Chapter 2 – A Clock Against the WorldDecember 1, 2019 – 7:05 AMAshu’s apartment, West Delhi
Ashu sat cross-legged on the cold floor, pen hovering over a notebook, the soft hum of the ceiling fan barely covering the pounding of his heart. The weight of two lives pressed down on him.
“Forty days…” he muttered, eyes fixed on the clock. “That’s all I’ve got.”
He wrote names across the page, each stroke a promise.
Riya. Neel. Imran. Aanya. Raj. Veer. Priya.
People he had lost. People he wouldn’t lose again.
A soft chime echoed inside his mind.
SYSTEM ALERT: Void Log 001 unlocked.Memory Fragment: Outbreak Day – Delhi Falls.
Ashu winced as a flicker of that terrible day fshed across his vision—sirens, screams, the smell of burning pstic and rotting flesh.
He shook it off. “Not yet. Not today.”
He opened his phone, typing fast. First: Riya.
?? Ashu ? Riya“Morning. Pharmacy open today?”
?? Riya ? Ashu“Yeah. Early shift. Why? You okay?”
?? Ashu ? Riya“Need to stock some things. I’ll swing by.”
?? Riya ? Ashu“Sure. You’re scaring me with how serious you sound ??.”
Ashu allowed himself a half-smile. Riya hadn’t changed.
Next: Neel.
?? Ashu ? Neel“Got spare radio parts? Battery packs? Cables? I need your old junk.”
?? Neel ? Ashu“Whoa. Good morning to you too. What’s this, pirate radio time? ??”
?? Ashu ? Neel“Meet me on your rooftop. 3 PM. Bring whatever you’ve hoarded.”
?? Neel ? Ashu“…Okay, now I’m worried. You’re acting like a prepper. I’m intrigued. See you.”
Ashu locked the phone and stood, stretching stiff muscles. He looked around the small room—peeling paint, dusty shelves, a cracked mirror reflecting the face of a younger man than the one he remembered.
“I’ve got time,” he murmured. “I’ve got knowledge. But I don’t have trust. Not yet.”
He grabbed his jacket, slinging his old backpack over one shoulder.
“Time to start earning it.”
?? Rajouri Garden Pharmacy – 11:45 AMThe bell above the door jingled as Ashu stepped in. The familiar scent of antiseptic and dry medicine flooded his senses. Behind the counter, Riya gnced up, brows raising in surprise.
“Wow, you actually showed,” she teased. “You’re twenty minutes early. Is it Christmas?”
“Not quite.” Ashu pulled a list from his pocket. “I need all of this.”
She scanned the list, her smile fading a bit. “This is… a lot.” She met his gaze. “Something wrong?”
“Not yet,” Ashu said quietly. “But soon.”
Riya hesitated, then started gathering supplies—bandages, disinfectants, over-the-counter painkillers. “You’re not… like, sick or anything, right?”
“No.” He watched her work, guilt tugging at his chest. “I’m trying to get ahead of something.”
She handed over the bag. “You’re scaring me, Ashu. You okay?”
“I will be,” he promised.
?? Janakpuri – Neel’s Rooftop – 3:00 PMNeel stood beside a jumbled pile of old electronics—routers, battery packs, tangled wires, a cracked tablet.
“Alright, man,” Neel said, wiping his hands. “Here’s the junkyard. Care to expin why you’re building a robot apocalypse shelter?”
Ashu grinned faintly. “Not a shelter. A network.”
Neel raised an eyebrow. “Oh, cool. We pying spy games now?”
“Something like that.” Ashu knelt beside the pile, sorting components. “I need a private line. Battery backups. Anything that keeps us connected when towers drop.”
“Whoa, whoa,” Neel stepped back. “When towers drop? Dude, what is going on?”
Ashu met his gaze seriously. “Something’s coming. Something big. Trust me—I can’t expin everything yet. But if you help me, you’ll be ahead when it hits.”
Neel studied him for a long moment, lips pressed tight. Then he cracked a grin. “Damn. I don’t know what’s scarier—your words, or the fact that I believe you.”
Ashu’s shoulders rexed. “Good.”
Neel smirked. “I’m in. But I want a codename.”
Ashu ughed softly. “You’ll earn it.”
As they worked together beneath the fading sun, Ashu pulled his notebook back out. One more name written.
“Two down,” he whispered. “Five more to find.”
A faint pulse stirred in his chest.
SYSTEM ALERT: Void Log 002 unlocked.
And somewhere, faintly, a memory stirred.
?? End of Chapter 2
