I force myself to walk away from the mirror, pull up a chair from the dining table, and sit on it. I take a deep breath and calm myself.

I look out through the window. It is going to be a sunny day. The sunlight is hitting hard on the leaves and branches of the couple of trees I see through the window. Its intensity tells me the day is going to be hot and humid. I see a couple of crows chasing one another and going around circles on the mango tree. It felt good. It felt nice to see a fellow living being. I wonder if they have realized what has happened. Are they also a part of this phenomenon? I mean, I did come across the stray dogs yesterday night. They didn’t seem to show any particular kind of change in their behavior whatsoever. Nor was there any strange behavior from any kind of animal or bird. They will get a small idea of it in the coming days when they run out of food and the conditions required to sustain their living.

I take the jug of water and pour myself a glass of water. I drink it at a much slower pace than I normally do. I am drinking it as if I am savoring every drop in it. I don't know why I did it. I felt like doing it. Honestly, I don't know what to do now. I really am clueless right now.

Before I can think of anything I get a signal from my tummy telling me to hit the washroom. I hear the call and walk towards the washroom of the bedroom I slept in. It takes nearly five minutes for me to finish my job. I feel a bit better in the tummy. A good clean stomach is always a good sign.

Normally whenever I hit the washroom to relieve my bowel, I take my phone with me. This is the time when I browse through the WhatsApp and Instagram messages and notifications I might have received at night. I also browse through some of the stories that show up in my account. This does prolong the session. It makes it almost double the length. Actually, it only takes five minutes at max, but sitting down and scrolling through the posts and feeds sucks me into that world with ease. I have to put a good amount of effort to pull myself out of that black hole and get down with my business.

Today as I went in I didn’t have my phone with me. It was just me sitting down to get the job done. By now you must have got an idea of the kind of person I am. I can get deep into thoughts anytime anywhere. The washroom is one of the perfect conduits for me to enter the realm of thoughts. Every shower I take, I think about something or the other. Every time I use the washroom to clear my stomach, I harbor all kinds of thoughts in a short span of time. Here I might have my mobile with me. But in my workplace, I don't take it along. I leave it in my room and I go free. There too I find myself drifting into deep thoughts from time to time.

As I sat down to get my business done now, the thoughts that got hold of me were about the future. What is going to happen next? What does my future look like?

One of the first thoughts that came into my mind was if I would find some other survivor like me. Where will I find him? That question is something I cannot answer. Instead, I should be looking to answer the question of how I will be able to find such a person if he exists.

The only mode of communication I have with myself is the walkie-talkie. The networks are down and they will remain down since there is no power. All the generators that might have switched on with the loss of power would soon run out of fuel and stop powering the signal towers. They were actually powering them for no reason. The main system is down without which these towers are mere dummies.

I can only pray that if such a person exists, he somehow manages to get his hand on a police walkie-talkie and keep it powered up. He must also be able to know how to use it in the minimum possible way. At least if he can keep it switched on and at full volume, he might be able to pick up any one of the signals I will be transmitting on all the channels.

It suddenly dawns upon me I was transmitting my messages only through a single channel - the channel that was already set when I got my hands on it. I didn’t cycle through the channels and transmit my messages through each one of them. I should do this today. I should be doing this first thing in the morning. I will do this after I am done with my job here.

I was able to get my hands on a walkie-talkie because I was able to get out into the open and visit a police station. The idea just sprung into my head and I was able to take action. What if the person is inside a building and can't get out? In that situation, I don't think I will be able to make contact. Until the person gets out into the open and decides to explore the city to find some other survivor, the chances will remain near zero. One needs to get out and explore to maximize the chances of coming across someone. In that regard, I will need to go out today and explore more of the city. I will also need to plan for the day and how to go about it.

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I also need to put up banners and posters in important parts of the city. I need to make some small posters and convey the message that I am out here.

