The Lazarus Strain Chronicles (Book 3): The Fall

by Deville, Sean

  When they came towards Iain’s property, Andy decided he would go downstairs and see what this was all about. It looked like his neighbourhood was finally under some sort of military protection, and Andy reckoned that was for the best for most of the people who lived near him. They couldn’t survive by relying on themselves.

  Could this even be the start of an evacuation? Andy wasn’t convinced that would be the right option for him. So far, he was safe here, despite the actions he had been forced to take. People meant problems, as had already been proven twice now. With no-one around him, the dynamics would change in his favour. On the one part, he would be less likely to be assaulted by the zombie menace because surely they went where the people were. And on the other, the empty houses around him would soon become meaningless to any scavengers. Although he would be isolated, it was highly likely the risk-reward of attacking his house would plummet to the extent that he would be left completely alone. That was all dependent on an evacuation of course, which he really didn’t see happening. There were half a million people in Leeds, where the hell could they be evacuated to?

  When he left the house, he didn’t take his shotgun. It was no match for the weapons these men carried, and would only risk him being seen as a threat.

  “He won’t answer,” Andy shouted as he approached his property’s front gate, the soldiers by Iain’s front door drawn to his voice. In the cul-de-sac, people were still gathering in groups, waiting for whatever the soldiers had in store for them. From where Andy stood, he observed the soldiers as they looked over at him. “The occupant of that house is dead,” Andy continued. Retreating back down the steps of Iain’s house, the four soldiers came over to Andy’s gate, three of them holding back slightly. The one in the lead was carrying a clipboard with sheets of paper that fluttered slightly as the breeze took them.

  “Andrew Tate?” the lead soldier asked. Clearly, the soldiers were using electoral rolls to ensure they got to everyone.

  “Please call me Andy. What’s going on here, guys?”

  “We are testing the population for the virus. Those found to be carrying it will be taken away for treatment.” Treatment? Andy said to himself. I thought there wasn’t a cure? “We also have a distribution centre set up close by with food and water.

  “I have all that,” Andy said, “inside there.” Andy pointed back to his house.

  “Quite the fortress,” the lead soldier said. Looking at the NBC suit the soldier wore, Andy could see the man was a Captain.

  “Thank you.”

  “But it’s not enough to keep you safe,” the Captain advised.

  “I’m sure I can be the judge of that.”

  “Will you willingly agree to undergo the test?” the Captain asked. Concern blossomed in Andy’s head. He had been exposed to the virus, he knew he had. If he wasn’t free of it, what would happen to him?

  “I think I’m fine. I can look after myself, and I’m showing no symptoms of the virus.” Andy expected an argument, to be told that the test was mandatory. Instead, the Captain merely nodded and turned his head to look at the corpse lying in the middle of the cul-de-sac, the body of the man Andy had shot.

  “I’m told that was your handiwork.”

  “His group were threatening people. Action needed to be taken to remove that threat.” Andy knew now he had been right not to bring out the shotgun, but perhaps he should have at least brought the pistol. Standing here, he was defenceless. With a gun shoved down the back of his trousers, he would at least have had options, not that he would feel comfortable about shooting at soldiers. After all, soldiers had a tendency to shoot back.

  The Captain indicated he was in agreement with Andy’s actions.

  “Your neighbours back that up. They also said you defended them against the occupant of that house,” the Captain said, specifying Iain’s house. “Am I to assume you killed him too?”

  “Yes,” Andy stated. He wasn’t proud of his actions, but neither was he ashamed. “Although at the time, he was undead so I really didn’t have much choice about that.” He decided not to mention the part about the zombie salivating all over him.

  “I assume a search of the property would confirm that?”

  “Probably,” Andy said, “although my shotgun did make a mess of it. Is this test mandatory?”

  “Yes,” said the Captain, “and advisable.”

  “Good to know. And if I refuse?”

  “Why would you refuse?” The Captain seemed genuinely astonished.

  “Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t trust you personally, but the radio has been awash with the news that there is no cure for this.”

  “The situation has changed.” The lie seemed to slip from the Captain’s lips too easily, but Andy knew it for the falsehood that it was. There could be no cure for this, not after such a short space of time. “Will you volunteer for the test?” the Captain asked again, more insistent this time. One of the soldiers had broken away from the group and was now stood outside Iain’s front door. With red spray paint, the soldier marked the door with a large X and several digits that Andy had no clue how to decipher.

  “It depends what’s involved.” Andy could tell the Captain was getting exasperated with him. How far could he push this before they just pointed guns at his face? He suspected that would be a last resort for these soldiers because that was likely to cause the other residents here to panic. The neighbours had seen enough threats to their peaceful lives over the last few days. If the soldiers started in on that tactic, then any hope that they had managed to retain would probably just evaporate into despair.

  “Simple pinprick finger test. The tests were airdropped by NATO last night. We need to clear the herd of anyone who might have the virus.”

  “Clear the herd?”

  “Sorry, figure of speech. It was how our company CO described it to us. So do we have your cooperation?” Two of the other soldiers stepped closer to their Captain, their guns raising just a fraction. Andy knew he clearly had no choice and perhaps it would have been wiser to stay inside. Would they have forced their way in, or simply gone on to the next house if Andy had ignored their persistent banging?

