Z - Arrival / Z - London / Z - Payback: Books 1, 2 & 3 of the Zombie Apocalypse

by Hatchett

  Two members of the Ground Crew climbed the steps to the rear door to open it. They could not hear much due to their ear protectors, which were necessary to drown out the noise of the planes as they took off, landed, taxied, or just sat idling on the apron.

  Des and his team of six had been distracted by listening to what was happening on their comms and did not notice what the various support staff were doing around the plane; that really wasn’t their concern. His team were busy switching the magazines on their weapons in case they were needed.

  The rear door to the plane was opened and the two Ground Crew staff standing at the top of the steps froze in surprise at what greeted them. It was as if the Rear Galley had been transformed into an abattoir such was the grisly mess in front of them. As their shock turned to horror they failed to notice that there were several bodies standing in and around the area and were starting to head in their direction. Once they finally realised what was happening they started backing off, but it was too late. The first zombies through the door lunged towards the two Ground Crew staff who toppled over backwards and bounced down the steps before coming to a stop on the tarmac below, seriously injured. They were swiftly followed by falling zombies who landed on the men and swiftly tore them apart. More and more zombies fell in waves down the steps before getting themselves up off the ground to look around for fresh targets. They didn’t have far to look. There were other Ground Crew, firefighters, paramedics, and baggage handlers milling around, none of whom had heard the commotion due to their own ear protectors. One or two saw something from the corner of their eyes, and when they focused on what was happening, they soon dropped what they were doing and ran off in search of safety. Those not looking were surprised by some of their colleagues sprinting past them before they were pounced upon from behind.

  The zombies spread out, slowly following the people who were running in all directions.

  29

  Day 1

  09:20 GMT

  Heathrow Terminal 3

  Irish and his team of six were still outside Gate 1 when Bear came running around the corner and ground to a halt.

  “We’ve got to move quick as they’re not far behind me,” he said between breaths. “We need to fall back to Gate 7 so we have more time to pick our targets, although nothing seems to be working.”

  With that, Bear, Irish and the six Bravo officers ran towards Gate 7 to join the other four Alpha officers. On the way, Bear stopped at the door to Gate 5, where all the medical staff were still busying themselves with their equipment.

  “Everyone out!” he screamed. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at him as if he was mad.

  “Out, out, out!” Bear repeated, “you won’t be able to help what’s coming.” The medical staff finally got the message and quickly moved towards the door and started trotting down the corridor in the direction of the Medical Centre.

  As the officers arrived at Gate 7, Irish asked, “What are we dealing with, Bear? We’ve heard the comms, but we haven’t seen anything.”

  “Zombies,” replied Bear looking in the direction of Gate 1. He could hear the footsteps of several people heading in their direction. “Nothing else they can be. I’ve hit them with tasers, rubber bullets and live rounds but nothing appears to stop them. The ones I hit should be dead, but they got right back up. I’ve lost two good men back there.”

  The first zombies came around the corner and headed straight for Bear and his colleagues, who opened fire with their MP5’s. It was like a slaughterhouse, zombies being blown apart and thrown in all directions, yet still more came. Within seconds, those that had been hit by rounds were back on their feet and staggering in the direction of the officers, many with huge gaping holes in their bodies. Those that couldn’t stand began to crawl their way towards the officers.

  As they ran out of bullets and started to reload, Bear realised they were losing this battle and ordered the officers to retreat towards the escalators. As he went, he noticed other passengers who had disembarked from other flights in the concourse, moving towards the escalators, which was quickly becoming a bottleneck.

  Some of the quicker zombies were almost upon them so two of Bear’s Alpha Team jumped into Gate 7 and slammed the door shut to a chorus of screams from the passengers inside. The quicker zombies continued on after Bear and the others but some, especially those crawling and those slowed down by having to drag their entrails, stopped, and tried to get into Gate 7. They were banging and bumping against the glass wall trying to reach the people inside. The two officers and passengers stared in shock at the horrors standing and crawling just in front of them. It was like a vision of Dante’s Hell and one of the officers ironically thought that it was like a reverse zoo with the animals looking in at their human captives.

  In all the confusion, no one noticed that some of the zombies were down and not moving.

  30

  Day 1

  09:25 GMT

  Atlantic Airlines AA4520

  Inside the Rear Galley it was now relatively quiet. Through the open rear door, you could hear the drone of planes in the distance, the odd scream a little closer and the pattering of light rain on the portable steps. There was no grunting, snorting, or gnashing of teeth to be heard in the vicinity. Just one body remained on the floor. It lay unmoving amongst all the entrails and was covered in blood.

  Very slowly, Gina opened one blue eye and scanned the area from where she lay. The coast seemed clear, so she turned her head slightly and continued to check the area, ready to drop her eye-lid and play dead at a moment’s notice. She had been playing dead for the past couple of hours or so, ever since the Rear Galley had been overrun, although it had felt like an eternity. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine how difficult it was to remain still and make no noise for such a length of time, especially when her heart felt like it was about to explode in her chest. She was also on the verge of hysteria; every little bump, scape, nudge, or something falling on top of her could have been the trigger to send her into a panic, but she had managed to remain calm by thinking of her family, friends, and colleagues. She had no idea why she had not been attacked; the zombies in the Rear Galley had simply ignored her while they feasted on the other Cabin Crew and passengers in that area.