In the movie I Am Legend, Will Smith goes to a certain spot in the city at noon and waits for anyone who has heard his transmission and is willing to meet him. He specifically picked this one spot to stay away from the zombies in it while maximizing his chances of survival if anything untoward happens. Also, he has a great view of his surrounding from the location. I will have to find a place that is synonymous with anyone coming into the city and make my presence felt there every day at a specific time. I think the best place for this would be Thampanoor railway station. It is one place that everyone associates with the city. It is the transport hub for the city. Also, I think this place will be marked on maps. Typing Trivandrum and putting on the GPS will probably lead you to Thampanoor. I haven't tried this but it should be something like that. But without a network will it work, I don't know. I think for that you need to have downloaded a part of google maps beforehand. Yes. I think that is needed. It gets stored in the cache so that it can be used quickly whenever you open your maps. When I checked the maps yesterday on my phone, it wasn’t showing up because I hadn’t downloaded it. Or I might have cleared it off owing to space restrictions. Anyway, I hope maps come into some assistance.

I have some A4 papers with me. I will have to use them to convey my message. I have thought about it. It would be a simple message telling them that I would be present at so and so location at so and so time daily. If I am not seen they could probably come to meet me at my home.

Ummm, I think that would not be right. It is more complicated because I would have to explain how to reach my home. Maybe I can do it on one of the sheets. Doing it in every sheet I intend to post would be a hectic job. I need to sit and think about this. There should be an elegant solution to this problem.

The five minutes of taking a dump made me realize I have a lot of work to do before I can go out. I need to come up with the posters. Also, I need to think of a way to stick them onto the walls. Usually, a runny solution of maida is used to stick film posters on the walls. I think I can do the same. I will have to look for maida in the cabinet. I am not sure if there is any left. The last of the lot was used to make some banana fritters the previous week. If not, I will have to get it from somewhere.

The other way to stick these is to use cooked rice. It would be mashed up and the paste would be used. But it is not as effective as maida.

Speaking of stuff, I also need to get things for my survival. Food is on top of the list. Then comes all other things. In food, I will have to look for a dry ration. All other stuff would start rotting in the coming few days. I must try to get some of the stuff under refrigeration. It will keep them fresh for some time. I need to hit the supermarket nearby. I will find all the stuff I need in there. I probably would have to pry it open. If the shutters are down, I don't know what to do. Maybe there is an alternate entrance. Yes, I think there is. I have seen vehicles with heavy goods going to the basement. There should be an entrance there. Maybe a lift to take the heavy items into the shop. I can look for an entrance there.

If that doesn’t work out, then I will have to look for other shops. It should not be an issue. There are other smaller supermarkets and grocery shops nearby. I think it would be easier to open them. Honestly, I really don't like to do these kinds of stuff. It feels as if I am committing a robbery. I know I am not. I am doing this for my survival. But still, there is that thought in the back of my head. It will not go away. I will be scared and worried when I will be in the act of busting a shop open. If someone sees me and comes and catches me, it would be the best thing that can happen. At least I would have found a survivor.

It is the prospect of being caught doing something illegal that makes me feel uneasy. It is surely the upbringing and conditioning I had to undergo that is making me feel so conscious. The primal feeling of survival hasn’t kicked in it. I am yet to realize it. In that state, nothing of this would matter. I am still left in the state where I am trying to decipher what has happened to the world and myself and looking out for my wife and my near and dear ones.

Talking of near and dear ones, I am reminded of my mom and dad. Their faces flash in front of my eyes and stay for a while. It is replaced by the image of both of them sitting on the verandah and sipping their evening coffee. I love this image. I would join them with a cup of coffee upon waking up from my siesta. We would sit and look at all the passing people and vehicles. We would talk about some topics. The discussion can go to good lengths. Along with the coffee mother would have made some snacks to munch on. If not there are always the trusted biscuits to fall back to. As the sun sets amidst the thicket of rubber trees, I feel grateful to have my parents around with me. They have dedicated their lives to making our lives easier and the best. I am always grateful for them. Always. I pray they remain in the best of their health for as long as possible.

Both of them are into traveling these days. Dad plans all the trips. Sometimes they drive to their destination. Other times they go with a group. It is good as they have finally decided to enjoy the second innings of their life. They need that. They have done a lot for us. They have sacrificed a good part of their youth to make our family financially independent and strong. Now it is their time.

I pick up the thought of going to my hometown and checking out on them. I don't know what has happened to them. Without any way to communicate with them, I am left in the dark. I can only hope they are safe and sound at home.