His instincts and training on autopilot, David picked up his M4, switched off the safety and went outside in a crouch. He saw Hina near the doorway, looking out in the fading light. He asked for her to get down, and then he reached Mayukh, who was sitting behind the podium.
'What's going on?'
He heard the scream again, and then he looked for its source, to see three figures struggling on the road some twenty meters away, just outside the perimeter fence of the complex where the bookstore was. David looked up and saw that the Sun had still not fully set.
'It can't be them. At least it shouldn't be yet.'
He looked through his scope to see what was going on, and it soon became obvious what was happening. Two men were trying to grab a young girl, who was doing her best to fight them off. Mayukh asked to see as well, and when David put the rifle down, Mayukh looked at him, as if seeking direction. David was torn as to what to do.
'Mayukh, people are probably going crazy all over the world. They are looting, raping and murdering at will while daylight lasts, since they figure there's no more law to punish them, and not much of a future to look forward to. We can't stop them all.'
He looked again and saw that the girl was putting up a hell of a fight, but it would be just a matter of time before she was overpowered. Before he could think anything else, he saw a blur out of the corner of his eyes. It was Mayukh running towards the road.
'Mayukh, stop!'
David raised his rifle, but with Mayukh directly between him and the men, he did not have a clean shot. With the Barrett, he could have risked taking out the men without harming the girl, but all he with him was his M4, and he could not guarantee a clean shot at such range, with the girl and the men so closely mixed up together. He groaned and then ran after Mayukh.
The two men had been so intent on overpowering the girl that they did not see Mayukh run at them. Before they had a chance to react, Mayukh had raised the handgun and fired one shot in the air. Everyone seemed to freeze for a minute as the unnatural quiet of the city further amplified the gunshot.
'Get away from her!'
Mayukh had his gun pointed at the men, and while he had never shot a person before, and certainly didn't want to do so now, he hoped that the threat would be enough to deter the two men. As he walked closer, he observed several details. The girl was no older than him, and was dressed in a school uniform, which was now torn at the right shoulder. She seemed to have blood covering most of the right side of her face. Hiding behind her was a toddler, a boy no more than two or three years old, clutching a toy car. The two men were now facing him, and both were swaying unsteadily. As one of them spat in his direction, Mayukh realized that both were blind drunk. One of them slurred in Hindi as he walked toward Mayukh.
'The demons will be out again in a few minutes. Let's have some fun with her while we can. Join us if you want.'
Mayukh's hands were shaking, but he tried to keep his voice steady.
'Look, I don't want to hurt you. Just leave her alone and go.'
The larger of the two men took a step towards him, flipping out a switchblade.
'Kid, you've never killed anyone, and I have killed many men, some in prison. Get lost before I kill you and then rape her.'
David was crouched behind the perimeter wall, and while he couldn't clearly hear what was being said, the actions of the men were clear enough. He had his rifle raised to his shoulder, his finger on the trigger. All it would take would be a little bit of pressure and the man closest to Mayukh would die. As he watched, the man advanced on Mayukh, raising his knife as if to bring it down. He tensed, ready to fire, when he heard a gunshot. The man collapsed to the ground, holding his leg and screaming in pain. David saw the smoking gun in Mayukh's hand as he walked over to the man and kicked the knife away.
'I don't want to kill you, but if I shoot you in the other leg as well, you won't even be able to run or hide when they come out.'
The man kept howling, holding his bloody left leg as Mayukh turned to his friend, who had now dropped all his bravado and had his hands up.
'Take your friend and get out of here.'
Mayukh kept his gun raised as the man took his bleeding friend and the two of them struggled to cross the road. When they were on the other side, he motioned to the girl to follow him. When she hesitated, he just pointed to the Sun.
'We don't have time for formal invitations. Come on.'
He walked back towards the bookstore, followed by the girl and the toddler holding her hand. When Mayukh passed David, he saw the soldier standing there with a bemused smile on his face.
'I never figured you'd go Rambo on us.'
David was surprised when Mayukh turned to look at him. The weak, traumatized child was gone. His eyes were steady and confident, almost challenging David to mock him.
