Episode 8
1019 Words
Monica lured out the zombies. Manav and other ran towards the gate as quietly as possible. They entered the gate. Manav picked up a small stone and threw it at the window. The same window from where he jumped to the roof earlier. His father came to the window and saw few people standing there. It was dark so he couldn't see properly.
"Baba, it's me, Manav, " Manav said waving his right hand in the air.
"Manav? " His father said with surprise.
Suddenly, his mother came to the window.
"Manav? Are you here, my son? " She said.
"She must be in a lot of distress while I was gone. "
"I will open the door, " The father said and moved from the window.
"Is your house safe? " Ashwin asked.
"Yeah, we all should stay here until this matter is solved, " Manav said.
Manav's father opened the door. His mother came running and hugged Manav tightly. Manav became a bit emotional.
"Why are we standing here? " Manav's father said, trying to divert everyone's attention from the mother-son moment .
Manav's father was standing, holding the door while everyone was entering the house. Everyone entered one by one. He then closed the door and entered a room where everyone was sitting.
It didn't look like they were in midst of a zombie apocalypse. They were too chilled out. Ashwin and his family was sitting on the sofa while Tanisha was sitting on the couch beside them. Manav and his parents were standing.
"Does anyone need anything? " Manav asked.
"Water, please, " Ashwin's father said.
Manav ran to the kitchen for water.
Ashwin's father was looking around the house comparing his own house with this one.
"Your house is really nice, " he said.
"Thank you, " Manav's father answered.
"How much did it cost? "
His wife hit him from her elbow to tell him that he shouldn't ask these questions.
"Well, not much, just 18 lakhs. "
"18 lakhs!? "
He was shocked as the cost was too much for him. He looked at his wife and saw her glaring at him with anger.
Manav came with a glass of water in his hand. He took it and gulped down all of the water in one go. He handed the glass to Manav.
"Thank you, " he said.
"You should be comfortable here, think of this house as your own, " Manav's father said.
"Our own? " Ashwin's father said.
His wife again started glaring at him as if she would beat him right now.
"Yeah, why not, " Manav's father answered casually.
Suddenly, someone knocked at the door.
"Oh, it must be Monica, " Manav said.
"Monica? " His father asked.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you. Monica is the one who saved all of our lives. And she is the one who lured those zombies away from here so that we could reach here. "
Manav rushed to the door. When he opened it, a girl in white half-sleeved T-shirt and blue jeans rushed inside while pushing him aside.
"Hey, where are you going? " Manav said.
She didn't respond and hid behind a wall. He closed the door.
The girl looked like she was 17 to 18 years old. She had fair complexion and had brown long hair which was tied as ponytail.
Manav walked near her and saw some scratches on her face. She was even bleeding from a small cut near her eyebrows. She looked terrified by something.
Everyone sitting in the room came running after hearing the noise.
"Come out, you are safe here, " Manav said.
She slowly came out from behind the wall.
"Is she Monica? " His father asked.
"No. "
"Then who is she? "
"I don't know, when I opened the door she rushed inside without saying anything. "
"Ohho, look at her, " His mother said. "How badly she is hurt. Whoever she is, we should help her first. "
"Yeah, " His father said.
His mother then took Tanisha and Ashwin's mother with her to help the girl in other room. Manav, his father and Ashwin's father were sitting in the room where they were earlier.
Manav's mother wiped the girl's face with a wet towel and applied an antiseptic on the wound from where the girl was bleeding.
"What is your name? " Manav's mother asked.
The girl didn't say anything. She still had a terrified look on her face and was lost deep in her thoughts.
"Daughter? What is your name? " She again asked.
The girl snapped out of her thoughts.
"Huh? "
"I am asking you. What is your name? "
"Anya! "
"Anya, how did you get these wounds? "
Anya stared at the floor, again lost in thoughts. Her eyes were filled with tears.
"Aunty, I think I should talk to her, " Tanisha said. "She looks like around my age. "
"That's a good idea, " Ashwin's mother said.
Both the aunties left the room. Tanisha was now alone with Anya.
Tanisha gently put her hand on Anya's shoulder.
"Hey, you can talk to me. You can share anything with me. I won't tell anyone. "
Anya looked at Tanisha with teary eyes.
"Whatever happened with you, you can share with me. But tell me first, how old are you? "
Anya again started staring at the floor.
"Seventeen, " Anya said.
"Ohh, I am Tanisha and I am twenty. So, you are like my younger sister. "
Tanisha took Anya's hand in her hands.
"Come on, tell me everything now. "
Anya was still lost in thoughts. She was having flashbacks of the horrible experiences she had. She suddenly put her hands on the sides of her head, closed her eyes tightly and screamed.
"Noooo!! "
While this all was going on, Manav's father and Ashwin's father were chatting but Manav was lost in thoughts.
"I don't know why but that girl seems familiar. Where did I meet her? "
Suddenly, something sparked in his mind. His eyes became bigger, his eyebrows lifted up and mouth got open with shock.
"Wait, is she that... girl? But what is she doing here? She met me... again... in this alternate reality? "
Suddenly, they heard Anya's scream. They all stood up and rushed to the room where she was.
- Writer
