Beyond the body volume 2

Chapter 1 — The Way Back

Three days had passed since the chaos that had brought Robb, Bheema, Raghav, Dhruv, and Sumati to Bheema's parents' mansion.

For the first time in what felt like a long while, there was no immediate enemy chasing them.

No emergency..

Just a morning.

And somehow, that was becoming its own kind of problem.

“Where are my clothes?”

Bheema stood in the middle of the room, staring at the pile of belongings scattered around him.

Robb, sitting nearby, looked at him.

“You're asking me?”

“Yes!”

“Why?”

“Because you were the last person I saw near my bag!”

Robb calmly looked toward another corner of the room.

“You should probably check there.”

Bheema turned.

Nothing.

He slowly looked back at Robb.

“You knew they weren't there.”

“I knew you should check.”

“That doesn't even make sense!”

From the other side of the room, Dhruv lifted a shirt.

“Is this yours?”

Bheema immediately turned.

“No!”

Dhruv looked at it again.

“Then whose is it?”

Nobody answered.

Sumati sighed.

“We've been searching for almost twenty minutes.”

“Twenty minutes?” Raghav said. “Feels like an hour.”

“It probably feels like an hour because Bheema keeps accusing everyone.”

“I am not accusing everyone!”

“You accused me three times,” Dhruv replied.

“Because you had my bag!”

“I had your bag because you gave it to me.”

“I don't remember that.”

“That is the problem.”

Robb quietly watched the argument.

He had another problem entirely.

His five-second delay.

He hadn't make there focus on it

Not yet

the delay had become something he had to live with. But somehow, during the past three days, the subject had not naturally come up.

And Robb wasn't going to force it.

Not now.

He simply kept quiet.

“Wait!”

Sumati suddenly pointed toward a chair.

“Isn't that your jacket, Bheema?”

Bheema turned.

His eyes widened.

“My jacket!”

He rushed toward it.

“Then my pants must be somewhere nearby!”

Dhruv stared at him.

“Why would your pants be near your jacket?”

“Because they're my pants!”

“That explains absolutely nothing.”

Another round of searching began.

The mansion was large enough that finding five people's belongings had somehow become an expedition.

One room became two.

Two became three.

Arguments became accusations.

Accusations became completely unrelated arguments.

And eventually—

“FOUND THEM!”

Bheema's voice echoed through the mansion.

Everyone stopped.

Bheema stood in the doorway holding his clothes triumphantly.

“I found everything!”

Robb looked at him.

“How long did that take?”

Bheema looked toward the clock.

“…About an hour.”

Dhruv shook his head.

“Impressive.”

“Thank you.”

“That wasn't a compliment.”

“Oh.”

Eventually, everyone had their proper clothes.

Their bags were packed.

The mansion slowly returned to normal.

But Bheema wasn't celebrating.

He sat on the edge of the bed, staring at his bag.

Sumati noticed.

“You're unusually quiet.”

Bheema sighed.

“My exams.”

Raghav looked at him.

“Your exams?”

“They're in one month.”

Dhruv immediately understood.

“Oh.”

Bheema rubbed his forehead.

“I haven't studied nearly enough.”

Robb looked at him.

“You have a month.”

“A month isn't enough!”

“You have an entire month.”

“I have a lot to study!”

Raghav smiled slightly.

“Then study.”

Bheema stared at him.

“That is the worst advice I've ever received.”

“It is also the simplest.”

Bheema dropped his head.

“I knew this trip was going to destroy my academic career.”

Sumati laughed quietly.

“You're being dramatic.”

“I am being realistic.”

“You haven't even opened your books.”

“Exactly. That's why I'm realistic.”

For a moment, the room filled with laughter.

Then their bags were finally lifted.

It was time to leave.

They walked downstairs together.

Bheema's parents were waiting for them.

The atmosphere immediately changed.

His mother looked at Bheema for a moment without saying anything.

Then she stepped forward and hugged him.

Bheema froze.

“Mom…”

His father stood nearby, trying to maintain his composure.

“You're leaving again already.”

Bheema smiled.

“We'll be back.”

His mother held him a little tighter.

“Take care of yourself.”

Bheema's expression softened.

“I will.”

Robb, Raghav, Dhruv, and Sumati stood quietly nearby, giving them their moment.

After a while, Bheema stepped back.

He looked toward the exit.

“So, we're taking the VIP route again, right?”

His father immediately shook his head.

“No.”

Bheema blinked.

“No?”

“That route isn't safe right now.”

“What happened?”

His father exchanged a brief glance with Bheema's mother.

“That area was attacked.”

The room became quiet.

“Attacked?” Bheema repeated.

“Yes. By some people.”

“Who?”

“We don't know.”

Raghav's expression became more serious.

“Do you know who attacked it?”

“No.”

Bheema looked toward his father.

“Then what are we supposed to do?”

“Bhairava has gone to investigate.”

Bheema nodded slowly.

“So we can't use that route.”

“Not until we know what happened.”

His father pointed toward the other side of the mansion.

“You'll have to take the normal route.”

Bheema's face changed.

“Through the sand desert?”

“Yes.”

He stared at his father.

“That route is longer.”

“It is.”

“And dangerous.”

“Yes.”

Bheema sighed.

“Great.”

His father continued.

“You won't be traveling alone. Five bodyguards will accompany you.”

Bheema looked at the others.

“Five?”

“Five.”

Dhruv nodded.

“That's probably necessary.”

The group began discussing the journey.

Which car they would take.

Where they would switch transportation.

Which train they would board.

How their bags would be transported.

