Naira's PoV

I was shook. It felt like being uprooted from the soil. I felt void, everything got mute around me. It was like an immense wave of numbness washed me. I didn't move, I couldn't move. I continued looking at Watson with questioning eyes.

"Wh-What?! No...no this can't happen. It cannot happen. Kartik can't leave me. He promised me he'll come back. Watson....Watson you're kidding right? Kartik told you to play this prank upon me right?", I started rambling, stepping back unconsciously as tears made their way out of my eyes.

But Watson lowered his gaze.

"No...No No! Kartik.....", I ran out of the door, searching for Kartik. I knew he must be hiding somewhere behind the walls and messing around.

"Kartik...where ever the hell you are! Come out right now", I yelled searching for him everywhere. Everyone came out of the mansion and rushed towards me. I wasn't in my senses. How could I be? I couldn't find my Kartik.

"Kartik!!!", I shouted at the top of my voice and fell down on the ground with a thud.

"Kartikkkk", I shouted again but he wasn't coming out from wherever the hell he was hiding. He didn't come out to hug me tightly and tell me that it was all a prank. He didn't come out to wipe my tears. I waited for him there.

"Kartik, please come out...please", I sobbed, shuddering with fear and shattering into pieces.

"Naira....", Hannah and Rebecca sat on either sides of me and tried to pacify me down, rubbing my back and hugging me close.

I didn't need their sympathy. I needed my husband....my Kartik.

I raised my head to look at Watson. He was looking at me with guilty eyes. I stood up in rage and caught his collar, glaring into his eyes with my bloodshot red eyes.

"What did you do to my husband? Where is he? Where did you leave him? Why did you leave him? How can you leave him alone?!", I asked him so many questions in one single breath but he didn't answer any of them. He wasn't able to look into my eyes, he wasn't able to make the eye-contact.

I scoffed and moved away from him. I looked at everybody else. They were looking at me sadly, giving me those "sympathetic" and "pituful" looks. How can they accept this so quickly?

"So...you people accepted what he said. You people surrendered that Kartik is dead...(scoffs)...he's not okay. I know that. He's still alive. My instincts are saying this. Nothing can ever happen to my Kartik...you get that? Death can never touch him till I'm alive", I yelled at those people but they still continued giving those those stares.

I looked at them disheartened.

"I didn't accept this from you guys. I'm gonna search for my Kartik and bring him home", I declared in a determined voice that Watson handed me something.

"Naira...", he kept something in my hand. I opened my fist to look at Kartik's wrist watch....it was his favourite watch which was now covered with blood....his blood.

I looked at it shockingly and hopelessly. My heart stopped beating. I shuddered, holding his watch in my hand and caressing it. I whimpered and sobbed as I thought of the worst possibilities but I wanted none of them to be true.

I gathered courage, kept his watch in my jeans pocket and wiped my tears. I started walking towards the steel main gate and started opening it. The biters were hitting hardly on its frame from the other side. I picked up a hammer and started hitting the padlock to open it. It was this close from opening....I could see the snarling, ugly faces of the biters. They were stretching their arms and trying to scratch me. I didn't care about any of it. I needed to rescue my Kartik. I was about to push open the gate that Watson stopped me from doing so, held my arms tightly and looked directly into my eyes.

"Naira....accept it...Kartik is no more. He's not around anymore. He's dead!", he shouted on my face, trying to bring me back to senses.

Thomas and Tae closed the main gate and tried to keep the biters out.

"Naira...look at me. I know its difficult to accept but Kartik is no more. He's gone. He left us", Watson tried to explain me but I jerked him away.

"Kartik is alive!", I shouted at the top of my voice.

Watson again grabbed me.

"Naira...please don't do this. Please think about your son. He has already lost his dad. Don't make him lose you", Watson said and I stared at him blankly for few seconds until I broke down completely and fell on the ground.

What about the promise Kartik?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kairav's POV

Dad's no more.

He's dead.

This was all I understood from the sobbing and shouting outside, most of which was created by my mom. He left us....again.

But this time its forever.

I sighed and walked inside a room, slamming the door behind.

He didn't even say goodbye...

I walked towards the bed and sat on it silently. My legs were hanging down as they were unable to reach the floor.

I started remembering everything.

Kairav:Why did you just let them go?

Kartik: Because they are grown up and they know stuff. Perhaps, they gotta learn to defend themselves.

Kairav: If you can't protect them, I'm gonna go with them. I can't let them die like....like Anna died

Kartik(holding Kairav's arms tightly):No body is dying, did you get that? No one is dying....

I opened my eyes. I didn't realise when did I start tearing up.

"Enough is enough Kairav! No more talking about dying in front of me okay....I've heard enough"

Dad's voice, our talks started ringing in my ears. I tried to stop thinking about him but I couldn't. I closed my ears with my hands to stop all the voices but everything went in vain.

"What the hell do you think you were doing? Why would you run away?"

-"You don't need to know that",

-"How did you start caring so much about me all of a sudden? You weren't interested to know anything about me or my life a few days ago...and today everything changes. You suddenly become interested in knowing everything",

"Noooooo", I screamed closing my ears, but the voices wouldn't stop.

"Daddy's gonna protect you champ....I won't let anything happen to you or your mom. I love you so much"

Just then, the voices stopped. Tears started rolling down my cheeks. I sniffed and wiped my tears as I continued to sit on the bed.

Just then, I again heard some voices. But these were different. It was coming from the bathroom. There was a loud thumping against the bathroom door...along with snarling and growling. I was horrified.

There's a biter in the bathroom.

I was about to run out to mom but I stopped in my tracks.

Dad wouldn't run away....

I gathered courage and walked closer to the bathroom. I saw a machete placed on the table. A lump formed in my throat. I picked up the machete and dared to open the bathroom door.

I slowly turned the knob, sweat running down my face. I was breathing heavily. I opened the door quickly and then hid behind the door. The biter walked out. It was a male. He was making loud, roaring noises.

As soon as the biter walked out, I kicked him and made him fall on the bed. I rode on him and stabbed his soft, rotten skull with the machete. He made gurgling noises, he was wriggling but at last he was dead.

My first kill....

I exhaled deeply. I was still in shock, not able to grasp anything. I let go the machete off my hand and sat back against the wall, crumpling myself like a paper ball.

I started sobbing silently with hiccups as I remembered dad. I had never thought I would use the "remember" word for him and that he would just become a memory.

(Shawn Mendes' "Stitches" plays in the background)

You watch me bleed until I can't breathe
I'm shaking falling onto my knees
And now that I'm without your kisses
I'll be needing stitches
I'm tripping over myself
Aching begging you to come help
And now that I'm without your kisses
I'll be needing stitches

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Someone's POV

So I found this guy laying unconsciously on the forest floor, surrounded by biters. The biters were still a couple feet far from him. I took out my crossbow and shot an arrow at each one of their heads.

After I cleared all the nearby biters, I got off my motorcycle and checked this guy. He was unconscious, his eyes closed. He wasn't responding.

I moved my hand close to his nostrils. I could feel soft, slow air. I checked his heartbeat. There were beats....slow but still there. There were no biter marks on his body.

He was alive.

So I managed to somehow, take him to my motorcycle. I tied a cloth around my waist and tied the other end to his waist. He was still unconscious, his head hung low. I provided him support and took him to our place for getting his treatment done.

Hello peeps...

Shailja Here.

Yes, I'm back haha.

Okay jokes apart...

Please vote and comment on this part....🙏

I hope u guys enjoyed it.