(Swish!)
The air crackled as Rudra’s bone spear sliced through the neck of an already injured monster, severing its head. However, he did not relax. He pulled the spear free, then jumped into the air and twisted mid-flight, driving it into the back of the neck of another monster as it pounced on him.
Rudra was completely drenched in yellow blood as he pulled out the spear and looked at Prabhu and Laila.
Prabhu used his superior dexterity to run behind the monster and split open the skin on the back of its neck. He brought it down in one move, while Laila, the least experienced of the three when it came to dealing with the monsters, wasn’t able to kill her opponent as quickly as Prabhu. However, using her superior strength, she used her spear like a staff and repeatedly bashed the monster into the ground, not giving it a chance to resist.
Making sure that the monsters had not damaged the truck, he exhaled deeply and patted his chest.
Rudra turned his head and looked towards the bridge on the horizon with vigilance.
It hadn’t even been an hour since they left the gas refuelling station, yet they had to deal with a horde of monsters not once, but twice.
Unlike the previous times, however, the monsters did not come singly. They came in a group. The first one was a group of three, while the second was a group of four.
Even so, his intention remained unchanged. He would not change his destination.
"You guys done cleaning up?" He looked towards Prabhu and Laila and asked.
Prabhu was done wiping his bone blade and picked up the rope, while Laila hung her bone stick to her back and mirrored the action.
The journey continued, and the number of corpses that died at their hands kept adding up.
Rudra gazed at the darkening sky and looked for a place to rest. A place that preferably had a large enough garage where the truck could be pushed directly inside.
Rudra considered for a moment, and a place came to mind. MK Road. This was the street where the panchayat of the town was located, and coincidentally, it was also where the town’s ratha was stored.
The place was only two blocks down the road as well.
"Kavya, tell everyone to get down and push." He told the girl steering the truck and, looking at Prabhu and Laila, explained his idea.
Prabhu agreed without hesitation, while Laila expressed her support as well.
The speed at which they moved drastically increased, and they were right at the intersection of the MK Road in just a few minutes.
(Graaaa)
Rudra’s ears perked up. He looked towards the place where the sound was coming from, and his brows pinched into a frown.
"Did both of you hear that?" He asked.
Prabhu and Laila were looking in the direction where the sound came from as well. "It sounds like a monster, but it’s not alone," Prabhu spoke out, and Rudra nodded. He thought the same thing as well.
"Should we go check it out?" Prabhu asked.
Rudra thought about it for a moment and shook his head.
"Let’s first safeguard the truck, and then we can consider."
Kavya turned the steering wheel with all her might, and they were finally on the MK Road.
To everyone’s delight, they didn’t encounter any monster, and before long, they were in front of the large garage.
The front gate was completely melted, but thankfully, the building was quite sturdy.
Rudra looked at the town’s ratha, the base of the towering chariot for the town god used during the town festival. Looking at the fine wooden craftsmanship and its sturdy appearance, he did feel it was a pity to pull it out, but he had to consider everyone’s safety in such a dire situation.
Touching the ratha’s wheels, which were taller than him, and taking the god’s blessings, he pushed it with all his might.
The ratha shook, and the next moment, it began to move.
Rudra’s face was red, and green nerves like snakes appeared on his neck and forehead. Thankfully, with the help of the others, they got it out of the garage and were able to push the truck inside.
The truck was now protected from the top, back, and the sides. It was only the front they would have to be worried about. Fortunately, he hadn’t abandoned all the remaining tarpaulin at the gas refilling station. He brought them back and, picking out a large tarpaulin, he covered the front of the truck, not even leaving the windshield.
The sound of the monster from the distance continued to be heard, and Rudra spent the entire time dying with curiosity and wariness as to whether he should go check it out or stay back and spend the night in peace.
"Ah."
However, the dilemma ended when a human shout was heard.
Prabhu and Laila both looked at him, staring into his eyes, their faces filled with eagerness. He knew what they wanted to do and, given that he wanted to do the same, agreed.
"We’ll be back in a bit," Rudra said to the group and set off.
With nothing to pull and no fear of the monsters targeting the normal people, the speed was extremely fast, and they finally found the site of the monsters near a supermarket.
Rudra’s mouth parted in surprise, and his eyes showed a look of bewilderment. It was not one, two, three, or even four monsters that were attacking the supermarket, but a total of six monsters.
And defending against these monsters was a group of four people.
By the way they moved and the strength they demonstrated, he was sure that they survived the rain just like him, but their situation didn’t seem to be too good.
There were already a few corpses of the monsters in the hallway of the supermarket, but with neither proper weapons nor being outnumbered, they were overwhelmed.
Blood was flowing from the corner of Pranay’s mouth. He was sure he had parried the attack of the Krasurs, but the strength of the two Krasurs was so great that he could still feel his organs shake.
Looking around at his companions, a sense of desperation arose in his heart. They had survived so many trials. Were they going to die just like that? A void appeared in his chest.
"Ahh."
Hearing a cry, Pranay turned around, and to add to his desperation, Ranga had been hit. A piece of flesh from his chest had been sliced away by the Krasur.
His eyes turned red, and although he parried another attack from the Krasur, his hands grew increasingly numb.
Just then, a miracle happened.
A burly man who looked like a bodybuilder out of a video game appeared behind one of the Krasurs like a blur, and before it could turn around, he cut off its neck in one move.
"Opportunity."
He was stunned, but he would not let go of the chance.
Throwing the shield into the Krasur’s face, he lunged forward and used a wooden shard to pierce its chest.
His face was immediately drenched in viscous, sticky yellow blood, but a smile adorned his face as he looked at the mysterious man.
"Tha..."
He was about to thank him, but when he realised that the man was not alone, his breath became quick and shallow.
Thanks to their sneak attack, the number of monsters reaching the supermarket was reduced by three at once.
The fight immediately became much more manageable, and in just a few more minutes, the fight came to an end with all the monsters defeated.
Rudra’s attention turned towards a dark-skinned man who had the least amount of injuries and approached him.
"You all right?" He asked.
Pranay showcased a bright smile and nodded. "I’m all right, but it’s a pity for my companion."
Rudra turned towards the direction Pranay was looking and caught sight of a human corpse brutally dismembered.
A sense of guilt flickered in his eyes. If he had not waited and set off immediately, he could probably have saved the man, but he did not let it show.
"Thank you, brother. Thank you for helping out." Pranay joined his hands and offered a namaskara.
"It’s all right. It’s only natural to help a fellow human in such a perilous situation."
"I’m sure anyone capable would do the same," Rudra said.
Pranay felt touched. "Still, your appearance saved our lives. I couldn’t thank you enough."
Rudra smiled and went over to check out the other people and got introduced to a survivor group of 20.
Rudra considered moving the truck to the supermarket and joining the group. With the four survivors from their side and three from his side, he felt it would make a formidable group, drastically increasing the security of everyone. However, noticing the ransacked aisles and the foul odour coming from within, he understood that these people had probably not left the supermarket ever since the first rain.
Rudra called Pranay to the side. "Do you have no intention to move?" He asked.
Pranay looked confused. "Move? Where?"
’Is there anywhere safe in the town for them to move?’ He couldn’t help but think.
Rudra’s expression turned sombre. "Anywhere north, just out of the town."
"Don’t you see the approaching cloud curtain?" He asked.
Pranay was even more confused. "What cloud curtain?"