Maya hadn't expected this sudden construction of plans at the end of such a hectic day. She wanted to lay down and crash but now she couldn't sleep, not even for an hour.

"You know, I keep forgetting you are coming with us. Last time you didn't I missed you so much." Maya said as she desperately stuffed her new bought handbag with as much of the non-necessities as she could. She would hardly need her diary on a weekend vacation but she kept it anyway. Maya's home was full of her family and there was no reason to feel the restlessness that she couldn't seem to shake off. Her eyes kept averting to the kitchen window and back to her friend Lorie. The inside of the house was loud but outside was quiet, too quiet to not feel creeped by.

"We will make it up this time. Don't forget your camera, mine is left home." Lorie said and hopped out of the bed and disappeared into the hall. Maya noticed half a packet of bubble-gum and stuffed them too, inside her bag. She couldn't decide if she was just paranoid or there was an apocalypse coming.

"Maya, you are not ready yet. Your sister is not going to be happy."

"She is never happy when there is a trip involving cold weather."

"It's not that bad. She gets cold easy."

"Hey, I am not complaining." Maya raised her hands in surrender and Akaar, her almost redheaded brother-in-law picked up what he came for, the baby scooter. "Don't tell me you are taking this with us on the trip."

"Come on, it's a big car."

"Whatever." Maya left her room for the first time since afternoon and passed her parents wrapping up her baby nephew with as much love they could give before they took off. They weren't coming and Maya felt she wasn't as happy as she should have been. Out in the garden, lights on the street lamps were fluctuating, one after other as if signalling something. Bad lights were not weird but all at once was. Still nothing people of Alwar couldn't ignore. The old grumpy uncle from across the street had his eyes fixated on something at the end of the street. Maya followed his gaze and saw a car in the middle of the road. There was no one around the car and they never heard the sound of an accident. She walked up to it. "Hello?" With a safe enough distance between herself and the car, she tilted her head enough to check for any surprises. She wanted it to be empty so she could go back to her house and call for help without having to worry about any casualties on her conscience. No, she wasn't that lucky. There was a grown man, lying unconscious, blooded and quite surely dead, inside the car. His head was on the steering wheel. She stared at it for a few seconds before snapping back and stepped away. She then noticed a veiny hand crawl out from under the seat. It was a human but not exactly. It had the features of a human but eyes entirely covered by red blood clouds and face going blue. Maya could see the dark veins popping out of his bare skin. 'Zombie' was the first thought on her mind even though it all felt like a dream. The zombie man disappeared out into one of the dark lanes as Maya stayed dead silent beside the car. It couldn't have been a dream, she tried to convince herself. There was still a dying man inside the car who was now stirring as if on an episode of epilepsy. She wanted to run and call for help but something didn't feel right about this.

No next life would prepare her for this unnerving episode right before the last light of the area was about to plug out. The man grunted as he struggled to lift his body off the seat. Maya could hear his breathing from a few metres apart which was certainly amplifying each second. His move from looking around confused to reaching for the opposite window seemed to be driven more by anger and less by will to live. He was limping badly but looked like about to pounce on anyone who would dare to cross his path. Maya dragged her feet back to the house. “I saw the weirdest thing out on the street.” Kiran was in the kitchen packing bags of snack and juice boxes.

“You were out strolling and we are here working to try and make this trip a success for us all.”

“It’s not going to be a healthy trip if you keep that mood, Kiran.”

“Then help me and get ready, that’s all I ask from you Maya. Pack your stuff so you don’t whine later about no charger or no socks or shit.” Maya couldn’t get through to say anything more. Her head was buzzing and she was starting to consider what she saw was just her head playing trick. There were times when she confuses dream with reality and reality with dream even when awake. But this one was too recent to be considered a midnight dream of previous day. Whichever it was, she left the kitchen unfinished and changed into the clothes for trip, a black sweater and pants.

She loved going on trips and she loved getting out of the house but this time was different. She felt uneasy watching her parents shrink down as they moved farther and farther down the street and the finally disappeared at the first turn to city traffic and blazing lights.

“Let’s put on some music.” Lorie chimed and reached over to the tape from between Akaar and Kiran and they were immediately engulfed by A.R. Rehman’s sorcery voice. “If we are going to Mt. Abu, I don’t care how cold it is, I’m going boating.”

“Good luck with that. I have anti-cold skin, so count me out.” Said Kiran, rubbing her hands together as if the inside of the car was not literally infused with heater.

“Come on, it’s November. You have thick skin for cold, right?” Lorie asked turning to Akaar.

“Thankfully I do. Plus, my heat bearing capacity is worse than anyone else here if I be honest.”

“Wow, both of you are wimps.” Kiran muttered before peeking out of the window. “It’s a weird night, isn’t it?”

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“Do you sense it too?” Asked Maya, snapping her head to Lorie and was welcomed by her drooling nephew who strapped to baby seat between them.

“Sense what?”

“The weirdness. Tonight.”

“I just meant, the fort. Its not visible. Somebody forgot to switch on the lights. Look.” Lorie pointed to top of the mountain in distance behind them as they drove further and further.

“That’s weird.”

“Must be the electricity issue there. This has never happened before so it’s definitely freaky.”

“I don’t know. There’s been weirder stuff tonight and Ray is asleep, that’s a miracle, right?” Maya stared longingly out of the window as if searching for unsolicited signature of all that she had experienced that night. Something more to believe. After this trip, she’d go on a weeklong vacation to the solitude of her home and watch Birdcage on repeat, maybe read the book she’s been ditching for past six month.

