Panchami and Kavya spent the next half an hour trying to convince the people to let one of them become an anchor, while Sasi stood guard at the hole. Jiv and Uruvi cleaned up the place to the best of their abilities. They knew well the psychological effect blood could have on the survivors.

  Uruvi tried to keep her emotions in check. They had moved the bodies into a corner, just so they stayed out of their sight. She felt shitty, really shitty. But she needed to maintain her composure. She tried not to think, just work through the process and leave.

  The girls walked out of the room and reconvened with the others.

  “We found someone who is ready to do,” said Panchami.

  There were finally smiles on everyone, except Uruvi. “That is great. Who is it?” asked Jiv.

  “The staff refused. But luckily, one of the women agreed to do,” said Kavya.

  “Wow. Really?” said Sasi.

  “Yes. She lost her family, so she said she had nowhere else to go,” said Panchami.

  Suddenly, the mood turned somber again.

  Uruvi’s eyes turned towards the bodies. She looked away just as quickly. “I guess everything is settled then?”

  “Yes. My assistant can help me with things here,” said Panchami.

  Uruvi nodded quietly. She walked over to the counter and picked up the axe, ready to leave, when she paused. “You guys are not contestants, are you?” she asked.

  There was no response from them. She turned around and saw guilt-ridden faces, except for Panchami. “In fact, you are not even friends, right?”

  “How did you know?” asked Jiv.

  “None of you have screens… except her,” Uruvi said, pointing to Panchami. “At first, I thought you guys had just hidden it. But… I guess not.”

  Panchami wore a blank, cold expression. She no longer looked like the shy, vulnerable girl who needed to be protected.

  “What kind of power is that?” asked Uruvi.

  Her comment was filled with distain which appeared to have irked Panchami. She shrugged her shoulders and said, “you have your strengths. I have mine.”

  Uruvi’s eyes darted among the survivors. None of them looked at her.

  “Wondering if I have brainwashed them?” asked Panchami, crossing her arms. “You can do whatever you want to confirm.”

  Uruvi gazed into Panchami’s eyes. They were cold and ominous, like looking into the abyss. A shiver travelled up her spine, causing her to shudder visibly.

  “We are all just trying to survive,” said Jiv.

  Uruvi nodded. “Right. I will leave you to it then.” She did not wait for a response, instead turning around and walking through the hole in the wall.

  The hole led into an open parking area, which explained why there was so much sunlight. She glanced around and saw a sea of cars. “Arya. Let’s go home. No more diversions.”

  “Affirmative. Setting the route to the destination. Suggestion. Use a vehicle to reach faster.”

  “Can you find me one?”

  “Affirmative. Scanning… unmanned moped at the entrance of the parking lot.”

  She dashed towards the large metal gate that was jutting above the horizon. Her eyes caught sight of several frail-looking Pisacha, roaming the gaps between the cars. She leapt over a line of cars and, in a quick swipe, chopped the head of a Level 4 Pisacha. Several more appeared in her path, but were of no issue for the killing machine. Heads and torsos began to fall one after another, hitting the ground as she passed by in a blur.

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  She rushed past the gate and came to a stop in the middle of the road. Her eyes scanned the surroundings, looking for the moped. “Arya, where is it?”

  “Blue Yulu (Brand name) two clicks to your right.”

  She spotted the skinny moped with a large delivery crate sitting on the driver’s seat. It was a delivery bike, parked before a restaurant. “Damn it, Arya. An electric one?” she said, rushing over to it.

  “Affirmative. It already has keys. Reducing the time of travel.”

  She tossed the crate aside and prepped the vehicle for takeoff, putting the axe on her back between the jacket and shirt. “Does this even go above 30?”

  “Affirmative. 50 is the speed limit.”

  “Wonderful…” The glass front of the restaurant shattered, sending shards of glass flying through the air. She saw several Level 8 Pisacha charging at her from inside the restaurant. “Would love to stay and play. But another time.”

  She twisted the accelerator to its limit, pulling ahead before they could reach her. The road was filled with stalled vehicles, but there was enough space between them to weave through. Despite her lack of experience, she found herself navigating the rough terrain with ease.

