KARTIK'S POV

It was morning.

My sleep broke and I slowly opened my eyes. The room was brightened with sunlight coming from the window, and I squinted my eyes as the sunlight reached my eyes. I looked beside me to see Naira sleeping peacefully with a towel wrapped around her body. I smiled as I remembered the last night. The feeling had become foreign to me, but the last night awoke all my old desires. We had a wild, passionate, filled with love night yesterday.

I was shirtless myself but I was wearing trousers. I caressed her hair and gave a peck on her lips, waking her up. When she opened her eyes, she looked tired because of the last night's fun we had together but looking at me, all her weariness vanished away.

"Good morning love", she said giving a peck on my lips and looking at me with eyes filled with love and adoration.

I sighed and held her face in between my palms.

"I won't let anything happen to you. If anybody tries to harm you, I'm gonna beat the shit out of him....may it be biters or normal people", I said as I held her face and caressed it all the while like she was the only precious thing left with me.

"I know", she said and kissed my forehead.

"Mom...?", we heard Kairav's grumpy voice from the other bed. That kid slept his heads off last night. We were scared he would hear something or wake up when things are going to climax, but he continued sleeping in different positions and snoring softly. He really cooperated with me last night.

"Oh....look who's up?", Naira said delightfully as she turned towards him. He was still lying there rubbing his eyes.

"Daddy's on duty.....mommy's gonna change into something more decent", Naira said smiling at me and walking away into the bathroom.

I sighed and got off the bed walking towards his bed. He was still lying there rubbing his eyes and processing things in his mind.

"Good morning baby", I said and leaned to kiss his forehead. He opened his eyes at once, hearing my voice. I smiled at him while he was looking at me like I was some kind of a stranger. I know, it has been quite a while since we've had these kind of moments. Quite a while in the sense, three to four years. I know, its unbelievable. I feel so guilty to realise how major a part of his growing up I've missed - his first day at preschool, his sports day, father's day....(**Sighs**) but now I'm gonna make every second count. I'm not gonna miss anything from now on.

"Hi dad", he said nervously as he sat down on the bed, his voice still grumpy.

"Wanna go for horse riding? There's a barn here", I asked him and his eyes got big like saucers.

"What are we waiting for?", he said excited getting off the bed and rushing into the bathroom as Naira walked out of it.

Naira ruffled his hair and he closed the door behind. Naira walked towards me and wrapped her arms around me, looking directly into my eyes.

"He loves you", she said smiling at me.

"And he has no idea how much more I love him", I said and Naira started kissing me and I started kissing her back.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. It wasn't a knock, but somebody was thudding against the door impatiently. I could hear no snarling voices. Kairav had come out of the bathroom and Naira held him tightly. We looked suspiciously at the door. I signalled them to keep quiet and took out my pistol from the drawer. I turned the door knob and opened the door to look at a panicked Hannah. I held my gun down.

"Anna....Anna...she-", she started speaking but began sobbing in between.

"What...what happened to Anna?", I asked her worried.

"I...I can't find her. I woke up in the morning and she's gone!", Hannah said, as her voice quivered with fear.

"Okay calm down...we'll find her. She mustn't have gone too far. We'll look for her", I said holding Hannah's shoulders tightly and she nodded.

"I'll come with you", Naira said from behind and I nodded.

All of us started searching for Anna in the motel. But she was nowhere to be found. We checked the store room, all the other rooms, the cosiest corners but we couldn't find her anywhere. Everybody had come out of their rooms and were looking for Anna. The strangest thing was that there was no staff of the motel around. It was like only we were there.

"Anna!!", I called for her but no reply came from the other side.

"I'll talk to the receptionist", I told everybody and climbed down the stairs towards the reception. But there was no one in the reception. Instead, blood was splattered on the wall. I looked over the table to look at the half eaten body of Kelly, her eyes were still open.

"No...", I murmured as I looked at her torn apart dead body and flies were hovering above it.

"We all are in deep deep shit!", I heard Watson say as he looked out through the glass door. I walked over to him and looked out at the streets. The streets were flooded with biters, they were coming out from the woods. Blood was splattered everywhere and dead bodies scattered all over. It was completely opposite to how peaceful this town looked yesterday.

Just then, we heard snarling and growling noises coming from inside. We got alarmed and turned to look at Anna standing there, right in front of us. She had turned. She had turned into one of those biters. We all looked at her shocked.

Her eyes were green, her skin had turned paler, her nerves were visible and teeth were rotten. She was walking towards us snarling and growling.

"Oh no!!", Hannah whimpered and fell on the floor with a thud. She looked at Anna with a blank expression and burst into tears.

"This is all my fault", Hannah cried and Naira held her in her arms as she broke down into tears too. Kairav was looking at Anna shocked. Rebecca was sobbing and Thomas was calming her down. The kids were crying.

I continued to look at Anna with guilty and blank expression on my face. It couldn't be her. It could be me. I never expected that little girl to go through this. I failed to protect her. I failed her. She was here without her parents, trusting us blindly and we failed her. A lone tear escaped my eye as I watched her.

I wiped my tears and knelt down on the floor. She was coming towards me snarling and growling and I was looking at her blankly. As she approached me, I sighed deeply and shot a bullet right through her head. She stopped moving and fell into my arms, dead. I closed my eyes and wrapped my hands around her small body.

