A BLURRY AWAKENING
A throbbing pain in my head dragged me from the depths of unconsciousness. My vision swam, a distorted mosaic of colors, before slowly, agonizingly, sharpening into focus. "Damn it!" I hissed, a wave of frustration washing over me. "Sleeping missiles? This wasn't just a hostage situation; it was a calculated challenge!" My mind raced, grappling with the implications, when my gaze snagged on a still form sprawled nearby.
My heart pounded as I scrambled to her side. She lay motionless, a silent casualty. With what little medical knowledge I possessed – mostly gleaned from action movies – I checked her over, my breath held tight. A sigh of relief escaped me when I found no serious injuries. Just as I was about to despair, her eyelids fluttered, then slowly, hesitantly, opened.
And that's when I saw them. Eyes of an astonishing blue, framed by cascades of soft brown hair. They held a silent vulnerability that stole my breath. She attempted to rise, but her limbs betrayed her, and I quickly moved to offer support. Just then, Rishabh stirred, groaning as he too came to his senses.
"Sir, are you alright?" he asked, his voice rough with sleep. I nodded, still fixated on the girl. Rishabh, ever the professional, approached her. "Excuse me, ma'am, are you alright?"
A faint, shy smile touched her lips, and she gave a small nod. "She's beautiful," a voice whispered in my mind, an unexpected thought that rattled me. *What the hell am I thinking?* My internal battle raged, a strange conflict between duty and an unfamiliar surge of admiration.
MEHER SHYED
My eyes fell upon something gleaming on the floor – an ID card. I quickly picked it up, reading the embossed letters aloud: "SRINAGAR COLLEGE OF BIOCHEMISTRY... MEHER SHYED." As I spoke her name, she gently approached, her voice soft. "Umm, sir?"
So, Meher. A college student. I held out the ID. "Is this yours?" She nodded, her blue eyes meeting mine briefly before I quickly returned the card. The encounter, brief as it was, left an indelible mark.