  If he didn’t do what these men said, he knew there was a strong chance they would just shoot him, panic be damned. He couldn’t fight back, and he couldn’t run. Clearly, he was left with only one option. Stepping fully up to the gate, he extended his left arm out to the Captain.

  “Corporal,” the Captain ordered. The now indicated Corporal let his gun swing on its strap as he stepped forward. The gloved hands made it difficult for him, but he extracted a testing unit from one of the larger pockets on his military webbing. Watching it being unwrapped, Andy reckoned it looked similar to a pregnancy test. That was exactly what the outer shell had been designed for, the factory where it had been built taken over by NATO to allow fast production of what the Americans had managed to perfect. That factory was now one of the most heavily guarded facilities on the European mainland.

  The Corporal did the test, placing it in a self-sealing plastic bag. Andy sucked the blood from his finger, the coppery taste lingering in his mouth, which had suddenly become dry. Fear of exposure?

  “We will have the results in five minutes. Please stay here until we can give you the all clear,” the Captain said. Andy wondered how many people had refused the test? And how many would fail it?

  It was the longest five minutes of Andy’s life. He watched, almost mesmerised as the rest of his neighbours were tested, some eager, others reluctant. Most were lucky, but the elderly couple whose house Iain had attacked the other day weren’t. They were moved further away from the rest of their neighbours, another red X painted on their house. The X clearly meant danger, stay out, the interior obviously bristling with infection.

  The elderly couple looked shocked, betrayed even. They got a combination of looks from their fellow neighbours, ranging from pity to outright hostility. There was no community spirit left now, just selfish self-preser
vation. Andy wasn’t surprised at their reactions, he had always known that people lived behind a mask that they rarely let drop. It was only when the shit was flying that you got to see the true nature of someone’s character, and Andy found himself looking in disgust at the faces of some of those who had often given him a friendly wave.

  Humanity, at its core, was a vicious animal that was kept in check by the artificially created rules society had laid down. It was thus perhaps fitting that order was now being maintained by the soldiers, the ultimate personification of the power the state could bring to bear. Fear of the gun and the fear of Lazarus were now mankind’s guiding light.

  When the Captain walked up to where Andy was standing, Andy felt himself holding his breath.

  “You are all clear,” the Captain said. “We have a food distribution point set up if you are interested.” Andy suddenly felt the need to tell the Captain everything, but he managed to hold his little secret inside.

  “I’m good thanks. Keep the food for those who weren’t better prepared.” Andy looked at the elderly couple once again. “What happens to them now?”

  “A unit will be here to collect them. They are in the early stages of the infection, better to remove them from others before they risk spreading what they are carrying. We can’t allow them to be free, not with the safe zone we are trying to create.” The Captain reached into a pocket and withdrew a fluorescent green Tyvek wristband. “Can I have your wrist please, Andy?” Andy complied, the band secured. It couldn’t be removed without cutting it off, and that would be a big mistake. “Never remove that please,” the Captain added.

  “How safe is Leeds?” Andy asked.

  “We were lucky,” the Captain said. “We managed to get the initial outbreaks under control. You can thank my commanding officer for that. He acted quickly right at the start of it all by shutting down all rail and road traffic to and from the city, despite the protestations of the civilians supposedly running things. From what we’ve seen, the virus hasn’t penetrated here like with Manchester and London.”

  “How long have we got?” Leeds itself might be relatively free of the virus, but the surroundings wouldn’t be.

  “I don’t know,” the Captain responded truthfully. “It’s only a matter of time, though. We lost contact with Sheffield.” Joined by the country’s main motorway, the undead could easily use that artery to head north. Sheffield had been hit early on due to a group of Chinese students who had contracted the virus in Hong Kong.

  “What are you doing about the gangs, like the ones that attacked us earlier?”

  “You shouldn’t see any more of that. It’s zero tolerance now. Anyone actively resisting the authority of the military and the police will be either arrested for execution or shot on sight.”

  “Seriously?” Andy asked. He was really glad he hadn’t come out of his house with his shotgun now. His eyes were drawn to the people milling around. Only some of them had a green armband like him. At least four-fifths, including the children and the frailer looking women, had orange bands. The elderly couple had red.

  “Why the different coloured bands, Captain?” Andy could pretty much guess what red meant.

  “How good are you with that shotgun of yours?” the Captain suddenly asked.

  “Pretty good as it happens.”

  “Good, because we are going to need people like you to help defend the city. That’s what the green means. It gives you certain privileges, but we also expect something from you in return.” The Captain reached out and put a gloved hand on Andy’s shoulder. “Consider yourself conscripted.”

  ***

  His mates called him Vinny, his mother called him Vincent. Right now, the soldiers screaming at him and called him anything but his name.

  He’d had no choice but to accept the blood test, the soldiers moving door to door on the council estate. Some of the lads he had hung around with had tried to run, he’d seen their flight across the courtyard three floors below, but the soldiers had been expecting that. There were only so many ways in and out of the estate, the concrete structures designed as if to easily trap those living inside. One warning shot was all it took for his mates to fall to the dirt in surrender.

