After Annihilation: Would you want to survive?

by Gauri Mittal

  “Well, you’ll have to ask one of the four volunteers in the general ward. They have all information about the patients registered,” she said.

  “Okay. Thank you very much.” I smiled at her.

  After she had gone, Pranav looked at me. “Shall we leave?”

  I nodded. Once we were out of the small hospital setup, I saw 3rd Street. The left wall of the street was made up of the rear walls of the cabin rooms on 2nd Street. The road was paved with bricks like the other two, but it was almost ten times larger. There were no cabins erected, rather five large single-story buildings made of brick.

  The first was the largest, the hospital, at the proximal end. Beside it sat the administrative office. The third, almost attached to the admin office, was the military and communications headquarters. Then there was the entry gate from 2nd Street. Fifty meters away was the second biggest building, the cafeteria. And in the distance was the granary and storage house.

  We went towards the granary to explore the area and found the rest of the street was covered with empty plots. This area was not bricked, the ground was bare, with soil that was not dry. There was more light here than anywhere else in the city. Multicoloured LED lights spanned the length and width of the cave ceiling.

  All along 3rd Street, the faint sound of flowing water could be heard in the distance. Pranav told me it was from the stream connecting the three lakes of the area. One was on the surface, the second was the one we had encountered before entering the city, and the third was below us and not reachable.

  We were returning to the entry to 2nd Street when I asked, “You hold a position in the city government?”

  “Yes. I told you before, I made major contributions in the building of this city. So if you need anything, you can tell me.” He smiled.

  We reached the entry. It was open and had soldiers posted at both sides of the gate. They asked for our IDs. Pranav took out his and then mine from around my neck. I hadn’t even realized I had been wearing it. When we were on 2nd Street, I remembered Aarav had been sent here and that I had agreed to meet Aarav here at the staircase to the announcement hall.

  “I have to find my friend,” I told Pranav.

  He sighed. “Yes, that’s all you have been saying for the past days.” I noted the sarcasm in his voice and raised one of my eyebrows.

  He smiled at me. Genuinely. With warmth. I couldn’t help but smile back. He put his hand on my head and patted it playfully. “You’ll be fine,” he said. “Don’t worry.”

  I nodded, the traces of the smile still hovering on my lips.

  “I’ll help you look,” he added. “For the people who have entered the city, I mean. If your parents are among them.”

  I was about to respond when someone shouted my name. “Madhavi!”

  I turned. Aarav was shouting as he ran towards me. “Where were you all this while? I almost went crazy looking for you. Then the patrol guards told me a young girl from 1st Street had been taken to the hospital.”

  “I’m okay,” I said when he got closer. “Pranav brought me to the hospital…”

  Aarav looked at Pranav, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “Pranav,” he said.

  Pranav came forward and held out his hand. Aarav shook it somewhat reluctantly. Sensing the awkwardness, he added, “It’s nice to meet you properly at last. I wonder if you remember me? I am user MA26 on your After Annihilation forum.”

  “Right,” Pranav replied. He seemed to be assessing Aarav. Both their eyes were locked on each other’s faces, almost equally tall. The vibe was uncomfortable and still awkward.

  “You are Madhavi’s friend, aren’t you?” Pranav asked. “I rescued Madhavi almost fifteen days back. Surprised to find you here.”

  Aarav smiled, but it did not reach his eyes. “Madhavi tells me you are the famous Admin. I registered my two safe sites on Double A. You never showed up in Varshi. Strange. I didn’t think the bomb dropping on Varshi was an unforeseeable incident. I was expecting your group there.”

  A flicker of annoyance passed over Pranav’s normally well-controlled expression.

  But Aarav did not stop. “I figured I couldn’t count on you guys, so I set out on my own. I went to Rajgar to find Madhavi, but she had already left. Guess you had taken her.”

  “What we had not foreseen was the power of the bomb dropped on Varshi and the area to which the damage caused would extend,” said Pranav. “It would’ve been foolish to expose three hundred people to that amount of radiation for the lives of you and the other two from Varshi.”

