AKSHAY DHAR

The stories, institutions and characters in this publication are fictional. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Published by Pop Culture Publishing, an imprint of Twenty Onwards Media Pvt Ltd.

B-130, Naraina Vihar, New Delhi - 110028

Artwork Copyright © 2011 Twenty Onwards Media Pvt Ltd. Character & Concept Copyright © 2011 Akshay Dhar.

All Rights Reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,

without written permission from the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for any views, ideas, comments and opinions expressed by the author. Further, the publisher cannot be held liable for any error or omission that might have crept in inadvertently. Publisher shall not be

held responsible for any direct, consequential or incidental damages arising out of use of any information contained in the book.

2011 -2012FIRST EDITION

ISBN:

PRINTED IN INDIABY

WWW.POPCULTUREPUBLISHING.COM

978-81-910061-1-7

AVISHEK PRINTERS, NEW DELHI

WRITER AKSHAY DHAR

ARTIST

AVIK KUMAR MAITRA

INKER SWAPNIL SINGH

(ABSTRACT BROS. MEDIA)

COLORIST NAVAL THANAWALA

LETTERING AMITA KHOSLA

ART DIRECTOR AMITABH THAKUR

editor

ADHIRAJ SINGH

the trouble with our times IS THAT the futUrE is not what it used to be-paul valkley

IT NEVER REALLY OCCURS TO US

HOW FRAGILE WE ARE DOES IT?

NOT JUST US, BUT THIS LITTLE SHINY

BLUE MARBLE A NERDY FRIEND OF MINE

USED TO CALL “STARSHIP EARTH”

I GUESS WHEN THE SUN

WENT CRAZY AND BALLS

OF FIRE RAINED DOWN

FROM THE SKIES...

...WELL LET’S SAY I STARTED

TO RETHINK THINGS A LITTLE.

WE HAD IT ALL, TECHNOLOGY, MADDENING DEVELOPMENT,

GLOBALISATION, EVERYTHING. AND IT SEEMED LIKE NOTHING

COULDN'T BE ACHIEVED BY HUMANITY IF THEY WANTED IT.

“HUBRIS”, I THINK

THE WORD IS.

WE THOUGHT WE COULD DO ANYTHING AND SO (FROM WHERE I

STAND) IT LOOKS LIKE THE UNIVERSE HAD TO HUMBLE US -

REMIND US THAT THOUGH IT WAS OPEN TO US, WE WERE STILL

ONLY A SPECK FLOATING THROUGH THE STARS, ANY DAY

COULD BE OUR LAST.

OK, A LOT.

I CANT EVEN IMAGINE THE

KIND OF DEVASTATION THAT

MUST HAVE BEEN FELT ACROSS

THE GLOBE.

ONE BABBLING STRAGGLER WHO SEEMED

NUTS HAD EVEN MUTTERED THE WORD

‘TSUNAMI'. THAT BROUGHT BACK IMAGES

FROM NOT THAT LONG AGO...

ALL IT TOOK WAS ONE DAY.

ONE DAY. 24 HOURS AND

WE LOST IT ALL.

WE ALL SAW PLANES SIMPLY FALL

FROM THE SKY, JOINING THE OTHER

FLAMING STREAKS RAINING DOWN.

THE SKIES LIT UP LIKE A NIGHTMARE

VERSION OF THE BOREALIS THAT I

HAD ALWAYS WANTED TO SEE.

BASIC MACHINERY STILL WORK BUT

WITHOUT POWER WE WERE ON MANUAL MODE.

BACK TO BASICS...

COULD

COMPUTERS, POWER SUPPLIES, SPACE INFRASTRUCTURE...

IT HAS BEEN OVER A YEAR SINCE WE HAD SEEN ANY

SIGNS OF ANY AT ALL.

“POST APOCALYPTIC” LIKE MY NERDY FRIEND] USED

TO SAY. YEAH, I DON'T THINK ANYONE ACTUALLY

EXPECTS TO SEE IT HAPPEN TO YOU.

What do you do when it does? where do you

go when the world is in pieces?

EVEN AFTER ALL THIS TIME, GOING OUT

AT NIGHT STILL FREAKS ME OUT MORE

THAN A LITTLE.

BUT SOMETIMES

NECESSITY OUTWEIGHS

WHAT YOU WANT.

I still don't see why this

couldn't wait till morning!

Its crazy t' be heading

through that place at

night! I can’t see shit!

No talking unless it is urgent.

Not to bring notice to us!

Keep it together Scott. There's no more foodTO scavenge in this

town, and with our little garden at least a couple of months from

giving us anything we can use, that leaves us running out of options

sooner rather thAn later.

GOD WHAT I WOULDN'T GIVE TO HAVE ONLY THE CROWD

AT MR. SINHA'S GROCERY SHOP RIGHT NOW AND WITH

THE SKIES BEING AS DARKENED AS IT SEEMS, THAT

PROMISES TO BE SLOWER AND LESS PROMISING EVERYDAY.

ITS HARD TO BELIEVE THIS GHOST TOWN ONCE HOME

TO A FEW HUNDRED PEOPLE, LOOKING AT THE 18 SURVIVORS

THAT NOW REMAIN.

WAS

WHAT THE STORMS AND

TORNADO DIDN'T KILL, THE

UNEXPLAINABLE ILLNESSES

and BREATHING DISORDERS

TOOK NEXT.

NOW WITH OUR SCAVENGED FOOD RUNNING LOW

AND ALL HOPE FOR OUTSIDE HELP LONG DEAD,

WHAT CHOICE DO WE HAVE BUT TO ADAPT? I

NEVER IMAGINED I’D BE HUNTING FOR MY FOOD

BUT WE HAVE NO CHOICES LEFT.

are not far from

first trap, total

quiet from here is

needed.

BUT RAZZA, HE'S SOMEONE I WOULD WANT HAVING MY BACK. HE'S A MOUNTAINOUS AND

SURLY BUT HARSHLY HONEST FORMER GURKHA COMMANDO WHO HAD BEEN THE JACK-OF-

ALL-TRADES REPAIRMAN OF THIS LITTLE TOWN WHEN WE FIRST MET.

SCOTT SMITH, OUR RESIDENT WHINER. IT’S SMALL

WONDER HE AND TABBY HAVEN'T EXACTLY BEEN

GETTING ALONG, IF WE WEREN'T SO SHORT ON PEOPLE I'D NEVER HAVE BROUGHT HIM ALONG.

Shh!!!

Nothing, does not look even like they come here today. Maybe other traps bring better luck for us.

I hear something ahead,

perhaps something is

caught in the next trap.

Oh shit!

Shit! Damn it all! Scott,get back here! We

have to stay close !

ANGRY WITH THE LIMITED PAGES?

CURIOUS TO READ THE WHOLE THING?

WANT TO BUY

THE COMPLETE BOOK?

CHECK OUT THE STORE SECTION

FOR COMPLETE DETAILS!

JOIN US ON

FACEBOOK