Tears threatened to roll down her cheeks. She put the axe into her backpack. It was bigger than the size of her backpack, so the edge of the axe’s handle stuck out.
She was still sitting at the corner near the staircase that led to the rooftop. She looked at Rudra’s corpse again. Please don’t wake up. She begged.
Sweta’s attention soon caught a light whirring of a helicopter. It was the rescue team. She was relieved. She looked at the gun, she wouldn’t need them in a few minutes. She slowly got up, took out the radio from her pocket and switched the radio on. “The helicopter is here.” she said to Shiva.
There was a moment of silence. Sweta waited for a reply.
“Okay We’ll be upstairs in a minute.” said Shiva, panting. Gunshots firing in the background mixed with the growling noise of the zombies. She clicked the radio and tossed it into the backpack and zipped it close.
Sweta took a deep breath then slung her backpack around her shoulders, when something crackled behind her, her body froze. The squelching sound of wet footsteps followed. She slowly turned back and what she saw horrified her, Rudra growling his eyes black and his iris red Rudra had turned.
Rudra’s body slowly walked towards her as if it were a machine, leaving trails of blood behind. Sweta sat on the cold floor frozen.
No, he wouldn’t…. He would never hurt me even if he had transformed he wouldn’t. He is my brother, my big brother. Sweta said to herself.
Rudra suddenly gained his speed and raced towards her.
Sweta’s body reacted in an instant and dodged him. She looked back Rudra had clawed the wall. If Sweta was hadn’t moved she probably would have been shredded to pieces. Her legs were shaking threatening to give in, wide eyes she stared at him, terrified.
“When he wakes up he won’t be your brother.” Sweta remembered Shiva's words. The realization suffocated her but she had to accept it, this was not her brother and the claw mark on that wall was the proof.
Sweta took a deep breath. It's okay, it’s not him. My real brother would never hurt me. She told herself.
She pointed the gun at her brother but her hands were trembling violently with fear, she gave in. She closed her eyes shut tears rolled down her cheek. No, she couldn’t do it, transformed or not, that infected body was her brother’s. He pounced at her, she jumped out of his reach. She rolled on the cold marble floor.
The safe siren rang on the rooftop to call all survivors. An idea clicked in her mind. She wouldn't have to shoot him if she could just make it to the rooftop, that was it.
She prepared to run upstairs only to realize that she had run too far away from the staircase while dodging her brother, she was at a disadvantage.
No, No I can do this. Come on Sweta don’t give up. She told herself.
She carefully got up. Once again her zombie brother slowly walked towards her. Sweta eyes were fixed to his movement calculating where he might attack.
Once again raced at her, she jumped out of his reach then dashed up through the staircase. At the end of the stairs was the door. She was reaching out to the door when she remembered it was chained and locked. It was to keep, the infected, on the rooftop from breaking the door and entering the building. At the lower end of the staircase, her brother moved up.
She would have to shoot him but wait…, where was it? Her gun was gone.
She must have lost it when she was dodging Rudra. She quickly slipped out her backpack and took out the axe then started slashing the chains on the door with it. She looked down at the end was Rudra, coming upstairs.
Oh god please, please. Why wouldn’t it break? She begged, as she continuing to hack the door.
He raced up the stairs toward her, at that very moment everything around her seemed to slow down.
Sweta closed her eyes, with a long breath, tightened her grip on the handle of her axe. She raised with a loud screaming she axes then slashed it down with all the force she had. At a distance, she heard Shiva calling out to her. Her senses went numb, everything became dark.
“I hate you, Brother!” Sweta shouted. Sweta chased her brother holding a kachaura, a bowl made out of steel. It was their living room, the bright sunlight lit the living room of their house. ”Sweta, it was a mistake. Okay?... Calm down. You should not be doing this to someone older than you.” said Rudra, eyes carefully watching Sweta. She threw the bowl at him but he was too fast. It flew right past him and landed, then tumbled on the floor. “Older my foot!... You ate my ice cream!”
“What is all this racket?” said a woman in her forties. Rudra hid behind their mother. “Dai ate my ice cream.”
“What?” said their mother. Their mother looked back at him angrily. “It was an accident” he defended himself.
Sweta tried to claw Rudra from the side, he dodged it. “Liar!.. How can that be an accident?” she shouted.
“Well then in that case it was your fault for not eating it right after bringing it.” said Rudra, sticking out his tongue. Sweta’s claws raced above her mother's shoulder to reach Rudra, who still managed to slip away.
“I was going to eat it while I watched my favourite TV Show.”
She tried to reach Rudra again but their Mother blocked her out. “For god’s sake, you two fight like little kids.”
Her mother tried to move out of Sweta’s way but failed, Rudra held onto her mother shoulder. She sighed, giving in she said “Sweta honey let it be. How about I get you two ice-creams?”
“No! he always eats them on purpose to annoy me… I’m... I’m going to kill him.” said Sweta. Their mother caught her hand. “Don’t hit someone older than you.”
Rudra’s smile broadened, her mother turned around and smacked him onto his arms. “ And you. Stop teasing your little sister.” said their mother, angrily.
Sweta was out of breath from chasing after Rudra but she was satisfied, justice was served. He looked down as if he was sorry for a second, then looked at Sweta, he screamed “Ahh. THE BIG SIS-ZILLA’s coming run for your lives.” Rudra ran through the room, laughing. Sweta chased after him.
“I’m going to kill you...” shouted Sweta. His laughter became even louder, then slowly started fading away. A whirring sound of the helicopter blades started replacing them.
Her eyes slowly opened. Tears that had accumulated in her shut eyes started rolling down her face. Her body was too heavy to move. Her vision cleared, the first thing she saw was the passenger cabin’s floor, then her knees and above them were the sleeves of her white shirt and hands... stained with blood.
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