CHAPTER XVIII
The Darkness Unfolds
The night was shrouded in an unsettling silence, the only sound being the creaks and groans of the old mansion. I was jolted awake by Aliyana's urgent voice, her words piercing the darkness like a knife. "Sam, wake up! Sam, please get up!" I groggily opened my eyes, my mind foggy from the sudden interruption. Aliyana's face was inches from mine, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and determination.
"What's wrong?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
"I don't know, but I feel like we'll find something here that can help us escape," she replied, her grip on my arm tightening.
I nodded, my heart racing with anticipation. "If you feel that way, then we should search."
Aliyana's eyes locked onto mine, and she nodded in agreement. "But we're not enough. We need to get others to help us."
I quickly agreed, my mind racing with the possibilities. "Okay, I'll wake up Daniel, Robin, Nani, and Looka. You wake up Haider, Elisa, and August."
We both sprang into action, moving swiftly and quietly through the darkened halls. I approached Nani's room first, calling out softly to avoid startling her. "Nani, are you okay? Nani, please wake up. We need to get out of here."
Nani's voice was groggy, but she responded quickly. "I'm coming, Sam. Just give me two minutes."
I nodded, even though she couldn't see me. "Okay, I'll wait."
Next, I moved to Looka's room, my heart pounding in my chest. "Looka, wake up! Looka..." Looka jolted upright, his eyes wide with fear. "Is Elisa okay? Did something happen to her?"
I reassured him, trying to keep my voice calm. "She's fine. The head wants us to gather. Come on."
As I turned to wake up Robin and Daniel, I felt a sense of unease. The room they shared was eerily quiet, and I could hear strange noises coming from inside. I hesitated, wondering if I should knock or simply call out to them. But something about the atmosphere felt off, so I decided to peek through the window instead.
The room was dark, and I couldn't see anything clearly. I fumbled for my torch and shone it inside, my heart sinking as I took in the scene. The room was a mess, and I could see...I couldn't quite process what I was seeing. I called out to the others, my voice shaking.
Everyone gathered outside the room, their faces etched with concern. Haider approached me, his eyes questioning. "What's wrong, Sam? I didn't see you look so shaken before."
I gestured towards the window, my hand trembling. Haider peered inside, and his eyes welled up with tears. The others surrounded him, asking what was wrong, but he just shook his head.
Looka, ever the pragmatist, took matters into his own hands. He kicked in the door, and we were met with a sight that would haunt us forever. Robin was on top of Daniel, his eyes vacant, his mouth open in a snarl. He was eating Daniel, his teeth tearing into flesh with a sickening crunch.
The room fell silent, everyone frozen in horror. Robin, the person we knew, was gone. In his place was a monster, a creature driven solely by hunger and instinct. We stood there, paralyzed, as the reality of our situation sunk in. We were not alone in the mansion, and we were not safe. The darkness had claimed one of our own, and we were next.
We stood there, frozen in shock and grief, as the reality of what had happened sunk in. Daniel and Robin, two of our own, were gone. But it was the sight of Robin, the elder brother who had fought so fiercely to protect his younger sibling, now devouring Daniel's lifeless body that shook us to our core. The bond they shared, the memories we had made together, it all seemed like a cruel joke now.
The question that echoed in everyone's mind was how Robin had become a zombie. We knew Ariana had bitten Daniel, but how did Robin contract the virus? The more we thought about it, the more questions piled up, and the answers seemed to slip further away.
As we stood there, trying to process the horror before us, Robin suddenly lunged at Looka, who was standing at the front of the group. Looka, always the brave one, was caught off guard, and Robin's teeth sank deep into his arm. We all rushed to intervene, trying to pry Robin off Looka, but he was relentless.
Haider, with a surge of adrenaline, grabbed Robin and lifted him off the ground, slamming him onto his knees. The sound of Robin's spine snapping was a grim reminder of the desperation of our situation. Before Robin could recover, August stepped forward, his shotgun at the ready, and ended Robin's undead life.
We turned our attention to Looka, checking him over for any signs of injury. Thankfully, our uniforms had held up to Robin's attack, and Looka's skin was intact. Robin's teeth had broken off, but Looka was safe.