  Aarav shrugged. “Anyway, I am here now. You don’t have to bother with Madhavi. I’ll take care of her.”

  I sensed the discourtesy was increasing, so cut in. “How long do we have to stay in this place? It feels like a prison.” I added in a little laugh to lighten the mood.

  They looked at me as if I was talking nonsense.

  “Uh, well… I mean, what are we supposed to do in here?” I said lamely.

  “Let’s go.” Aarav caught my hand and pulled me with him.

  “Wait!” I said. “Bye, Pranav. I’ll see you later.”

  Pranav smiled at me. “Bye.”

  Once we were outside Aarav’s cabin, I said. “What’s wrong with you! Why were you behaving like that with Pranav? He saved my life.”

  We were standing facing each other. Aarav turned his head away from me huffily. “And should I not?”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “It’s obvious he’s trying to come on to you,” Aarav said, looking at me with annoyance.

  “So?”

  “What?” he asked.

  “So what if he is coming on to me. Why is that wrong?”

  Aarav became quiet and then rubbed the back of his neck. “I… I just… it’s just that we don’t know him very well…” He trailed off.

  I huffed. “Never mind that. We have more important things to worry about. I am leaving.” I stormed off to my room to get the extra set of clothing I had missed earlier.

  An hour later, he was there with me, our argument forgotten. We were walking down 3rd Street, in the dimly lit corridors exploring the area, me telling him about getting sick but that I was out of danger. Many others were there too, looking confused and dazed. We overheard people discussing new government notices and decided to go to the announcement hall.

  Announcements had been stuck up on a notice board in the room. The first read: “All healthy survivors should sign up for one of the jobs available on 3rd Street according to their preference and ability.”

  Another read: “The time and date can be ascertained from the clock in the middle of each street.”

  The last one read:

  Status Report:

  Number of survivors in the city as of 13th April, 2034: 600

  Internet communication: Not Established

  Cell phone communication: Not Established

  Number of survivors in country: Estimated at 5 lakhs

  Number of survivors worldwide: Undetermined

  Chapter 8

  Later in the evening, we joined the queue after being directed to 3rd Street for dinner.

  “What work should we volunteer for?” I asked Aarav as we walked.

  “Let’s check out the options first,” he replied.

  On reaching 3rd Street, we directed to the cafeteria. There were three halls with hundreds of wooden tables in each and four simple chairs around each table. The hall we were in was dim. At one end was a metal table near a small green window that led to the kitchen beyond. On one end of the table was a stack of small steel plates. The other end had hollow compartments with two big steel containers filled with food. The same notices as the ones in the announcement hall were posted on a nearby wall.

  A duo sat at one of the tables, one in a white shirt, grey trousers, and white kurta and the other in a black salwar. Both held a paper in their hands. A crowd was collecting around them, and the noise was increasing.

  “Please sit down,” o
ne of them shouted. Once all were settled, the man began. “We are workers for the administrative headquarters. We are going to put up a list of available job positions in Shunya. For every hour of work that you are willing to do, you will receive one coupon. This coupon will be like money and can be used for various services like food, water, clothes, shoes, or hospital services. For today’s dinner and tomorrow’s breakfast, you can get coupons from me and Anita here. I will announce the job openings right now, and we will also post them here on the notice board if you want to have a look later. Once decided, you can head over to the administrative office, the second building from the hospital, with your registration documents.

  “Currently the available positions are: farmer, goods transporter, surface explorer, tailor, shoe maker, chef, cooking support staff, nursing staff, nursing attendant, other health staff, plumber, electrician, cleaner.”

  I looked at Aarav, my lips twisted in disappointment. I was underqualified for all of those things, having never been taught the basics of survival in school or college. He pressed his lips together in reply.

  After receiving our coupons, we served ourselves some bland cooked lentils and rice. We took two seats close to the where the food was being served.

