Extinction

The slaughterhouse and teamwork

One basic rule to remember is teamwork. If your teammate is down, you’re as good as dead. I know this because I was on my own before I met the gang and my survival was sheer luck. Also, the team should be small but effective. Large teams often cause collisions among the teammates and they end up killing each other. Trust me, I’ve been there. Last but not least, there should always be someone guarding the hideout, always.

As we begin our ascent to the first floor on the long-dead escalator, we pause after hearing a scream at a distance. Some poor girl must have stumbled upon a gang of unwanted guests on the highway. Almost immediately, a snarling sound draws our attention. It’s from the second floor maybe. Oh no, it’s from the fourth. It takes me some time to realize it’s coming from the entire building!!

Rishabh looks at me with a look of uncertainty, longing for motivation. I just wet my pants, but he doesn’t know that. So I frown with determination and signal him to move. We land on the first floor and stand with our backs touching, my eyes scanning the area for any strange figures. In the end, I deduce that we are clear. Well, I was wrong.

As we made our way to the food section, a six-foot-tall monster emerged from the darkness. It didn’t scream, did not snarl. Instead, it had a grin on his face which made him even scarier. Looks like he wanted the fun all to himself. Before we had time to think, the beast made a run for us. The plan was always the same, I distract and Rishabh kills. We exchanged glances and a brief nod. We darted into the shoe shop right beside us. The bonie charged like a gladiator, one hand in the air and the other one dangling, perhaps because it was broken.

Like two cowboys in the Wild West, we faced each other from the two corners of the shop. He didn’t mind noticing that one of us was missing. I held my khukhree with both hands and prepared my mind. I didn’t stand a single chance on the bulldozer. I had beaten up dozens of goons like him, but they didn’t bite. As I said earlier, teamwork is the basic rule. As the monster started towering on me, Rishabh emerged heroically from the side of the door and passed the blade into the back of the bull’s skull. The blade went clean through the head and came out from the left eye. Rishabh looked at me, longing for appreciation. So I appreciate him with a finger, you know which one. After all, there’s nothing heroic about killing a bonie from behind. I was the one who stared in the face of death. Anyway, Rishabh doesn't trust my judgment anymore, so he scans the area himself and signals me to take a look. I follow the direction of his gaze and discover a bonie in the third aisle of the food section, feeding on the intestines of a teenager. The kill looks fresh, maybe 2-4 hours ago. Wow, this just keeps getting better and better.

It was time for plan B. I discovered a glass plate on the cashier’s desk. After checking for the petrol bomb and lighter, I made way for the railing.

“It will have to be quick,” I repeated to myself as I reached for the railing. My hands shook and my forehead sweat like a pig. I had done this several times before, but it was always a leap of faith. I aimed at a corner on the ground floor and threw the plate which almost reminded me of a Frisbee. I didn’t have time to see it break. I sped back, trying to make as little sound as possible. I slipped into the shop as the glass broke. The plan worked as expected. The bonies ran as a child runs to an ice-cream van. Many fell from the upper floors. I counted them, 1...2...3…4….5….6…….7. Seems like a marriage party decided to drop by a mall. I could easily make out the bridegroom, whose clothes were red from partially the color and partially from the blood that popped out of his torn neck. “You don’t have time for this, stupid!!” My brain reminded me.

It’s only a matter of time before the bonies realize that they were tricked. We slowly made our way inside the food court. The ground had broken glass all over it. The bonie from the third aisle didn’t seem to care about the hustle. He was enjoying his pound of flesh. It wasn’t hard to sneak onto him and relieve his head from the stinking body. After filling our bags with food and fresh water, we came back to the escalator. The knuckleheads still buzzed around the corner like bees. I exchanged glances with Rishabh and nodded.

Despite knowing that it’s not their fault, watching bonies burn gives you an odd satisfaction. It feels like getting back to them for the things they had done to the once beautiful world. At least I made the Baaratis dance, in flames. We made our way out of the building. A few flaming bodies flung their arms at us. But we weren’t looking to be roasted alive with them, so we dodged them.

“I wonder if they ever take a dump,” I say as we get to a safe distance.          

“Why don’t you go and ask them?” Rishabh smiled. I smiled back at him. He had completed half of the journey. Now we have to get back before the first morning light.

“Do you think they ate the bride?” Rishabh whispers after a while as we slip past a corner, looking back at the building, which now seems pretty small, almost an outline against the dark sky.

“I don’t think they ever reached her house?” I say as I stare at some strange figures in the corner.

“But it is possible…” He says before I interrupt.

“Shut up, bonies ahead,” I whisper. It’s time for some action. But we soon change our minds as we see about ten more emerge from the darkness. I guess we’ll have to go around then.