"Come out of the house right now!" a raspy voice sounds at the other end. 

"Tanish?" I ask bewildered, "It's been so long —" 

"Please come out and then we can talk." 

"You're here?" 

"On the other side of the road." 

"But —" I fly down the stairs and cross the road, excited for the reunion. Violent tremors seize the ground underneath me. My building comes crashing down like a house of cards. 

An earthquake. 

"Tanish?"

My own phone rings suddenly. 

"Abhay, you remember our friend Tanish?" Rohit's voice floats. 

"Yes —" 

"He died in a car accident this morning."