Ashes

This forest seems to be a part of some other planet. The air is cold, but there is no sign of life in it. This cold is such that it goes down the spine, "as if some invisible shadow is touching you. There is a deep silence all around, but there is no peace here, but a painful suffocation that makes you restless. Everything here is unnatural even though it is natural," as if some hidden power is controlling this forest, "someone who is feeling the presence of those four friends at every moment.

Komal said softly, I have a plan. "All listen carefully; we will certainly go on our separate ways. We have to do this, but we are together even after being separated. Our friendship is our strength, this dreadful jungle cannot break us.

So let me tell you, now we four have to fight like a warrior to protect our existence in this jungle. So we have to take special care of small things.

• No one will separate his bag from himself.

• Water and food will have to be used carefully, we will have to use utensils carefully. "Jesee, you especially have to protect your Twinkies." Jesse bowed her head smilingly.

• "Take the hammer in your bag in your hand, so that we can defend ourselves in case of any danger.

• If you see anything strange or suspicious, run away from there immediately. You cannot trust anything here, not even your shadow.

• And you have to open that sealed envelope only when the situation becomes life and death. As it is written on it.

• And yes, at this time you all need to use your mind instead of your heart.

Komal finally said with full enthusiasm, "So let's do something unique this time too. Which will always be remembered. Believe me, "we will meet again."

"These words of Komal had a very deep impact on all three," so everyone decided to move forward according to Komal's plan.

"The MasK RoKo group was now energized. All four looked at each other for the last time, "as if they wanted to cherish this moment in their hearts forever. All four were a little emotional, "Maryam's eyes welled up with tears, but Komal held her back. "Maryam, look, you are a brave girl; you cannot break down like this, "Please don't let yourself break down like this. " Otherwise, we all will become weak, too.

"Maryam wiped her tears and said in a sobbing voice, "I will miss you all a lot. I don't want to be separated, "Please all of you stay with me, " We all will face this challenge together.

"Komal told her lovingly, "No dear, we have to do this. We can never get back together without getting separated. And after that, Maryam kept sobbing, "She didn't say anything further."

"Sk mocked Maryam and said, "Why is this girl crying? Does she understand that the dangerous animals of this forest will run away in fear of her tears, and they will never be able to chew us alive?"

"Jesse said, supporting Sk, "By the way, Maryam's plan is not bad," I mean, "Maybe it can happen."

"Komal said smiling, "You both please don't make fun of it." "By the way if it happens," then Maryam will taunt us for the rest of her life, "I saved all of you by shedding my tears that day. How brave I am."

" Then the laughter of others started echoing in the forest, "Maryam also started laughing this time," and started running after the three with a stick."

But then Komal said with deep seriousness, "My friends, now that the time has come, we have to go in different directions. "You three can choose any direction of your choice. You can choose the path you want for yourself." In the end, I will go on the remaining path.

• "Four different paths, searching for existence in the mist."

The four friends said goodbye to each other and parted ways with heavy hearts. Komal stood there watching the three of them, "Sk went south, Maryam went west, and Jesse went north. Komal stood there till the three of them disappeared from her sight. Then she walked slowly towards the east. The four friends had now separated," Jesse ran back to the same spot to see his three friends one last time, "but there was no one there. Sk, who had made fun of Maryam when she was crying, was feeling the same pain himself. Now he, too, was sitting under a tree and crying. Jesse, too, could not control his emotions, "so he too broke down and started crying. Maryam was still very sad, walking slowly with measured steps, repeatedly looking back at Komal, who was still standing there. But soon, Maryam disappeared into the depths of the forest.

Komal, who was the more mature and sensible among them all, could not bear this separation either; a few tears dropped from her eyes peacefully, "but she did not cry. And now everyone's paths were different, and so was their destiny.

