Chapter 30: The Last Line of Defense
Location: Hidden Bunker – Day 5, Evening
The air was heavy—not just with humidity but with dread.
Akash stood by the weapon rack, holding a rifle in his hand, staring at it like it was a ticking bomb. His shoulders drooped. His voice broke the silence.
"Sid… do you really think we can win just because we got some weapons?"
Sid, seated on a crate, looked up.
"Be practical, man," panicked Akash continued. "We're just teachers. They're trained soldiers. Twenty of them. You think we can do 1 vs 5 and survive?"
Silence.
Sid stood up, walked toward Akash, and looked him straight in the eye.
"You're right."
"We are just teachers."
"Just a few hours ago, we thought we were going to die—helplessly."
He picked up a rifle slowly, calmly.
"But we survived the sea. Repaired a defense system we didn't even know existed. We unlocked a bunker, modified a bunch of missiles , and we discovered a weapons cache Rana trusted no one else with."
He paused.
"You think all this happened by chance?"
Akash turned away.
Sid continued, his voice rising:
"Akash… we already crossed the line of being just teachers. We didn't sign up for this war, but we were chosen by fate."
"The moment we chose to stay back… the moment we chose to fight—
—we became something more."
Siva looked up from the table, quietly listening. The old man stood at the entrance, arms folded, eyes intense.
"What we have now isn't just weapons," Sid said, holding up the rifle.
"It's trust. Between us. In ourselves. This trust…"
He pointed at his chest.
"…is the last line of defense for our country."
Akash's breathing slowed. Something flickered in his eyes.
"So what do you want us to do, Sid?" he asked.
"I want us to fight like warriors. Defend like soldiers.
Not die like cowards."
The room fell silent.
Then, with a deep breath, Akash walked back to the weapon rack.
"Well," he smirked, "If I'm going to die, I might as well do it with some style."
He slung the rifle over his shoulder and nodded at Sid.
Siva stood next.
"Count me in. Let's turn this island into their worst nightmare."
The old man cracked his knuckles.
"Let the training continue. You've got one night to become soldiers."
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Narrator Voice:
"Fear turns to resolve. Doubt turns to duty. And three teachers prepare for the fight of their lives… not because they're ready, but because there's no one else left."