouldn't have been able to enter it at all. Unfortunately, that entry was blocked as a part of the subway's arch had fallen down.

Everyone gathered around in one place, and as the water level was fastly increasing, the men took the job of saving the trapped individuals in their own hands.

They tried to break the huge lock on the gates; it was very time consuming as the rain kept falling on our faces, making it really difficult to see around us. Still, the uncles kept trying.

They managed to break the lock, but the gates refused to open up.

"Damn this old rusty piece of junk!" Police uncle cursed.

That kid's face was getting more and more under water. I felt shivers run down my spine when his eyes locked with mine.

"Vaachhva na mala. Mala nahi marayacha. Majhi bahin pan aatmadhye ahe. Paani khup bharlay. Lavkar kara nahitar aamhi sagle zaau (Please save me, no? I don't want to die. My sister is also inside. The water has filled up a lot. Please hurry up, or else we all will die)," that kid cried.

Ganapati Bappa, do something. Please help him and others.

The uncles pulled the gates with all of their strengths. Slowly, that kid's voice started getting faint, his eyes beginning to lose light.

Is he dying?!

"Pull harder!" the men shouted.

I saw their faces getting red as everyone applied all of their power. A light of hope shown on us as the gates shifted a little and an opening was created.

"We can't waste anymore time," Police uncle said. "Opening up the gates more will only consume our remaining energies, so we need to act asap. But the opening is too narrow for any of us to get inside."

A few men tried to enter but couldn't. The voices of other trapped people kept coming, making my anxiety shoot up. I glanced at the kid, and his eyelids had half drooped.

Police uncle looked in the crowd's direction. "Is there anyone who can get inside this? Hurry up! Anyone who can pass through this, please come forward. We need your help!"

I noticed some people moving backward, whispering how it was a lot of risk. They were scared that while saving others, they might end up losing their own lives. I actually felt very bad seeing that reaction, but I also understood their concern.

I narrowed my eyes and estimated the size of the opening those men had created.

"Vaa..chh....va.... (He...llll.....pppp....)"

After saying that, the kid's eyes closed completely, and his head dropped inside the water, bobbing up and down like a ball.

"No!" I screamed.

I moved forward even when other women tried to stop me. I felt like my heart was shredded. I ran through the water that was continuously splashing from all sides.

"I will do it!" I yelled.

Police uncle huffed when no one else came forward except a few teenager boys and a girl.

"Now we need to risk younger kids' lives also?" one of the men complained.

"Uncle, please guide us asap," I said.

Alongwith me, a few teenage boys and a girl had volunteered. All of us had lean physiques, so we were confident in getting through the opening.

Police uncle took a deep breath and nodded. "You guys know that you might lose your own lives, right? You can still go back," he suggested.

All of us shook our heads. "If we die today, our deaths won't be wasted," one of the boys said.

I agreed, and first of all, we took out the kid that had just drowned. He was near the gates, so we got him out easily, but for others, we needed to get inside.

It was a bit hard, but I and the other volunteers crunched ourselves through the small opening, the rusty gates slicing our skin through the clothes. The water was at neck level, so we acted fastly.

Thankfully, all of us knew swimming. The old subway was completed filled with dirty water, all kinds of trash and sewage floating in it. Due to the unhygienic water, our eyes soon began hurting, but none of us accepted defeat. We continued searching for the victims, and one by one, we got all of them out.

There were around 7 kids and 4 adults trapped, so it took us a lot of time and energy to get all of them back to safety.

It was all because of the adrenaline rush and the fear of death that I was able to charge through the powerful water currents and not give up.

Once we made sure that no one was left behind, we got out of the subway. The other volunteers and I saw people around us clapping, while the victims were getting treated, but after a few minutes, all of us dropped on our knees one after another.

Luckily, none of us fainted. Police uncle praised us a lot and thanked me for being stubborn earlier.

As he continued with his compliments, I slowly remembered the main reason I had come to this city in the first place.

Yukta's surprise party... I completely forgot about it!

I glanced at my waist, my eyes widening as I saw my sling bag missing. And along with it, Yukta's gift and Tejas's umbrella was also gone.

"Fuck...." I cursed.

I hurriedly glanced around me, moving to go and search for my things in the earlier spot, but everyone stopped me.

They told me that even if I swam for two days in that dirty water, I wouldn't be able to find my belongings. I remembered that I had ended up accidentally throwing the gift and umbrella while running to save that kid. And like that, I lost all of my stuff.

I asked Police uncle the current time, and after hearing his reply, I thanked him for listening to me and decided to dash out of there. Uncle stopped me and asked me about what I was so worried about. He offered to drop me at the hotel, and I instantly agreed.

