"Let me talk it through," Avyan's voice was firm yet tinged with concern as he turned to Pratyush, seeking a private moment amidst the chaos.

Pratyush in a comforting tone, his voice tinged with gratitude and sincerity, "I would naturally refuse to anyone but you. I'll stand this one aside; it's your area of expertise, I won't interfere unless you want to play good cop-bad cop.", He added a playful wink, a momentary break in the tension.

But beneath the surface, Pratyush's eyes revealed a complex blend of emotions – empathy, regret, and a deep desire for reconciliation. "You know that I have always admired you. The things in our past... Let's not let them define us. What's done is done, and we cannot undo it. Our relationship never went back to normal after the incident. I want you to think of me as someone you can trust."

Avyan managed a smile, acknowledging the olive branch. "We are in troubled waters indeed. But let's focus on the task at hand. It's morning already, and we have a job to finish."

As they descended to Dauji's room, the atmosphere grew heavier. The dark room had a green tint to it, something you see in a hospital's unattended and empty morgue. Their were a couple of windows, all shut and covered as if to separate the outside world and the room. There was a portrait in the corner, an odd portrait. A lady biting the toes of a jackal; Her hands are all twisted up and she is covered in red, barely alive from the jackal's attack. It added to the room's eerie vibe. The centre was occupied by the bed over which a bright light had been casted from the two lamps standing beside it.

"Is this supposed to be a joke? Where is Akash?", Avyan shouts

"He's absent", Ishan's tone reflected bewilderness.

A sudden commotion drew their attention as Akash rushed into the room, panic etched on his face. "He vanished! I don't understand how..."Avyan while moving towards Akash, "Are you serious? Did he say something to you?"

Akash replies in a quavering voice, "He opened his eyes, still lying on the bed and asked me to come closer. I went in and he whispered in my ear - "Go fetch the boys, I have something important to tell", this was when I rushed up without a second thought"

Anirudh's arrival added to the urgency, "The main gate is open, but there was a note on the door..."

Pratyush took the note, his hands shaking slightly as he read the ominous message, "BEWARE, THEY ARE CLOSE."

"We need to fortify.", Pratyush exclaims

"Bu-but Dauji?", Ishan says

"It's not over, we will go look for Dauji once we ensure our safety. If I get this correct, we still have about 10-12 hours till sunset. Hear me out clearly, I think the zombies are the bigger danger right now, we do not have anywhere else to go.", Pratyush says

Ishan bursts out in anger, "You cannot leave him alone. He helped us in the time of need and you're going to abandon him in a dire situation. You can't do it, can you?"

"listen to me-"

"I think he is right", Akash says

"We have no other choice. Pratyush, they are not wrong. We need to split up into two groups. First one goes on a search operation and second one stays back, trying to get the defences working, setting up traps, finding a way out in case of emergency and you know what else.", Avyan says

Pratyush looks back outside, towards the campus, "This is bad"

(sighs)

"But we have to do what we have to do"

After a thorough and extensive discussion, during which each member eloquently presented their perspective, the boys collectively agreed on a strategic division. Avyan, Anirudh and Akash formed the first group, embarking on a crucial drive to search for Dauji. Meanwhile, Pratyush led the second group along with Ishan, dedicated to fortifying the defenses with meticulous care and precision.

Pratyush steps into the dungeon, finding Avyan lost in contemplation on a solitary chair. With a soft smile, Pratyush quips, "Looks like someone is having a hard time."

"..."

"You know I can switch up with you if you want"

Avyan remains silent for a moment before opening up, "It's not just that. I feel like I'm stuck in a loop, going through motions without a clear direction. It's as if we're playing a game with no rulebook, and every move is a gamble. We wake up to chaos, memories of recent weeks lost, encountering these creatures, and now searching for Dauji, our only anchor in this chaos. Dauji is nowhere around and now we are leaving the only piece of security we had behind to find the man that was helping us get through.

Now if you ask me if I am not comfortable going out, no I am not. But, am I going to do it? Yes I will."

Pratyush sits down and pats Avyan on the back,

"The Avyan I know is tenacious enough to endure this, I know you'll find a way. You are not on your own, we are in this together."

The others head in, ready for the upcoming challenge.

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"Help me go through the plan again. It's a bit itsy-bitsy in my mind", Anirudh asks Pratyush

"Everyone listen up, I am going through the plan one last time before things get real. Avyan along with Anirudh and Akash will be the part of of the search drive. Your goal is to go through the campus and and it's surrounding to look for Dauji. On your way, you're going to gather essential supplies and look for help. The flare gun found in the Dungeon is in Akash's backpack which will only be used in a life threatening situation as it can attract unwanted visitors. The team has been precisely divided to fulfil separate roles. Avyan will take the command, Akash will provide support and medics and if a situation arises, Anirudh is the tank.

Meanwhile, back at the base, me and Ishan will strengthen the parameter and try to set up more defences. This is it, time to get real and kick some ass."

The group takes a one last look at each other and goes to get their belongings for the run.

"Anirudh", Akash calls out Anirudh to his room

Akash sat by the window, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon as if searching for answers amidst the swirling chaos. Anirudh approached him, sensing the weight of Akash's emotions in the heavy silence that enveloped them.

Anirudh spoke gently, "Hey, Akash. We're about to head out to find Dauji. You're coming with us, right?"