  Seeing nothing of concern, Gina moved her head a little more, then a little more. She tried not to focus on what was on her body or what was on the floor beside her but concentrated on seeing if there were any more zombie’s around – and that’s what they were, she knew that now. Once she was satisfied that she was alone, she slowly raised her head then used her hands to push herself up and sat with her back to the cupboards. She was as stiff as a board from both the drying blood and from being in the same position for too long. She felt some cramping in her legs and slowly stretched them out as far as she could, pointing her toes down the left-hand aisle. She glanced through the open rear door and could see some zombies wandering around, attracted by the noises made by jets as they landed and taxied on the runways.

  Gina gave herself a couple of minutes, stretching and flexing her limbs and keeping a watchful eye out for any movement. She noticed a sharp looking knife lying on the floor a couple of feet away, so she leant over and retrieved the weapon; it might come in handy she thought to herself. At last, she tried to stand on wobbly legs, like Bambi after he had just been born, but after a couple of tentative steps, she regained her control and the stiffness began to ease.

  As Gina began to make her way towards the front of the plane, she heard some weeping coming from one of the rear toilets. She stopped and gently knocked on the locked door.

  “Hello, is anyone in there?” she enquired quietly.

  The weeping ceased at once and a few seconds later a woman’s wavering voice with an American accent said, “Yes, there’s two of us in here. Who are you?”

  “I’m Cabin Crew,” answered Gina. “It looks like the plane is now empty, so you can come out.”

  There was a snap of the loc
k switch being thrown back before the toilet door opened outwards. The woman stifled a scream when she saw the vision in front of her. Gina smiled encouragingly but, due to the state of her face, it came out as a hideously evil grin. The other occupant was a man and he stuck his head out and looked both ways before deciding it was safe to leave the cubicle. When they finally moved, Gina saw a reflection of herself in the mirror opposite and drew in a deep breath. She looked like death warmed up and could understand the passengers’ reaction and hesitation when they had opened the door. Her usually lovely blond hair was now red, matted with blood and gore, along with the rest of her features. There was nothing she could do about that now, so she turned to the passengers.

  “We need to check the other toilets,” Gina ordered as the woman drew a deep breath and looked around the grisly scene before vomiting all over the floor. Gina turned and knocked on the toilet directly behind her while the two passengers gingerly moved towards the toilets on the other aisle. Gina could hear more retching coming from the woman as she moved away. No other passengers were found in the toilets so the three, led by Gina, started making their way up the aisles, avoiding bits of bodies and blood as best they could, towards the central toilets.

  Once they arrived, they again tried the toilets, but these ones were also empty.

  Onwards they walked through Premium-Plus towards First-Class. Gina heard then saw movement in First-Class and motioned for the two passengers to remain still. Gina moved forward cautiously, her eyes repetitively scanning her surrounding area. As she reached the partition to First-Class she could see that there was a zombie in the aisle straight ahead, facing the plane’s front exit, and hadn’t seen her. The zombie had once been a man and its belt had somehow wedged on the metal part of a seat so, despite its attempts to move forward towards the exit, it wasn’t going anywhere. Gina was not sure what she should do. She could either switch to the other aisle and walk around the obstacle or she would have to confront it. Her first idea seemed a much better option, so she moved across the centre seats to the other aisle where the other two passengers were waiting.

  “We have a zombie in the other aisle,” Gina whispered. “It’s stuck so if we use this aisle we can get to the Forward Galley without going anywhere near it.”

  “What do you mean ‘zombie’?” asked the man.

  “That’s all I can describe them as,” replied Gina. “They are attacking and eating anything that moves. I’ll go first, you stay here until I signal.”

  With that, Gina entered the First-Class cabin and slowly made her way up the aisle. As she came level with the zombie it must have realised she was there as it stopped trying to move forward and turned its gaze in her direction. Gina froze, looking directly at the zombie, the zombie looking back, just a few feet between them. Gina tightened her grip on her knife as the zombie’s head tilted slightly to one side and it appeared to sniff the air. After a couple of seconds, the zombie lost interest in her and turned back towards the exit and resumed its struggle to move in that direction.

  Gina realised that she had been holding her breath, which she now let out slowly, and continued her walk towards the Forward Galley.

  Once she got there, she turned and signalled for the two passengers to follow her. They started out with the man in the lead and the woman following. As they drew level with the zombie it again stopped what it was doing and turned towards the two passengers, the woman stifling a scream at the sight of it. This time the zombie did not hesitate and immediately tried to move in the passengers’ direction. The strain on the belt resumed but the angle was different. After a couple of attempted lunges, the belt came loose from the seat and the zombie overbalanced and fell head first onto the floor in the central seat area, inches from where the passengers were standing. They instinctively leapt back and retreated down the aisle where they had come from as the zombie struggled to get back onto its feet.