I knew the party had already gotten over, but I had a little hope that my friends might still be there. I didn't remember their phone numbers, or I would have called them from someone else's mobile to inform about my absence.

Within minutes, I reached the venue. I thanked Police uncle for his help, and he laughed in amusement. He left after taking my details, and I ran inside the hotel gates.

I saw the standee of Yukta's party and prayed for my friends to still be there, but just as I started climbing the stairs of the main hall, I was stopped by the security.

"You are not allowed to go inside," the security personnel said, scrunching his nose. "Didn't you see the warning sign outside?"

"I have an invitation," I told him.

He gave me a once-over and snickered. "What a confidence! Don't try my patience, little girl, or I will throw you out myself."

I glared at him. "I told you I have the invitation. I am here for my friend's comeback party, so just let me in."

He refused. "Show me the invitation then."

I confidently moved my hand towards my waist but cursed when I remembered that I had lost everything. The security personnel called me a scammer when I told him about what had happened and how if I was let inside, I could confirm my point.

Seeing me argue with him, a staff member arrived and asked what was going on.

I noticed how she also looked at me in disgust even when I explained that I knew Tejas, who had himself booked the venue for Yukta's party.

"Yes, yes, of course you personally know Tejas Sir," the staff employee said with a smile, but I caught on how sarcastic she sounded.

She signalled the security, and he pushed my shoulder.

"Don't come here again," that staff girl warned. "We have already seen people like you before, but you surely take the cake for being the worst."

"Excuse me?" I retorted. "You can't treat anyone like this."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Security, throw her out instantly."

I fought with the security personnel and challenged that staff girl to just call Tejas and confirm with him. She twisted her lips and shooed me off.

The security guy was really powerful, and I was having a hard time pushing him off.

"Boomer? Is that you?"

I snapped my head back and saw Mahreen on top of the stairs. The security guy continued pushing me, but his face went pale when Mahreen stomped towards us and pulled me towards her.

"Oh my god. What happened to my poor Boomer?" Mahreen pouted. "You look like shit."

I guess I did, and maybe that's why the security wasn't letting me in. Still, they shouldn't mistreat anyone because of their appearance. At least, they could have confirmed if I was telling the truth or not.

"Shorty? Fuck, you fell in a manhole or what?"

I pursed my lips as Hriaan also came out from the hotel. He shook his head as he stopped in front of me.

"What happened?" he asked.

Mahreen interrupted him. "We can discuss this later. You stink very badly, Boomer. Let's get you washed first. Hriaan, you take her with you. I will join soon."

Hriaan told me to follow him, and I glanced at the security and that staff girl. I sighed as she kept staring at me with wide eyes and open mouth.

Hriaan guided me through the passage and up the stairs, and behind me, I heard Mahreen completely blasting on the staff. I noticed how other people kept glancing at me, but I just ignored them. I knew anyone would have gotten curious after seeing my situation.

Hriaan took me to the second floor, and after passing a few rooms, he entered one. I followed after him.

The room was really spacious, but unlike the usual white hotel rooms I saw in movies and TV serials, the current room was majorly painted in the hues of green and white.

I glanced at my reflection in the huge mirror near the king-sized bed and felt a reflux in my throat.

"I really look like I came out of the gutter," I mumbled.

I actually kind of did though. I was dripping water everywhere. My hairstyle was completely ruined and some small pieces of trash were stuck in them. My lovely dress was ripped in some places, looking completely dull and worn out. And my pretty red sneakers were covered in mud. All in all, I looked like I just survived a tsunami.

"Why are you still standing here? Go and get a shower," Mahreen said as she arrived.

"I don't have any spare clothes," I informed. "I even lost my mobile phone..."

"Don't worry about that at all. Let's discuss everything after we get you all cleaned and fed. My room is a total mess. Hriaan's room looks good, so take a shower here only."

"You guys were also here for the party?" I asked.

"Nope," Hriaan replied. "And get moving already, Shorty. I can no longer hold my breath."

He pushed me inside the bathroom and quickly showed me all the fancy buttons and stuff to use. The dirty water had earlier entered my mouth too, so I brushed my teeth with the use and throw toothbrush, and as Mahreen had very blingy and skimpy tops, she landed me her shorts while Hriaan gave one of his spare t-shirts.

I thanked them and got inside the hot shower. It was a blessing! As the water was really soothing, I took some extra time and properly washed myself. I switched off the shower button and wore the new clothes.

Mahreen's shorts fit me perfectly, but Hriaan's shirt covered my whole torso, falling just a few centimetres above my knees. I already started imagining how he was going to make fun of me as I looked like a hanger.