• Buried in Time

Jesse headed north again from that spot, but as he moved deeper into the forest, "his restlessness grew. He now found himself lost. He did not know," why he was wandering in this forest. Where was the end of his existence? Suddenly, his foot landed on a soft surface," and it was as if the ground slipped under his feet. The next moment he fell into a dark underground cave. There was a loud explosion on the ground," Jesse screamed in pain," he was seriously injured, blood spurted out of his head. He was still groaning in pain," he put his hand on his head," his hand was soaked in blood. Seeing this, his anxiety and fear took over him even more.

"This place was strange," as if he had come from that terrible and mysterious forest to some other world. "It was pitch dark all around," the faint rays of the sun were piercing the dusty air and hitting the walls in the cave, "which gave a little light here. And mud was scattered all around, and the smell of gunpowder was spread.

"He staggered," he began to wander around the dark cave, "blood was still flowing from his head." The cave was so huge, "it was almost impossible for him to believe what he was seeing before his eyes." Tanks used in the war were standing here and there, there were also huge Mark IV tanks in this cave, "which were rusted and their chains were covered in dust and mud." There were many guns, mortar launchers, rifles, and destroyed bombs scattered all around. With the huge iron frames of the tanks, rusted cannons, and broken weapons scattered everywhere, it seemed as if this place was silently telling the terrible moments of history.

There were many human skeletons scattered around, "wearing khaki-colored military uniforms and metal helmets on their heads." Jesse was walking forward cautiously, scared. Seeing all this, he felt as if he was on a battlefield. As he walked forward, "his heart began to beat faster," as if with every step he was getting closer to some unknown fear," he began to feel that this place would swallow him any moment.

Suddenly, his foot hit something. When he looked down at the object lying at his feet, "he was shocked, he fell back with a jerk and hit the wall." He had just seen a corpse, "which was emitting a terrible stench," looking at it, it seemed as if the person had not been dead for long. Jesse composed himself, and he went back to the corpse, holding his hand over his nose, "the corpse was so badly bruised, it was hard to recognize the face," but as soon as he looked at the dead body's hand, he shuddered with fear. "The ring he was wearing on his right little finger was the same on the corpse's finger."

Then he looked at the bag, which was exactly the same, "as the one on his shoulder, the hammer in his hand was also lying near the corpse. When Jesse searched his pockets, he found a half-empty Twinkie packet. He got goosebumps when he saw this; he panicked so much that "he started crying out of fear." And he was drenched in sweat because of the panic, "his heart started beating so fast," that it was out of his chest.

"This can't be happening? I can't die? Jesse cried out crying. And the silence around him and the cold wind were increasing his pain even more. He couldn't understand how he could see his own dead body when he was still alive.

• "The Forgotten Paths of Life"

Komal was still moving forward in the forest, "but she did not know where she was going." While walking, she suddenly felt dizzy and stumbled and fell on the ground. After some time she regained consciousness, "but the lid of the water bottle in her bag came off," and all the water spilled out. So Komal got nervous, she was now wandering around the forest in search of water.

Then she saw a small cave, "from which a thin stream of water was flowing." Seeing this, Komal screamed loudly in surprise and joy and started walking towards the cave. She collected the water, but she became curious, "why not go inside this cave and see." She found it to be a good enough place to spend the night. As soon as she stepped inside the cave, "she felt a much colder cold than outside," which she felt down her spine. She kept moving forward," she did not look back even once.

Suddenly, she saw some human skeletons, which frightened her a little. Bats were hanging from the ceiling of the cave. So she was moving slowly. Now her heart started beating fast and her breathing became heavy. This cave seemed endless, "but suddenly, a gust of very hot wind engulfed her.

And she came out of the cave staggering," but she could not believe what she saw. The calm and cool air which earlier felt life, where there was greenery of forest and trees. But now the greenery had ended, "and the ground started cracking, "the air had now become hot and dry. There was only sand all around. As far as her eyes could see," she could see only a vast desert. Now the soil of the forest had turned to sand, "and the sun's rays were deadly hot. The forest and the cave had completely disappeared, "as if some supernatural force had hidden the forest," and everything had turned to sand.

