by Hatchett
“Sir, before I do that, you might want to look at Charlie Team on Level 0,” came the response.
“Put it on the main screen.”
As footage from the Baggage Area came up on the screen, Jack put a call in to the Commissioner to give an update, although by now, he was probably watching and seeing the same thing as Jack. Perhaps now he would be convinced that zombies were real.
32
Day 1
09:30 GMT
Heathrow Terminal 3
Bear, Irish and their colleagues reached the top of the escalators and turned, ready to discharge their weapons. The whole area was rapidly turning into a killing field. Unsuspecting passengers from gates 13 to 22 and from gates 23 to 40 all needed to come past him to get to Immigration and Passport Control and then Baggage Reclaim and Customs. It was a perfect bottleneck, which had obviously been overlooked when the Health and Safety people helped design the terminal. He looked around quickly and noticed the various fire escape doors and exit signs so perhaps it wasn’t such an oversight after all.
Zombies were now all over the Level 2 concourse, taking down unsuspecting passengers as they moved towards Immigration and Passport Control. Those passengers not yet attacked had seen what was happening and were now stampeding towards the escalator and stairs. There was no way Bear, nor the other officers could risk firing their MP5’s, and anything less would effectively be useless, even though the MP5’s themselves had proved ineffective outside Gate 7.
“There’s nothing we can do here,” Bear advised, “Let’s get down these stairs into the Security Command Centre.”
Bear and his colleagues bounded down the steps as the first zombies reached the top of the escalator.
The passengers waiting in the queue to step onto the escalator were sitting ducks for the zombie horde who cut through them like a hot knife through butter. A middle-aged woman with long brown hair was halfway down the escalator when she was hit hard from behind. There was a gap in front of her so there was nothing to stop her from pitching forward head first with a strangled cry of surprise. She broke her jaw, nose, and cheekbone as she landed face first on a hard metal escalator step before her long hair found its way into the gaps in the stairs and got entangled in the machinery. She tried to get up but found she could only raise her head a foot or so before the grip on her hair jerked her back again. With the sudden movement she lost her balance, and this caused her to flip onto her back. As she reached the bottom of the escalator her hair was ripped from her scalp in a spray of blood and the last thing she saw before she passed out was the scarred face of a zombie about to bite her.
Bear and his colleagues reached the alcove and the access door to Security Command just as zombies were starting to pick themselves up after falling down the stairs and escalator.
There was a lift on the opposite side of the concourse to the Security Command door, which only ran between levels 1 and 2. It was mostly used by disabled or elderly passengers, to avoid using the escalator or stairs. As Bear placed his hand on the door scanner, the lift doors opened to reveal several mutilated passengers and more zombies who then joined the others beginning to congregate on the Level 1 concourse.
The Security Command access door clicked open and Bear entered quickly before standing to one side with his MP5 at the ready as he was followed in by his colleagues.
As the last officer from Team Bravo tried to go through the door he was grabbed from behind and pulled backwards. Bear quickly aimed at the zombie’s head and pulled the trigger. The head burst open and the zombie dropped to the floor. The officer just managed to pull himself away and through the door before another zombie could get to him. Bear closed the door as the zombie slammed into it from the other side. The officer briefly lent against the wall and breathed out a huge sigh of relief before giving Bear a quick smile and nod. Bear nodded back then turned and started walking towards the Security Command Centre, letting Jack know through the comms that he was almost there.
The zombies continued their march along the Level 1 concourse towards Immigration and Passport Control.
33
Day 1
09:30 GMT
Heathrow Terminal 3
Des and his Charlie Team of six had met just inside the ground floor doors leading to the Apron at Gate 1. There was little point in meeting outside and getting soaked by the light rain when they didn’t need to. His six team members had been drafted from their usual duties in other parts of the airport. They usually worked in pairs, but this was an amber alert, so it meant that their current partners had to cover the usual routine on their own.
