1 Her Name Saved Her

Year 3000 AD, Somewhere in the plains of Ganga river

It is the month of summer, the sun is overhead and hot air is blowing. Some small hills covered with trees are in the view. The ground is green somewhere and somewhere it looks just like a dried wasteland. There are no humans, animals or birds in sight. They all have taken shelters in their homes.

He is walking barefoot on the hot dusty earth and from his expression, it seems weather has no effect on him. He is looking forward and moving with a nonchalant expression. He is bare on the upper part of the body and is wearing a loose cotton loincloth around his waist which goes down up to his ankles.

He has a bow and quiver full of arrows tied on his back and a sheathed sword hanging on his waist with a thick rope. His both hands are free which also shows how carefree or whimsical he is. He stops on his tracks and closes his eyes and his expression changes a bit. It seems he heard some sounds and he changes his direction and starts climbing the hill which was on his right.

Standing on the top of the hill, he looked down on the village which has fifteen to twenty houses scattered on the plain. There were farms around houses and all over the village. Some farms have crops and some are uncultivated, may be due to lack of water or labor.

At one side of the village has turned into a battlefield and sounds of clanging of metal or gunshots can be heard from a distance. Human soldiers are fighting the aliens. In that part of the village, dust is rising and battle cries can be heard. Warring people were using hedges of farms, trees and also the corners of the houses as their hiding spots.

It's been only four to five years when aliens started settling on earth. Their build is like humans only but their skin color is silver, eyes are a golden color and their average height is six to seven feet. They are extremely efficient in using mind power and because of that, they are way ahead of humans in term of mind and body power.

Aliens have not yet initiated any war against humans only small confrontations have been happening in various parts of earth or in the solar system. And all these fights were initiated by humans because of their anxiousness and uncertainty.

Human leaders have claimed that aliens are kidnapping humans for their research and also are using them as food. There were also reports that aliens have destroyed many space stations and human settlements on other planets of solar system. Even if those who don't believe these claims can't help being fearful about future due to alien encroachment in the human world.

The human group which was fighting against the aliens looked like some Mercenary group. Mercenaries are normally hired by City police department to patrol the remote villages which come under the governance of Protected City. These Mercenaries are rewarded highly for killing aliens and rewards are higher if they could capture any living alien but to date, no one was able to capture an alien alive.

He was looking from the top of the hill at the fight happening on one side of the village. His expression indifferent like some deity looking on ordinary mortals. he simply does not care either for humans or aliens. He has killed whoever has antagonized him. She is his only trigger point.

Where did he come from? He does not remember. His destination? Anywhere where he can find her. He only remembers her calling him Abhay. He remembers the words she said with teary eyes "Abhay! I love you." So, maybe his name is Abhay but he does not wish anyone to call him with that name so he never speaks of it. Because he does not wish that name to appear anywhere but on those lips.

When he closes his eyes and thinks, he can see those teary eyes, a slight movement of those lips and then utterance of those words which stir a myriad of emotions in his heart.

Almost two years back, when he awoke he was sprawled on the ground in a deserted place. It seems like someone has just disposed him off thinking as if he was dead or simply due to no care. His head was hurt due to some injury in his head. And the only thing he remembered was her. Her beautiful teary eyes, her name, and the sound of her voice.

He only feels something when he hears that name. He only feels the emotions when he thinks about her. All other things seem meaningless and stir no emotions in him.

He does not even remember his own name. He does not even remember where did he come from and what had happened to him to be hurt so bad when he woke up. He does not care because the only thing he wants is to find her and protect her. It seems like this is the only thought he was born with. He was re-born due to some reason just for her. He has to find her.

His mind was lucid and his thoughts were simple. He is not logical and his all actions are done toward a simple goal in mind. Those who have interacted with him have called him with many names like heartless, brute, madman, silent killer. Some has even called him a murderer but every time he has his own reasons. Yes, whenever his heart has moved, whenever he has felt something he has acted in hope of finding her and people died because of that.

When he meditates, he forgets himself. He becomes one with nature. All five elements follow his command. He can control and manipulate them as per his wish. He recovered from his wound fast. His body has become strong and tough just in last two years. His speed has become faster than a leopard.

He has made this fast progress in last two years and the reason is that his mind has no distraction. His mind is always in a meditative state.

