“I have to find her…”
I kept repeating in my mind, I could not risk a slight murmur. But I had to remind myself why I was out in open where every walking creature wanted to eat me alive.
“I have to find her...”
I have fashioned a small spear by tying a butcher knife at one end of a walking stick of my now deceased father.
My body was drenched in sweat, but i could not take my thick winter jacket off even in the heat of May. Holes that I made strategically in the jacket gave little to no relief.
Thick jacket and double trousers were the only protection between my flesh and any of rabid creatures that might pounce on me.
“I have to find her...” I repeated in my mind.
Slowly I crawled down from my 5th floor apartment to basement parking, peaking at every corner making sure nothing was lurking on the other side.
All the white repeating to myself
“I have to find her...”
I could not afford to take the lift even though it ran on solar power but it made too much noise, ran too many unnecessary announcements.
Basement was dark with no electric lights on, but there were pockets of filtered sunlight dropping on floor from small gaps between various towers of the society, I lived in.
I heard noises coming from my left, I ran and ducked behind a nearby parked car.
Sweat made my jacket and pants stick to my skin, at least I hoped it was sweat, fear ran down my spine and I took a peek from behind car window.
“I have to find her...” my mind repeated.
To my left some 3 cars beyond. I saw a woman, a man and a kid roaming aimlessly, their clothes shred and barely hanging on their bodies. They had cuts and bruises all over their bodies. I saw deep gashes of bites taken out from flesh on kids left leg. The man had a sore wound in his left arm, he must have been bitten there. Women had a cheek ripped out and foaming with maggots.
I tried to see their faces; I knew this family.
“I have to find her...” my mind said to itself.
Tears ran down my face, I used to play badminton with them, they were my friends.
Now they are nothing but just blood thirsty monster, if they find out about me hiding, they come rushing down to tear me apart.
I kept crawling my eyes focused on them, it was mistake I was about to regret. It must be an empty plastic bottle which I stepped on and it sprang up and made bursting noise.
I froze, I believe my heart skipped few beats.
They came rushing towards the direction of noise, mad with rage, growling and biting their teeth.
I slipped under the car and closed my eyes, trying hard to calm my breathing.
These monsters, these beasts could listen very well and they can find me by my laboured breathing but somehow their brains were not functioning enough to figure out I was hiding just beneath the car.
I might have lied down there for 5 dreadful minutes, repeating to myself
“I have to find her...”
Slowly their interest in the noise waned and I resumed my journey. Crawling behind the cars keeping a watchful eye in the corridors of that dark basement.
All the while saying to myself
“I have to find her...”
It took me an hour to reach my destination or at least I believed that was my destination, it was so dark that I had to trust my calculations rather my sight.
The only thing that kept me going was my chant.
“I have to find her...”
I was at the steps of the stairs; I could see the day light but I can also hear the growls of creatures. With feather light steps I started my climb it was going to be long climb.
I wasn’t sure I was prepared for it.
“I have to find her...” my mind repeated
As I reached the ground floor, I was relieved to see nothing there. I quickly ran to first floor.
Standing in the lift lobby I snuck a peak of the ground, it was filled with growling creatures roaming here and there, I could see torn pieces of flesh and limbs of animals and humans.
“I have to find her...” my mind reminded.
Last 5 days had been a living hell. I somehow manage to survive and I am an introvert and I don’t like to go out often from my home. Today it was necessary to go out.
“I have to find her...” my mind repeated.
I continued my climb.
I found most of the floors empty, houses bolt shut and dead silent. Sometimes an occasional growl and snarl ran shivers down my spine.
Eventually, I was at 10th floor. I sneaked up to her apartment door.
To my surprise and dismay the door was open my heart sank. I crept inside slowly, my heart not willing to even think of the possibility that any moment she might jump on me to tear me apart limb by limb.
“I have to find her...” my heart murmured.
Tears came were rolling down my face.
With little bit of courage, I whispered
“Meera” there was no reply
“Meera” again nothing.
I didn’t know what do, what to think. There clothes scattered around the house and some furniture blocked the passage to inner rooms but there were no signs of struggle and no sign of her.
I know she lived alone like me. But where was she.
“I have to find her...” my mind repeated.
A clanking noise came from the flat nearby.
I sprang to my feet and straightened the spear rest to stab anything that came entering through the door.
But no one came, instead the commotion and growling noises grew louder.
I cautiously went outside and started approaching the flat. Its door was closed but I could clearly listen to the tussle going on inside.
Someone was fighting for their life.
It was a moment of decision for me should I go in or should I save myself. All my senses said that I should run from here.
“I have to find her...” inner voice echoed.
I turned the door handle and opened the door.
There was someone struggling on the floor with a creature pounced on that person trying to reach the body to bite the flesh.
Without wasting a second, I stabbed the monster just below its neck severing the spinal cord. It fell.
There she was, shivering in fear.
She threw the monster off her.
My eyes widened; I had a smile on my face.
She looked at me with eyes full of astonishment and face filled with relief.
“YOU!” She exclaimed.
“I have to find you.” I spoke
“What took you so long?” she cried, raising her hands and asking me to assist her.
I scrambled giving her support but the floor was slippery and It took some effort to get her up.
She stood up and hugged me.
“Sorry for being late” - I whispered in her ears.
She looked at me with her arms clutching my back and bodies held against each other, she kissed me.
There was growling in nearby rooms. I was alert to the sounds my grip over my spear tightened.
“Relax, I have locked the rooms” she said.
I saw a confidence in her eyes.
She looked at my spear.
“You made this?” She asked.
I nodded.
“Nice, we would need another one of these” she said.
I agreed.
She picked some bags from the floor, and we came out of the apartment.
“So, what now?” She asked.
“I don’t know.” I replied.
She held my hand with a tight grip.
We looked down from the lift lobby and ground was full of blood thirsty rabid human zombies roaming around.
“I have found her” my mind said with a calm in my heart.