'You said we need to watch out for each other. That's what I intend to do.'
David followed him back inside, gripped with a feeling he had experienced many times before. A feeling of mixed emotions when he saw another sensitive, caring young man turn into someone who could take a life.
By the time they entered the bookstore, the Sun had set, and David took position outside, watching for trouble through the greenish hues of his night vision optics. Hina immediately went about tending to the girl's wounds, and was relieved to find that it was but a small cut.
Mayukh was sitting in a corner, still shaking a bit from the adrenaline rush of what had just happened, when the little boy walked up to him. Mayukh got his first good look at the boy, curly hair framing his chubby face and his eager, bright eyes. He was wearing a crumpled Mickey Mouse t-shirt and khaki shorts.
'Are you Batman?'
Mayukh didn't know how to respond to such a question so he just said he wasn't Batman. The boy smiled, showing prominent dimples.
'Good. I don't like Batman. I think you're Pete.'
Mayukh didn't know what the boy was talking about but smiled back, and was shocked when the boy sat down next to him and leaned against him, placing his head on Mayukh's shoulder. Mayukh had never been around kids, and he had no idea of what to do or say, so he asked the boy if he wanted something to eat. The boy's eyes lit up.
'Ice cream.'
Mayukh had no idea what to say, so he said he had no ice cream. To his horror, the boy's lip quivered, and he seemed to be on the verge of tears. He was grateful when the girl came up and sat down next to them, speaking to the boy in a soft, cooing voice.
'Abhi, we don't have ice cream now. We'll have some tomorrow. Ok?'
The boy seemed to be fine with that and then took out a small red toy car from his pocket and got busy playing with it. The girl turned to face Mayukh.
'Thanks for helping us.'
Mayukh just nodded and the girl continued.
'Abhi is my kid brother. He'll turn three in a month, and when he calls anyone Pete it's the ultimate compliment.'
Mayukh had no idea what she was talking about, so she smiled.
'I gather you don't have a kid brother or sister. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, the big guy Pete? Abhi loves him because he's the biggest and strongest of them all. As for my promise of ice cream, anything in the future for him is tomorrow and anything that has happened in the past happened yesterday.'
Abhi smiled a cherubic smile at Mayukh, as if sharing a big secret.
'I will have Ice Cream tomorrow.'
Mayukh held out his hand towards the girl.
'I'm sorry. I haven't even introduced myself. My name is Mayukh.'
'Hi Mayukh. I'm Swati.'
Then her smile was replaced by a sudden look of vulnerability and she seemed to shake before she regained her composure.
'Who would have thought…'
She never completed her sentence before she stifled a sob. Mayukh tentatively held out a hand to hold her shoulder, as she continued.
'Our parents were taken the first night. We hid in the closet and since then I've been trying to keep Abhi safe. Thanks for helping out, but I would have died before those goons got their way with me.'
Mayukh took a closer look at her face in the fading light that was still coming in from the open front door. Her black hair was tied behind her head in a ponytail, and if they had been in the same school, Mayukh could imagine she would have been the object of every boy's affection, with her sharp features and slim body. But her eyes were glowing, even defiant and for a moment, Mayukh felt ashamed of the weakness he had shown over the last day. Unarmed and alone, this girl had maintained her courage and composure, while he had broken down. He shrunk back against the wall, suddenly very ashamed of himself. Swati caught him staring at her and saw his expression. Somehow she seemed to be reading his mind.
'Mayukh, whatever happened before we met, we wouldn't be alive if you hadn't helped us. So if Abhi thinks you're Pete, he's right. You're his hero.'
As she got up to walk towards Hina, she turned towards Mayukh and added softly.
'And mine.'
***
They had a dinner of some cookies and canned fruit in near total darkness. Abhi had decided that Mayukh was his idol and wouldn't leave his side, even insisting that he feed him at night. He kept up an incessant chatter about Disney characters, cars he liked, the fact that he loved chocolate chip cookies and so on. Mayukh was clueless about most of what Abhi seemed to be blabbering on about, but it didn't seem to matter.
