A split-second decision to save strangers sets off a chain of events that will force Karan to confront the true cost of survival in Sanctuary—and the man who controls it.
Manish grabbed the radio. Clicked it on. "Command, this is Supply Team Three. Requesting guidance."
Static. Then a voice. One of Advait's people. "Go ahead, Team Three."
"We have civilians. Two of them. Requesting permission to extract."
More static. Then: "Status of your team?"
"All accounted for. No casualties."
"Are the civilians injured? Infected?"
Manish looked at Karan. Karan was checking the man and boy. The man's hand was pressed against his shoulder. Blood seeping through his fingers.
"Stand by," Manish said into the radio.
The groaning got louder. Shadows moving behind the pharmacy's broken windows.
"We need to go!" Dev shouted. "Now!"
The man pulled his hand away from his shoulder. Revealed the wound.
A bite. Deep. Fresh. The edges were already darkening.
Karan's stomach dropped. "When did this happen?"
"Before. When we were running. One of them got me." The man's voice cracked. "But Rohan—my son—he's clean. He's not bitten. Please. You have to take him."
The boy—Rohan—was maybe twelve. Skinny. Scared. Trying not to cry.
"Papa's fine," Rohan said. Voice shaking. "He's fine. It's just a scratch."
"Son—" the man started.
"It's just a scratch!" Rohan's voice rose. Desperate. "You said it was just a scratch!"
The infected burst through the pharmacy door.
Five of them. Runners. Fast.
"MOVE!" Karan grabbed Rohan's arm. Started pulling him.
The man stumbled after them. "Wait! Don't leave me!"
"He's bitten!" Manish shouted into the radio. "One civilian is bitten! Repeat, one is infected!"
The radio crackled. "Do not extract infected individuals. I repeat, do not—"
Manish looked at Karan. At the man. At the Runners getting closer.
Made a choice.
He gunned the engine. The truck lurched forward.
"WAIT!" Karan screamed. "MANISH, WAIT!"
But Manish didn't wait. The truck accelerated. Drove straight past them. Past the infected. Gone in seconds.
Karan stood there. Stunned. Rohan's arm in his hand. Dev beside him. The man—the bitten man—standing there watching the truck disappear.
And five Runners charging at them.
"Run!" Dev grabbed Karan's other arm. "We have to run!"
They ran.
Karan didn't know where they were going. Just away. Away from the Runners. Away from the pharmacy. Away from the truck that had abandoned them.
Dev led them. He knew these streets better. Took them through an alley. Over a fence. Through a collapsed building.
The Runners followed. Relentless.
"There!" Dev pointed. "The clinic!"
A small medical clinic. Windows barred. Door reinforced. They hit it running. The door held.
"Help me!" Karan slammed his shoulder against it. Dev joined him.
Behind them, the Runners were ten meters away. Eight. Five.
The door gave. They tumbled inside. Slammed it shut. Threw the deadbolt.
The Runners hit the door seconds later. Pounding. Snarling.
But the door held.
Karan slid down against it. Breathing hard. Heart hammering.
Rohan was crying now. Openly. Couldn't hold it in anymore.
The man—the father—sat down heavily. Looked at his shoulder. At the bite that was spreading black veins up his neck.
"Papa?" Rohan's voice was small. Scared. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." The man smiled. It looked painful. "Just tired."
He wasn't fine. The veins were spreading faster now. His skin was going gray. His eyes were starting to cloud.
Karan pulled Dev aside. Whispered. "We need to restrain him. Before he turns."
"With what?"
Karan looked around the clinic. Found medical tape. Restraints. They'd worked here once. Treated patients. Now it would serve a different purpose.
"I'll do it," Karan said.
He walked back. Knelt beside the man.
"I need to tie you up," Karan said gently. "You know why."
The man nodded. "I know." He looked at Rohan. "Can you... can you take him outside first? I don't want him to see."
"Papa, what's happening?" Rohan asked.
"Nothing, beta. Nothing. Just... just go with these men for a minute. I need to rest."
"But—"
"Go." The man's voice cracked. "Please."
Dev led Rohan to the back room. The boy kept looking back. Kept asking questions. Dev closed the door.
Karan tied the man's hands. His feet. Secured him to a support beam.
The man was shaking now. Sweating. The infection was moving fast.
"What's your name?" Karan asked.
"Arvind. Arvind Malhotra."
"I'm Karan."
Arvind coughed. Blood flecked his lips. "You saved us. When you didn't have to."
"Yeah."
"And that man—the one driving—he left you. Because of me."
"Because of his orders."
"Same thing." Arvind closed his eyes. "My son. Rohan. He's a good boy. Smart. Brave. He's been so strong through all this."
"I can tell."