Somewhere between Lorie humming, Akaar humming and Kiran going over the checklist she made of all they had to do on their vacation, Maya feel asleep against the car window. Somewhere in distance she heard Kiran saying “Why are there so many cars roadside?” She didn’t bother to open her eyes and look herself. Cars on road doesn’t seem that fascinating news.

“Looks like there’s an event nearby. Maybe they didn’t have parking space.”

“It’s such a random arrangement. Half of them have their trunk on road. What sort of parking is this? Must be an accident.”

“It’s way too quiet for that.”

“Look at these two dozing off like a horse. A meteor strike right on our hood won’t wake them up.”

“I can hear you two and I can tell your burning envious hearts smells like shit on fire.” Lorie said without opening her eyes and Maya almost chuckled. She was now more awake than five minutes ago.

“Please don’t Lorie. My son is sitting right beside you.” Huffed Kiran.

Maya was wide awake now and Lorie was focused somewhere out of the window.

“Is that fire? Why is there fire?” She said pointing to someplace in distance.

“It’s not even little. Did something happen?” Akaar pulled over at the side of road and they all dived into their mobile phones to search the browser for any news near the area.

“It says there is an infection spreading around some towns of Rajasthan. People are experiencing confusion, sudden outrage, fever, blood vomit and urge to bite. What the hell?” Lorie narrated. “It says the infection spread like rabies, from blood spilling cut of the teeth of infected.” Maya then realised what she saw earlier that night wasn’t a dream or delusion at all. What if the horrors of fiction has coming to life and they were actually in a zombie apocalypse.

“Like Zombies?”

“Don’t be silly Maya. Zombies aren’t real.” Kiran called from front passenger seat. She seems to be scrolling through her phone too, concern etched on her face.

“But all these symptoms direct to one way, Kiran. I am calling mum and dad.”

“I messaged them to stay inside the house and keep updated to the news. No need to trouble them more.”

“Good then, we must return. We can’t be on road when there is such dangerous disease is going around.”

“Don’t panic Maya. We will be fine. Once we reach the hotel, we’ll see what situation is like from there.” Akaar said.

“But then we’d be stuck. How can you all be so unserious about this situation?”

“Maya is right but we can’t go back.” Lorie announced and everyone went quiet.

“Why not?”

“Look.” Lorie extended her hand to put her mobile between all four seats. The headline read ‘These cities under read light zone for Zombie virus’. Under it were a few names highlighted and one of them said ‘Alwar’.

“As of currently, forces are blocking every exist and entries to these cities.”

Maya knew the tension in the car was upping and there only one at peace inside was the two years old Ray.

“I saw someone with these symptoms tonight, before we left home. He looked very dehydrated and weak. It was unreal.”

“When?”

“When I went out, there was this car, there was this man who jumped out of the car and the other one was unconscious and then he woke up and looked confused and agitated and then he too left.”

“You saw all that near our house and didn’t bother to tell us?”

“I was going to but I thought it was a dream of sort. I don’t know, I was confused if that was all even real.”

“Maya what is wrong with you. You should have told us. Now we are so far, we can’t go back and mum and dad are home.” Maya could say no more. She felt responsible and guilty for putting them all in danger. The disappointment towards her was palpable even without words.

“Let’s find a hotel and stay there until more is learned about this.” Lorie suggested at last, breaking the silence.

“We are very close to Jaipur. Let’s search some there.” Kiran said and turned her phone off before slumping back on her seat.

“There is no news about Jaipur, that means its safe for now. Roads are open as well.” Akaar said and, he too dropped his phone to side and drove off to the minorly lit, dark path, literally and metaphorically. It wasn’t possible to enjoy this journey anymore with awareness of the current situation. The air inside the car was heavy and everyone was consciously quiet. Baby Ray was now awake and playing with his toy boat. The only feeling of life present.

“I don’t think its that bad or it would be all over. Its not in any international news outlets so it might be just a normal virus with weird symptoms. Maybe it cures.” Maya said and she had no idea why. She didn’t believe any of it, she just wanted someone to say something but no one did except a slight shrug from Lorie.

Somewhere near the city, they saw a huge crowd huddled under a bridge. They slowed down and suddenly there was a bang from all side windows. They were surrounded but at least twenty desperate people.

“Lift please.” One of them said.

“I have a baby. Please take us with you.” Someone else said. There were so many people, the voices were almost indistinguishable.

“We are full. We don’t have space.” Akaar and Kiran both yelled above the wails and sped up the car to escape. After half long hour of struggle as more and more strangers joined the crowd begging to get a ride, they came out to the lighter side. Maya kept looking at them through rear windshield and saw her own image somewhere among them. Her heart ached so much she could cry.

Soon they were entering the city and despite for that late at night, road was surprisingly deserted.

“It so quiet.” As if Kiran has pressed some invisible trigger button, the dogs started howling like competitive enthusiasts, one after other and all together. “I am losing it. Anyone else want to take the wheel?” Akaar asked. It seemed like the stress of entire night has hit him at once.

“I will take it.” Maya agreed. She wasn’t willing to but this might be her chance to gain their trust back and also, she wanted to make up for her mistake. They quickly switched the seats and were on way to hunt a decent hotel from list. Not that the night was going any better so far but it became way worse when the first hotel turned out to be rocks and rubble on the empty land.

“When did they demolish it?”

“Recently, it appears. Let’s go to next one fast.” Lorie was restless now which was a rare sight and it made Maya even more anxious. “There has to be one nearby.” Maya drove frantically but also aware of others in the car along with a toddler.