"Komal was very shocked and frightened," but she still did not give up. She continued, "Her throat was dry because of the intense heat," and her skin was burning.

"Suddenly, she saw a girl lying on the ground. When she went near her, she was so shocked that she was speechless. That girl was dead. Her head was crushed after hitting the stone. All the blood had flowed out of her head and the blood had completely dried. A large red cloth was wrapped around her body.

What she saw made her shudder with fear. It was her dead body. The same clothes, the same bag, the same face. The burn mark on her neck was the same as on that dead body's neck.

"Surely this is my dead body," Komal muttered to herself. But how could this be possible? She was terrified with fear. Her heart was broken. She thought she would not survive now.

• The Cold Truth

Maryam was still wandering around the forest with a sad heart. She had gone deeper into the forest, "as she went further," the atmosphere of the forest was changing.

Suddenly, she saw a huge black monkey on a tree in front of her, "its eyes were red, it had big pointed teeth," and its whole body was covered with black hair. It was the first time Maryam had seen such a ferocious monkey. So she was terrified and screamed loudly, and started running as fast as she could. The sound of her heavy breathing and heartbeat was tearing the silence of the forest. This attracted the monkey's attention, and he started chasing her.

While running, her foot suddenly hit the thick root of a dry tree and she tripped and fell down. And her head hit a stone so hard that she fainted instantly.

When she regained consciousness, everything had changed. Her body started shivering badly due to the cold. The clothes she was wearing were not warm enough to protect her from such a severe cold. When she opened her eyes, she saw a vast and barren snowy desert all around her. She could not believe her eyes, "Where have I come? Where has that jungle and the dangerous black monkey gone?" she said to herself.

But the deadly cold was sending shivers down her spine and into her lungs. She was shivering terribly, "she could hardly stand up and started wandering around in search of a warm place. But there was nothing but extremely cold and huge mountains of snow all around. Her face had turned red from the cold, and" her hands and feet had become numb. She started crying now, "she was remembering her three friends.

Then her eyes fell on a white figure," it was a white horse. Maryam quickly moved towards it, she was now standing very close to the horse, "but then she remembered what Komal had said," so she got a little scared. But she thought she had to die here anyway, "she will definitely not be able to survive in this extreme cold." So she went to the horse, "she stroked its neck lovingly. The horse did not move, it stood still. There was no emotion in the horse's bright eyes, as if it was a toy as if its soul was somewhere else. Its peaceful aura frightened Maryam a little." Then Maryam jumped to mount the horse, "but the horse threw her down with a jolt. She screamed loudly in pain, and tried to mount the horse again," but the horse threw her down again.

But after a while, she saw some figures on the distant horizon, they were slowly coming closer to her. Maryam's heart started beating fast, they were wolves, wolves covered in long, black and brown fur, whose bright yellow eyes were burning like fire even in the cold environment. The wolves had surrounded Maryam. Their actions were so restrained and cautious "that it was hard to guess their intentions. Maryam's breathing almost stopped," her eyes widened with fear, and her body seemed to have frozen in place. At this time she felt as if her life could end the next moment. But she gathered all the courage left in her and jumped to mount the horse one last time, and this time, she succeeded.

But she was half hanging on the horse's back, and the horse started running fast, tearing through the pack of wolves. But after some time the horse threw her down on the snowy ground and went away from there. "Maryam looked around. Then her eyes fell on the wreckage of a broken airplane, there was also a helicopter standing there, perhaps more than one." She could not believe what she was seeing. But she could not pretend to be unaware of reality.

The plane was on fire. And Maryam desperately needed fire at this time. She stood near the burning debris, "This gave her immense relief and peace. Her body, which was shivering badly due to cold, had now become calm and warm. The warmth of the fire gave her some relief, but with every breath,, the fear of cold returned inside her.

Then suddenly her eyes fell on a helicopter standing nearby, she went near that helicopter, "That helicopter was badly damaged. It seemed as if it had flown straight and fallen on the ground.

