By morning, the world had already started lying.
Arjun didn't sleep.
He wasn't sure he even blinked.
Time had become something distant, meaningless—like a word he remembered but no longer understood. The events on the train replayed in his mind over and over again, each time sharper, louder, more impossible to ignore.
The bite.
The blood.
The way the man moved.
The way he looked.
Arjun sat on the edge of his bed, his phone clutched tightly in his hand. The screen glowed faintly in the dim light of his apartment, casting shadows across the walls.
His shirt was still stained.
He hadn't changed.
Hadn't thought to.
Hadn't been able to.
The television in front of him flickered with breaking news.
"…authorities are urging citizens to remain calm…"
The anchor's voice was steady, almost too steady. Practiced. Controlled.
Behind her, blurred footage played—people running, police sirens flashing, something being carried into an ambulance.
"…what appears to be isolated incidents of violent behavior—"
"Lies," Arjun whispered.
His voice cracked.
Because he had seen it.
That wasn't "violent behavior."
That wasn't anger.
That was something else.
Something that didn't belong.
The screen shifted to another clip—someone filming from a balcony. A man in the street below staggered strangely, then suddenly attacked another person.
The video cut abruptly.
Back to the anchor.
"We advise everyone to avoid crowded areas and—"
The channel glitched.
Static filled the screen.
For a moment, the room went silent except for the faint hum of electricity.
Then the signal returned.
Different channel.
Different anchor.
Same words.
"Under control."
"Precautionary measures."
"Stay indoors."
Arjun let out a dry, hollow laugh.
"They don't even know what it is," he muttered.
Or worse—
They did.
And they were hiding it.
His phone buzzed.
Once.
Then again.
Then nonstop.
Messages flooded in faster than he could read them.
Bro are you safe?
Don't go outside!
Something is happening in my area too
People are attacking randomly
Police fired shots but they didn't stop
Arjun scrolled through them, his thumb shaking slightly.
Every message carried the same confusion.
The same fear.
The same disbelief.
Then—
One message stopped him cold.
From: Rohit
His younger brother.
Bhai, they bit someone in our colony too.
Arjun's chest tightened instantly.
His grip on the phone hardened.
"No…" he whispered.
He tapped the message.
Opened the chat.
The last few texts stared back at him.
Are you home?
Don't go outside today
Something feels wrong here
And then—
That last message.
Bhai, they bit someone in our colony too.
No follow-up.
No explanation.
No "I'm okay."
Nothing.
Arjun immediately hit call.
The phone rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
No answer.
"Pick up… come on, Rohit…" he muttered, pacing now.
He ended the call.
Tried again.
Ring.
Ring.
Still nothing.
His heart began to pound faster.
A third attempt.
The call connected.
Arjun froze.
For a moment, there was nothing.
Just silence.
Then—
Breathing.
Heavy.
Uneven.
Wet.
"Hello?!" Arjun said quickly, his voice rising. "Rohit?! Can you hear me?!"
No response.
Just that breathing.
Loud.
Too loud.
Like the phone was pressed right against someone's mouth.
"Rohit, say something!" Arjun demanded.
A pause.
Then—
A whisper.
"…bhai…"
The voice was weak.
Strained.
Wrong.
Arjun's stomach dropped.
"I'm here!" he said immediately. "I'm here, listen to me—where are you? Are you okay?!"
No answer.
The breathing grew harsher.
Ragged.
Then something else mixed into it.
A low sound.
Almost like a growl.
"…hurts…" the voice whispered again.
And then—
A sudden, sharp noise.
Like the phone hitting the ground.
A scream echoed faintly through the line.
Not Rohit's.
Another voice.
Then chaos.
Shouting.
Something breaking.
Arjun's entire body went cold.
"ROHIT?!" he shouted into the phone.
The line crackled.
For a split second—
He thought he heard movement.
Dragging.
Then—
The call ended.
Arjun stared at the screen.
Call duration: 00:47
That was it.
Forty-seven seconds.
And somehow, it felt like everything had changed.
His reflection stared back at him from the black screen.
Wide eyes.
Pale face.
Fear.
Real fear.
Not confusion.
Not doubt.
Certainty.
Something had reached his brother.
And whatever it was—
It didn't stop.
Outside, the city was louder than usual.
But not in a normal way.
Not traffic.
Not people talking.
Sirens.
Constant.
Echoing through the streets like a warning that never ended.
Arjun moved toward the window slowly.
Pulled the curtain aside just enough to look out.
The street below was… wrong.
Cars were stopped in the middle of the road.
Doors open.
No drivers.
A bike lay on its side, wheel still spinning slightly.
And people—
People were running.
Not walking.
Not rushing.
Running.
Looking over their shoulders.
Some shouting.
Some crying.
Then—
He saw it.
A man stumbled into view. His movements were unsteady. Like his body didn't fully respond to him anymore. He bumped into a parked car.
Slid slightly.
Then stood still.
Head lowered.
For a moment, everything seemed to pause.
Then—
He lifted his head.
Even from that distance—
Arjun could see his face.
Pale.
Stained.
And his eyes—
The same.
The exact same.
The man suddenly sprinted forward.
Fast.
Too fast.
He tackled someone running past him.
Both crashed to the ground.
And then—
The biting started.
Arjun stumbled back from the window.
"No…" he breathed.
His mind raced.
Train.
News.
Messages.
Rohit.
This.
It wasn't isolated.
It wasn't contained.
It was spreading.
Fast.
Faster than anyone could control.
The television behind him suddenly went silent.
Arjun turned.
The screen flickered once.
Twice.
Then—
Black.
The power was gone.
The room fell into darkness.
Only the faint light from his phone remained.
For a moment, there was no sound.
No TV.
No fan.
No background noise.
Just silence.
Deep.
Heavy.
Unnatural.
Then—
From somewhere far away—
A scream.
Long.
Echoing.
And abruptly cut off.
Arjun swallowed hard.
His grip on the phone tightened.
The network bars flickered.
Dropped.
Returned.
Then dropped again.
"Signal…" he whispered.
Another buzz.
A final message appeared.
Unknown number.
Stay inside. Lock everything.
Then—
No service.
Arjun slowly looked around his apartment.
Door.
Windows.
Dark corners.
Everything suddenly felt exposed.
Vulnerable.
He moved quickly.
Locked the door.
Checked it twice.
Pulled the curtains shut completely.
Pushed a chair against the handle.
Every small action felt like it mattered.
Like it could mean the difference between life and—
He stopped himself.
His breath slowed.
But his heart didn't.
Because deep down…
He knew the truth.
Whatever had started—
Was no longer outside.
It was everywhere.
And something even worse lingered in his mind.
A question he didn't want to ask.
But couldn't ignore.
What if…
Rohit wasn't safe anymore?
The phone in his hand went completely blank.
No signal.
No connection.
No way to reach anyone.
Arjun stood alone in the darkness.
Listening.
Waiting.
And for the first time in his life—
He understood what it meant to be completely cut off.
Outside, the sirens continued.
Then one by one—
They stopped.
And the silence that followed…
Was far more terrifying.