The Last Road

THE LAST ROAD

Day 1 — The Beginning

Rudra, Anmol, Aditya, Neeyati, Yuraj, Youwang, Thupden, Subham, and Astha had planned a trip together.

Everyone had arrived.

Everyone except Astha.

They were waiting for her.

Youwang: “This Astha… she is always late. What is she doing, raising children or something?”

Subham walked over.

Subham: “Don’t say that. Yuraj will get angry.”

Youwang: “Oh, right…”

Youwang looked toward Yuraj, who was checking his two beloved Wranglers.

Youwang: “Look at Yuraj. Why doesn’t he just marry his car?”

Neeyati suddenly pointed toward the road.

Neeyati: “Look! Astha is here.”

Astha finally arrived.

Anmol: “Okay, Astha is here. Now let’s go.”

Meanwhile, Aditya and Rudra were arm-wrestling.

Youwang: “Oi! Are you two coming or should we leave without you?”

Aditya: “Come on! I’m winning today.”

Rudra smiled.

Rudra: “Keep dreaming, soldier.”

Rudra won.

Aditya: “One more round.”

Youwang: “Later! We have a trip to go on.”

Everyone laughed.

Yuraj stepped forward.

Yuraj: “Wait. I brought both cars. Five people can sit in one car.”

Youwang stared at him.

Youwang: “Bro, I think you forgot how to count. There are nine of us! That’s why I told you to take math tuition from me.”

Yuraj: “That’s exactly why I’m saying you can sit in the trunk.”

Youwang: “I’m not sitting in the trunk! I get dizzy when I’m upside down.”

Anmol laughed.

Anmol: “We have two cars, idiot.”

Youwang paused.

Youwang: “Ohhh… right. I didn't even think of that.”

Thupden shook his head.

Thupden: “Come on. Get in the cars.”

Yuraj pointed toward the vehicles.

Yuraj: “I’ll drive one car, and Rudra will drive the other.”

Youwang: “Okay! I’m going with Rudra. Driver, let’s go!”

Rudra started the engine.

Rudra: “Hmm.”

The second Wrangler started.

The two cars drove away together.

And their journey began.

---

The Road

Yuraj was driving the first car.

Subham, Astha, Neeyati, and Thupden were with him.

Rudra was driving the second.

Youwang, Aditya, and Anmol were with him.

For the first few minutes, everything was normal.

Inside Rudra's car, Youwang suddenly asked,

Youwang: “Aditya, tell me something. How did you and Anmol become soldiers?”

Anmol: “Years of hard training and sacrifice.”

Youwang thought for a moment.

Is becoming a soldier really that difficult?

Aditya laughed.

Aditya: “We trained extremely hard. That’s how we qualified for the army.”

Youwang looked out the window.

Youwang: “Shit…”

Anmol laughed.

Meanwhile, in Yuraj’s car, Astha was talking with Neeyati.

Astha: “How are you, Neeyati?”

Neeyati: “I’m good. How are you?”

Astha: “Tip-top!”

She looked at Thupden.

Astha: “Thupden, you're here too. Nice to meet you!”

Thupden: “Nice to meet you too, Astha.”

Astha looked toward Yuraj.

Subham suddenly started singing.

Subham: “Boom chiki chiki boom…”

Yuraj joined him.

Yuraj: “Boom chiki chiki yeah!”

Astha shook her head.

Astha: “Are these two still like this?”

Thupden laughed.

Thupden: “Some people change with time. Some people never change. These two belong to the second group.”

Neeyati and Astha laughed.

Everything felt normal.

Until both cars entered a strangely quiet stretch of road.

---

11:43 AM

The music in Yuraj's car suddenly stopped.

Yuraj looked at the dashboard.

Yuraj: “What happened?”

Subham checked his phone.

Subham: “No signal.”

Astha looked outside.

There were no vehicles.

No people.

Nothing.

At the same time, Rudra noticed the same thing.

Youwang looked through the window.

Youwang: “Guys…”

Aditya looked at him.