After I was done, I began leaving but flinched when the shower made a weird noise. Suddenly, it got on by itself, and I stepped back.

Is it a ghost?!

I was totally afraid of anything paranormal. And even after that, I had watched a lot of horror movies where there was a hotel ghost that usually started it's game from the bathroom only. I was stuck on my spot due to fear.

"Hriaan? Mahreen?" I called for help.

I heard a knock on the bathroom's door.

"Shorty, you okay?" Hriaan asked.

"There is a ghost in here... Do something..." I said.

"Just open the door, idiot."

I took a deep breath, and slowly rotated the knob. Hriaan asked before entering, and I told him to hurry up. He flicked me on the forehead when I pointed at the shower.

"You just have to turn it off," he scolded.

"I already did. It started on its own," I complained.

Hriaan didn't believe me, but when he saw that I was telling the truth, he huffed.

"I can't believe you broke it," he told me.

I widened my eyes. "What?! I did nothing."

I moved forward and pushed the button, but it kept malfunctioning. Hriaan kept teasing me that I must have broken other stuff too, and I scolded him to first stop the shower because both of us were getting drenched.

After a few minutes, I couldn't understand what Hriaan did, but he managed to solve the issue.

I wiped myself once more and got out of the bathroom. As soon as I saw Tejas, I became very happy - he hadn't left yet. I wondered if he was waiting for me even after the party got over.

He was sitting on the bed, typing on his phone speedily, and his eyebrows were knitted together in concentration. I was going to call him but stopped when I saw him putting his phone to his ear. Suddenly, he snapped his head in my direction.

"Bro, do you have any- Bhoomi?" He narrowed his eyes.

I waved at him. "Hi, Tejas."

His gaze moved all over me. "What are you doing here?"

"I got stuck earlier, so-"

"Hey, TJ, you enjoyed?"

Hriaan appeared from behind me. He closed the bathroom's door and shook his head like a dog, splashing the water on my face.

He dropped a small towel on my head and ruffled my hair. "Properly dry your hair, Shorty, or you will catch a cold."

I pushed him away as he flicked the water on his fingers towards my nose. He took a blow dryer and started drying his hair.

"Your guests liked the food?" Hriaan asked Tejas.

I rubbed my hair with the towel and waited for the guys' conversation to get over before I explained to Tejas about why I got late.

Tejas kept glancing between Hriaan and me. Hriaan poked his friend again, but Tejas shot him such an intense look that I got goosebumps all over my body.

"You should have told me you were busy earlier," he told Hriaan.

Hriaan looked at his best friend in confusion. "What?"

Tejas shot me a glance and moved out of the room in a flash.

"TJ, why are you leaving so suddenly?" Hriaan asked, but Tejas didn't stop.

I looked on cluelessly as Hriaan yelled at Tejas to stop. Within seconds, Tejas was out of our sights.

"This idiot is really asking for a beating now," Hriaan grumbled.

"What happened?" I asked. "Why did Tejas look so angry? Could it be because of me?"

Hriaan shrugged. "Who knows, Shorty? That guy is seriously testing my patience these days. Don't cry if one day I end up murdering him."

"I think he is annoyed that I again got late and missed Yukta's party. I was going to explain after your conversation got over. Can you please call him?"

He gave me his phone. "Help yourself."

I called Tejas, but he didn't pick up the call. I called a few times, but no use. As Tejas wasn't picking up, I asked Hriaan if I could call my parents from his phone, and he told me to go ahead. He kept cursing his best friend and came up with plans to kill him creatively.

I called my parents, and as expected, Mom scolded me for not picking up their calls. I told her to calm down and informed her about how I had lost all of my belongings.

As it had gotten very late, my parents advised me to stay at the hotel itself. I knew how much they wanted to beat me up but were holding back their anger as they didn't want to stress me. They were relieved to know that I had Hriaan and Mahreen with me, and as Mom had also worked for Viraaje Aunty a lot of times, she knew about Hriaan.

As I talked to my family, Hriaan listened to my conversation intently. He didn't disturb me, but the moment I cut the call, he threw a pillow at me.

"Is your brain also shrunken?" he scolded. "Why didn't you wait for the authorities to arrive for help? What if you have died? Your body wouldn't even have been found."

"Calm down," I said. "The situation was very serious, and I literally saw a small kid almost die in front of my eyes! I would have lived in guilt all my life if I had done nothing. Wouldn't you have tried to save those people if you were in my place?"

"Okay, okay, Miss Life Saver, I truly appreciate your act of kindness, but next time, think about your own safety too."

"Sure. Thank you. About Tejas-"

Hriaan smacked another pillow on my face. "Don't mention that jerk."