As I closed my eyes, I could see her face. Her scared to death face and that suspicious look in her eyes. She trusted us. She trusted us so much.

"Where are my parents?"

"I want my parents...take me to my parents"

"Why are we leaving the city? My parents might be in there!"

"You guys nuts?"

"I'm scared!!"

"You'll protect me, right?"

I opened my eyes and Hannah grabbed Anna from me, as she held her closed to her chest and broke down completely.

I stood up and wiped away the tears from my face.

"We need to leave this place as soon as possible. There might be more biters hiding inside", I said and everybody nodded except Naira and Hannah.

"We...we can't just leave Anna here. We should give her a decent burial", Naira said, her voice heavy with tears and I nodded.

"Grab your stuff now...we're leaving this place. Its no more safe. The bus is right across the street, we can make it!", I said and everybody walked away to grab their stuff.

STILL KARTIK'S POV

We had wrapped Anna's body in a white cloth and I carried her in my arms.

"Watson and Thomas...you both go out first and get rid of the biters surrounding the bus. Watson, use your pistol and shoot at the head and Thomas, use your machete and charge it right through their skull. I'll provide you back up and others(turns towards the other people) will follow me", I instructed everyone and they nodded.

"Go Now!", I said and Watson and Thomas barged out through the door attacking the near by biters. I carried Anna on my shoulder and provided them back up.

"Get into the bus. Now!", I shouted at others and they rushed towards the bus , getting inside one after another.

A biter was about to bite me in the neck but I grabbed its arm and pushed it to the ground, shooting a bullet right through his skull.

"Kartik...", I heard Thomas's voice. A biter was all over him, trying to bite him.

"Charge the machete right through its skull!", I shouted at him as I dealt with other biters. Thomas was pulling a great fight there. He pushed away the biter and stabbed it with a machete through his skull.

"Got this", Thomas said proud of himself and I nodded.

"Hey you buttheads...get into the bus now!", we heard Watson shout from the bus, continuously beeping the horn. I and Thomas looked at each and nodded. I killed some more biters and both of us got into the bus.

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STILL KARTIK'S POV

We stopped the bus after sometime and walked out with Anna's body.

We chose a spot under the tree to bury her. We placed her body on the ground and Watson and I started digging her grave with the axe.

"I'm gonna look for some flowers to decorate her grave", Naira said and I nodded.

"We'll come with you", Hannah and Rebecca said and she nodded.

"Beware of the biters in the woods...have you got any weapons?", I asked them.

"Yes...don't worry. We'll be fine!", Naira smiled at me and I nodded. They walked away and Kairav walked towards me.

"Why did you just let them go?", Kairav asked me.

"Because they are grown up and they know stuff. Perhaps, they gotta learn to defend themselves", I said as I dug out mud with the axe.

"If you can't protect them, I'm gonna go with them. I can't let them die like....like Anna died", Kairav said frustrated and I turned towards him. I bent down to his level and held his hands.

"No body is dying, did you get that? No one is dying", I explained him looking into his eyes.

"What about Anna? She died. When you promised to protect her? You couldn't protect her. You promise to protect us...what if you fail again? What if mom dies? What if I die?", Kairav questioned back and jerked me away from him.

"Enough is enough Kairav! No more talking about dying in front of me okay....I've heard enough", I shouted at him and he continued staring at me.

"Now go and be with Quinn and Chris...no need to indulge into grown up stuff and no need to run your brain. I don't want you to go far away", I instructed him and he walked away to Quinn and Chris.

I sighed and rubbed my forehead.

"I hate to shout at him", I said and Watson looked at me.

"Sometimes you've to do a little shouting to get kids back to track", Watson said and I nodded.

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STILL KARTIK'S POV

We all were standing in front of Anna's grave with lowering our heads, paying our respect. The women had made a ✝ sign with woods and placed it in front of her grave with flowers below.

Of all the money that e'er I had
I spent it in good company
And all the harm I've ever done
Alas, it was to none but me

And all I've done for want of wit
To memory now I can't recall
So fill to me the parting glass
Good night and joy be to you all

So fill to me the parting glass
And drink a health whate'er befalls
Then gently rise and softly call
Good night and joy be to you all

Of all the comrades that e'er I had
They're sorry for my going away
And all the sweethearts that e'er I had
They'd wish me one more day to stay

But since it fell into my lot
That I should rise and you should not
I'll gently rise and softly call
Good night and joy be to you all

We were done with the rituals but silence still prevailed. After all a kid had died and we weren't able to move on from the grief. I should've done something but there was nothing I could do because everything had been done.

I heard Naira sniffling beside me as she looked at Anna's grave. I pulled her closer to me and kissed on top of her head.

"We should go now", I said and everybody nodded. I looked at Anna's grave for the last time.

Anna Mathews
A loving daughter and a beloved friend.
3rd August, 2012 - 18th May, 2020.
May you rest in peace little angel...

"Kairav...??", I heard Naira's voice. I turned towards her.

"What happened?", I asked her holding her shoulders. I looked around for Kairav. He was nowhere.

"Where's Kairav?", I asked her worried.

"I dunno...I can't find him anywhere. He was standing beside me only. I dunno where's he gone", Naira said as she started panicking and I loosened my grip on her, stepping back.