As Payal and Gana carefully made their way across Parthala Bridge, a faint sound echoed behind them—footsteps, slow and deliberate.

Unaware at first, they continued toward the city, focusing on their path.

But Payal suddenly slowed down. Her body tensed. She could feel it—a chill running down her spine, like invisible eyes crawling over her skin.

She glanced over her shoulder, pretending to fix her backpack.

Gana noticed and asked quietly,

GANA

“What’s wrong?”

PAYAL (whispering)

“I don’t know… just feels like we’re not alone.”

A few meters back, hidden by the twisted remains of abandoned cars and broken railings, four men emerged from the shadows—the same group from the mall.

One of them, with a twisted grin, leaned toward his friend and muttered crudely,

“Brother, let’s grab those two too. That girl… she’d be fun to break.”

His voice was dripping with filth and hunger.

Another chuckled, licking his cracked lips.

But their leader—the man with a cold glint in his eyes—raised his hand sharply.

BOSS (gruffly)

“Not now. Let them go for now. We’ll follow… silently. There’s too much chaos. They’re heading straight into the city anyway. Sooner or later, they’ll get tired… lost… helpless.”

He smirked as he watched Payal and Gana move ahead.

Meanwhile, Payal kept her senses sharp, her instincts on high alert.

She didn’t see them, but her gut screamed: Something—or someone—is behind us.

Payal and Gana made their way into the heart of the city. Though they stuck to the roads, what they saw around them left them stunned.

Burning craters scarred the streets, abandoned cars smoldered in twisted wreckage.

Storefronts had their glass shattered, merchandise scattered and looted.

Buildings leaned dangerously, some ablaze, black smoke rising into the already darkened sky.

The city looked like it had been swallowed by hell itself.

The air smelled of burning plastic, blood, and ash.

Gana gritted his teeth, keeping Payal close.

GANA (trying to lighten the mood)

“By the way, what about your fiancé? Any chance he’s still alive?”

PAYAL (snorting)

“I don’t know. When all this started, I locked myself inside the women’s restroom.

All I could hear were screams, people smashing things… chaos.

By the time I came out, everyone was gone—including my so-called fiancé.”

She rolled her eyes and laughed dryly.

PAYAL (grinning)

“Honestly, if he couldn’t even survive five minutes, maybe it’s good riddance.”

GANA (laughing)

“Yup, future husband material! Can’t even survive a zombie apocalypse, but sure, let’s marry him!”

They both laughed, the brief humor cutting through the heavy air.

But quickly, Payal’s face turned serious again.

PAYAL

“Alright… Let’s talk about the checkpoint now.”

GANA (nodding)

“Checkpoint basically means a place where we can either rest safely… or get what we need before moving ahead.”

PAYAL

“How many checkpoints are we talking about?”

GANA

“Two, for now. First is a hospital—we’ll need medical supplies.

And second is wherever we can reach safely before nightfall.

Depending on time, we’ll decide.”

PAYAL (frowning)

“Why a hospital? You think it’s safe?”

GANA

“I don’t expect it to be safe.

But we’ll need supplies. Bandages, antibiotics… maybe even weapons if we’re lucky.

You really think we’ll make it through this whole mess without getting hurt?”

Payal sighed. She hated that he was right.

PAYAL

“And you think it’ll be empty?”

GANA (serious)

“Judging by how abandoned the mall was this morning…

I’m guessing yes.

Most people either ran away—or didn’t make it.”

He glanced around the broken cityscape and muttered,

“Let’s just hope I’m right… We hit the medical store on the ground floor.

We grab what we need.

And we get out fast.

Flashback begins 

Up in the shattered ruins of the mall’s VIP lounge, a figure moved behind broken glass and twisted furniture.

It was Vikram Kapoor — Payal’s fiancé.

Once clean-cut, charming, and dressed in designer suits, Vikram now looked like a ghost of his former self.

