Zombiestan (18 page)

So he turned to Walter, who seemed to be watching expectantly, as if waiting to see how David would react.

'Walter, please tell your friends that I take my orders only from my superiors in the US Military, and till someone in my chain of command tells me to stand down, I am on active combat duty.'

The fat man in front of him did not seem to be very pleased but Walter stuck out his hand, showing a thumbs up sign.

'Of course, Captain. My friends have not dealt with any soldiers yet. They mean no disrespect, but they are just trying to ensure everyone here remains secure.'

They were ushered then to a villa to the left that had a hand-lettered sign hanging on the front saying `Administrative Office'. The inside had indeed been transformed into what resembled a fully functional office, with shelves lined with files and desks where people seemed hard at work. Two desks were occupied by radio operators sitting in front of hand cranked radio sets. Walter whispered as they walked in.

'You won't believe the paperwork it takes to feed and keep three hundred souls alive and safe. Inventories of supplies, records of fights or disagreements, even rumours of illicit romances.'

He smiled but David was impressed. Whoever this Swami Vinesh was, and whatever his history had been, it was clear that he was running a very tight ship here. They approached a desk where a thin man wearing glasses was sitting, scribbling something into a thick file. He looked up at the newcomers and without any further niceties said in a slightly nasal voice.

'I am P.C Sharma, the Administrator here. Please give your name, age, occupation and where you are coming from.'

Mayukh and Swati went first and when David introduced himself, Sharma raised his eyebrows a bit, perhaps wondering what he was doing here. He asked Swati for Abhi's name, but the boy stepped forward and gave it himself.

'Abhimanyu Talwar.'

The man smiled and said.

'You are a cute boy. Do you want a chocolate?'

Abhi scowled.

'My Mama told me never to take chocolates from strangers.'

Suitably chastened, he called Hina over. She stood in front of the table and said her name. Sharma looked up, and then at Walter, who just shrugged his shoulders. He then asked Hina to repeat her name.

'Hina Rahman. Is there a problem?'

Sharma seemed to be in a state of considerable agitation and then he called out loudly for someone.

'Vineet, come here quickly!'

A short, chubby man walked over and Sharma whispered something to him. He too looked at Hina, his eyes hardening. Hina had taken a step back, not sure what the problem was, but not liking what she saw. David too sensed trouble, and whispered to Swati to get herself and Abhi behind Mayukh.

For his part, Mayukh had never really liked the look of Walter's friends at the gate and now Sharma's behavior was giving him the creeps. His gun was tucked into his belt and he put his hand on his waist, so that if there were any trouble, he would be able to react quickly.

The big problem was that now it was dark outside, and they had no idea where they could go if they were not welcome here. Sharma finally approached David, assuming he was leading the group, pulling him aside. Mayukh also went over, eager to learn what the problem was.

'The problem is that I am not sure we should let her type in here.'

David was bewildered at the man's statement.

'What on Earth do you mean? Do you mean her age?'

Sharma shook his head, as if he were explaining something to a small child.

'No, no. She is one of
them
.'

When David just didn't seem to get it, he blurted out, perhaps louder than he would have liked.

'She is Muslim! She cannot stay here. Don't you get it? All those Biters started among Jihadis in Afghanistan, they wear those damned turbans and keep screaming about Jihad!'

Hina gasped and Mayukh sensed her moving closer to Swati, as if seeking safety. David was still processing what the man had said, but being much closer to the religious fanaticism and hate that gripped many in India, Mayukh exploded with rage.

'You frigging moron! The world has gone to Hell and you're worried about your petty religious hatred. She is one of us and she stays.'

His hand was curled into a fist, and he didn't doubt that if Sharma said one word more, he would hit him. Walter had stepped out of the villa, but his overweight friend who had accosted them at the gate stepped towards Mayukh, shotgun in his left hand.

'You vill listen to the man!'

He extended his right hand to grab Mayukh when David stepped in between them. The man must have outweighed David by a handsome margin and was a good three to four inches taller than him, but then he didn't have an iota of the training in unarmed combat David had. David caught his right wrist in one hand and then pirouetted on his heel, twisting the man's arm, bringing him kneeling to the ground, his arm bent behind him. The man's face contorted in pain, and the shotgun fell from his hand.

'Down, boy. Don't get too excited here. If you move, I'll break your arm and then snap the little twerp's neck there.'

He had said it in an even voice, but Sharma shrank back in fear. David knew they had crossed a line. The problem was that even if they managed to get out, with the darkness outside, he had no real plan of keeping them safe.

Mayukh suddenly heard Walter, his voice still even and calm despite the tension in the room.

'Captain Bremsak, please let my friend Mikhail go. He was just doing his job. I assure you this is nothing but a misunderstanding.'

David just snorted in disdain, reaching for his gun so that Walter would not catch him by surprise. Mayukh stepped towards Walter.

'You brought us here claiming to be bringing us to safety. Now your friend here refuses to take one of us because of her religion. What kind of a place do you run here?'

Just then, another man walked in. He was wearing saffron robes, and Mayukh had seen his piercing blue eyes, flowing hair and lean features on TV many times. He spoke in a soothing voice.

'Violence and anger only beget more anger. Walter, Sharma, Mikhail, you have not treated our guests well. Please, everyone, calm down. This is a place of peace, a shared sanctuary for all of us in these troubled times. I will clear up everything, and rest assured, each and every one of you is welcome here.'

He then walked to Hina and bowed his head slightly.

