the past few hours. Hina got up and walked to the kitchen.
'Look, we can sit around and wait or we could at least get something to eat. Now, who wants cold pizza?'
The pizza was cold and stale so they all gave it a pass, but they gorged on soup and pasta. David discovered that the place had a working generator and they had their first hot meal in three days. It made them all feel a bit more human again, and it took their minds off Abhi.
Abhi was listening to Hina sing nursery rhymes when Mayukh decided to stretch and walked to the front of the restaurant. He felt someone behind him-it was Swati.
'The little boy's mother would have real proud, for her little boy is a man.'
He looked at her and smiled, and they sat down together.
'Swati, tell me about your folks.'
'We were hardly the perfect family. Mom and dad fought all the time, so it was pretty much me and Abhi. With our age difference, I was part mother, part sister for him. When
Mayukh realized she was beginning to sob and he put his hand tentatively on her shoulder. She leaned against his chest and the tears now flowed freely.
Hina looked at the two of them and she smiled in the middle of singing London Bridge is Falling Down. David had laid his weapons out in front of him and was cleaning his guns and taking stock of how much ammunition he had left. He followed Hina's gaze.
'Hina, are you thinking what I'm thinking.'
Hina looked at him and mockingly chided him.
'Young man, I have been writing trashy romance novels since when you were in diapers. I know a budding romance when I see one.'
Then she added more wistfully.
'At least there are still some beautiful things left in this world.'
Another hour passed. The roads outside were still deserted, and as before, there was no sign of the infected in daylight. Abhi continued to be his normal self, and after much effort, Swati was finally able to make him take a nap. With him finally not able to hear what was on their minds, the adults converged near the front door. Swati was visibly relieved to see that her little brother had not changed into one of the fiends that had brought so much devastation into all their lives. David was just relieved that he did not have to face the possibility to having to shoot the boy.
'I just don't get it. We've all seen people of all ages, genders, religions transform after being bitten or scratched by them. If anything the process of infection has gotten faster. It seems that the transformation used to take a day or so but now seems nearly instantaneous. Yet, there he is, sleeping away as if nothing had happened.'
'I'm just glad the kid is okay. I don't care why or how this happened, but I'm just glad that he's fine.'
Mayukh's relief was born not just out of the genuine affection he had begun to feel for the boy who followed him around like a lost puppy, but also because he didn't know if he could ever live with himself if anything had happened to Abhi when he was supposed to be taking care of him. There was a silence before Hina spoke up, her soft words shocking everyone.
'Perhaps it is a sign.'
When everyone looked at her to see what she meant, she continued.
'I've never been very religious, but don't tell me the scientists can fully explain what has happened. In the middle of all this evil, all this chaos, Abhi's not being infected is a sign that there is hope. Maybe there is a way this infection can be beaten, and Swati, maybe your brother could be the key.'
They all stood there, watching Abhi sleep, wondering how true Hina's words were. Just then, he woke up, and sat up calling out to Mayukh.
'Can we play hide and seek now?'
The day had passed well enough, but by three in the afternoon, David had begun to wonder what their next step would be. The infected were now more than the mindless mobs they had initially seemed to be. At the very least, they were beginning to show some signs of thinking and tactics, and with just a few hours to go till Sunset, he was consumed with trying to think of where they could go next. Mayukh, finally tired of playing with the seemingly indefatigable Abhi had come over and sat next to him.
David looked at him, and somehow his face was different from what he had seen just a day earlier. Gone was the scared, shaken boy-in it's place was a young man whom he had seen could kill and be ready to be killed to protect those around him. David touched him on the shoulder.
'I never got around to telling you, but you did good this morning.'
Mayukh smiled at the compliment.
'Yeah, but I was shit scared all the time.'
David chuckled, but his eyes were serious.
'I'm still terrified every time I get into a firefight. I'd be worried if you weren't scared. What makes us do what we do as soldiers is not being fearless, but being able to put something above that fear-honour, watching out for our buddies, whatever works for each person. For you, I suspect it's our new friends there inside.'
'I'd never been around kids much, but Abhi is amazing, and I already feel like I'd do anything for him.'
David got up to stretch and told Mayukh he was going inside for a bio break, but then turned around and told Mayukh with a wink.
'I wasn't just talking about the boy, and you know that.'
Mayukh reddened a bit, and was watching the road when Swati came and joined him.
'Now I know what they say about grandmothers is true. Hina's spoiling him silly-he's drinking Pepsi. I never let him drink soda.'
Mayukh was watching her, wondering just how true David's observation was. It sounded absurd-in the middle of all this chaos, where just staying alive was a constant struggle, who had time to be interested in a girl?
A sudden scraping noise outside the door caught Mayukh's attention. He whispered to Swati to get David and then braced himself against the door, his gun in hand. As the sound got closer, Mayukh realized that it sounded like someone was dragging something along, but now it was joined by another noise, which sounded incongruously like glasses being clinked together to make a toast. Mayukh tried to control his breathing and calm himself. He thought of all the lessons his father had given him on the range about how calm breathing was the key to a steady hand while taking a shot, and tried reminding himself that he had already seen more than enough action over the last two days. Yet, he couldn't help it-his hands seemed to shake of their own accord. He gripped his gun with both hands and then when the sound outside seemed very close, he braced himself for action. He wondered what was taking David so long, and hoped that the soldier would get there fast.
***
The sound stopped abruptly, and Mayukh heard a raspy voice just outside the door, perhaps inches from where his face was.
'You can relax and put your gun down. I mean no harm.'
Mayukh was puzzled as to how the stranger knew where he was and the fact that he had his gun at the ready. David was now beside him, his assault rifle at his shoulder and swung out the door, pointing it straight at the man outside. Mayukh joined him a second later and found himself facing an old, bespectacled man. The man was thin and wore tweed trousers and a pullover. He may have looked like a grandfather out for a walk had it not been for two things. He wore a thick belt around his waist on which were arranged several beer bottles, with a rag stuffed at the end of each. His right leg was bent at a strange angle, and he dragged it behind him as he walked.
'How did you know I was there?', asked Mayukh.
The man smiled and held out an old, gnarled hand to Mayukh and then to David, sizing up the American soldier, and seeing the insignia on his arm.
'I didn't expect to see a SEAL here. Gentlemen, I am Lieutenant General Purohit, Indian Army. I retired ten years ago, but I spent most of my career as a commando in the Paras, and I had the good fortune to train with some of your SEAL comrades. Young man, as for how I knew you were there-I could see a bit of your shadow outside the door. You're lucky I waited to see who you were before jumping to conclusions.'