His hair was messy, his face was sharp with anger and exhaustion, and his once-pristine shirt was torn and stained with dirt and blood.

The watch on his wrist still gleamed — a final piece of his rich, polished past — but now it looked out of place, almost pathetic on him.

“What happened with Vikram that night?”

The chaos had erupted faster than anyone could have imagined. One moment the music was pounding through the club, neon lights flashing, drinks clinking — and the next, everything fell into a nightmare.

Screams echoed through the corridors. Blood smeared across the floors. People were trampling over each other, desperate to survive.

Vikram didn’t think twice. He saw the madness unfold — the security guards being torn apart, the guests turning into monsters within minutes. Panic gripped him. He grabbed Payal’s hand for a second but then…

pure selfish survival kicked in.

He yanked his hand away, pushing past the fleeing crowd. Payal called his name, but he didn’t even turn back.

“I have to save myself.”

That was the only thought pounding in Vikram’s mind.

He remembered the VIP section had a separate entrance and private rooms — a hidden area designed for the mall’s elite guests. Only a few had access to it, and Vikram had bribed a staff member weeks ago for a duplicate key card, thinking it might come in handy for “private parties.”

Now, it was his golden ticket.

Pushing his way through the dying and the dead, Vikram reached a locked service door. As the chaos swallowed the ground floor, he slipped into a service hallway, swiping the card desperately.

The green light beeped.

Click. Door unlocked.

Without a second thought, he slammed the door behind him and ran upstairs, deeper into the hidden VIP zone.

Inside, the world felt different — quieter, eerily detached from the madness outside. The VIP lounge was luxurious but cold. Through the soundproofed glass, he could still see shadows moving, hear distant screams.

He found an empty private room, locked himself inside, barricaded the door with furniture, and hid like a coward — shaking, alone, and safe.

He didn’t know what happened to Payal. And frankly, he didn’t care.

In his mind, she was probably dead.

“Not my problem anymore,” Vikram muttered under his breath, huddled against the wall, clutching a broken wine bottle for defense.

Hours passed. Vikram stayed hidden in the VIP lounge, surviving on expensive bottled water and leftover snacks. Every small sound outside made his heart jump. He was convinced he had done the right thing — abandoning Payal to her fate.

But when the night faded into a grim morning, curiosity gnawed at him.

Slowly, cautiously, Vikram crept toward the shattered balcony of the VIP floor. He stayed low, peeking out between the broken glass panes.

And then… he saw them.

Payal. Alive. Walking away from the mall.

And not alone.

She was laughing lightly, talking with some random guy — a stranger. A survivor. Someone who had somehow earned her trust.

Vikram’s fists clenched around the cracked wine bottle he still carried. His teeth ground together as a hot wave of anger and humiliation rose inside him.

“That bitch survived?!” he hissed under his breath. “And she already found herself a new protector?!”

In his mind, Payal wasn’t a fighter — she was supposed to be weak, lost without him.

Seeing her with GANA was a slap in the face.

“Sly bitch… acting all helpless, and now look at her. Clinging to someone else.”

The betrayal burned deeper than fear. Deeper than logic.

Vikram stayed hidden, but his eyes followed them with a burning obsession. His breathing grew heavier as he watched them slip through the broken parking lot, disappearing into the ruined city.

And that’s when he noticed something else —

The four men.

The same violent thugs from the mall.

Following Payal and GANA like predators stalking prey.

A dark smile twisted Vikram’s lips.

“Good. Let’s see how long you survive now, Payal,” he muttered. “I’ll watch every second. I’ll watch you scream, beg, and fall apart without me. That’s what you deserve.”

Pocketing the keycard and gripping his makeshift weapon tighter, Vikram began to follow too — staying just out of sight, lurking like a shadow behind the group.

TO BE CONTINUE 

Hello tapas family 

Author’s Note:

I’d be really happy if you shared your feedback in the comment section. Let me know what you liked or what I can improve—I want to make this story even better for you.

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