Page 37 - Love Story of a Commando

6. The Burning Taj

I spun around and saw two heavily armed men storming into the central hall.
They were hurling abuses and firing at anyone and everyone who caught
their sight. I felt like I would collapse but somehow that inner survival
instinct pushed my frozen feet to run and seek shelter. There was chaos,
panic and fear in the air. People started running everywhere and frantically
calling out for help. I stopped running and crawled under a nearby dining
table. I was shivering in shock and praying.
All of a sudden, I remembered my parents and missed them terribly. I
was separated from my gang and did not know about their whereabouts. I
felt a wave of apprehension and accelerated heartbeat, as a feeling of
extreme helplessness surrounded me. Sneaky emotions of hysteria made me
realize that I was a speck of nothing in this vastness that only defined my
insignificance.
It was a nightmare!
I could see countless bodies now, some dead, some injured, some
hiding. It was a miracle that I was alive and that I still had control over my
consciousness.
Slowly the gunshots grew faint and I thought that maybe it was over.
I had to leave quickly. I crawled out from under the dining table and saw
some people coming out of the bar area. It was pure horror and we were all
scared to death. Somehow that collective horror and our instincts for survival
transformed us into a group of terrified people who started frantically
seeking shelter.
After a few steps, we found more guests rushing towards the banquet
hall. The fear was tightening its grip on us and snatching our survival
instincts of hope and intelligence with each passing second. Time was of
prime importance and so, without even giving it a second thought, we all
started following that trail which was formed unconsciously.
Suddenly, it seemed that everybody inside the hotel was pouring into
that hall and, much to our relief, we found some of the hotel staff already
there, comforting the guests. There were young brides, little children wailing
in fear, mothers gripping their toddlers, anxious fathers trying to comfort
their families and random people who were now all bonded by the fear of the
unknown. A few of us were sobbing and a few crying for help.