  “Aarav,” I said, “I am so confused and afraid. I feel like we died and woke up on a hellish planet.”

  He was mixing the lentils and rice in his plate. “Maybe we have,” he said.

  “Should we just leave this place and go back up to the surface? Maybe if we went back to our homes now, we would be able to find our families,” I said.

  He was looking at me, pain evident in his eyes.

  “I have nothing left up there,” he said. “I saw them. My parents. My brother. They are no more.” His hands were in tight fists.

  “Oh, Aarav. I am so sorry,” I whispered. I could imagine the gruesome sight he must have encountered. I wanted to say something to lessen his pain, but nothing seemed appropriate.

  Head bent down, he swallowed, composing himself. “At least they were together in their last moments. This thought gives me some solace.”

  I nodded, lightly keeping my hand on his forearm.

  He looked up. “I know what is troubling you, Madhavi, and I have thought about it, but believe me, I went to Rajgar to look for you. Human life cannot survive in those conditions anymore. I know what you feel right now. The only way for your family to have survived would be in a safe house. If they survived, they will come here. Staying here is your best bet at finding them and being alive to meet them.”

  “What about Dhruv, Divya, and Sonakshi? Have you thought about what must have happened to them?” I asked.

  He sighed. “What can I say other than I hope they somehow found a place to survive? Once satellite communication is established, we might try to contact them somehow.”

  I opened the bottle of water issued to me and had a precious sip to curb the falling of tears. “They don’t know of the existence of this city, Aarav. My parents, our friends. Nobody ever knew.”

  “I told Dhruv about it. I can’t say if he remembered,” he said.

  “I saw my father’s broken glasses. My mother’s sari. I… there were bodies in the concrete. Burnt beyond recognition. I am afraid of what might be the truth. I cannot accept it. I will not accept it.”

  Aarav held my hand. I felt the warmth and comfort that he wanted to communicate to me. “It’s their fate, Madhavi. As this is yours.”

  “No. I can’t accept it. I never will,” I said, freeing my hand from his.

  He looked at me sadly, and I looked back into his eyes all the pain and turmoil I felt.

  Finally, we finished our food, washed our utensils by the sink, and came back to our table. It was the only proper place in the city where we could comfortably sit and talk.

  “Madhavi,” he said to me after ten minutes. We had both been deep in thought.

  “What?” I asked. He was looking at me with an unusual intensity.

  “You know I…” he said, but then stopped.

  I was looking in his eyes, wondering what he had in his heart. Sometimes I felt that he too felt the attraction I did towards him, especially when we were alone together and it became so palpable the air got thick with tension, but I’d never received any signs of feelings more than friendship from him and dismissed it as an idea born of imagination.

  “What job do you think we should apply for?” he asked me.

  “Well, I am underqualified for all of them,” I answered.

  “That’s true. You would make a horrible chef,” he teased.

  Our old comradeship was back. “Why don’t you apply for it, then?” I retorted.

  “Maybe, I will,” he said, his lips twitching. “Let’s find out more about them.” He got up from the dining table. We headed out, not sure where we were supposed to go.

  Making our way out, we met some of the people who had accompanied us on our journey into Shunya. First was Yashika, the teenage girl, and her family. They greeted me as Yashika hugged me.

  “What’s your number?” she asked.

  “333,” I told her.

  “We are living on 2nd Street in the family rooms, but I’ll visit you,” Yashika said. She was looking cheerful, and the ghastly expression from when we were making our journey by road had left her face. Her younger sister was with her, holding her father’s hand. I patted her cheek and asked how she was, but she was shy and hid behind his legs. Her parents, Dr Rajeev Gurung and his wife, Dr Riddhima, smiled at me and Aarav. I introduced him to them.

  “I am so glad you found someone you know,” Riddhima said. “I felt horrible looking at you all alone all through the journey. Although Admin did do his best to stay beside you all the time.”

  Aarav looked at me, but I ignored him.

  “We should go now,” she said. “My husband has to register at the hospital as a psychologist, and I still have to find something that appeals to me.”