'See McQueen, he goes so fast!', Abhi exclaimed as he raced his toy car over Mayukh's leg.
Hina looked at Mayukh, smiling.
'You seem to have got your own little fan there.'
Mayukh could only grin back. He had never been around kids much, but now seeing the curly haired bundle of energy next to him, he felt fiercely protective, and he began to realize just what might have made his mother sacrifice herself to save him. He reached over, tousling Abhi's hair.
'Don't you need to sleep now?'
Abhi looked up at him with big, innocent eyes.
'Give me a fresh diaper and milk.'
Totally out of his depth now, Mayukh looked towards Swati for help. She came over, grinning from ear to ear.
'He normally doesn't take to strangers this easily. You must have made quite an impression. Come on, Abhi, no fresh diaper today. Let's go to sleep now.'
Abhi burst into tears, bawling at the top of his voice. Swati tried to hush him and looked at Mayukh and Hina apologetically.
'I'm sorry, but he's used to sleeping in a fresh diaper. He's not potty trained yet, and he always has milk before bedtime.'
A mother of two grown children, Hina immediately went to the bathroom to see if she could rustle up something, and then came back with some toilet paper.
'This is all we have. And no milk of course.'
Swati tried comforting Abhi, but the boy kept crying, and she looked at Mayukh, an almost apologetic expression in her eyes. David came inside, whispering to Mayukh.
'We need to calm him down. They hear that crying, and we're in big trouble.'
Mayukh realized that somehow he had been given charge of Abhi, and also realized that he did not really mind it. He looked out the door and saw something across the street.
'David, just cover my back.'
'Where are you going? It's past Sunset.'
Mayukh answered over his shoulder to Hina.
'I see a Pharmacy, and its just a few feet away. I'll see if they have anything there.'
He wondered if David would stop him, but the soldier just tapped him on his back.
'Be quick, and stay sharp. If there's any sign of trouble, aim for the head.'
Mayukh slipped into the darkness, gun in hand and a flashlight tucked into his belt. He realized that even after just one day, his eyes had adjusted well to the darkness. The sky was clear, perhaps the one positive effect of all the cars and factories being silent, and in the moonlight, he could see pretty clearly. Now that he was outside, he felt a stab of panic. David was a trained soldier who knew what he was doing, but Mayukh knew that he was just a kid in school who may have liked to play soldier on video games, but knew nothing of what to do in real life. He gripped the gun in both hands, both to steady his hands and to give him some confidence. He crept across the road, watching both sides of the road. With his heart hammering, he entered the store, and turned on his flashlight to see what was inside. Much of the store had been looted, but to his delight, he found what he wanted-several packs of Pampers. He had never figured diaper packs could be so bulky, and he realized that carrying just two would mean that he would not be able to hold his gun in his hand. He looked around frantically for bags and finally found a large black garbage bag. He put two large packs of diapers in it and also several packs of what looked to be baby milk powder. Then he went back out into the darkness.
He was halfway to the bookstore when he thought he heard voices in the distance. All his bravado gone, he ran at a full sprint, entering the open door panting for breath. As he handed the bag to Hina, she looked in and chuckled.
'I think he's a bit big for an M size.'
Mayukh rolled his eyes.
'I'm kidding, Mayukh. That was a very brave thing to do.'
Hina started making some milk for Abhi while Swati sat down next to Mayukh. In the darkness, he could barely see her face, but she held his hand and squeezed lightly.
'Thanks again.'
Before he could say anything, Abhi ran up and hugged his knee.
'I want him to put me to sleep.'
And so, Mayukh sat down with Abhi as he drank his milk and then the little boy put his head on Mayukh's lap.
'Can you tell me a story?'
Mayukh looked around for help, but could only hear Hina and Swati chuckle, so he began.
'Once upon a time, there was a little boy, whom his mother loved a lot. But he never listened to her and never told her that he loved her too. One day, some monsters came and took her away, and the boy was all alone.'
Abhi took his hand and said, 'Just like my mama.'