Aditya: “What?”

Youwang: “Where did everyone go?”

Rudra slowed the car.

The road ahead was completely empty.

Then they passed a motorcycle lying on the roadside.

Its engine was still running.

But nobody was around.

Anmol looked at it.

Anmol: “That's strange.”

Rudra didn't answer.

He kept driving.

A few hundred meters ahead, they saw another abandoned vehicle.

Its doors were open.

Youwang stopped joking.

Youwang: “Okay… this is getting creepy.”

Rudra checked the rear-view mirror.

Yuraj's Wrangler was still behind them.

---

Something Was Coming

Inside Yuraj's car, Neeyati suddenly heard a faint sound.

Beep…

She looked around.

Neeyati: “Did you hear that?”

Everyone became quiet.

BEEP… BEEP…

Yuraj looked ahead.

Yuraj: “What is that?”

Far down the road, something appeared through the haze.

A vehicle.

It was moving strangely.

Smoke was rising from it.

Astha leaned forward.

Astha: “Is that car… burning?”

Subham's expression changed.

Subham: “Yuraj. Slow down.”

Yuraj immediately slowed.

At the same time, Rudra saw the same vehicle from farther ahead.

Aditya: “Rudra…”

Rudra: “I see it.”

The burning vehicle was getting closer.

Faster.

And faster.

Youwang stared at it.

Youwang: “Why is it coming so fast?”

Rudra took his foot off the accelerator.

Rudra: “Something's wrong.”

Yuraj stopped his car.

The burning vehicle suddenly swerved.

Astha: “Yuraj!”

Yuraj slammed on the brakes.

SCREEEEEECH!

The vehicle shot past them.

For one second, it looked like it would hit Rudra's car.

Rudra turned the steering wheel sharply.

The burning vehicle missed them by inches.

Youwang: “HOLY—!”

The vehicle continued down the road.

Everyone watched it.

Then—

CRAAAAASH!

It smashed directly into a house.

The sound echoed through the entire area.

Both Wranglers stopped.

Smoke filled the road.

Everyone stared at the burning wreck.

Rudra quickly got out of his car.

Aditya and Anmol followed.

Yuraj also opened his door.

Subham immediately grabbed his arm.

Subham: “Wait.”

Yuraj looked at him.

Yuraj: “What?”

Subham stared at the burning house.

Subham: something is wrong...

Rudra looked at the wreck.

His expression became serious.

Nobody spoke.

The road that had been filled with laughter only minutes earlier was now completely silent.

Then a dog, who had been inside the car with a stranger man earlier, began barking from a distance.

The burning vehicle had crashed into the house.

Smoke covered the road.

Everyone stood frozen for a moment.

Rudra looked toward the wreck.

Rudra: “Do you think they're alive?”

Anmol stepped closer.

Anmol: “We need to check.”

He looked through the broken window.

A man was sitting inside the vehicle.

His head was against the seat.

Anmol: “Oi… oi! Are you alive? Oi!”

There was no response.

Youwang walked over.

Youwang: “Why are you shouting? Just break the glass and get him out.”

Rudra, Subham, and Aditya immediately looked at him.

Rudra: “Shhh! Quiet!”

Subham: “Keep your voice down!”

Aditya: “We don't know what's happening yet.”

Youwang smiled awkwardly.

Youwang: “Hehe… I was just spreading some love. I'll check.”

He stepped toward the vehicle.

Youwang: “Yeahhh!”

CRASH!

He smashed the window.

Glass shattered.

Youwang proudly looked at everyone.

Youwang: “See? That's my power. I'm a soldier too!”

The man suddenly moved.

Everyone stepped back.

The man slowly lifted his head.

He was alive.

He had been unconscious because of the injury to his head.

Youwang looked inside again.

Then he noticed something else.

A dog was sitting inside the vehicle.

The dog stared at Rudra, Subham, Anmol, Aditya, Yuraj, and Youwang.

Then—

WOOF! WOOF!