Maryam found a girl lying inside that helicopter, but when she went closer and saw that girl, she was stunned. That girl was dead, her whole body was covered with blood. And a terrible stench was coming from her. That girl was wearing clothes exactly like hers. Her face matched Maryam's face. It was Maryam's dead body.

Seeing this, Maryam vomited, restlessness and fear were clearly visible in her eyes. Her mind was confused, she did not want to believe what she was seeing. But how could she deny the reality? So she just kept crying, she took a step back, but her eyes were stuck on the dead body. She felt that she was drenched in cold sweat, a strange shiver was running down her spine. This scene seemed to have torn her soul.

Am I really dead? But if I am really dead, then how am I seeing and feeling all this. “Am I alive or dead?” she said to herself.

"Now she was only waiting for her death because she did not see any hope of surviving in this ruthless icy desert.

• A Flame that Never Dies

SK, which was still a little depressed, sat under the same tree for a long time. Then he realized if he had to meet his friends again, "then you have to move forward.

He slowly went on to lose the depths of the forest, but as soon as he went a little further, he started getting some strange feelings. The atmosphere of the forest was suddenly changing mysteriously. Where the first bones were cold and caused shuddering, now there was fierce heat. Instead of cold winds, hot and soulless winds were now replaced. He was still moving forward continuously, unknown from the floor, he was wandering in the forest like crazy. At that time, he heard the flames like flames, he was moving fast to see it.

He saw that there was a fierce fire in the forest, "Many trees were burnt down. It seemed as if a bomb had exploded here. Due to fear and restlessness, his breath started to blow; his heart beat fast. He fell fast and ran away from the fire. He felt that moment, as he would fry in this fire.

But he was successful in reaching a safe place, where the flames had not yet reached. But he knew this fire had engulfed the entire forest. And the entire forest can be burnt at any time. He is badly trapped in it. At the same time, she was worried about her three friends. He was very nervous, fear was clearly visible in his eyes. He took out a bottle of water from his bag and drank all the water at once. He had lost all the expectations, so he was now waiting for his upcoming death. And he wanted to embrace his death with peace and joy.

"Suddenly, some drops of blood fell on her hands and were constantly falling. Seeing this, he retreated with a stroke. Fear and restlessness increased even more. His beating intensified, and his entire body was shocked. There was a corpse hanging on the tree, a thick branch of the tree was across his neck. The corpse was completely stained with blood, and a yellow cloth was wrapped around it. That corpse was exactly the same as Sk the same face, the same clothes, the same bag that was still hanging on his shoulder. Then a gust of wind swung the corpse, and as soon as he moved, his closed eyes. One of them was a strange, golden glow, which straightened his eyes.

"Seeing this, he was scared, his face had turned yellow.

"I am dead? How is this possible, if I am dead, then how can I now see my own corpse? Can I live? Or am I dead?" He told me in a trembling voice. "As he was trapped in a very big beauty. Now there was no hope of living. So he sat down with his eyes closed comfortably by placing his neck in the middle of the same tree. Waiting

As the time spent, he realized that he was neither living, nor dying. He is stuck at a point, "from where it is not possible to go ahead, nor to return back. With every spending moment, this feeling was making his soul more heavy. Like no excerpt from life is left now It is left.

• The Final Hope

The four friends were now on the verge of living and dying. In that situation, they could either die or live. So, as a last hope, all of them decided to open the envelope, on which was written, "Open me in a life-death situation. This was the best time to use that envelope.

As soon as all four opened their envelopes, there was only one map in it. Which was the exact place, "where all of them were stranded. This map could unite all four of them in one place. If all of them used it correctly. Jesse had injuries on his legs, but he could still walk, Maryam was also in a condition to walk according to that map. Komal was wandering in the desert, she was suffering from hunger and thirst. The scorching sand and deadly sun had almost broken Komal, "but there was still a spark of hope in her eyes. So she decided to move forward according to that map. SK, who had lost hope, decided to make one last attempt when he saw the map.