'But then the boy had to be very brave because so many others needed him to be strong. So he decided that wherever his mama was, she would be proud if he didn't cry and was brave.'
He fumbled, feeling tears well up in his eyes, and struggled with what to say next. He didn't need to continue the story, because he felt Abhi asleep, his little chest rising and falling rhythmically. Mayukh put Abhi's head on a cushion and then sat down nearby, the tears now coming freely. He felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Swati.
'I thought the boy was going to be brave.'
Mayukh put his head against her shoulder and cried, and she just let him sit there, the two of them thinking of families they had lost, and of the uncertainties ahead. Mayukh didn't realize when he dozed off, and when he awoke, the glowing hands of his watch told him it was three in the morning. Swati was fast asleep just inches from him. He took out his mobile phone and turned it on. It was useless as a phone but in the glow of its screen he took a look around the room. Hina was sleeping next to Abhi, a hand over his chest, and David still seemed to be outside. He then moved the glow over Swati's face. Her cheeks were still streaked with dried tears that she herself must have shed after Mayukh slept. There was a swollen bruise on her forehead but despite that, Mayukh thought she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He would have loved to linger on her face for longer but she stirred in her sleep, and he hastily shut the phone off and lay down.
He lapsed into an uneasy slumber when a tap on his shoulder woke him up. It was David.
'Come on, you have to see this.'
He followed David out, crouching low and then taking cover behind the podium outside the door. What he saw shocked him.
In the pale moonlight, he saw five men standing just a hundred meters from the bookstore. In any other time, they may have passed for a group of friends just shooting the breeze, but at this unearthly time of night, and with their black turbans, there was no doubt as to who they were and what their agenda was.
'David, do you think they know we're here?'
David asked him to crouch lower.
'It's much worse than that. A few minutes ago there were just two of them.'
As he spoke, the true extent of the problem facing them became more apparent when one of the men waved to someone in the distance. As Mayukh watched, four more figures joined them. They made no move to attack the bookstore but just stood there, watching and waiting. A few minutes later, six more joined the group. Mayukh watched as one of them pointed straight towards the bookstore. He could not hear what was being said, but the group took a step towards the bookstore, moving together.
Mayukh turned to David.
'What the hell is going on?'
In the moonlight, he could just make out David's face, and the soldier's eyes seemed to betray a hint of uncertainty.
'They're learning. I'll be damned, but they are actually learning and adapting. Go and check the back door and see if they are there.'
Mayukh scrambled to the back door and after moving some of the furniture wedged against it, peeked outside. He heaved a sight of relief when he saw nobody outside. He was about to go to the front entrance and pass on the good news to David when he heard the first gunshot.
***
When the figures began running towards the bookstore, David realized he had to react. His assault rifle was resting against the top of the podium and with the night vision scope on he had an excellent field of fire. As good a shot as he was, it was hard to hit moving targets, especially when the only shots that counted were head shots. So he emptied his magazine and was rewarded with only four head shots which put his targets down on the ground. The others continued running towards him. He picked up his gun and retreated inside the store, closing the door behind him, just as Mayukh reached him. The two of them began moving shelves and tables against the door, trying to barricade themselves in. The sound had awakened Hina and Swati, who shouted out aloud.
'What's going on?'
In the darkness, Mayukh edged towards her and said the three words that electrified her into action.
'They are coming.'
In a split second Hina and Swati were up and helping to move furniture against the door. Mayukh glanced at Abhi to see that the boy had somehow managed to sleep through all the chaos.
Then the banging on the door began. First it was the hammering of a single fist, and then it was joined by a multitude of others as the door shook and threatened to give way. David was crouched in front of the door, his assault rifle at the ready. Mayukh stood a foot behind him, his handgun raised in his shaking hands. Before he had retreated inside the bookstore, David had picked up his Claymore anti-personnel mine and brought it inside, placing it just a few feet inside the store, and activating it. As the door began to give way under the onslaught, he cried out aloud.
'Get back and take cover behind something!'
Mayukh went and hid behind a bookshelf, and found Swati there. She was holding Abhi, who was awake now and sobbing. The boy sensed Mayukh nearby and stammered.