  I nodded, saying my goodbyes.

  I saw Kirtani’s farmer family in the street, but they pretended to not recognize me, so I just went on.

  Then I ran into Vishwaroopum as he was coming out of the administrative office. Imposing, he was a head taller than Aarav, but he turned out to be surprisingly helpful. He went along with us back inside the office and helped us understand a little more about how things worked. Me and Aarav decided farming would be the best work for us since we could choose our hours, and we could work together. Or maybe it was on a whim.

  I was tired, and Aarav accompanied me till the gate to 1st Street. I bade him goodbye and returned to my room, falling asleep fast.

  The next day, entering the 2nd Street, I saw Pranav standing at the gate.

  “I was waiting for you,” he said. “There.” He pointed to the room right across the street. “That one is mine.”

  From the side, Aarav was coming towards us. As it turned out, both their rooms were quite close by.

  “What time is it?” I asked.

  “Eight-thirty in the morning,” Aarav said. “How are you feeling today?”

  I nodded. “I have to go to the hospital.”

  “I’ll come with you,” said Pranav.

  Aarav looked at him. “No need.”

  I sighed and left without waiting for them to decide. Both of them accompanied me without a word. We first went to the cafeteria, where we had a breakfast of high-calorie biscuits and vitamin supplements, along with lentil soup. The biscuits were too sweet, and the lentil soup was tasteless. I gulped it down as fast as I could.

  “What work have you decided to pick?” Pranav asked me. Both the boys were sitting across from me on the dining table.

  “The only thing I could understand was farming,” I said. “Can crops really grow without sunlight, though?” I asked to no one in particular.

  “Some mushrooms do,” said Aarav. “I predict we are going to have to eat a lot of them in the coming months.”

  I smiled wryly at him. “Nerd,” I murmured.


  He looked at me, his eyes twinkling. They reminded me of our college days. Of my past, and my home.

  “I’m leaving,” I announced suddenly, getting up from my chair. “I have decided to go back to the registration office and find out if my parents have arrived.”

  Aarav and Pranav looked at me and then at each other questioningly. Neither knew what to say to avoid being too harsh.

  “I’ll go with you,” Pranav said.

  Aarav got up. “Certainly not. I am going to go with her. Why don’t you try and find her some work that will be more suitable for her? You have a high position in the administration, do you not? Find out what job will be the best. I am sure Madhavi will want your help in that regard.”

  Pranav was scowling, looking for a comeback. I sighed, tired and already spent. Not wanting to deal with unnecessary tension, I turned away without comment and proceeded out of the cafeteria. I heard the two of them arguing. Pranav with his curt and aggressive sentences and Aarav in his calm but heavy voice.

  As I reached the outside of the cafeteria, Aarav’s hand grasped my arm.

  “Wait, Madhavi,” he said. I turned to look at him, eyebrows lifted. “I’ll go to the admin office with you, but not immediately. First we need to go to the hospital for your treatment follow up.”

  “Fine,” I said. My abdomen had starting hurting, and I did not know how to manage things in this apocalyptic situation. Feeling heavy and depressed, I was in no mood to argue.

  When we reached the hospital, I asked Aarav to wait in the small reception area. Around ten other people were waiting. Mostly alone, one or two with companions. I saw Dr Geetika, and she acknowledged me with a nod. My turn came after fifteen minutes.

  I went into a cabin. She asked me how I felt and gave me some medicines for abdominal pain and essential points to take care of my health.

  I tried to talk to Dr Geetika. Though she was much older to me, she was alone here, like me, without a family. She was easy to talk to, and I felt a kinship with her.

  I told her where I belonged to and that I was a software engineer. She belonged to Tribhuvan, a small city a hundred kilometres east of the mountains of Shunya and had been at a camp in a village in these mountains when the news of the bomb blasts reached her team. They, along with five nurses and health workers, were brought to the safe house with the local villagers. Since then, she had been here.