Journey part 3

Anyone would be shocked after being shot by such a question. Within a short time Tanu s smiling face was back.

“hmmmm that depends. What would the murder weapon be?”

“Do you think it matters? Ok then lets see… what if I activate a bomb right under our seat and make it explode while we are talking?”

With the recent bomb blasts the word ‘bomb” had a very terrorizing effect on everyone. Probably for a moment Tanu imagined a bomb being present under her seat. ‘What s wrong with me!!! He s such a simple, soft and harmless person. He s just kidding.’

She started laughing. “Mr ‘Psycho Serial Killer’. you are forgetting one important thing. All you want is to kill me. If you use bomb even you ll  get killed. You must really be Psycho to kill me by detonating a bomb under this seat.”

“Of course I am psycho. Why else would I keep killing people. I know that I would die. But may be I am will to….”

“why would that be?”

“Hmmmm let me think…. Ok here it goes. I was madly in love with you since we were studying. But I could never tell you. I had always thought that one day would tell you. But now I realize that it is too late. You are getting married to someone else, which I can not stand. So I decide to kill you. There are couple of reasons why I decided on bomb. Firstly it ll be over before you knew. You would not even know it happened. So that before you death I see your smiling face as we sit here and talk. Secondly all these days I have been living with one reason, to tell you how I feel. With you no more I would not have any reason to live. So I would anyway join you, now or later. And finally I would not get change to live you, but atleast I could leave with you.”

Tanu was dumbstruck. For the first time in the many years that he had seen her, smile was missing from her face. He took pity on her and said. “Ok lets stop. I see that you are scared.”

“No I am not. I was thinking about how I could save myself. You want to kill me, its ok. I understand, although it is not normal to kill a person whom you love, it is acceptable from a psycho serial killer. But why kill all others on this train?”

“Innocent victims I guess. Cant help. Their bad luck that they chose this train. I made my plan after I came to know about your travel plan. I thought it was perfect. Because it s a newly introduced one, not so well known, a bit odd timing, and a weekday. I had expected an almost empty train. Well actually there are very few travelers. And if you didn’t know their family would get compensation for the accident.”

“What!! You think that would make their family happy? Look at that person. His parents might be well-off, and he might be their only son. Of what use would a bit more money be to them when they do not have their son. There s a newly wed couple going to make their home, an you would kill them before they even stated a new life?”

“Hey. Get a grip. It was your idea to create a situation. It s just a situation.”

There was silence. Then “hey you said you were madly in love with me. And you are planning to kill me. Don’t you think I deserve to know that someone was madly in love with me before I die?”

He did not know what to say. Then he went on his knees took her hand and said “Tanu ever since met you on the first day of college, I wanted to talk to you, I don’t know why, but I developed feelings for you, I fell in love with you. I still love you.”

In typical filmi style Tanu said “Oh Prateek why didn’t you tell this earlier. Something could have been done, now you are too late.”

“Hw could I have told you? I had never talked to you. Do you realize that this is the fist time that we are talking to each other? I know I am too late. That s the reason I am doing this. Do not worry Tanu. It wont hurt you. You wont know when and how it happened. It will all be over before a blink of eye.”

She was again scared. “Prateek please tell me that this is still a proxy situation. And that you are not serious about this.”

There was a wicked smile on Prateek s face

to be continued...