  From the entrance to the Forward Galley, Gina could see what was happening and her initial fear was rapidly turning to anger. Without considering her own safety she moved quickly down the aisle and, as the zombie got to its feet, she stabbed the knife straight into its head. The sound was like slicing into a melon and there was a spray of blood which added a new layer of grime to Gina’s already congealed face. The zombie slumped forward onto a seat, the knife sliding out of its head. There was no further movement. Gina stood frozen in shock, staring at the hole in the zombie’s head, the knife still held in the same position, droplets of blood falling from it onto the floor.

  A whole minute passed like a frozen tableau until the man came back up the aisle and gently lowered Gina’s knife-holding arm.

  “Well done girl,” the man said pulling Gina into a hug as she started weeping, “there was nothing else you could’ve done, and you’ve saved our lives.”

  Gina slowly pulled herself together. There wasn’t time to think about what she had done; there were many more zombies around and they needed to get to safety. She stepped out of the man’s embrace and shivered before turning and leading the way back up the aisle.

  When she entered the Forward Galley, and neared the plane’s door, Gina saw two pistols lying on the ground. She wondered where they had come from. She knew nothing about guns, had never fired one and, although she had never really thought about it, didn’t really like them. Still, needs must and all that. She picked up the weapons and turned to the two passengers.

  “Do either of you know anything about guns? She enquired.

  “Honey, I grew up with guns” drawled the man.

  ‘Obviously another American’ thought Gina to herself. She handed over one of the pistols and the man quickly switched on the safety and released the magazine.

  “Right, you’ve got yourself a Glock and its currently got thirteen rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber so three have already been used. He showed Gina where the safety switch was.

  “Once the safety is off, all you need to do is point and press,” he advised, handing it back to her.

  Gina switched on the safety of the second pistol and passed it to him. “You’re learning fast,” he noted as he went through the same procedure. “There’s eleven rounds in this with one in the chamber.”

  “You keep that one,” Gina told him before turning and heading towards the plane’s exit.

  31

  Day 1

  09:25 GMT

  Heathrow Terminal 3

  Sarah, Kelly, Paul, and Andy had helped themselves to cold drinks from a fridge built into a side unit and were seated around the large conference table in the Security Briefing Room.

  “Sounds like it was all kicking off on the plane again,” Andy noted. “We did try to warn them what they were going to be dealing with.”

  “Yes, but you can understand their reluctance to accept zombies and believe that there must be some other rational explanation,” replied Paul.

  “I must admit, I thought I was waking up in the Twilight Zone,” Kelly advised. “In fact, I think I’m still there.”

  The side door opened, and Jack entered.

  “Hello, I’m Jack Robinson, Head of the Aviation Security Operational Command Unit here at London Heathrow,” he advised as he walked to the wall to switch on a row of monitors. The first images of the events at Gate 7 came up on the screens. “This is what is happening where you have just left.”

  The four sitting at the table looked at the screens and could see medical staff leaving the area and some passengers being herded into Gate 7 and half a dozen or so officers in combat gear waiting in a line facing Gate 1.

  “You should get everyone out of that area and seal it off,” Andy suggested.

  “Too late for that,” Jack responded, “we need to make a stand to prevent this escalating into other parts of the airport.”

  “Do you know how you’re going to stop them?” Andy enquired.

  “Not yet,” came the honest response. “Firstly, apologies for treating you like a suspect. We weren’t initially ad
vised about zombies and, quite frankly, when we were told, we didn’t believe it anyway.”

  “But you still made preparations,” Andy noted.

  “What can I tell you? I used to be a boy scout,” Jack replied. “As you can tell, we don’t really have time for a full de-brief now, so is there anything you can tell me which I don’t already know?”

  “I don’t think so,” Sarah replied for them all. As she did so, the monitors started showing the first zombies entering the concourse and the fusillade which followed. They all watched in silence as they saw zombies getting back up and continuing their march in the direction of Gate 7, and the eventual retreat of the officers stationed there. Only Jack had the running commentary through his earpiece.

  “Right, I need to go. Follow me,” he ordered. He quickly stepped into his office, followed by the other four. “Stay in here. You can watch what is happening on the monitors in the Security Command Centre through the one-way mirror’s,” he said pointing to the wall as he walked towards the door opposite. “Don’t go anywhere.”

  “Mr Robinson?” Kelly asked.

  “Call me Jack,” he replied as he stood waiting to access the Security Command Centre. “What is it?”

  “You said you didn’t know how you were going to stop them,” Kelly noted.

  “That’s correct, so?”

  “Well, when we were looking at the monitors and your officers were shooting, did you notice that not all the zombies got up?”

  Jack considered the information. He hadn’t noticed, but he was now going to take another look.

  “Thanks.” He turned and entered the Security Command Centre, moved swiftly to his seat, and flicked one of the switches.

  “Replay the footage from Gate 1,” he ordered.