The four, tired, hungry, and thirsty, with endless wounds in their bodies and hearts, set out in search of a final destination where there was still some hope of life. Their destination was far away, but a ray of hope-filled their tired hearts with new energy.

After some time, Sk reached under a huge pine tree, and this was the last point of the map. Now he stood there with the hope that maybe his other three friends would also come here.

Then he saw Maryam coming; she was almost in a half-dead state; as soon as she saw Sk, a new flow of energy started in her. Tears of joy welled up in her eyes on seeing Sk, "We are alive, Sk," she said, almost crying. Sk did not say a word, he just sweet but painful smiled a little."

Then they saw Komal and Jesse coming from the front. When the four saw each other again, they were very happy. Tears welled up in their eyes, everyone was silent, but their eyes were telling each other, "We did it." Maryam extended her hand and held everyone's hands, and the four of them sat in a circle. As if their lives were now tied to each other again, "No one could separate them now.

But no one talked about what they had seen in the past days. Everyone was silent. As if nothing mysterious and strange had happened to them.

"Komal said softly, "We all did not lose courage and hope, that is why we are together again today. I told you, "We will meet again." Now, all four started laughing, but there was something in their hearts; it was dominating them like a burden. What they had to endure those past days was unimaginable.

Komal then said with some seriousness, "This is not the end, we have to get out of here soon. We have to make a plan. Otherwise, this ruthless jungle will swallow us up." Then Maryam spoke loudly, "Helicopter, yes I saw a helicopter there. We can use it." "Maryam, what are you saying? Helicopter, that too in this strange jungle." Sk said refuting Maryam.

"This is amazing, Helicopter, we can use it. It will be fun." Jesse said eagerly. Komal also agreed to this. So the three followed Maryam and started walking towards that place.

Where Maryam had taken them, there was indeed a helicopter standing there. All four were very happy to see this, but Maryam found that "one helicopter was missing from there, in which she had seen her dead body. But she was not worried about it now.

" Sk said very enthusiastically, give me its remote, I am the one who will fly this helicopter.

Jesse laughed loudly and said to Sk, "Kid, this is not your childhood helicopter, which you can fly with a remote." All three started laughing at Sk's statement.

Then, Komal said, I do not know how to fly a helicopter. Maryam, can you do this? Maryam also refused. Then, Jesse said, "I can fly a helicopter. Trust me, I can do it." And all three believed Jesse. All four now boarded the helicopter. And Jesse did a really great job. He took the helicopter into the air. All four jumped with joy. Now they were free, they had overcome all the challenges.

But suddenly, the weather changed. The sky was covered with huge black clouds, and strong winds started shaking the helicopter. Suddenly there was a strong blow, "which completely disturbed the balance of the helicopter." All four got very nervous, there was fear and seriousness in everyone's eyes.

Then, Komal shouted loudly, everyone wears your parachutes. But in reality, no one knew how to tie a parachute. So they did whatever they could. Maryam started trembling with fear, she could not do anything, so Komal and Sk tied her parachute. Tied the rope. And in no time all three of them jumped out of the helicopter. But Maryam could not gather the courage to jump down. And she hid under the seat, but all three of them thought that Maryam had also jumped with them. But she was still there. And a few moments later the helicopter hit the ground with a loud bang. And it broke apart, and it was surrounded by flames.

Maryam could not survive; Komal fell on the same rock in the same desert, and she also could not survive. Sk, stuck in the same huge pine tree, also died.

Jesse was the only person who survived., "But he also became a victim of terrible injuries," and he dragged himself into the same mysterious cave. He died due to hunger and excessive bleeding.

This time there was no simulation.

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A/N:- This is fiction. Right? Still, if anyone's feelings have been hurt, then I sincerely apologize. I'm sorry, but I had no such intention.
Thank you very much for reading.
What was your favorite part?

• PART 1

• PART 2

• PART 3