Day 8: 9:00AM - Fatality

We've witnessed our first fatality of the trip on the road to Krishnagar. We just stopped off in a village for about a minute so that Nick could light a fag. He can't light on the move because of the winds that blow through the sides.

As he lit up, leaning on the roof of the rickshaw he said

"Shit. Someone has just been run over back there."

The next few seconds were like something out of a dream.

Me and Ivan were in the back of the rickshaw.

The whole village just seemed to stop, momentarily transfixed by the proximity of death then, almost in slow motion everyone started running towards the scene behind us.

From the inside of the stationery Dosamobil the scene was really surreal. Me and Ivan didn't look back, Nick took a drag on his cigarette. Through the windshield and out of the sides Indians poured past us, running and screaming, not even noticing us. The feeling of a whole village running by in one direction made it feel like we were moving forwards, but their anguished screams ripped through me as they went by.

Nick chucked his cigarette on the floor, jumped in the drivers seat, and drove away through the advancing chaos.

posted by Andytgeezer @ 9:00 AM