The dog started barking.

The injured man slowly looked toward them.

Yuraj sighed.

Yuraj: “Sorry, buddy. Youwang is paying for the window.”

Youwang looked shocked.

Youwang: “What?! I broke it to save his life!”

Rudra laughed.

Rudra: “You broke the window and saved his life. You deserve a Nobel Prize.”

Youwang smiled proudly.

Youwang: “Thank you, thank you.”

He paused.

Youwang: “Wait… a Nobel Prize for saving someone?”

Aditya shook his head.

The injured man looked at them suspiciously.

Man: “Who… who are you people?”

Rudra stepped forward.

Rudra: “Hello. I'm Rudra. This is Subham, Anmol, Aditya, and Youwang.”

Youwang pointed at himself.

Youwang: “The guy who saved your life.”

Rudra ignored him.

Rudra: “Who are you? Your car is badly damaged. If you want, you can come with us.”

The man stared at Rudra.

Man: “Why are you helping me? You don't even know me.”

Rudra looked at the broken window.

Rudra: “Let's just say I'm returning the favor. You were trapped inside. If Youwang hadn't broken that window, you might still be there.”

The man suddenly remembered something.

Man: “My dog… Jack. He's still inside.”

Youwang looked around.

Youwang: “Captain Jack? Where is he?”

Subham stared at him.

Subham: “He's talking about the dog, idiot.”

Youwang looked at the dog.

Youwang: “Who names a dog Jack anyway?”

The man called out softly.

Man: “Jack… come here.”

Jack slowly climbed out of the damaged vehicle.

He stayed close to his owner.

---

Meanwhile…

Inside Yuraj's Wrangler, Neeyati looked toward the road.

Neeyati: “Why are they taking so long?”

Astha looked at the time.

Astha: “Seriously. They've been gone for quite a while.”

Thupden looked outside.

The road was strangely empty.

He noticed the abandoned motorcycle.

Then the damaged vehicles.

Then the marks on the walls.

His expression changed.

Thupden: “Something happened here.”

Neeyati looked at him.

Neeyati: “What?”

Before Thupden could answer—

A man suddenly appeared in front of their vehicle.

Thupden froze.

His entire body went tense.

The man looked completely abnormal.

His clothes were covered in dirt and blood.

His eyes looked pale and lifeless.

For a moment, Thupden couldn't speak.

Astha and Neeyati looked at him in confusion.

Neeyati: “Thup… Thupden?”

The man suddenly turned his head.

He had heard her voice.

He stared directly at them.

Then he rushed toward the Wrangler.

BANG!

He slammed into the vehicle.

Astha screamed.

Astha: “What is he doing?!”

The man grabbed the side of the vehicle and started scratching at the glass.

Neeyati: “Get away from us!”

Thupden backed away.

The man suddenly struck the window again.

BANG!

---

The Others Return

Rudra, Anmol, Aditya, Subham, Youwang, and the injured man were walking back toward the other Wrangler.

Suddenly, Yuraj noticed the figure attacking his vehicle.

Yuraj: “What the hell is he doing?”

Then he heard the screams.

Astha: “HELP!”

Neeyati: “SOMEBODY HELP!”

Yuraj's face changed.

Yuraj: “Shit… Youwang!”

He and Youwang immediately ran toward the Wrangler.

Rudra, Anmol, Aditya, and Subham followed.

Youwang stopped in front of the strange man and raised his fists.

Youwang: “Hey! You creep! Have some shame!”

The man suddenly attacked him.

Youwang: “Whoa! Oh, shit! What is he doing?!”

Youwang blocked the attack with his arms.

The man kept pushing forward.

Youwang: “Oi, Yuraj! Help me, yaar!”

Yuraj wasn't even looking at the man.

He was staring at his Wrangler's scratched mirror.

Yuraj: “That bastard scratched my mirror!”

Youwang stared at him in disbelief.

Youwang: “Oi! Are you even listening?! Help me!”

Yuraj finally snapped.