"But he's still a boy. He still needs..." Arvind's breath hitched. "He needs someone. I can't protect him anymore. I can't—"
His body convulsed. The veins spread to his face. His eyes rolled back.
"Please," Arvind gasped. "Please. Don't let him see me like this. Don't let him see what I become."
"I won't."
"And protect him. No matter what." Arvind looked at him. Really looked. Even as the infection took him. "Promise... Promise me."
Karan's throat tightened. "I promise."
In this world where promises don't matter anymore he made a promise.
Arvind smiled. Grateful. Relieved.
Then his eyes went white.
The transformation was quick after that.
The man who'd been Arvind Malhotra—who'd loved his son, who'd tried to protect him, who'd begged a stranger to finish the job—was gone.
What was left was something else.
It strained against the restraints. Groaning. Teeth snapping.
Karan stood. Drew his pistol.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly.
He fired.
The body slumped. Finally still.
Karan stood there for a long moment. Looking at what he'd done. At the promise he'd made.
Then he went to get Rohan.
The boy knew.
When Karan came back alone, Rohan knew.
"He's gone, isn't he?" Rohan's voice was flat. Empty.
"Yes."
"Did he turn?"
"Yes."
"Did you..." Rohan couldn't finish the question.
"Yes. I did." Karan knelt down. Eye level. "But he asked me to. Before. When he was still your father. He didn't want you to see. He wanted to protect you. Even at the end."
Rohan's face crumpled. But he didn't cry. Just nodded. Like he'd used up all his tears already.
"What do I do now?" Rohan asked.
"You come with us. To Sanctuary. It's safe there. Food. Shelter. People." Karan paused. "Your father asked me to protect you. So that's what I'm going to do."
Rohan looked at him. Twelve years old and already learning this new world.
They waited until the Runners outside lost interest. Until the pounding stopped. Until the street went quiet.
Then they moved.
The walk back to Sanctuary took hours.
They stayed off main roads. Moved building to building. Avoided infected when they could. Fought when they couldn't.
Rohan didn't complain. Didn't slow them down. Just kept moving. Kept surviving.
By the time they reached Sanctuary's perimeter, it was evening.
The gates were closed. Guards on the walls. Weapons pointed down at them.
"Karan Rathod!" Karan shouted. "Supply Team Three! Requesting entry!"
The guards didn't move.
A voice came over a loudspeaker. Not a guard. Someone from command.
"Karan Rathod. You left your assigned route. You disobeyed your team leader. You engaged in unauthorized rescue. Explain."
"There were civilians. A man and a boy. The man was bitten. He's dead now. The boy is clean. Uninfected. I'm requesting entry for him."
Silence.
Then: "Stand by."
They stood there. In the open. Exposed. Minutes ticked by.
The loudspeaker crackled again. A different voice this time.
Advait.
"Karan. You violated protocol. You endangered your team. You forced a situation that resulted in the loss of a team vehicle and supplies." His voice was calm. Conversational. "Why should I let you back in?"
"Because I'm one of your people. Because Dev is one of your people. Because we followed orders for weeks and made one choice that didn't fit your plan."
"A choice that could have gotten you killed."
"But didn't."
"This time." Advait paused. "What about the boy?"
"He's clean. Uninfected. Twelve years old. Just lost his father. Needs shelter."
Another pause. Longer this time.
"We have a policy," Advait said. "No unauthorized outsiders. Everyone who enters is vetted. Screened. Observed. We can't make exceptions."
"Then vet him. Screen him. Whatever you need."
"That takes time. Resources. Space we don't have."
Karan's jaw tightened. "You're saying no."
"I'm saying there are procedures. Rules. They exist for a reason."
"He's a child!"
"He's a liability." Advait's tone didn't change. Still calm. Still reasonable. "We have limited resources. Limited capacity. Every new person is a risk. A drain. And this one? You brought him without authorization. Without planning. Without thinking about the consequences."
"I'm thinking about them now." Karan stepped forward. "Let him in. I'll take responsibility. He'll be my problem."
"That's not how this works."
"Then make it how it works!" Karan's voice rose. "You run this place. You make the rules. Make a new one. Right now. Let him in."
"It's not that simple, Karan. Rules aren't just red tape; they are the only thing keeping the chaos on the other side of that gate. What if his people are out there right now? Waiting just enough to let him in, So that they can take this place from us.? In this world, we don't trust strangers. We can't afford to."
"His people? Are you even looking at him? He's a child! Can't you understand that? Look at his hands—they're shaking. He can barely stand, let alone lead an ambush. How can he even have 'other people' in a world that's already taken everything from him?"
"Small baits catch big fish, Karan."