However, our relief was short-lived, as another question began to gnaw at us. If we all wore the same uniforms, why had only three of our teammates fallen to the zombie virus? What was different about Ariana, Daniel, and Robin? Had they been exposed to something we hadn't? The more we thought about it, the more we realized that we were missing something crucial.
As we stood there, trying to make sense of the chaos around us, the uncertainty hung heavy in the air. We knew we had to keep moving, to find a way out of this nightmare, but the questions lingered, refusing to be silenced. What had caused our teammates to fall? And what lay ahead for the rest of us? The darkness seemed to closing in around us, and we knew we had to find answers before it was too late.
Haider stood there, tears streaming down his face as he gazed at the lifeless body of Robin. The two had been close friends, and the loss was hitting Haider hard. He remembered the laughter they had shared, the late-night conversations, and the adventures they had embarked on together. Robin was more than just a teammate; he was a brother. Haider's grief was palpable, and it seemed to echo through the empty halls of the mansion.
Meanwhile, Aliyana was consumed by her own sorrow. Daniel's death had left her shattered. She had always admired his courage and determination, and his loss felt like a part of her had been torn away. She couldn't help but wonder what could have been done differently, what signs they might have missed that could have saved him.
As the others grappled with their emotions, Elisa approached Looka, her eyes brimming with tears. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight as if she might never let go. "I don't know if we'll make it out of this village alive," she whispered, her voice trembling. "But I couldn't keep this inside anymore. I love you, Looka. I always have."
Looka's face lit up with a mix of surprise and joy, and he pulled her closer, his eyes shining with happiness. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to hear you say that," he said, his voice filled with emotion.
Elisa smiled weakly, her tears streaming down her face. "I know, and I know this isn't the right time. We've just lost three of our own, but I couldn't wait any longer. What if I don't make it? I want you to know how I feel. Please, don't waste your life if something happens to me. Life is short, and it should be lived with joy."
Looka held her tight, his heart overflowing with love and gratitude. He knew the timing wasn't perfect, but in a world filled with uncertainty, sometimes you had to seize the moment. He looked into Elisa's eyes, and all he saw was the depth of her feelings, the sincerity in her words.
"I'll live my life to the fullest, not just for me, but for us," Looka promised, his voice barely above a whisper. "And I'll hold onto your love, no matter what happens next."
In that moment, amidst the chaos and grief, their love became a beacon of hope. It was a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there was still beauty to be found, still moments to cherish. And as they held each other, they knew that as long as they had each other, they could face whatever lay ahead.
As I watched Looka and Elisa share their intimate moment, a sharp pain began to throb in my head. It was as if the memories I had tried to keep buried were resurfacing, demanding to be acknowledged. The words echoed in my mind like a mantra: "If only you could understand me, if only you hadn't left me, if only we had never been apart." These memories were hazy but deep, and the pain they brought was overwhelming. My head began to pound, and I felt myself crumbling to the ground.
The others rushed to my side, concern etched on their faces. For a moment, they thought the worst – that I had been bitten by a zombie. August stood frozen, shotgun at the ready, prepared to defend us. But Aliyana's voice cut through the tension. "She gets headaches," she explained softly. "It's been happening since the Mumbai 2020 bloodshed."
I remembered snippets of what Aliyana had told me about my past – that I had lost someone close to me, someone whose death I couldn't accept. The pain in my head intensified, and I felt like I was drowning in my own memories. As the fog began to clear slightly, I recalled Aarvi and Mahi being in Mumbai with me. Perhaps one of them...
The thought trailed off as my vision began to blur, and my eyelids grew heavy. I felt myself slipping away, the world around me fading into darkness. The last thing I remembered was the sound of Aliyana's voice, calling out to me, before everything went black.
In that moment, I was lost in the labyrinth of my own mind, reliving moments that I couldn't fully recall. The pain was a physical manifestation of the emotional turmoil I had endured. As I drifted into unconsciousness, I knew that when I woke up, the memories would still be there, waiting for me to confront them. But for now, the darkness was a welcome respite, a temporary escape from the weight of my past.
To be continue.....