  She exited the street and hopped back onto the highway. She paused for a moment and looked back at the bus that had blocked her path. It had finally stopped burning, leaving behind a skeleton of twisted metal that was charred black. Several creatures, walking on four feet with large mouths, prowled the bus. “Arya, what are those?”

  “Analyzing… They are Mrugam. Much like Pisacha, these are carnivorous creatures who take the shape of animals.”

  “Don’t tell me… They were normal animals once…”

  “Affirmative.”

  She shook her head and turned her attention back towards her route. “Enough fucked up stuff for the day, please…,” she whispered under her breath.

  The last leg of her journey continued peacefully, a little too peacefully. Her heart felt heavy, and her chest felt cold. She tried hard not to think, to let bygones be bygones, but it was far more difficult than she thought it would be.

  ‘I should not have. I knew it… I knew something bad would happen… Who am I kidding…! I would not have been able to keep her alive…’

  However, every thought was interrupted by Panchami’s cold eyes. ‘What… what is wrong with me? Arya… What is wrong with me?’

  “Analyzing… Stats – normal. No status afflicted. Physical health – 60 percent. Mental health – 20 percent.”

  ‘Well, there is my answer…’

  The cold air of the morning brushed against her skin, causing the hair on her skin to stand on end. But the rising sun peeked over the buildings, casting its warm light onto her.

  The metro line appeared above her, joining in from her right. She continued to ride beneath it, until the line disappeared into the station. Low-level Pisacha littered the street, with no human in sight. On seeing her arrive, they immediately began to swarm her.

  She pulled the brakes and came to a stop before dropping the bike on the asphalt. “Let’s get this over with.” She pulled out her axe and began hacking away at the Pisacha as they appeared.

  As she struck down the last Pisacha that came at her, she pushed forward, sprinting towards the footpath, only to be greeted by a metal fence. “What? When did they put this up?”

  She followed along the fence when she spotted a metal door cut into the fence. A man, short and young, stood behind it and looked at her, terrified.

  “Hey! Hey! Let me in!” She said as she approached the door.

  “What? No way!” said the man.

  Another man, tall and burly, appeared from behind him. “No, it is fine. Let her in, she is a contestant.”

  “Are you serious? She has an axe!” said the stout man.

  “All the contestants have a weapon. Open the door,” said the tall man.

  He took a moment to unlock all the locks before flinging the door open. “Get in fast! The Pisacha are swarming the place!”

  “Oh, don’t worry. I took care of them,” she said, leaving him in a state of shock.

  The tall man put his hand on her shoulder. He leaned in and asked. “You know where you are going?”

  She saw that he had a screen in front of him. “Yeah. My dad’s apartment… Sunflower Gardens.”

  The man nodded and said, “go on. No one will stop you.”

  She picked up her pace, jogging through the long, narrow pathway. She saw several humans along her path, going about their business. It felt like things were normal. However, that feeling didn’t last long when she crossed paths with two people who were carrying a massive, deformed skull.

  ‘What is that…? Arya?’

  “Analyzing… that appears to be a skull of a fallen Rakshasa. Accuracy – 50 percent.”

  Rakshasa, the Cannibal humanoids. For a while, she had forgotten that she had met an actual Asura. ‘Man… what a day…’

  As she got closer to her destination, the heavier her chest felt. A mix of emotions swirled in her stomach. But as soon as she read the familiar words ‘Sunflower Gardens’ plastered onto the side of the building, all the worries she had felt disappeared.

  She launched herself through the gate, catching the lazy watchman by surprise.

  “Uruvi?” he said. But she did not stop.

  She hopped onto the stairs and sprinted four floors up, eventually landing before the door – 403. She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath, and then finally hit the bell. A loud ring echoed through the air before the silence returned.

  She waited for her father to respond, holding her breath… and her tears. The sound of the lock opening sent a shiver up her spine. As the door swung open, she finally saw her father, looking at her in awe and shock.

  “Hi dad…,” she said with a wide smile.

  “Uru…” He immediately grabbed her and pulled her into a warm embrace. “I thought… I thought I would never see you…” His voice was muffled by the endless river of tears.

  “Don’t be stupid. The whole world couldn’t stop me from coming back.” For once, Uruvi felt everything was going to be alright.