Zombiestan (17 page)

Hina was now outside, and Abhi had run up to Mayukh, hugging his knee and crying. Mayukh felt Swati hugging him close as he tried to get up. She was smothering him in kisses.

'Oh God, I thought you were.....'

There was no need for saying anything more. Mayukh held her close, as he saw David walk over. His right shoulder was covered in blood.

'Ah shucks, I wish someone would fuss over me as well. I'm bleeding as well, you know.'

Hina walked over to take out David's first aid pack and tended to his wound.

'All you get is a sixty-five year old crone. Now stop being a baby and let me look at your wound.'

They had both suffered superficial wounds that were soon bandaged and they just sat there on the highway for some minutes, reveling in the close escape they had. Mayukh looked at Swati, who was feeding Abhi some cookies.

'You were really brave back there.'

Swati said something about not even hitting anything, but David patted her on the shoulder.

'Doesn't matter, Swati. You probably saved all of us there.'

He had been inspecting the weapons of their fallen enemies to see if there was anything useful but had proclaimed them to be pieces of junk- all crude country-made pistols. The hunt for a spare tire for their SUV had proved equally fruitless, with the spare having been slashed by the Biters. Two of their pursuing jeeps were wrecks, and the third was leaking fuel from two bullet holes.

Hina had her head against the SUV's side, her eyes closed. Her heart was still hammering, and as she began to think of the dangers they had all faced and the stakes each of them had in the struggle to get to Ladakh, just how little she mattered. David was their unspoken leader due to his military experience; Swati and Mayukh had each other and Abhi to live and fight for; and the little boy was the key to this whole expedition, the one spark of hope that kept them all going. But what was she doing in all this? She couldn't fight, had nobody who would lament her passing, and had no useful skills to offer. David sat down beside her, smiling as he tried to think what was going through her mind.

None of them had yet asked the question that was on the back of everyone's mind. How would they ever get to Manali or to anywhere safe before Sunset? It was already two in the afternoon, and nobody had any bright ideas. They were also running short on ammunition. David was out of ammunition for his rifle, and was on his last clip for his handgun, and Mayukh had only four rounds left.

Just then, Mayukh shouted.

'Shit, not again!'

All of them looked to see a cloud of smoke approaching them on the highway.

***

Given the attack they had just survived, they were in no mood to take any chances. Hina, Swati and Abhi crouched inside the SUV while David took cover behind one open door, and Mayukh the other. They had just over a dozen rounds between them, but they were hoping to catch whoever it was in their crossfire. As the vehicle, a black van, came closer, David aimed at the driver, and was about to fire when the van stopped and a single man stepped out, his hands in the air, and began walking towards them.

As he came closer, they saw that he was white, totally bald and wearing jeans and a plain white shirt. His hands were raised, and as he came within a few feet, he said loudly, in a thick accent.

'I am here to help.'

Mayukh got up, and started to move towards the man, but David motioned for him to wait, his gun still pointing at the man.

'That's close enough. Who are you?'

The man looked at David and smiled.

'My name is Walter. I am alone and unarmed.'

The way he said his name, it came out sounding like
Valter
. Hina and Swati had also come out of the vehicle, and the man waved to them. He seemed friendly enough, but with all they had gone through, David was not about to take any chances.

'Walter, what are you doing out here all alone?'

The man dropped his hands, causing David to tense, but then he laughed.

'Come on, you have two armed young men covering me. I am fifty and have no weapons on me. Let me come closer and I can tell you more. By all means, keep your guns on me if that makes you feel better, but don't make me shout through this conversation'

David nodded and the man approached them. Up close, Mayukh could see that the man was very fit, with not an ounce of spare fat on his body and his arms were sinewy and muscled. His face was however creased and wrinkled with age. He smiled again as he came up to them.

'I do this route twice every day, looking for people like you.'

When David asked him what he meant, he pointed to the overturned jeeps and carnage around them.

'There are many like them, preying on the weak and desperate. And then, there are the Biters. It seems nowadays safety is a precious commodity. Thankfully, we have safety to offer and are trying to get as many people there as we can.'

Mayukh asked him where he was from, and the man responded with an expression that indicated that he would have thought that everyone knew about the sanctuary he was referring to.

'The Sammasati Ashram in Kullu, of course.'

Then Mayukh remembered the ashram that Freddy of the one star price had referred to. David must have remembered as well, for he visibly relaxed, lowering his gun, though he did not put it back in its holster. Walter took this as a good sign, and came closer, still smiling and nodding politely to Hina and Swati. Abhi had bounded out of the SUV and looked at the stranger in their midst. He ran his fingers over his hair and then giggled.

'You have no hair.'

Everyone tried their best to suppress their laughter as Walter knelt in front of Abhi.

'No, my dear, I have not had hair for many years now. But I do have a toy train set back at the Ashram. We could play that if you liked to. Would you like that?'

Abhi's eyes lit up and he looked at Swati, as if seeking permission. David asked Walter how they had set up the Ashram and how many people were there. Walter looked at his watch.

'My friend, it's almost three in the afternoon. Even if I drive as fast as I dare to with all the abandoned trucks and cars on the highway up ahead, we will barely get there by Sunset. Come with me, and I can tell you everything you want on the way. But you have to trust me at least that much.'

David looked at Mayukh, and he took the American soldier aside.

'We don't have much of a choice do we? We're stranded here, we're almost out of ammunition and in about three hours, if those Biters are indeed looking for us, then we have almost zero chances of getting through the night.'

David looked at Hina and Swati, as if seeking their agreement. They both nodded and Hina added with a whisper.