He grabbed the man and punched him.

The man fell to the ground.

For a moment, everything was silent.

Then the man suddenly got back up.

Yuraj stared at him.

Yuraj: “What the…?”

The man attacked again.

Rudra suddenly stepped forward.

He blocked the attack, punched the man, followed with another punch, and then kicked him away.

The man crashed onto the road.

Rudra looked toward Yuraj.

Rudra: “Are you okay?”

Yuraj didn't answer immediately.

He was staring at the man.

The man was still alive.

But something was terribly wrong.

His body began to shake violently.

Yuraj slowly stepped backward.

Yuraj: “What… what is happening to him?”

Rudra looked down.

Rudra: “What happened?”

Yuraj's face became pale.

Yuraj: “No… this can't be.”

Youwang looked at the man.

Then he suddenly shouted—

Youwang: “ZOMBIE!”

Everyone froze.

Rudra: “What?”

Before anyone could respond—

The ground began to shake.

THUD.

Everyone looked around.

Another sound came from behind them.

THUD.

Then another.

THUD. THUD. THUD.

Rudra turned around.

Figures were appearing in the distance.

One.

Then five.

Then dozens.

They were moving toward them.

Fast.

Aditya immediately shouted—

Aditya: “EVERYONE, GET IN THE CARS! NOW!”

Rudra looked at the approaching crowd.

Rudra: “Go! Go! Hurry!”

Everyone started running.

Jack jumped into the vehicle.

Subham grabbed the injured man and helped him toward the car.

Rudra ran over to help.

Rudra: “Come on! Hurry!”

Subham: “Yeah! I'm coming!”

Behind them, the creatures were getting closer.

Astha, Neeyati, and Thupden were already inside.

Anmol opened the door.

Anmol: “COME ON!”

Youwang jumped inside.

Youwang: “I am never going on a normal trip again!”

Yuraj rushed into the driver's seat.

Rudra helped Subham get the injured man inside.

Jack jumped in after them.

Rudra slammed the door shut.

Rudra: “GO!”

Yuraj started the engine.

The Wrangler roared to life.

Rudra jumped into the second vehicle.

Aditya: “RUDRA! LET'S GO!”

Rudra started his engine.

Both Wranglers accelerated down the road.

Behind them, the creatures filled the street.

Nobody spoke.

Nobody laughed.

Nobody even looked back.

The trip that had started with jokes and laughter…

had turned into a fight for survival.

And they still had no idea what had happened to the world.

The Silent Supermarket

The cars continued down the empty road.

No one was talking.

Rudra was driving the first car, while Yuraj followed behind in the second. Everyone looked worried and frightened. They still couldn't understand what had happened.

Suddenly—

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

Jack started barking loudly.

Youwang: “What the hell happened? We came here for a picnic. How did everything turn into this?”

Jack barked again.

Anmol: “What should we do now?”

Jack barked even louder.

Aditya: “Just keep driving. Don't stop.”

Anmol: “How loud is this dog going to bark? Can someone make him shut up?”

The injured man sitting in the car looked at Anmol.

Sadesh: “Don't even think about it.”

Anmol looked at him.

Anmol: “What?”

Jack barked again.

Sadesh: “I said, don't.”

Rudra finally spoke.

Rudra: “Everyone, shut up for a second. We don't need to fight among ourselves. We're already in trouble. We need to help each other.”

Everyone became quiet.

A few minutes later, they spotted a supermarket beside the road.

Youwang: “Is anyone hungry?”

Rudra slowly pulled the car over.

The others parked the second car beside it.

Everyone got out.

Aditya noticed Sadesh struggling to leave the car.

Aditya: “Do you need help?”

Sadesh: “No, I'm okay.”

Aditya: “How are you feeling now?”

Sadesh: “I'm fine. Just a little weak.”

Jack jumped out of the car and started following Yuraj.

Rudra looked around at everyone.

Rudra: “Is everyone okay? It's already getting late. We can stay here tonight if everyone agrees. Any problem?”

