||THE OUTBREAK||

||Chapter 7: Nilwood||

I-55 S Highway

Kartik's POV

We were out of the city, I mean almost out. We were on the highway but didn't know where to go. There was utter silence in the bus. Watson was driving, his eyes concentrating on the road. The highway was filled with cars and vehicles. All the people were trying to escape from the city, all of them becoming restless. The traffic was slow as there were a huge number of cars ahead of us. The beeping noises of the vehicles could be heard. I was sitting on the front seat beside Watson, Kairav sleeping in my arms. I looked back at people. Thomas and Rebecca were trying to make their kids sleep, but those kids couldn't stop looking out through the window at the half - almost completely ruined city. Naira and Hannah were trying to shush down Anna as she was crying uncontrollably for her parents. Professor Jenner just sat there, his face showing a blank expression. Something was definitely wrong with him, I could see the guilty look in his eyes.

I turned front to look outside. It was dark and raining heavily. We could hear the danger siren coming from the city. We escaped just in time. The whole city was ruined, fire was everywhere. The fighter planes flew past us towards the city, and bombarded the city. I sighed in disbelief. How the hell could they bombard the whole city? There could still be civilians in there? Didn't they send out a rescue team?

"Hey pal", Watson called me. I turned towards him.

"Shouldn't you be up there in one of those?", Watson asked me pointing towards the fighter planes in the sky.

"You don't need to know that. Those things make no sense now!", I replied and he nodded, quite unsure about my answer.

Flashback:

The Defence Minster's office:

"So...you wanna quit field job?", the minister asked me quite shocked at my abrupt resignation.

"Yes sir", I replied standing in attention position and looking at him.

"But why Kartik? You're one of the best commandoes in the Special Forces! You're still young, your retirement can wait", the minister tried to explain me but I remained adamant to my choices.

"I respect your appreciation sir....but I would like to concentrate on my family for now. I'm ready to join the Special Ops anytime but for now, I would like you to assign me the desk duty", I made him aware of my opinion and he looked at me suspiciously, leaning forward with his fingers intertwined. He thought for a few seconds and finally nodded. He picked up his parker pen and signed on my temporary resignation letter.

"Thank you sir", I thanked him and walked out of his cabin.

End of flashback-

Honestly, I felt guilty to resign from the Special Forces that moment. I mean being a commando had always been my goal, but I can't let my family to pay the price for that goal. I had given my resignation a week before and had been on desk duty for a few days. I hadn't informed Naira about it. She would've freaked out and blamed herself for everything. Since I was on desk duty, it was easy for me to leave office and come home as soon as possible. But now I'm proud of the decision that I made, cause its because of that decision, I'm here with my family, protecting them instead of bombarding a biter occupied city.

"Why did we leave the city? My parents might be in there!", Anna asked frustrated, and Naira and Hannah looked at her hopelessly and helplessly.

"Stop the bus! Stop the bus now! I need to go to my parents", Anna shouted on top of her legs, bursting into tears and Naira hugged her tightly while Hannah caressed her back to shush her down.