Akash turned slowly, his eyes reflecting a mix of fear and uncertainty. "I don't know if I can do this, Anirudh. I'm not like you or Avyan or Pratyush. I'm not brave enough for this. What if something goes wrong? What if I never get to see my family again?"

His voice wavered, carrying the weight of unspoken fears and doubts. Anirudh sat beside him, placing a reassuring hand on Akash's shoulder. "Listen to me, Akash. Bravery isn't about being fearless; it's about facing your fears head-on, despite the doubts and uncertainties."

Akash shook his head, his voice barely above a whisper. "But what if I'm not strong enough? What if I freeze out there?"

Anirudh's eyes held unwavering determination as he spoke, his words laced with conviction. "You're stronger than you think, Akash. Strength isn't just physical; it's also about resilience and determination. We're a team, and we'll watch out for each other. You're not alone in this."

He continued, his tone filled with encouragement. "Think about your family, Akash. Think about how proud they'll be when they hear about your bravery. We're going out there to bring Dauji back, and we'll do it together. Trust in yourself, Akash. You're capable of more than you realize."

Slowly, Akash nodded, a glimmer of resolve flickering in his eyes. "Okay, Anirudh. I'll do it. For my family and for our team."

Anirudh smiled warmly, patting Akash on the back. "That's the spirit, Akash. We've got this. Let's go bring Dauji home."

It was time, the eyes were locked. This was the first time, the boys were heading out intentionally, but a glimmer of hope and resilience backed their eyes. Leaving behind their internal doubts and fears, they marched forward in search for something which will test out their courage, compassion, intelligence and camaraderie.

As instructed, as soon as the group steps out of the front door, Ishan closes and locks the door on their backs. There is no going back now.

Avyan looks back with eyes full of confidence, he looks towards Akash and says, "Ishan has turned off the electric fences for the next five minutes. We seldom get the opportunity to do something like this, let's make full use of it."

Akash nods swiftly and jumps over the fence, followed by Anirudh and then Avyan.

"Okay, we're looking for a needle in a haystack, but as per our planned route, let's check out the outside of the campus first.", Avyan says and the group starts moving towards the main and only entrance of the university. The university is located in a rather deserted place, miles away from the city. It boasted of being surrounded by a large and beautiful lake. The only point of entrance is the main gate which leads to a long road on top of the lake which finally connects the campus to the mainland. As a result, looking at the campus end was the easiest task since the rest of the campus is rather huge, ranging over the entire block of land over the lake. This beauty turned out to be advantageous for the boys, narrowing down their search path.

The boys missed the sunrise, however the day was pretty soothing. The sky was covered with clouds giving the surroundings a dark and rainy-grey look. Moderate wind was blowing over the head which was the reason behind the cold environment around. The wind made a rustling sound when it went past the trees. The trees around the road were dense, full of flowers and old, some even a two-hundred years old. They were mostly banyan. Their trunks were long and broad and reached down till the ground, which made it hard to look past a few trees. The road itself was full of dried leaves which rustled when they were stepped upon.

After walking for over fifteen minutes, Akash breaks the silence, "It's pretty hard moving with these big backpacks on our backs, isn't it?"

Avyan while panting, replies, "There are essential supplies in it. We don't know what situation we'll be in, each backpack has food, some ammunition for the guns we're carrying, health kits and some more things."

"I don't know why you packed this much, I don't think the guns will be needed anyways. It is daytime right now, we'll not be meeting any zombies and by night-time we'll be back", Akash says.

"That's the tricky part, the zombies cannot bear sunlight as Dauji said. But, when we look inside buildings, the risk of getting jumped by zombies is high since I and Pratyush speculate that the zombies might hide in the dark, inside buildings during the daytime."

"Wo-Wo-Woah, I didn't think this through. But, we're in this together, we'll move past it.", Akash says while looking proudly towards Anirudh while he smirks back.

Avyan says, "We'll try our best to avoid contact anyways"

Anirudh brings into attention, "We're here but this doesn't look good"

Avyan is flabbergasted by the view, "Who or what did this?"

As the boys looked upon the only exit from the campus, they saw nothing but a blocked path to freedom. The gate was hurdled by dozens of cars, trucks and bikes. They were stacked on top of each other due to what seems to be a violent collision or an attempt to seal what is outside.

Anirudh filled with anger says, "Great, now we can't leave the campus if or when the situation arises."

Akash replies softly as if he wants no one to listen, "How will I go to my family now?"

"Oh, we'll think of some way when the time comes, let's skip this for now and head over to the next spot now, we don't have a lot of time before nightfall.", Avyan says and heads back towards the canteen which is about two kilometres from the entrance.

"Wait, wait, wait, look what I found", Anirudh laughs and runs towards a school cart that was earlier available for transportation throughout the campus.

"Okay, the key is in her but do you know how to drive this", Akash asks frantically

Anirudh laughs and replies, "The driver owed me one, he let me drive it a few times at evening when there were less people around."

"Owed you one? This seems interesting.", Avyan smirks

"It's a story for sometime else", Anirudh says and starts the cart while Avyan and Akash sit back.

"Gentlemen, we have reached the next tour spot. You may descend and use your feet."

"Stop it Anirudh", Avyan says

Avyan continues, "As I expected, no lights. The canteen is dark, be careful, load yourself up."

Avyan puts in a magazine in his Glock 17, Akash puts on his gloves, helmet and safety glasses and takes out his borz smg and Anirudh picks up his hammer from the cart as they head in.