Neeyati: “No. I'm okay with it.”

Subham: “As long as nobody's lost their mind yet.”

Anmol looked at him.

Anmol: “Come on. Let's get inside and figure out what we're going to do.”

Yuraj: “Yeah.”

Everyone entered the supermarket.

It was completely dark.

The lights weren't working.

There was no sound.

Not even a single person.

Aditya stepped forward.

Aditya: “Hello? Is anyone here?”

Silence.

He tried again.

Aditya: “Is anybody here?”

Nothing.

Everyone became alert.

Suddenly, Youwang noticed something in the darkness.

His expression became serious.

Astha and Neeyati immediately moved behind Rudra and Yuraj.

Youwang suddenly ran deeper into the supermarket.

Aditya: “Youwang! Where are you going?”

Rudra looked at everyone.

Rudra: “Stay together. Follow him.”

They carefully moved through the dark aisles.

They couldn't see Youwang anywhere.

Then they spotted him.

He was standing completely still.

Rudra: “Oi, Youwang!”

No response.

Rudra walked closer.

Rudra: “Youwang! What's wrong?”

Everyone gathered around him.

Youwang slowly pointed toward something.

Everyone prepared themselves for the worst.

Then they looked.

A huge pile of chips was sitting on the shelf.

Astha stared at him.

Astha: “Are you serious? We thought you saw something dangerous!”

Youwang grabbed a packet of chips.

Youwang: “I couldn't control myself. The chips called my name.”

Everyone stared at him.

Anmol: “The chips called your name?”

Youwang: “Yes. They said, ‘Youwang, save us before our expiry date.’”

Everyone laughed.

Even Rudra couldn't stop himself from smiling.

Rudra: “Fine. Everyone, take whatever food you want. But stay together.”

Everyone began collecting food and water.

While they were eating, Rudra, Anmol and Aditya moved to one side and started discussing their situation.

Rudra: “What do you think? How are we going to handle this?”

Anmol: “Honestly, I think we should stay here.”

Aditya: “Maybe. But what if the zombies come here?”

Thupden joined the conversation.

Thupden: “Then we make this place our safe zone.”

Rudra looked at him.

Rudra: “How?”

Thupden: “I've watched enough zombie movies to know the basics. If they don't see us, they can't attack us. We lock every entrance, cover the windows, stay quiet and keep watch.”

Anmol nodded.

Anmol: “That's actually not a bad idea.”

Meanwhile, Sadesh sat quietly with Jack beside him.

Astha walked over and handed him a bottle of water.

Astha: “Here. Drink this.”

Sadesh: “Thank you.”

Astha smiled.

Astha: “What's your name?”

The man looked at her.

Sadesh: “My name is Sadesh.”

Everyone nearby turned toward him.

Youwang: “Oh! So that's your name!”

Sadesh: “Yeah.”

Youwang: “Nice to meet you, Sadesh.”

Youwang suddenly smiled.

Youwang: “Since we're all stuck together now, I think I should tell you guys a joke.”

Anmol sighed.

Anmol: “Here we go again.”

Youwang stood up proudly.

Youwang: “Why did the zombie cross the road?”

Everyone looked at him.

Youwang: “Because he heard there was a human on the other side!”

Everyone burst out laughing.

Anmol shook his head.

Anmol: “That's the worst joke I've ever heard.”

Youwang smiled.

Youwang: “You laughed, though.”

Anmol: “I laughed because it was terrible!”

Everyone laughed again.

For a moment, the fear disappeared.

They talked, ate, and tried to forget what was happening outside.

Eventually, one by one, everyone fell asleep inside the supermarket.

The night became completely silent.

But outside...

Someone was standing in the darkness.

A tall figure dressed in white stood motionless near the road.

He slowly looked toward the supermarket.

There was blood on his hand.

Then he smiled.

He stood there for a few seconds...

before quietly disappearing into the darkness.

No one inside the supermarket noticed him.

Not yet.

---

Day 2 — The Fight to Survive