  There could have been a firefight here, the criminal element who lurked in some of the apartments most definitely armed. Word had it that some of them had already fled though, so when the soldiers came, nobody offered them any kind of real resistance. It wouldn’t be like that everywhere, many people fated to die before the zombies even made it here.

  Stood out on the communal balcony that joined up all the apartments on his floor, Vinny watched the soldiers as they stood next to him, waiting for the results to process. He was terrified, having felt ill for over a day now. When the TV was working, he had been glued to it, easy for someone with no gainful employment. Then the channels had gradually dwindled, as had the internet. By this morning, all that remained was a single and ominous radio channel that filled everyone who listened to it with growing dread.

  The rest of the balcony was cleared of people, except for the woman further along, closer to the stairs. She was sitting with her back against a wall, sobbing, her wrists and ankles restrained by zip ties, a clear victim of the mandatory blood test. Soldiers would knock on the door and then insist everyone came outside before searching the apartment. Then they would test you and stand guard until the test result was in. They looked terrifying in their protective gear, the guns they carried pointed at people without fear of any recrimination. The soldiers clearly had a job to do, under orders to clear the city of any cases of the infected.

  There was a sudden gunshot from the floor above, Vinny jumping at the sound. Was that another warning? No, somebody had tried to run, not content to let strangers test them. Non-compliance was an instant death sentence now. Even more shocking than the noise, a body suddenly appeared as if it fell from the floor above. Easier to toss the dead over the balcony than to carry them down the staircase.

  One of the soldiers spoke to him, it wasn’t good news.

  “Vincent McGrath, under the power given to me by His Majesty Charles the Third, and under authority of the interim government, you are to be detained under Part three, subsection one hundred and twenty-nine of the two thousand and eight Health and Social Care Act.” The words had been memorised, said so many times already. Vinny made to back away, but hands grabbed him, a foot kicked into the back of his leg, sending him to the floor. Because he struggled, he felt a weight descend as a knee was placed on him. He couldn’t breathe, which just made him panic even more.

  “Please,” he begged, but these were hardened men. Their orders were clear, segregate the infected for the protection of yourselves and your own families. If you can’t detain, then lethal force is authorised.

  His hands were pulled behind his back, sharpness suddenly cutting into them. The zip tie bit down, perhaps tighter than it needed to be. The same happened for his ankles, and he was left lying on his side, the knee finally relenting. Thank God his girlfriend hadn’t been here to see this. Vinny knew what she was like, she would have either gone hysterical or totally belligerent. Neither would have ended well with these men. What he didn’t understand was why they even tried to keep up the pretence that this was all somehow lawful.

  “Stay down there and don’t cause us any fucking trouble,” a soldier said harshly. They clearly weren’t enjoying their duty, and Vinny expected a kick in the ribs at any moment. That kick fortunately never came, but it was a small mercy for what was coming.

  Later, when all the apartments were cleared, the soldiers came back for him. He was dragged to his feet, the ties at his ankles released. There were two other prisoners with them, and together they all moved as a group, collecting the woman who now stank of piss. Nobody could blame her for that, Vinny was close to losing control of his own bowels. He suspected the soldiers wouldn’t care. As a group, the infected individuals were marched towards the concrete staircase, nervous curtains twitching as those
who had been fortunate watched on. Nobody intervened because really, nobody could. In an unarmed population like the UK, standing up to those who enforced the new order could only result in a quick and merciless death. Even though he wished someone would come to his aid, Vinny knew that if he had been passed as clear, there would be no way he would have stuck his neck out to help those less fortunate.

  They made it to the ground floor without incident. It would have been more efficient for those infected with Lazarus to have been executed on the spot, but even a disarmed and cowardly populace would likely have risen up if witness to that. Better then to transport everyone for processing.

  “What will happen to us?” somebody asked.

  “No talking,” came the response. Their only ray of hope was the knowledge that they were being taken away for treatment. Not even the most callous of men was going to tell those they collected that there was no treatment, that this was just a ruse to ensure some form of orderly compliance. Why make your job harder?

  24.08.19

  Manchester, UK

  Brian had watched it all. He had watched Susan faint at the gate. Had watched the two men pick her up, but then stand there impotently, not knowing what to do with her. He had watched Viktor exit the mansion’s front door, only for Florence to come barging past him to berate the two members of the clean-up crew.

  “Don’t just stand there like fucking lemons,” she had shouted. “Take her to the decontamination tent.” Brian had wandered over to Florence, standing next to her as she stood stoically with her arms crossed. He had never seen the doctor so angry before.

  “What the fuck just happened?” Brian asked. Florence had spun around on him with hostility.

  “What the hell were you thinking bringing Susan here? Don’t you know what Clay is?” Brian had suspected something, had guessed there was an ulterior motive in Clay inviting Susan to find sanctuary at his mansion and had considered it a small price for Susan to pay for her safety. But he had never envisioned this, and if she was honest with herself, neither had Florence. She had known it wasn’t fair to blame Brian.