"He's not bait! He's a kid who's freezing to death while you stand here playing strategist. If we've reached the point where we're afraid of a starving twelve-year-old, then we've already lost the world we're trying to protect."
"Karan." Advait's voice had an edge now. "You're emotional. Understandable. But emotions don't keep sixty-three people alive. Systems do. Rules do. And the rule is clear—no unauthorized outsiders."
"He has nowhere else to go!"
"That's not our problem."
"It is now! I made it our problem when I saved him!"
"No." Advait's voice was cold. "You made it your problem. Not ours."
Karan stood there. Stunned. "You're not letting him in."
"I'm offering a compromise. We'll set up a shelter outside the perimeter. Safe. Secure. We'll provide food. Water. Supplies. The boy can stay there. We'll monitor him. Make sure he's clean. If he's still healthy in a week, we'll consider entry."
"A week? Alone? He's twelve!"
"Then you're welcome to stay with him. Outside."
The words hung in the air. Cold. Final.
"You're serious," Karan said.
"Completely."
Karan looked at Dev. At Rohan. At the walls of Sanctuary. At the guards with their weapons trained on them.
At the place they'd fought to reach. The place they'd thought was safe.
"No," Karan said.
"No?" Advait repeated.
"No. I'm not leaving him outside. I'm not putting a child in a shelter alone and hoping he survives a week." Karan's voice was steady now. Certain. "You let him in. Now. Or we both stay out."
"Then you both stay out."
Karan's hands clenched. "Advait—"
"This conversation is over. You made your choice. I made mine." A pause. "Step away from the gate. Any closer and the guards have authorization to fire."
"You wouldn't—"
"Test me."
Karan stood there. Heart pounding. Mind racing. Behind him, Rohan was shaking. Not crying. Just shaking. Dev put a hand on Karan's shoulder. "Man, maybe we should just—"
"Just what?" Karan turned on him. "Just leave him? Just walk away?"
"Just think about this. We go outside the walls, we die. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But soon." Dev's voice dropped. "And then who protects him?"
Karan wanted to argue. Wanted to scream. Outside meant death. Eventually. Inside meant safety. For them. But not for Rohan.
"Please," Karan said. He hated the word. Hated himself for saying it. "Please. Just the boy. Let him in. I'll stay out. I'll do whatever you want. Just let him inside."
"No."
"Advait—"
"This conversation is over. You have thirty seconds to step away from the gate. After that, the guards have orders to shoot."
"You wouldn't shoot me. You need me. I'm one of your best—"
"Twenty seconds."
Karan looked at the guards. At their weapons trained on him. At their faces. Blank. Waiting for orders. They would shoot. He could see it.
"Karan," Rohan whispered. "We should go."
"Ten seconds."
Karan took Rohan's hand, his mind spinning, trying to calculate a way out. But Rohan pulled free.
"Wait!" Rohan called out, desperation breaking his voice. "Wait! I'll do anything! I'll work! I'll help! I won't be trouble! I promise!"
"Rohan, don't—" Karan reached for him.
Rohan dodged. He ran toward the gate, arms waving, a frantic plea for mercy. "Please! I'm just a kid! I don't want to die out here! Please!"
"Five seconds."
"Rohan, get back here!" Karan was running now. After him. "NOW!"
Rohan kept running. "PLEASE! JUST LET ME IN! I'LL DO ANY—"
The first shot hit his chest.
Rohan stumbled. Looked down at the blood spreading across his shirt. The second shot hit his shoulder. The third hit his chest again.
He fell.
Karan was screaming. He reached him in seconds, dropping to his knees and pulling Rohan into his arms. "No. No no no." Karan pressed his hands against the wounds. Blood everywhere. Too much blood. "Stay with me. Come on. Stay with me."
Rohan looked up at him. Eyes wide. Confused. "Did I... did I do something wrong?"
"No. You didn't. You did everything right." Karan's voice broke. "You're so brave. So brave."
"I just... I just wanted..." Rohan coughed. Blood on his lips. "I just wanted to live."
Rohan's eyes started to close. Karan shook him gently, sobbing. "No! Hey! Stay awake! Look at me! Rohan!"
Rohan's eyes opened. Barely. "Will you... tell my father... I tried?"
"You did more than try. You survived. You made him proud."
Rohan smiled. Small. Weak. Then his eyes closed. And didn't open again.
Karan sat there. Holding the boy. Covered in blood. Screaming at the walls. At the guards who'd pulled their triggers. At Advait who'd given the order.
The loudspeaker crackled one final time. "I'm sorry it came to this," Advait said. "But you were warned. You both were warned."
The gate stayed closed. The guards stayed posted. And Karan knelt in the dirt, understanding for the first time what survival really cost.
Everything.
It cost everything.
And once again, the new world proved that promises were never meant to be kept.