Empty City
. . . . .
"Mr. Hira, your ride is ready."
A faint voice came from outside the tent, breaking the silence that had wrapped around him all night.
For a second, he didn't move, then he slowly pushed himself up, his legs stiff, his head heavy from the weight of a sleepless night.
Stepping outside, the sharp chill of the morning air brushed his face. The sunlight was pale and weak.
Just a few steps away, a young soldier, around his age, stood waiting for him, one Hira hadn't seen before.
"Good morning, Mr. Hira, Captain Ved told me to give you this."
The soldier handed Hira his bracelet with its omnione chip (O.C.) being replaced.
"Your old OC was beyond repair, and don't worry about the data. It is already backed up in the new one." He said quietly.
Hira took the bracelet in his hand and gave it a tap; a blue hologram screen appeared in front of him.
For a moment, he just stared at it, lost in thought.
"The captain is waiting for you at the exit." Soldier words remind him that it is time to go back.
Without another word, he followed the soldier. The sound of their feet pressed softly against the snow-laden ground as they made their way through the camp. Soldiers moved around them, voices low, faces focused.
At the far end of the camp stood Captain Ved; beside him was the same lady whom he had seen before meeting the captain.
As they reached the exit, Hira just gave a nod to both of them.
Seeing his state, Ved wanted to help him, but he had already done everything he could, or maybe more than he should.
"Nimesh will leave you at the Dehradun railway station. Here, this is your ticket." Ved gave him his tickets and warned him once more, "And don't try to come back here, next time I will not let this pass."
"Yes sir," Hira replied to him in a weak voice.
"Escort him," he ordered the soldier, signalling him to take Hira towards the jeep.
Before getting into the jeep, Hira looks toward Captain Ved and says, "Sir, I know I am asking for too much, but can you please promise me that you will find my brother?"
"I can't promise you… But I will try my best to find him. Now go." Ved didn't say anything further.
Hearing this, Hira nods his head, and then both Nimesh and he sit in the jeep as Nimesh drives the jeep away from the camp.
The jeep rumbled over the rough forest path.
Hira sat silently in the back seat, his gaze fixed on the distant peaks fading behind them.
Nimesh, while driving, didn't speak much, only glancing at Hira through the mirror occasionally.
After two hours, the forest thinned, giving way to open roads and fading mist. Somewhere far ahead lay Dehradun.
As the jeep entered the city limits, Hira looked out through the window. The familiar sight of Dehradun unfolded before him.
The city hadn't changed much; the buildings stood the same, narrow streets, scattered tea stalls where people once gathered, but now everything felt silent.
The roads, once alive with the sound of horns and footsteps, now echoed with emptiness. Only a few people walked by, their faces dull, their movements cautious.
He wanted to ask Nimesh about this emptiness, but remembering Ved's word, he just dropped the question.
The jeep slowed to stop in front of the nearly deserted subway station. The signboard reads 'Dehradun Junction'.
Hira stepped out, the sound of his boots echoing faintly. The soldier remained seated behind the wheel, his expression unreadable.
For a brief moment, Hira thought he should say something, but before he could, the man simply nodded once and drove away without saying a word.
The jeep faded into the distance, leaving Hira all alone, surrounded by silence. He took a slow breath and entered the subway station.
Maybe, because the lockdown hasn't been completely lifted, the whole station was empty.
At the entrance, Hira just showed his bracelet and ticket to the scanner as he passed and moved inside.
Despite the absence of people, the station was well maintained by A.I. bots.
As Hira stepped on the platform, he saw that a train was already waiting on it. Without thinking much, he walked straight toward it.
The platform was empty, with only a few bots doing their work.
The train's front has an aerodynamic design for high-speed mobility, and five coaches were attached to it.
Hira checked the ticket to see his coach and seat number, then moved toward it.
'Coach- B, Seat- 15'
He entered his coach and found a seat near the window. As if it were just waiting for him, the train began to move, and the quiet city of Dehradun slowly drifted away behind him, swallowed by the tunnel's darkness.
He leaned his head against the cold glass as the darkness gave way and the world flared open – a vivid canvas, where emerald forests stretched toward towering peaks.
But Hira's mind was not on the scene.
For the first time in months, he is heading home.
. . . . . .
Back at the Dehradun station.
In a dimly lit control room above the platform, a large screen flickered – showing the live feed of the departing train. On it, Hira could be seen sitting quietly by the window.
A tall man in a military uniform stood before the screen. He was the same soldier who had escorted Hira to the captain's tent.
He seemed to be talking with someone.
"Yes, Captain Ved, he was inside the train when it departed."
"Did he try to do anything suspicious?" A voice, belonging to Ved, was heard from the earpiece of the soldier.
"No Captain, he just boarded the train and left." The soldier gave a small pause, "Captain, should we really let him leave? He has seen things that are not allowed to be seen by common people…yet."
"It's alright. You should come back now. Today is your team's turn to go on the hunt."
"…Yes Captain." And the soldier also left, making the station again lifeless.
. . . . . .
A.N. - SUNYA means 'empty', and STHANAM means 'place'/'station'/'city'.
Title - THE EMPTY CITY.
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