'I don't like when I am forced to do something because there's no other option available, but in this case, we have to go with him.'

Abhi was now running around Walter asking him how fast his train was, and laughing uncontrollably. Each of them looked at the little boy, and were reminded of what the stakes really were. Whatever their misgivings about joining this stranger, they knew only too well that Abhi had to be protected, and if there was even a remote possibility that the Biters were indeed trying to target him, then they could not take any chances.

David finally held out his hand and introduced himself. Walter shook it with a broad grin and then asked them to get their stuff and join him in his van.

A few minutes later, they set off with Walter at the wheel. Swati squeezed Mayukh's hand and looking at her anxious face, he knew she was thinking the same thing they all were.

Had they made the right decision in joining this stranger?

***

The first thing David noticed when he sat down in the front passenger seat was the shotgun placed lying on the floor. That wasn't much of a surprise- anyone expecting to be driving alone in these times would reasonably be expected to have some means of defending himself. The second thing he noticed did take him by surprise. Walter had a small radio transmitter set placed on the floor and it seemed to be connected by wires to the battery for power. When he turned on the ignition, it flared to life.

'Bald Eagle, where are you? You don't have much more time.'

Abhi screamed from the back seat.

'Yes, uncle is bald, bald, bald.'

Mayukh and Swati were trying not to laugh, and red with embarrassment, Hina was trying to ask Abhi to be quiet but the boy continued his chant, if at a slightly lower volume.

Walter tut-tutted and picked up the attached microphone to respond over the radio.

'Guruji, I am on my way. I have picked up some friends. Over.'

David waited for a few more minutes before bringing up the subject.

'You guys seem very organized.'

Walter responded without taking his eyes off the road.

'We have to be. There are three hundred people at the Ashram now, and we need to have some sort of organization to both take care of their needs and also find and help others like you.'

'Three hundred! How did so many...'

Hina had left her question unfinished but Walter responded, looking at her in the mirror.

'Take me for example. An Austrian businessman on holiday in Manali. Then all Hell breaks loose. Where could I go? The cops had died, run away or become Biters. I stumbled upon the Ashram where Guruji was, and together with some others, under his guidance we started off. As word spread, more and more people sought us out.'

'You mentioned Guruji again. Who is he?'

'He's the one holding it all together. I gather he was well known in India. His name is Swami Vinesh.'

Despite himself, Mayukh sniggered and he turned to see that Swati was rolling her eyes. Hina, with more years of experience and maturity behind her managed to just nod in response. David, unaware of what they were reacting to, turned and asked Mayukh who Swami Vinesh was.

'He's a Godman, or so he claims. Started teaching Yoga, and then started becoming a Guru to politicians and movie stars. Has his own TV channel, a private jet, and nominated himself for the Nobel Peace Prize.'

'Are you pulling my leg?'

Hina piped in.

'I think Mayukh is being quite diplomatic. He was caught in a sex scandal last year when he was taped asking a devotee for sexual favours since that would get her Nirvana. Nice to know we're going to be his guests.'

David, now not so sure they had made the right choice after all, looked towards Walter, who shrugged his shoulders.

'Look, I know nothing about his past or if what they say about him is true or not. All I know is that he is selflessly helping hundreds of people survive this Hell. That makes him a good guy in my books.'

The drove the rest of the way in silence, each of them wondering what lay ahead. After about an hour more, with the Sunlight beginning to fade, they saw a group of huts ahead. As they passed the roughly built huts, David's experienced eyes picked up what the others had missed.

'Ambush points with gunmen inside.'

If Walter heard it, he did not say anything but kept driving till they reached a complex ringed by a wooden fence that was at least a dozen feet high and a massive wooden gate that was closed. As they came closer, they saw that the fence was ringed with torches that were in the process of being lit, and by the time they reached the gate, the complex was lit up like a giant birthday cake packed with candles. Or at least that's what it appeared like to Abhi, who gaped at the building and asked Mayukh.

'Can we blow those candles out and eat the cake?'

At any other time, they would have laughed, but now they were all too tensed up to joke. The complex they were approaching appeared to look more like a medieval castle than an Ashram where the well heeled came to practice Yoga and seek salvation in the faux spirituality of a jet-setting Swami. As they came closer, the gate swung open and they entered the complex.

Mayukh's first impression was that it resembled a holiday resort more than a spiritual Ashram, with villas lining the street that cut through the complex and with trees bursting with apples and flowers. He could see a handful of people around, but what immediately got his attention was the group of armed men who approached the van as it stopped. There were three men, all Caucasian and each carrying a shotgun with a pistol tucked into his belt. Seeing them approach, David's hand went to his handgun, but Walter spoke in a reassuring voice.

'Relax. They are friends. They help look after security here, that's all.'

As they got down from the van, they huddled as a group and Walter exchanged some words with the three men. One of them, an overweight man with an immense gut, approached them, speaking in a heavy Slavic accent.

'Ve vill need to take your gunz.'

It took David a second to process what the man meant, but when he understood he smiled, sizing up his opponent. The man was tall, more than six feet, and had muscular arms and a thick neck, but the muscle he must have built during his youth had dissipated into the fat that lined his waist. He carried his shotgun like an amateur, with his hand gripping it in the middle like a baseball bat. David knew that if he wanted to, he could fell him with his gun or knife before the man ever got his gun into firing position. With his senses honed by countless hours of training and combat, all that assessment took a split second. But also a split second later, he forced himself to calm down. There were other armed men around, and even if he might have been tempted to take his chances if he were alone, there was no scope for heroics with the others depending on him, especially Abhi. But there was no way he was going to give up their only means of defending themselves.