When Zombies Attack

It was 6 am and I was already in the local train to lonavala. Wearing a zombie look some passengers just remembered the movie "dead men walking" seeing me. I had to find a full vacant seat so that I can rest myself and surrender to my drop dead sleep. Every monday it was the same story to travel to mumbai early in the morning. And staying in the suburbs of pune meant that I had to catch the first train to mumbai from lonavala. That means a broken journey with a broken sleep and a broken head with frustration.

Securing your sleep from lonavala to mumbai is all up to you. At the station you have to be among the first to enter the two unreserved compartments. Otherwise you'll lose your seat. You have to run and catch the bogie much before its halting position to secure your seat. Even if you are the 10th person to enter the compartment your chances to get a seat rapidly approaches 0. The 8 or 9 people who enter first would catch every aisle which is 12 seater reserving seats for their colleagues.All of them being railway employees, they don't behave anything less than the owners of the train.

After a nice sleep in the local train and a cup of tea I was fresh at the lonavala station. I had to get ready for the race. Winners will get to sleep and losers will watch the winners sleep :). My fellow racers were in place and the train was in sight. The engine just passed and all of us were waiting for the imaginary gun shot to sprint. Hearing the gun shot in my head I start running and manage to be the third to enter the compartment. I jump and occupy the vacant seat but before I could settle, there was a hard pull from behind and I was on the floor. Everything happened so fast that it took time for me to realize what had happened. Somebody had pulled me off the seat. My bag was thrown to one side and I was on the floor facing the section under the window. With blood boiling I turn around and place a hard blow on his face. It was my assailant's turn to be on the floor now. But before I could declare myself victorious; situation was changing for the worst. 30 to 40 people were inching towards to lynch me there I guess. My knees were kissing each other and my brain was getting ready to say good bye to me. I had to think of something. At the spur of the moment an idea struck me. I took out my Army dependent's card ( as my father is in the army) and flashed at them saying that I am a captain in the Indian Army and if anyone hits me they are gonna get screwed for their life time. Everyone's reaction was now changed from fight to flight. Most of them now had an apologetic face and some even offered me a seat anywhere I wanted. I could even hear many of them saying "Sorry sir, galti hogayi..... maaf kar do". I couldn’t believe that the trick worked. No one dared to question me. I was surely having the upper hand and to add to my position I was showing an enraged face. I knew I couldn't control the ire on my face when I was so much bursting with laughter from inside. Before I would be busted I decided to even show some mercy saying "Its OK. ho jata hai".

The journey after was never so good. An otherwise calm person I was amazed at the way I reacted. May be the zombie inside me had indeed taken over.