Suddenly it seems like he heard that most familiar name. His body tensed and he concentrated to listen carefully. The sound of a woman crying came from the direction of the battle. He did not think much and ran downhill, fast like an arrow, avoiding the obstacles like a light feather. Within a minute he was near the battlefield.

He moved like lightning toward the center of the battlefield, his sword shined and blood splashed on the way. His sword did not choose his opponent. He silenced whoever he found with a weapon on his path. No one had a chance to think about what happened. There was a small girl fallen on the ground. Her mother was wailing few meters away pleading to stop the shooting and not kill her daughter.

He reached and stood beside the small girl. He inhaled deeply and slowly closed his eyes trying to observe his surrounding. His sword was dripping with blood. His upper body was bare and sweat was shining in the sunlight like golden droplets. He stood there like a God of Death. He opened his eyes slowly. When he looked on those dead bodies around him, his eyes showed no emotion, only indifference.

Suddenly few shots were fired, he swung his sword, there were metallic sounds and bullets were deflected. He turned his head and looked at those who fired and they felt like falling on their knees and begging for their life. They only could think that this man does not care about any living being. They dropped their arms on the ground. After that, all other Mercenaries dropped their arms. No one was a fool to stand with a weapon now.

He turned and looked on those aliens who have moved in the periphery of village sometime back and were now engaged in a conflict with some Mercenaries. When he moved and entered the messy battle almost ten Mercenaries died and around four to five aliens died from his sword. Aliens did not have any arms on them, they were just defending themselves using their mental and psychic power by controlling objects like wooden poles, stone etc. They also stood at one side without making any movement.

Now those fighting forgot their battle and were standing like mutes at their sides and looking at him with complex emotions. Human Mercenaries have disgruntled expression on their faces. They couldn't believe one human interrupted their fight with aliens while they were going to win.

In this alien settlement, there were hardly fifteen to twenty aliens and Mercenary group had fifty people. When they found an alien settlement, they were happy that they found such a small group and after clearing them they can earn more money from City Police. But some inhuman human interrupted them without any reason.

His expression showed like he didn't care what he did. He just moved his eyes on surrounding people. There was one group of aliens who were standing together. Another group was on another side at a distance which was of mercenaries who stood disarmed. And there were also some villagers who came out from nearby houses after they sensed that fighting has stopped. His eyes moved on the girl who was on the ground not far from his feet.

Girl's mother moved toward him on her knees and put her forehead on the ground and mumbled "Thank you for your kindness. If you did not come, don't know when any bullet would have pierced my daughter and me."

One person from Mercenary group rebuked "Those aliens were kidnapping this mother and daughter and we just came on time. I don't know why this woman is lying now."

That woman argued "No, no. Whatever other people say, we villagers never had any conflict with aliens. They observe our children for few days to see their growth. Maybe they are are trying to understand the earth's environment and changes to the body to be able to adjust here. We have also benefited from them a lot. We have been living in harmony for last two years." Looks like this woman was well educated.

He did not care for any reason. He did not care why they fought or who died. His head was lowered and his eyes fixed on the girl. His eyes contained pain and anguish and his lips Quivered and after few seconds he spoke: "What is your name?"

The girl who was crying on getting hurt looked into his eyes. The eyes which made others trembling seemed like a soothing balm to her and she stopped crying and stared at him.

Girl's mother said hurriedly "Her Name is Gauri."

Pain and anguish resurfaced in his eyes and he turned his head and looked into the sky and whispered: "Her name is Gauri."

His eyes moved toward the mercenary group and he declared "Fight ends here. No one is allowed to come here again."

It seems all those Mercenaries found their lifeline back. They ran toward their patrol bikes and within minutes they were out of the village and then out of sight. They didn't even bother to pick their arms.

Girl's mother was still on her knees. Seeing this scene, she trembled and cried "Thank you. Thank you for saving my daughter."

When he woke up he only remembered her and nothing else. He knows he has hurt her and he also feels that when she left she was sad because he remembers her sad eyes. He also remembered tears in her eyes.

There was no reason for him to join this useless fight. There was no reason for him to interfere in the cycle of Karma. But he still interfered and killed.

The reason was simple, he heard her name. He heard when that mother cried and called her daughter's name when her daughter fell on the ground.

He looked at the mother and then looked at the small girl with a complex feeling in his eyes. He lamented "I did not save her. Her name saved her."

After that, he turned and walked away. He moved like he was gliding on the ground. In few minutes he was out of the village.