'Are they the bad men? I'm scared.'
The boy's plea put a new resolve in Mayukh and he knew then that whatever happened, the monsters outside the door would not get to Abhi till they got through him. He may have not done much spectacular with his life till now, but if his destiny lay in dying to protect a little boy who somehow seemed to trust him, so be it. He aimed his gun at the door as it burst open.
The Claymore exploded with a deafening roar, sending hundreds of pellets in a deadly arc, slicing through the first few creatures through the door. The prone figures did not get back up, but Mayukh realized that in their place, many more were clambering in through the open door. A flashlight suddenly turned on, and Mayukh realized David had just illuminated their targets. The two creatures first in through the door seemed to flinch at the sudden explosion of light, and tried to cover their eyes with their yellowed and bleeding hands when David fired. Mayukh joined in, firing again and again, aiming for the heads. He had no idea if he hit anyone or anything, but he just kept pulling the trigger, Before he knew it, he heard the clicking noise indicating his magazine was empty and he put another clip in the gun as David kept up a withering fire. Four more of their attackers lay in the doorway but others seemed to climb over their prone bodies and entered the store.
'Back!'
On David's command Mayukh pulled Swati and Abhi towards the rear of the store, firing as he went. He saw one of two of the creatures stumble, but he knew that short of a head shot, he would not stop them, and even then, it was a matter of minutes before they would resume their attack. They were fighting a losing battle, and Mayukh and David both realized it.
The flashlight was now rolling on the floor, casting eerie shadows on the wall, and Mayukh saw David bring the butt of his rifle down hard on the head on one attacker before he too retreated into the store. He could hear Hina screaming nearby but in the darkness, he had no idea where she was.
Mayukh felt along the bookshelf behind him till he found Swati's hand. She gripped his hand tightly and he could hear her whispering to Abhi telling him that they were playing a game like hide and seek. He couldn't see the boy in the darkness but was amazed at how well he was holding up. He could hear feet shuffling through the darkness as more of them entered the bookstore. He almost screamed when he felt a hand touching his shoulder.
'Relax! It's me, David. Try and get everyone to the back of the store and out the back door.'
Mayukh felt David and Hina brush past him, and he leaned down to whisper to Swati what the plan was. Swati was about to move back when Mayukh felt Abhi hold his hand. He whispered to him to follow his sister, but the boy would not let go.
'I'm only going with you.'
Mayukh tried to hush him but it was too late. He heard an inhuman growl as their pursuers realized where they were. He told Swati to move to the back and that he and Abhi would be right behind her. Holding the boy's hand in his left hand, Mayukh took out his gun and crept along the bookshelf. There was a pandemonium of noise in the store as their attackers trashed one bookshelf after another trying to look for them. Mayukh felt something cold and clammy against his right hand. He let go of Abhi's hand and brought up his flashlight to see what it was.
He found himself looking into a yellowed, bloody face with a turban tied on top of its head. He seemed to be as surprised as Mayukh and took a step back, before baring his deformed teeth and emitting a howl that sounded like an animal in pain more than anything any human being could produce.
'Jiiiiiiiiiiiiihaaaaaaaaaaa..'
Without conscious thought, Mayukh brought up his gun and fired twice into the creature's face. As he went down, Mayukh realized any pretense of stealth was now useless.
'Abhi, can you be a brave boy and keep the flashlight pointed straight?'
He saw that the boy's eyes were wide with fear but he nodded and said.
'Don't worry. I'll help you fight the monsters.'
Mayukh's heart went out to the brave little boy as he gave him the flashlight. Then he grabbed Abhi's hand and ran towards the back exit as more footsteps sounded behind him. He turned in mid-stride, firing two shots, not sure if he hit anyone, but hoping it at least caused their pursuers to slow down. He was wrong. Their attackers were in such a crazed state that sensing prey, much like a pack of wild dogs, they were rampaging through the store with a senseless fury, overturning bookshelves and ripping books to shreds.
