As they moved to fifth to twelfth floor, then
Sandeep suddenly raised a fist, signaling the team to halt. "Hearing something. Far side of the hall," he whispered into the comms.
Advik Bhardwaj tilted his head, listening intently. Faint voices echoed from down the corridor. He could barely make out the words, but the tone was unmistakably aggressive. Laughter. Taunting. He felt a wave of anger rising in his chest.
"Shadow 1, take point," Advik Bhardwaj whispered. "We're moving in."
The team advanced silently, keeping low. As they approached the source of the noise, the scene began to come into view. Through the cracked glass window of a large house door, Advik Bhardwaj saw them: a group of six men, armed and ragged, surrounding a huddled figure on the floor. It was Priya, his neighbour. Her clothes were torn, and she was struggling against two of the men holding her down. The others jeered and laughed cruelly.
"Son of a ..." Sandeep muttered under his breath, fury flashing across his face.
Advik Bhardwaj's vision narrowed. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm. "No mercy," he growled into the comms. "We're going in hot."
"Copy that," Sandeep replied coldly.
Advik Bhardwaj raised his hand, signaling the breach. One soldier silently moved forward and wedged a breaching charge against the doorframe. The countdown in Advik Bhardwaj's head felt agonizingly long, though it was only seconds. With a muted pop, the door burst inward, and the soldiers stormed the room with lethal precision.
"DOWN ON THE GROUND!" Advik Bhardwajroared, his voice echoing like a gunshot.
The men inside froze in shock, their faces contorting in fear and confusion. One of them, armed with a knife, reacted too slowly. A soldier fired, the shot hitting him square in the chest and sending him crumpling to the floor.
The others scrambled for cover, but there was no escape. One man tried to pull Priya in front of him like a human shield. Advik Bhardwaj didn't hesitate. His rifle barked twice, the rounds striking the man in both legs. He collapsed, screaming in agony as he released Priya.
"Get your hands off her!" Advik Bhardwaj growled, stepping forward and aiming his weapon at the others. They dropped their weapons immediately, raising their hands in surrender.
Sandeep and the rest of the team moved swiftly, securing the hostiles and disarming them. One by one, the captives were forced to their knees.
Advik Bhardwaj knelt beside Priya, his voice softening. "You're safe now. It's me—Advik Bhardwaj. Are you hurt?"
Priya's wide, terrified eyes gradually recognized him. Tears streamed down her face as she broke into a sob, clinging to him.
"A-Advik... Is that you... I thought... I thought we were all going to die..."
"Not on my watch," Advik Bhardwaj whispered. He gently helped her to her feet, guiding her toward one of the soldiers, who draped a blanket over her shoulders.
Sandeep approached, his expression hard. "What do you want to do with these bastards?"
Advik Bhardwaj looked at the kneeling captives, hatred boiling in his veins. His finger tightened slightly on the trigger, but he forced himself to take a breath. Killing them here would be too easy.
"We will leave them here and let the zombies decide their fate," Advik Bhardwaj replied as he swept his gaze over to the remaining survivors. There were nine of them, six females, three men, Priya included.
Advik Bhardwaj turned to Sandeep. "Call Hawk 1. We're extracting them now. Secure the perimeter until we're ready to move."
Sandeep nodded, stepping aside to relay the orders through his comms. Meanwhile, Advik Bhardwaj addressed the remaining survivors, his voice calm but commanding.
"Listen up. We're here to get you out of this hellhole. Stick close to my team and follow every order I give. Do not stray, do not panic. If you do exactly as I say, we'll get you out alive. Understood?"
The survivors nodded shakily, their fear giving way to faint hope. Priya, still clutching the blanket around her shoulders, managed to steady her breathing.
"What about us?! You shot at us!"
Advik Bhardwaj turned to face the man who spoke up—a scrawny young man, trembling yet defiant. He was one of the six captives kneeling on the floor, his face twisted in both fear and anger.
"You shot at us like we were animals!" the student protested, his voice shaking.
"You are animals," Advik Bhardwaj shot back coldly, his gaze hard. "You lost any right to mercy the second you tried to hurt one of your own."
The man swallowed hard but continued, his defiance faltering. "We—w-we didn't mean for it to get out of hand! We were just trying to survive!"
"Survive? You call what you were doing survival?" Advik Bhardwaj stepped closer, the muzzle of his rifle just inches from the man's face.
"What you did—what you were about to do—was something else entirely."
The room fell into an oppressive silence. Priya shuddered at the memory of her ordeal and turned away, wiping tears from her face. The other rescued people glared at the captives with a mixture of disgust and rage.
Sandeep approached from behind. "Sir we have to go, the zombies are approaching fast"
Advik Bhardwaj glanced at Sandeep, nodding in agreement. The sound of approaching footsteps and guttural moans echoed faintly from the hallways. Time was running out.
"Let's move," Advik Bhardwaj ordered. He turned back to the six captives kneeling on the floor. Their faces now showed pure terror as the distant growls of zombies drew nearer.
"You can't leave us here!" one of them screamed in desperation, straining against the cable ties around his wrists. "Please, don't do this!"
"You made your death bed. Now lie in it," Advik Bhardwaj replied icily, stepping past them. He motioned for his team to fall in. Priya and the other rescued peoples were ushered toward the exit, flanked by soldiers in a protective formation.
"No! Don't leave us! Please!" another captive cried out, his voice breaking.
Advik Bhardwaj didn't look back as he and his team moved out of the room, the heavy door slamming shut behind them. The desperate screams of the captives faded slightly as they continued down the hall, but they were quickly replaced by another sound—a deep, guttural snarl.