Chapter 2: The Fireball (Part 2)

Read Part 1 here.

[CONTD.]

Devika turned and found the girl who screamed: She was looking at her and so were all the other people who were a moment ago dancing.

“Holy shit!” cried the man with the goatee. He was looking down at her; a startled look in his eyes. “Who... What are you?”

Devika looked around and found hundreds of pairs of curious eyes looking at her but she could not figure out why. Then she realised the place was suddenly appearing to be quite bright. She turned back to find the source of the light but every time she turned she felt as though the light was exactly behind her.

She heard a few girls shriek when she looked down at herself and found the source of the bright white light. She was glowing!

All Devika could hear were a distant commotion, people murmuring, and a faint rustle of footsteps as few people started running away. She looked at her hands and found them glowing bright white light. She could figure the silhouette of her hand against the light it was emanating.

The other people present at the club could see a lady giving out white light. She stood at one place, staring at her hands and whole body as though she did not understand what was happening to her; but surprisingly, she did not panic like the rest of the people.

Suddenly the light became brighter and gradually it continued to get brighter till the people began screaming in pain as the heat generated seemed to burn their bodies. And then, all the suffering came to an abrupt halt.

The eye-witnesses saw a happening night club with a joyful and energetic crowd celebrating and waiting to welcome the New Year. One moment, there was the club with the music that could vaguely be heard from a distance, and the next, in place of the club was a ball of fire which engulfed the whole club with an ear-splitting noise. And in the next moment, all that remained was a scarred carcass of what was once a place to dance and celebrate.

*

“Get up! Get up, you!”

When she opened her eyes, she did not understand for a few moments where she was. Then she saw a familiar face leaning over her, making a distorted face and shouting, “Devika! Get up! We have a show, remember?”

Devika rose, rubbing her eyes and looking around. She was in her room all right, but there was still something that was bothering her.

“Er...” she looked at her roommate, “Shreya! When did I return last night?”

Shreya was applying a lotion to her legs. She stopped midway and looked at her, frowning. “How come you don’t remember? You weren’t even drunk!”

“I wasn’t?” Devika smiled, foolishly. “Then why is it that I don’t remember anything?”

Shreya resumed applying the lotion to her legs and said, “Oh, it’s stress! It’s nothing! You were fine! You came in at about 1 o’clock and slept off! Where were you? Happy New Year, by the way!”

[TO BE CONTINUED...]