A low, guttural sound rippled through the silence—like a growl echoing from deep within the walls.
Everyone froze.
Vihaan turned first, his instincts flaring. The rest of the family followed his gaze, and what they saw rooted them to the ground.
At the grand glass doors of the restaurant stood a multitude of people—men, women, even resort staff still in uniform. Their skin had turned ashen grey, veins visible beneath the flesh. Their eyes were pitch-black, soulless. From their half-open mouths glimmered fangs, glistening faintly in the morning light.
And they were growling—low, animalistic, hungry.
"Bhagwan!" Urvashi screamed, clutching Dadi's arm. "What… what is all this?"
Charvi gasped, stepping back. "They look—"
"—like the living dead," Yug whispered.
Gauri's voice trembled but stayed firm. "What's wrong with everyone? Why are they… like this?"
Sharda's eyes widened as recognition struck her. "They are Venom Bearers," she said gravely. "Creatures… neither living nor dead."
Everyone turned toward her.
"Venom what?" Vihaan asked, disbelief shadowing his tone.
"When I went on my pilgrimage years ago," Sharda began, her voice low but urgent, "I met a mystical woman—she called herself Amritmaya. She told me about the hidden realms of the supernatural world. She said once in centuries, a dark force can infect human souls—poisoning them with serpent venom that traps them between life and death."
Urvashi's lips quivered. "You mean… they're not alive?"
Gauri swallowed hard, her heart thudding. "So they're… zombies?"
She gave a nervous laugh that didn't last. "I used to find it so ridiculous in films. I always said—how can the dead rise and kill? But now…" She looked toward the horde closing in. "…now they're right in front of us."
Vihaan stepped protectively in front of Gauri and Charvi, his expression hardening.
"That means," he said quietly, his voice edged with realization, "they're all… already dead."
The family stood huddled together as the first of the venom bearers bared its teeth and began to advance, their growls rising into an eerie, unified roar that shook the walls of the hall.
"Everyone, stay behind me," Vihaan commanded, his eyes scanning the horde closing in. "We have to leave the restaurant. Now."
Yug looked around in panic. "Leave? They're blocking every way out, Bhaiya! The doors, the corridors—everything's sealed off!"
The growling grew louder. The venom bearers shuffled closer, their black eyes gleaming, their jaws twitching as if eager to bite into life itself.
Vihaan clenched his jaw. "Then I'll make the way."
He tore off the bracelet from his wrist — the very one that kept his power sealed. The air around him crackled with energy. Crimson light flared from his palms, swirling like a storm of fire and lightning.
"Sarvansh Shakti!" he shouted, thrusting his hand forward.
A wave of crimson magic blasted through the hall, hitting the venom bearers with a force that made the chandeliers tremble. The creatures screeched and fell—slammed across tables and walls, their bodies scattering across the marble floor.
For a fleeting moment, silence reigned.
Then, one by one, the venom bearers began to stand up again. Their bones cracked back into place, their mouths stretching into sinister smiles.
Vihaan's eyes widened. "What—? That should have destroyed them."
Gauri stepped forward, fury replacing fear. "Not if I can help it."
She slipped the divine ring from her finger, her eyes glowing faintly blue. "Jai Devi Maa!"
With a swift motion, she threw the ring forward. It transformed midair into a Tidal Chakram, blazing with light and cascading water. The spinning weapon sliced through the horde with a roar, its edges shimmering like liquid lightning.
The creatures staggered as the chakram slashed through them—but to everyone's horror, not a drop of blood fell. Their wounds began to close almost instantly.
The chakram dissolved into droplets of water and reformed into Gauri's ring, sliding neatly back onto her left finger.
Gauri's breath hitched. "They're not even… human anymore."
Sharda's voice shook slightly, but she spoke with the wisdom of someone who knew too much. "I remember," she whispered. "Magic doesn't work on them for long. The venom in their veins repels divine energy."
The family stood surrounded again—their brief hope extinguished—as the venom bearers began to growl louder, closing in from every side.
Vihaan glanced at Gauri. "Then we'll have to fight them another way."