Raj ran and ran unaware of his chaser but ran to an endless path of horrors and blackness and in a moment the path under his way gave away and he just fell to a hole of his doom.
He saw Preeti being forced into a cell and then Harpreet getting shot in the arm and the worst of all he saw Anil amidst a crowd of the undeads advancing towards him in a wave of disgusting rotting corpses.
The scenes was filled with wine like blood and gushed out of a hole and then the blood was replaced by the decaying moans and screams of his own family which was now presumed dead.
"NOOOOOOO !" Raj screamed and ripped himself away from the nightmare and started gasping for breath , he touched his neck and wiped the dried tears from his face.
He washed his face and fixed his gaze on the mirror remembering the good old days when he and her sister went kidding around the neighborhood like two naughty wasps , his mom and dad congratulating him on his graduation , his friends weird dance on his wedding.
Tears started forming in his eyes but he wiped it away with his shirt sleeve only to find his eyes bloodshot. The sleep quarters were free of the undeads but it was a step away from being called 'home' until the rats and insects invaded it formed it in their own running palace.
He opened his door and a little light came pouring in with crows quacking an unpleasant melody.
The place was known as The Raj Mahal Hotel which was obviously owned by his poofy aunt he hated in his childhood [and obviously the hotel cannot be called Mahal (Palace) anymore].
It was a small plot of land with jutting roofs and an open compound stacked with supplies and sandbags for cover , a small football lay on the path untouched and still.
Since when did this bloody place became some God-forsaken hell hole for a Kid's Zone, Raj thought and kicked the ball out of his way , it made a soft flop when it a nearby sandbag.
He explored the compound like seeing it for the first time.
His stomach growled and interrupted his thoughts. He remembered that he didn't had food for a week because he had to conserve food for each one of them to survive in this post-apocalyptic world of ruins.
He was about to leave when he saw some dark shadowy figures which were muttering and he could tell that they were in distress.
Raj was about to ask who were they but stopped.
He stared at their hands...
And saw rifles and a machete strapped behind their back with a leather holder.
Raj ducked behind a drum and listened to their growing footsteps on the pavement with his heart beating his chest like a bass drum. Beads of sweat started forming on his forehead , he wiped it from the back of his hand.
"What ? Why are you lookin' at like me like I'm some sort of a disease" a man with high pitch asked in a casual tone.
"You...are a one filthy bastard" The other man with a deep voice growled angrily.
"Aaaaand.....what makes you say that ?" The soft man replied with a smirk.
"You killed that damn son of a dog , you disgraceful pest !" The deep voice man yelled at his partner.
"So ? What's the big idea ? he wanted to tell the boss our secret that we are the one stealing unauthorized food items from the local survivors. The boss could've get us impaled on his damn cane , you old bastard" The two men started walking faster and suddenly stopped. The fluttering feeling at the pit of Raj's stomach fastened.
"Oh look !" The soft voice man said "The same spot where we last stole the food supplies , wanna go inside have a look around ?"
"No ! For god's sake keep that bloody hole in your mouth shut , if we're late , were goners" The old man growled and started walking.
"Oh please , just for a minute and we're back on our track , Deal ?" there was a pause "Oh c'mon you old brat learn to loosen up your those ancient joints for a little bit"
There was another pause and the doors to the compound opened and the creaking sounded more loud even when it cannot challenge a squeak.
Raj ducked behind a sandbag and poked his head sideways to get a real view on the trespassers.
Just as it turned around !
Raj instantly backed but the thread keeping the sand away gave way for the contents to flow out in a frenzy and make a sound.
Enough to attract these guys to him.
Raj keeping his cover ran as stealthily as possible and hid behind a wall just when the intruders arrived on the corner.
Raj looked for a way out , he knew that if these guys caught him , he's history.
He caught a glimpse of a high steep wall but he was too weak to climb , he saw a manhole and crouched his way upto the grate and lifted it from its shaft.
From beneath came groaning sound.....
Then a moan.....
Then a soft thud.....
Raj was about to leave...when his foot got hold of something
He turned to see...
An undead with his skin falling and decaying moss growing on his rotten corpse.
He lowered his mouth to rip a chunk off his leg , Raj struggled to free himself and tried to get hold of his pocket knife but it fell down...
All the way beneath the manhole.
He heart started pounding faster and so does the footsteps coming towards him.
In a flash he kicked the undead with his leg and after two or three attempts....
The hand came off. The corpse started crawling out of the manhole but Raj was quick , he with his remaining strength kicked the undead back into the manhole , it made one sick moan before falling into complete blackness.
He didn't had enough strength to fight two men with a gun and a machete.
He saw a shadow and shortly after the nozzle of the gun. He was about to leap out when his partner , the old one , called him "Get your ass down here"
"Now what ?" The man's voice sounded so near he could hear his gasping breath.
"There's nothing here , let's move , the sun's gonna rise soon and if didn't make it out of here in time , we're history" He said and he marched towards the door and in a few minutes the door creaked closed and it became dead silent.
Raj was too stunned by the close call that his knees started buckling and folding , he took cover by the cover and poked sideways...
They were gone.
He came out of the hiding and collapsed on the floor. Too stunned and weak.
Anil came coming out his pickup truck , yawning "What in the hell is goin' in here" he focused to see Raj sitting on the floor.
"Uh...Raj ? Are you all right ?" Anil asked from a distance.
There was a pause "Yeah everything's under control , just was feeling weak so , you know , just sat down to conserve energy"
Raj got up , Anil helped him" Man , you're getting weaker by the day , go eat something from my stash"
"But what about-?" Anil interrupted Raj mid-sentence
"Ahh , I've had enough , also want to flatten out like a stick , can't able to do in college days but now can , you go , don't worry about me"
Raj went inside his pickup and found some biscuits and crackers and a glass of water. He ate and drank then rested and relaxed himself on the lounger that was set up inside.
Instantly he fell asleep.
He was again haunted by nightmares in which he even couldn't relate if they're inhuman , full of blood , rotting corpses , screams , gunshots , cries and despair.
It was all replaced by blackness which surrounded the whole like a black hole devouring light from the sky and leaving nothing but a glimpse of the murder everyone was unaware of.