INT. THREE-STORY BASE — EARLY MORNING
The base is quiet.
Rain hits the roof gently. Birds have stopped coming around. There's only the occasional rustle of a curtain or shift of someone on the cold floor.
AYUSH :sits on the edge of the rooftop, hoodie over his head, eyes on the distant skyline. ANANYA silently walks up behind him, two mugs of tea in hand.
ANANYA:You didn't sleep.
AYUSH:Not much to dream about anyway.
She hands him a cup.
ANANYA:Then we stay awake together.
They sit beside each other in silence, sipping tea as the wind moves through the broken railing.
INT. FIRST FLOOR — MAIN ROOM — LATER
KARTIK is laying out a simple map drawn on leftover cardboard. BHARGAV watches as SHIVAM sharpens sticks to reinforce lower windows.
KARTIK:We're lucky we haven't seen a full runner pack yet. But we need to prepare like it's tonight.
BHARGAV:If they come... we'll need bottlenecks. Killzones.
SHIVAM:I'll wire the side stairs with glass and cans. First sound, we know.
KARTIK:Good. Get Ishaan to help you — and keep quiet. Runners react to sound first.
INT. BASEMENT — MIDDAY
TANYA and DIVYA are organizing first aid supplies.
DIVYAI had a dream… that we were back in school. Everyone was alive.
TANYA:Yeah… I miss being annoyed about homework.
A static crackle suddenly echoes from the far corner.
They both freeze.
A small, dusty radio transmitter, buried under a blanket, lights up for the first time since they arrived.
RADIO (STATIC)"…safe zone… northern gate… do not… they're not who they claim…"
Then it dies.
DIVYA:Did you hear that?!
Tanya runs upstairs, yelling for Ayush.
INT. COMMON ROOM — AFTERNOON
AYUSH, KARTIK, and ANANYA huddle over the radio. Others gather behind.
TANYAIt spoke. I swear. It said something about a safe zone.
AYUSH:Or a trap.
KARTIK:Either way… that radio was dead for ten days. And now suddenly it's talking?
SHIVAM:Maybe it's a message meant for someone else.
BHARGAV:Or someone who used to live here.
The group falls silent.
AYUSH:We'll try to fix it. But no one goes anywhere. Not yet.
EXT. ROOFTOP — EVENING
SHIVAM is on lookout.
He spots a trail of smoke in the far northwest — controlled, vertical, not wild.
He runs inside, calling out.
INT. BASE — NIGHT
The group gathers again.
SHIVAM:Smoke. Not random. Looks like someone's cooking.
KARTIK:Or burning evidence.
SANAA:We can't sit forever. We're surviving, not living.
AYUSH:We scout. Nothing else. Me and Kartik. If it's safe, we decide what next.
INT. GYM ROOM — LATE NIGHT (TRAINING MONTAGE)
BHARGAV trains SHIVAM, DIVYA, and TANYA.
Hand-to-hand. Defensive stances. Grapples. Disarming a stick.
BHARGAV:Fighting zombies is 10% strength, 90% timing. One mistake… you don't get a second.
Slow motion: Tanya rolls under a strike, blocks, and counters.
INT. ROOFTOP — MIDNIGHT
KARTIK and SANAA look at the stars.
SANAA:Papa used to say, stars don't lie. Just hide behind clouds.
KARTIK:He'd be proud of how you held up.
SANAA(quiet):I miss his voice. It felt like protection.
KARTIK(softly):Now you've become that for the others.
They share a long look. No romance. Just ache.
INT. SUPPLY ROOM — SAME TIME
AYUSH and ANANYA patch cloth into bags.
ANANYA:You haven't cried once.
AYUSH:I can't afford to. Not yet.
ANANYA:You're not made of stone.
He doesn't answer.
But then — he gently reaches for her hand.
She lets him hold it.
No words.
Just silence.
INT. RADIO ROOM — DAWN
The radio crackles again.
RADIO"…north gate… survivors… betrayal… not military… repeat…"
Then cuts off.
AYUSH (V.O.): We didn't ask for the end of the world. But if it's going to take everything from us... we'll carve out what's left and build something better.
Even in ash… we choose to rise.