The discussion somehow became another argument.

“We should take the larger car,” Bheema said.

“Why?” Dhruv asked.

“More space.”

“For what?”

“My bags.”

“You have one bag.”

“It's an important bag.”

“You packed clothes.”

“Clothes are important.”

Robb quietly watched them argue.

Sumati finally interrupted.

“Can we decide the transportation before Bheema starts another debate?”

Everyone went silent.

Bheema slowly raised his hand.

“I have one more question.”

Everyone looked at him.

“Can we take snacks?”

Dhruv closed his eyes.

“Of course you were going to ask that.”

Bheema smiled.

“It's an important question.”

The preparations continued.

Eventually, the decision was made.

The car was ready.

The route was decided.

The train arrangements were prepared.

Five bodyguards waited outside.

One by one, everyone picked up their bags.

Bheema took one last look at the mansion.

His mother stood at the entrance.

His father beside her.

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Then Bheema smiled.

“See you soon.”

His mother nodded.

“Come back safely.”

Bheema stepped outside.

Robb followed.

Then Raghav.

Dhruv.

Sumati.

The doors of the car opened.

Everyone began getting in.

Robb paused for a moment before entering.

He looked back toward the mansion.

Then he quietly stepped inside.

The journey home was beginning.

And none of them knew what was waiting for them beyond the sand deserto

The four of them settled into the car.

Bheema took the front passenger seat while Robb, Raghav, and Sumati sat behind him. Dhruv traveled with the other guards in the accompanying vehicle.

The mansion gradually disappeared behind them as the convoy moved farther away.

For a while, nobody said much.

The city roads slowly became quieter.

Then the landscape changed.

The sand desert began.

Robb looked through the window.

Dark sand stretched across the landscape in every direction.

There were no familiar buildings.

No ordinary roads.

No lively streets.

Just darkness and sand.

Raghav leaned slightly toward the window.

“I've never seen a place like this.”

Sumati nodded.

“Neither have I.”

Bheema looked outside.

“It's a strange region.”

Robb continued staring.

After several seconds, he finally asked,

“Why is there so much darkness here?”

Bheema looked toward him.

“What do you mean?”

“The entire desert. It's unusually dark.”

Robb pointed toward the landscape.

“And why does sand even exist here?”

Bheema shrugged.

“I don't know.”

“You don't know?”

“It's still a mystery.”

Robb looked back outside.

“Interesting.”

The car continued deeper into the desert.

The atmosphere inside became increasingly uncomfortable.

Then Bheema reached into his pocket.

He took out a small container of pills.

Sumati noticed.

“You carry those everywhere?”

Bheema nodded.

“Yeah.”

He took one.

Sumati looked at him curiously.

“Why do you always keep those pills with you?”

Bheema swallowed the pill.

“My immunity is low.”

Sumati's expression changed.

“How low?”

“If I don't take these regularly, my immune system can crash.”

Raghav immediately became serious.

“That's a serious problem.”

Bheema nodded.

“Yeah.”

“Did a doctor tell you that?”

“Only a doctor told me to take these pills.”

There was a brief silence.

Dhruv, sitting nearby, couldn't resist.

“So basically, you take mysterious pills because one doctor said—”

Tap.

Robb lightly bumped Dhruv on the head.

“Ow!”

Robb looked at him.

“Behave properly in front of your elder.”

Dhruv rubbed his head.

“Why am I getting punished for making a joke?”

“Because you made it at the wrong time.”

Bheema looked at Dhruv.

Then at Robb.

Then smiled.

“Actually, that was kind of funny.”

Robb sighed.

“Don't encourage him.”

For a few moments, the atmosphere returned to normal.

Then—

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Gunfire erupted from ahead.

The guards immediately reacted.

“ATTACK!”

The vehicles stopped trying to maintain their formation.

The guards came out and began firing toward a huge metal truck blocking the route.

“What the hell?!” Bheema shouted.

Robb immediately turned toward the front.

The truck suddenly accelerated.

It came straight toward them.

“MOVE!”

Before anyone could react—

CRASH!

The heavy truck slammed into their car.

The entire vehicle was thrown violently across the sand.

It struck the ground.

Rolled.

Landed again.

Rolled a second time.

Then a third.

The world became a blur of metal, sand, and shattered movement.

The car crashed and smashed across the desert floor repeatedly before finally coming to a stop.

Robb, Bheema, Sumati, and Raghav were thrown apart inside the wreckage.

Then the ground beneath part of the vehicle gave way.

Robb and Dhruv were separated from the others and fell into a lower patch of loose sand.

A wave of sand collapsed over them.

For several seconds, nothing moved.

On the opposite side, Sumati, Bheema, and Raghav lay separated from the wreckage.

The guards were scattered around the crash site.

Then the metal truck doors opened.

Several figures stepped out.

They looked toward the wrecked vehicles.

One of them noticed Bheema.

His expression immediately changed.

“Wait…”

Another person looked over.

“Isn't that…?”

They recognized him.

“That rich kid.”

“The famous one.”

The first man smiled.

“Bheema.”

Another looked toward the damaged car.

“This is perfect.”

They began moving toward him.

“We don't even have to search for him.”

One of them laughed.

“Do you realize how much money his parents would pay?”

“This is a golden opportunity.”

They began surrounding the survivors.

Then one masked man stepped forward.

He slowly removed his mask.

He looked toward the others.

“Don't waste it.”

He pointed toward Bheema.

“Take them both to the Black Waters.”

The others immediately moved.

The desert became quiet again.

And somewhere beneath the sand, Robb and Dhruv were still buried.