Hruday had all the time in the world, feeling good after a week of hard work. He thought,
"Let's see how long I'll have free time. No, I shouldn't think like this; maybe it'll last a month or even six months." He sighed, not believing his own words. "God, please, I don't want anything absurd to happen for a while. Is that too much to ask?"
Hruday thought, "God, I don't ask for much; just don't give me bad luck just because I don't believe in the concept of religion and rituals. I believe that you might be there, but..." His thoughts were interrupted by Michael bringing him his usual stuff.
Hruday said, "You know I can make it on my own, right?"
"Yeah, but I can't stand seeing you make weird noises while moving. Also, I think I'm starting to love cooking," Michael replied.
Hruday commented, "More like a pass to eat without restriction."
Hruday said, "Please don't eat too many cashew nuts; it'll cause you heat and kapha."
Michael teased, "Here we go, Ayurvedic expert. How does it make sense that certain foods have properties like vata, pitha, and kapha?"
Michael continued, "I mean, yeah, it makes a little sense, but it's just fantasy, like that Chinese stuff. It looks like it makes sense a little, and then it just doesn't. Like how a Horse gram property changes just because it's sprouted,
"I can believe you a little, on things like using turmeric and tulsi, but this doesn't make sense.
ok whatever Man, look! I got impaled by a thorn and can't even get it out. What if my leg rots if I don't remove it?"
Hruday, who was patiently waiting for Michael's complaint to finish, said taking a deep breath and stopping himself from arguing, smirking, "Was it small or big?"
Michael said, "Ah, like medium, I guess. What should I do? I tried to remove it, but it got cut in half. Will it be alright?"
Hruday said, "Ah, that depends on what kind of thorn it is. Bring me a sharp pin."
Michael exclaimed, "Wohh, dude, I don't want surgery from you!"
Hruday looked at him deadpan. "Man, it won't be painful."
Michael said, "Nope, this is what grandma used to say back in the adoption center."
Hruday chuckled. "Dude, you know that she was sadistic, right?"
Michael replied, "And you are not?"
Hruday, getting annoyed, said, "You know what? I don't care if that thorn rots and"
Michael interrupted, "Stop, not another word. Okay, if I feel the slightest pain, I will stab you with the same pin."
Hruday murmured, "Yeah, sure." if I you could still move.
Michael asked what. knowing what he had said
Roy, hesitant to enter the entire room, thinking about how to apologize and share who had been hearing this from the side, decided to lighten the mood. "Hey, Michael, if you scream loud enough, zombies might think we're having a party and join in."
Michael groaned, "Roy, you're not helping!"
Hruday and Roy exchanged a look and smiled sinisterly, making Michael regret his diction. The tension between them seemed to dissolve in that moment of shared humor.
As Hruday started to dig in to find the thorn, Michael screamed dramatically, "Are you poking that deep on purpose? I swear, if you're doing this for fun, I'll"
Hruday laughed. "Stop overacting; don't move too much; I am finding it."
Roy, holding Michael from moving his leg, said, You others, what
Michael sighed in relief. "You guys are evil. When did you make up?"
Hruday chuckled. "Well, why do we have to make up? We were just venting our frustration.
Michael shook his head and said, You sure were, smiling sheepishly despite being scared watching every movement of the hruday's hands.
Roy, holding Michael steady, shared a genuine smile with Hruday. "I'm sorry for everything. at that time hruday, I didn't think about your feelings."
Hruday nodded. "Me too, man. I guess we were just too frustrated. It's good to went it out.
Michael was silent; he still couldn't believe that John was dead. He felt empty, something that hruday understood well.
Roy said, as he felt a tinge of pain in his throat, Filled with guilt, he said in a watery voice, Ah, Michael, sorry for not telling you.
Michael said it's alright; let's not talk about this, and from now on, don't keep secrets.
after which hruday discussed his plan and how he needed big tarpaulin sheets to cover the terrace to harvest rainwater.
and hruday said, Please don't share with everyone. Although it has been a week, I want to create a fallout shelter.
Roy and Michael's eyes were wide open. Roy wanted to interrupt, but Michael asked hesitantly. hruday, how sure are you that a nuke is going to fall?
hruday said not too sure. I mean, just in case, I would say there is a 60 percent chance because, have you noticed how other countries didn't even know that the zombie outbreak had occurred when we took it online? What if they nuke us with the source? So if the outbreak was late, like 4 days? That would mean it's been only 3 days for other countries.
I know, it's just an assumption: wouldn't a country that thinks that we are the source nuke us, or wouldn't our own country nuke us to get rid of large chunks of zombies?
Michael was thinking: has this happened, or was he already dead at this point in his previous try, or is he thinking about the butterfly effect? This guy just dropped another bomb of news first zombie animals, criminals, now Nuke Fu*k. How did he even survive the previous try?
Micheal's thoughts Why the hell am I thinking about this? Didn't I promise not to? Ya, he isn't a regressor. I am just too delusional.
hruday said Looking at both expressions, ahh, guys, let's forget it. Alright, I was just thinking out loud, but the things I added to the list are important. We should do it. What do you suggest? Which one can we do first?
Roy and Michael both sighed. You need to sleep, man, and relax. You are thinking too much negative stuff; let's just take a day off, ok?
hruday said, OK, I will shut up and sleep. My head is aching because of too much thinking.
Micheal said Hey, wait, did you remove my thorn completely? hruday said ya I have removed it look don't worry Roy Bring milk from that flower that bleeds milk (Asclepias), and we will put turmeric in it and fill it with this milk.
dude, I am not sure about this hruday, but confidently trust me, it will work. I have done it a couple of times.
hruday spent the rest of his day trying to stretch and reading the stuff he had downloaded; it was mostly about nuclear safety measures, and after reading everything, he came to realize and said "we are fucked".