When the door opened, a faint smell of rotting corpse hit the officer's nose, and they became more alert.
"What happened here?" an officer asked.
"Dad… my father-in-law, he… he just collapsed," Jyoti's voice cracked, and new tears started falling from her eyes.
"Calm down, ma'am. We have something important to tell you." Seeing her breaking down in tears, officers tried to calm her down.
One of the officers adjusted his cap before speaking seriously,
"Ma'am, please listen carefully. What happened to your family is happening all over the world.
Some kind of calamity has struck us…"
Jyoti blinked, trying to make sense of his words, "Calamity? What do you mean?... Everything was fine, then there was this… deafening sound…"
"We don't have full details yet, ma'am, but everyone is ordered to stay inside their homes until further notice."
Even they didn't know what is happening in the world.
After exchanging uneasy looks, another one took a step forward, his tone softening.
"We've been hearing the same reports all over the city. People fainting, some not waking up. Communication lines are unstable; even our omnione devices and the government's AI assistants are not responding."
Jyoti's eyes widened. "You mean… this happened to others too?"
"Yes, ma'am," the officer said, almost whispering now. "It's not just here. Whatever this is — it's everywhere."
They looked past her at the scene inside – the still body, an unconscious woman, and a lost man.
"I am sorry for your loss. We have already informed the medics team, they will take half an hour to reach here."
After doing a little questioning, they moved out of the house.
"Take care."
They murmured a quiet prayer under their breath before stepping back, leaving the family alone again with their grief and the dreadful silence.
. . .
It took medics an hour to reach the Vedman residence.
When the team finally entered, they moved with practiced calm but exchanged glances that betrayed exhaustion — they had seen too many scenes like this already.
They diagnosed the cause of death as a cardiac arrest.
Shanti was unconscious due to extreme stress and shock. Virat and Jyoti were perfectly fine, at least physically.
They gave them the necessary treatment.
One of them, their head, approaches Virat.
"Sir, we're sorry for your loss…but you can't cremate the body as usual. The city is in complete lockdown. If you agree, we can take the body to –
Before he could complete his words, Virat spoke in a trembling voice.
"It's alright sir, we will manage that."
Without saying another word, the team packed their instruments and left quietly.
. . .
The next morning.
Virat stands in front of the grave of his father, which he had dug in the garden in the backside of the house.
After staring enough, he moves inside the house and sits beside Jyoti on the sofa, putting his head on her shoulder.
"Virat, I am worried about our sons." She said, holding her husband's hand.
"…I am also worried about Hira and Yash. The communication system is still not responding, and the government has stopped every type of transport. We can't do anything."
He releases a heavy sigh. After a pause, he asks.
"How is mom doing?"
"She has locked herself in her room. I had tried to bring her some food, but she didn't give a reply."
The whole family hasn't eaten anything since yesterday.
"Give her some time. It's not easy for her, for us." Jyoti tightens the hold.
"Sigh, what has happened to our family." Virat sighs once again.
. . .
A week has passed since the incident.
Everything moved painfully slow. The house had fallen into silence; everyone was still mourning Kapil's absence.
Since a lockdown was issued by the government, nobody went out of the house. They provided the necessities to everyone.
Shanti only comes out of her room for lunch and dinner.
Having no appetite, the family only ate the amount that was necessary for survival.
Then, out of nowhere, Virat collapsed. At one moment, he was sitting on the dining table, and the next, his body went still.
Panic took over the women.
They called the emergency helpline, begged them to bring the medics quickly.
When they arrived, they checked him and said he was alive. These words gave both women the relief they needed.
"But then what happened to him, doctor?" Jyoti asked.
"Nothing serious. You both don't have to be so stressed about this." Head medic replied.
"When will he wake up?" a weak, but worried voice came out of Shanti's throat.
They said that he was just unconscious, and they had to take him under observation.
As they started taking him out, the women pleaded to come along, but they refused.
"It's not allowed right now." They excused.
Before they could argue or ask anything more, they carried him away. Leaving both women alone.
. . .
After that, the house fell into a strange silence.
For two days, neither Shanti nor Jyoti heard a word from the hospital—not even a small update. It felt as if the world beyond their door had vanished.
Then, suddenly, a local satellite network was reactivated so people could at least stay informed, maybe distracted, inside their homes.
When they turned on their devices, the news channels were filled with the same unsettling reports.
People across the whole world were collapsing, falling unconscious without any warning.
No one knew why. Scientists, doctors, everyone was guessing.
The government had begun collecting the affected, taking them to special facilities for tests, trying to understand what was happening to humanity itself.
The women grew terrified after hearing the news. Every report sounded worse than the last.
More people collapsing, more families losing contact. The world outside seemed to be sinking into silence.
Three days later, it happened again. This time to Jyoti.
She and Shanti were watching the TV when her hands began trembling, and she fell to the floor, her body completely still.
Shanti hesitated to even call for help.
But ten minutes later, the government medics arrived on their own. They moved like they already knew who would fall next.
After a quick examination, they carried Jyoti away, saying little, refusing to answer her questions.
When the door closed behind them, Shanti realized she was alone. For the first time in her life, the house felt like a hollow shell.
A.N. - KULA STHITI means, the family situation.