'My apologies for my colleague's words. We are all children of God, even if we try and reach him in different ways. It's just that with all the unfortunate events of the last few days, everyone is stressed- and many are giving in to their worst fears and prejudiced. Please friends, calm down and join us here.'

David loosened up a bit and asked him who he was. The man smiled at him.

'I am your humble host for the evening. My name is Swami Vinesh.'

***

NINE

The Swami told them that he would meet with them personally in a few minutes, but first they had an evening ritual where everybody at the Ashram met for their dinner, and caught up with what had happened in the day and also on any updates on what was going on in the outside world. Mikhail still looked at them with scarcely contained fury, but the others seemed to have taken the Swami's cue and welcomed the new arrivals. They were escorted to their villas- Hina, Swati and Abhi would share one and David and Mayukh took the adjoining one. The first thing Mayukh noticed was that they had hot running water. P.C Sharma, who had accompanied them to the villa smiled.

'We have a diesel powered generator and the Ashram's been pumping it's own fresh water for years, but we do have limited fuel stocks, so we run the hot water only for an hour a day. Guess you're lucky you arrived when it was on.'

Mayukh took the longest bath he ever had, scrubbing himself clean, trying to wash off not only the accumulated sweat, dust and filth of the last few days, but also hoping that he could somehow wash off all the terrible memories of what he had seen and gone through. When he came out of the bathroom, he found loose fitting saffron pyjamas and t-shirts on his bed. They made him look like a hippie, but he was grateful for the clean clothes. They met again with the others, and followed Sharma to a courtyard. There were several dozen people already there, and without consciously realizing it, Mayukh and the others with him moved closer together. Mayukh was holding Swati's hand with his right and Abhi's with his left. Hina was barely a step behind, and David, ever their sentinel, walked one step ahead of them, scanning the group. In a short few days, they had come to trust and depend on each other to a degree that they would never have believed possible when they had first been thrown together by fate. Now, being among so many strangers, it was almost as if they clung to each other.

David felt a bit out of place carrying his handgun tucked into his belt, since nobody else seemed to be armed, but he didn't want to take any chances, especially after the incident in the office. There was no sign of Walter, Mikhail or the other armed men they had met at the gate and when David asked Sharma where they were, he said they were standing guard at the walls.

'There are so many of them!'

Mayukh heard Swati whisper next to him, and he could but nod in agreement. Looking at the people milling around the courtyard, he saw entire families, foreign tourists, even a couple with a little dog. It felt like an eternity since he had last encountered such a large crowd of people, not counting Biters out to rip his throat out, of course. Many of those around turned to stare at the newcomers, but Mayukh saw no hostility, just vacant glances, and even a few wan smiles. As he walked through the crowd, most of them seemed to be totally engrossed in what the Swami was saying, as if hypnotized by him.

Swami Vinesh stood on a slightly raised platform facing the crowd, and Mayukh could now hear him clearly as they came closer.

'We- me, you, all of us, are like a candle burning in the darkness. A symbol that all hope is not lost. A sign that no matter the horrors that have threatened to take over our world, we can survive if we stick together. Is that not what religion is all about? Binding people together? I thank you all for helping maintain this oasis that we have created, and pray that God gives us all the strength and faith to persevere.'

'Damn, he has them eating out of the palm of his hand.'

Mayukh smiled at David's comment, but seeing the Swami in person for the first time, he realized why he had such a following. Whatever else he may have been, he certainly had tons of charisma. Abhi suddenly broke away from Mayukh's grasp and ran forward.

'Abhi!'

Mayukh got up to run after the boy, who was making a beeline for the Swami, who now faltered in his speech, wondering what was going on. For a moment, Abhi seemed to be heading straight for the Swami, who smiled broadly and held out his arms to embrace him. But then, Abhi ran right past him and behind the platform. The Swami got up, with an embarrassed look on his face, and some in the crowd tittered. Mayukh scampered past the platform to see Abhi pick up a toy car. He looked at Mayukh, his face beaming.

'I found McQueen!'

Mayukh wondered whose car it was and tried to take it away from Abhi.

'Abhi, that's not your car. Remember, we forgot it in the bookstore? This just looks like your car.'

However, Abhi was adamant and tears started streaming down his face.

'No! This is my McQueen.'

The Swami had now come up beside Mayukh, who looked at him apologetically. The Swami smiled.

'Please, you have nothing to apologize for. A child's innocence is one of the most beautiful things God has blessed us with. Little one, do you want this car?'

Abhi nodded vigorously, and when the Swami told him he could have it, he shouted in delight and ran back to where Swati was and began playing with it, oblivious to the disruption he had caused. A few minutes later, the Swami invited the newcomers to his villa, which to their surprise had been stripped of all the luxurious furnishings they had seen in their own villas, and instead had a simple mattress on the floor and a small writing table.

'For some simple living is a cliché, for me it is the best way to realize God.'

David whispered to Mayukh as soon as the Swami had said the words.

'Is this guy for real? Call me cynical but whenever anyone is so holier than thou, my bullshit alarm goes off.'

Mayukh tried not to laugh as the Swami asked them to sit on the floor near him. Swati had been worried that it was close to Abhi's bedtime, but the boy was so busy playing with the car that he barely noticed anything or anyone. David and Mayukh didn't know what the Swami wanted of them, and were a bit surprised when Hina took the lead in the discussion.

'Swami Vinesh, what happened here?'

The Swami reached for a glass of water next to his mattress and replied.

'I was teaching meditation here to about a hundred of my disciples when the problems began. When we began to understand the full extent of the trouble after the second night, we barricaded ourselves in. As you have seen, the walls and gate are quite formidable.'