||THE OUTBREAK||

||Chapter 8: I love you||

Somewhere on the narrow road through the woods-

Kartik's POV:

I felt a sudden jerk and it woke me up. I slowly opened my eyes and  realised we were still on the bus, and the road was quite awful, covered with small pebbles and puddles filled with rain water. I looked outside, it was still dark. The rain had almost stopped. I looked down to look at Naira, sleeping peacefully with her head on my chest, holding Kairav tightly who was snoring softly - just like his mom. I looked around. Everyone was sleeping. I didn't realise when I drifted off to sleep. But I was assured knowing that everything went alright and everyone was safe. I looked at my watch. It was 11:45 pm. I sighed and rubbed my eyes.

I rose up from my seat, careful enough not to wake Naira or Kairav up. I walked towards the front to see Thomas on the verge of sleeping but keeping his eyes open forcefully. I chuckled and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey buddy...you can give yourself a little rest now. Tomorrow might be a big day for us", I suggested him and he nodded, getting up from the seat and walking away. I sat down on the seat and looked at Watson. He was the only one who had not taken any rest till now, he didn't look tired also instead his eyes were wide open concentrating on the road.

"Don't be too hard on yourself buddy...take some rest. I can drive", I offered and he smiled.

"You slept a little too much buddy because we'll be reaching Nilwood in fifteen minutes approx. The wood has begun to become less denser, you see", he said pointing outside at the now becoming less denser forest and I nodded.

"I don't get tired too easily. Being a sheriff, I spend almost whole day patrolling in the car. Don't worry, you can do your share of driving tomorrow", Watson said and I chuckled.

There was a moment of silence between us. We could hear the sound of the bus as it moved on the pebble covered road, people snoring softly in the back and the crickets chirping in the woods.

"Do you have any idea how this shit started?", I asked Watson and he shrugged his shoulders.

Prof. Eugene's POV:

I was trying my best to sleep but couldn't. People's screams and the snarling, growling noises of those zombies were threatening me. Yes I was the one who discovered that virus and god knows how it got leaked into the city. But I never wanted this to happen. I repeat, I never wanted this. I just created that virus to get money and fame. I never expected this to happen. The worst part is, I have no cure for this. I can't stop this fucking fuckedy fuck situation that I myself created.

"Do you've any idea how this shit started?", I heard Kartik's voice coming from the front. I got goosebumps hearing that question and I grew suspicious, fearing if he gotta know that I'm the man behind all this shit.

I heard no reply from Watson.

"This shit ain't real. I can't believe this is happening. Whenever I wake up, I want it to be just a nightmare or a Friday night movie at the theatres but this shit is fucking real!", Kartik said frustrated and I could sense the anger in his voice.

"I mean what is it....what is it that is turning normal people like us, into ugly faced, shit smelling, snarling, feeding on the living creatures! This is so sudden. There was no warning, nothing. Everything got destroyed in these twenty four hours. The whole city got ruined, bombarded. The previous night, I was sleeping peacefully on my bed and tonight, I'm on a bus with complete strangers running for their lives, can you believe it?", Kartik scoffed looking at Watson and he chuckled.

"Shit happens, things get bad, they become worse. They still haven't found the real reason behind the outbreak. I'm dreading it might be a hit and trial experiment by a crazy physcopath", Watson said and Kartik shrugged his shoulders.