In the darkness, Mayukh's shoulder slammed into the corner of a bookshelf, but ignoring the stinging pain, he dragged Abhi along as fast as he could. He could hear Swati screaming now for her brother and as he got closer, he could see Swati, Hina and David silhouetted against the open back door.
David knelt down and through the night vision optics of his assault rifle, saw two of the creatures just behind Mayukh. He fired a single shot at each, the bullets whizzing inches past Mayukh's face as they slammed into his pursuer's heads. Both went down in a heap.
Mayukh stumbled on a book and fell forward. Even as he fell, he tried to cushion Abhi's fall with his body.
'You okay?'
'I'm still brave.'
Despite the danger in which they were in, Mayukh couldn't help but smile at the boy's innocent courage as he got up and started for the door again.
That was when a hand clamped around Abhi's left leg.
'He's got me!'
Abhi's shout was echoed by a scream of dismay from Swati. Mayukh picked up the flashlight the boy had dropped and shone it down. He saw what had once been a young woman, but was now no more than a feral animal. Her right hand was holding Abhi's leg and she was opening her mouth to bite down on his leg. Mayukh fired at her, hitting her several times till his gun clicked empty. She fell back and in a second was about to get back up when Mayukh lifted Abhi in his arms and ran towards the door. As he reached it, David stepped forward, kneeling to fire his rifle on full auto at the woman, sending her down again.
They ran out the door and sprinted down the spiral staircase, David bringing up the rear. That was when Mayukh skidded to a stop. In front of them stood at least a dozen of the infected, no more than twenty feet away. They began to wail, a sound that struck terror into Mayukh.
'Jiiiiiiihaaaaaaaaaaad…..'
He pointed his gun at the nearest one and fired, and then realized his clip was empty. David came up next to him, his rifle at his shoulders.
'Shit, they are learning faster than I thought. They knew we'd come out here.'
Swati was now gripping Mayukh's left hand and holding Abhi behind her. David took a deep breath and inserted a fresh magazine into his rifle, and selected full auto. At this range, there was no way he had any hope of stopping all of them, but maybe he could buy some time for the others to get away. Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen-he had lived through all of them-only to die in a parking lot in Delhi. He took a step forward towards the wailing creatures.
'Folks, run to the front and get our car. I'll try and hold them.'
Mayukh took Swati's hand and pressed it into Hina's. Swati tried to hold onto him, but he stepped away, trying to ignore her sobs and pleas. Abhi was now crying, all his courage gone.
'Swati, you must live. For Abhi.'
Mayukh then stepped forward next to David.
'You're the man next to me now, David. Remember what you told me?'
David grinned. In another life, this kid could have been a good soldier.
'Nice knowing you, kid. Let's give 'em Hell.'
When the creatures saw Hina and Swati run, they screamed and thundered down on them. David knelt and emptied his magazine, sending four of them tumbling to the ground. Mayukh was firing as fast as he could, and thought he hit two of them, but there was no time to check. He put in another clip as David fired again. They were now just feet away from their attackers and Mayukh put his gun down, knowing that the end was near. David was still firing and shouting obscenities at their attackers.
Mayukh flinched as the nearest attacker launched himself at him, teeth bared. That was when the SUV ploughed into them, scattering their attackers and running over two of them. Hina was at the wheel.
'Get in!'
Mayukh and David dove into the open back door as Hina sped away, smashing aside a bike that was parked near the exit. She turned towards them.
'Did I tell you that I never got a Driver's License because I was scared of driving?'
Just then, they heard a cry of anguish from Abhi, and they all turned towards him, wondering what was wrong. The little boy looked at Mayukh, tears welling in his eyes.
'I left McQueen in there.'
They all laughed, and then sat back, each of them thinking of their narrow escape. As the Sun slowly rose over the city, they realized they had survived one more night. Not only survived but formed bonds forged in battle that meant that now each of them was sure that no matter what lay ahead, they would face it together.
'Oh my God!'
Mayukh sat up at Swati's shout. He could hear her begin to cry. He leaned over to the front seat to see what was wrong. She was cradling Abhi in her lap, and was looking at his left leg.
'Swati, what happened?'
'They bit Abhi.'