I woke up with a start, the dull ache of my muscles reminding me that I hadn't had a decent rest in days. My eyes adjusted slowly to the dim, polluted sky. The air tasted like rust and dust, and for a moment, I wondered if it was all just a dream—a nightmare I couldn't escape. But it wasn't.
The night had been long, and the cold from the ground seeped into my bones. The others were still asleep, their bodies scattered around the remnants of a broken building—once a shelter, now just another crumbling pile of brick and rubble. We'd been here too long. The city, our city, had become an unrecognizable jungle of decay. But we couldn't stay. Not with our mission to reach the GT Karnal Bypass.
I looked over at Dikshant, who was still curled up against a pile of debris. My younger brother. His face, even in sleep, looked too much like Dad's. I forced myself to look away. The weight of the past pressed down on me, but I couldn't afford to dwell on it—not now.
Naina stirred next to him, and I could see her fingers tracing some strange pattern in the dirt. Geography was her thing. Always had been. She was the one who kept us moving in the right direction.
I stood up, stretching stiffly. Aanchal, ever the watchful one, was already awake, scanning the area with her usual sharpness. We had learned to be alert, constantly aware of our surroundings. The others, those like us, had no love for outsiders. I checked the old satellite phone we'd scavenged from a wrecked car days ago. The battery was still hanging on, just barely. We needed information. We needed to know the best route. I dialed the number and waited for the crackling connection. "Rathod?" I asked when the line finally clicked.
"Yeah, it's me. What's the word?" Her voice came through clearly despite the static. Rathod, leader of the second group from the train. She was about our age—maybe a year or two older—and tough as nails.
"We're still on our way to the bypass. It's about 25 kilometers east from here, but we're low on supplies. It'll take at least two days with the way things are," I explained, keeping my voice steady despite the fatigue gnawing at me.
"Got it," she replied quickly. "You've got the right idea. But listen, we're heading towards Mayapuri. That sector's got a reputation for gambling, but we've heard some things. Could be useful. If you're looking for a way in, there might be something there. You know how it is—info can be currency now."
I thought for a moment, then warned her, "Mayapuri's dangerous. The people there? Not like us. Keep your eyes open. Don't trust everything you see." There was a pause on the line before she spoke again. "Trust me, we know. But we're making our way through, no matter what. If you can find a way up, we'll meet you there."
I could feel the weight of the decision hanging in the air. Could we afford to take another risk? The thought of heading to Mayapuri was tempting. The sector might have more than just danger—it could have answers. Before I could respond, Naina spoke up from behind me, her voice low but clear. "Shivam, there's something strange about the stars tonight. I can't put it into words, but the position—it's not right. It doesn't match the maps, the constellations we know."
I turned to her, frowning. "What do you mean?" "I don't know exactly," she continued, her eyes scanning the sky with an almost frantic intensity. "But the positions feel... off. Like the sky's been rearranged. It could be the pollution, or the floating structures... but it's like we're looking at a sky from a different place, a different time." I nodded slowly. "We'll keep an eye on it. Just stay sharp."
I turned back to the satellite phone, but Rathod's voice came through again. "Keep us posted, Shivam. We'll do the same. And... keep your group tight. Don't trust too many people in these ruins." I hung up, feeling the weight of her words. Trust was becoming a luxury we couldn't afford.
As we made our way through the debris, I noticed something strange. We were starting to blend in with the others—the people who lived in the ruins. The ragged clothes, the dust-covered faces, the way we moved—almost like shadows in the dark. It was as if the city was consuming us, turning us into one of its own. But that was the only way we'd survive. Dikshant nudged me, his face grim. "We're getting closer," he muttered. "Can you feel it?" I nodded, though I wasn't sure what he meant. I felt it too—something in the air, in the way the ruins stretched out endlessly in front of us. We were almost at the bypass. The sounds of the city—the screeching of metal, the distant echoes of broken machines—faded as we crested a small hill. We stopped, all of us, and looked down at the GT Karnal Bypass sector from a distance. It was a city of shadows—rubble and rust, but with signs of life. I could see people moving in the distance, their forms barely visible in the thick air. The floating structures above us seemed to mock our struggle, hanging there like a dream we could never reach. "This is it," I whispered. "We're here."