Des had brought his team up to speed on what was happening, although they all continued to listen with rapt attention to what was happening upstairs around gates 3 to 7. From time to time they would glance out of the windows to see what was going on, but it looked like business as usual. If he was honest, Des couldn’t see why he might be needed on the Apron as all the action seemed to be taking place upstairs. However, there was a good chance his team may need to reinforce Bear and Irish, and after hearing the commentary from Bear, he had ordered his Charlie team to switch their rubber bullets out for live ammunition. They all felt a little more secure having proper firepower, but still a little concerned by the reports that it seemed to be having a negligible effect on the targets.
There was a sudden thud against the glass door which made them all jump, and the team quickly turned around to see what had happened. One of the Ground Crew had obviously slammed into the door at full pelt and was hurriedly trying to find the door handle which would give him access to the building. As he groped for the door handle he was hit from behind by a zombie who proceeded to tear at his neck and ears. The team could see the man’s panicked face before a geyser of blood sprayed against the glass.
After a second or two of surprise and shock, the team reacted by trying to open the door, guns at the ready with safety’s off. The door was held fast by the man and the zombie, so it took a concerted effort by three of the team to slowly create a gap. The first team member squeezed through and moved a couple of paces away before turning and firing a shot into the zombie. The zombie was thrown a few feet with a large hole in its side and back. The first team member started to push the body of the dead man out of the way with his foot and, despite screamed warnings from the rest of his team who were still trying to get through the door, he failed to spot that the zombie had risen and was almost upon him.
As the man’s body was moved far enough to allow the door to open freely, the first team member was hit by the zombie and fell to the floor, accidentally firing his weapon. The bullet smashed through the glass by the side of the door and hit another team member in the face and almost took off his head as the body was thrown several feet backwards into the stairwell. Des was now through the door, his right ear ringing from the bullet passing close to his head. He subconsciously realised that he had been inches away from death, but his first reaction was to shoot the zombie again, hoping that the bullet wouldn’t penetrate to his team member lying underneath, but even if it did, the velocity would be vastly reduced, and his team member’s body armour would probably do the rest. The zombie was feasting on his team member’s face as Des’s bullet hit it square in the back. Other than the body vibrating due to the impact, there was no discernible change and the zombie continued to feast.
Des and the remaining four members of the team were now all outside. The three shots had attracted the attention of some other zombies in the area and they were now making their way in the direction of the team. The officers fanned out, each selecting a target and firing. The zombies toppled over, and the team moved forward to select other targets. As the second round of shots rang out, the zombies hit first were beginning to get back up. Des realised it was hopeless and turned to take himself and his team back into the building. Their retreat was blocked by the first zombie moving in their direction. They couldn’t risk trying to get past it, so Des shouted for his team to follow him as he
moved in the direction of the baggage handling area, where he had seen other airport staff running.
Des and his team jogged towards the baggage area, looking around and firing off shots as targets presented themselves. They reached the baggage area to find zombies attacking baggage handlers. The noise in this area was horrendous with bags being thrown around by some staff still oblivious to what was going on around them, numerous conveyor belts carrying luggage to the waiting passengers on the other side of the hatches and screams coming from almost every direction. It was also clear that many handlers had been taken by surprise and, although they were trying to fight back, they were being overwhelmed. Des and his team shot more targets, some falling backwards onto the conveyor belt to be carried away towards the passengers in Baggage Reclaim.
Des looked around frantically for a suitable exit. To his right, he saw some staff trying to get through a door in the corner, but they were being pursued by zombies who would block that way off whether or not the people managed to escape. Des looked behind him to see that the way they had come in was now was blocked off as well. He looked to his left but all he could see was conveyor belt after conveyor belt with zombies all around. There was only one choice and that was to move forwards. He ordered his team to jump over the conveyor belt into the appropriately named ‘dead zone’ on the other side. It might be their last stand, but they would go down fighting.
Des and his four colleagues crossed the conveyor belt and turned to start picking off targets. Thankfully, the moving conveyor belt was causing the zombies a few problems; those that did not get picked off in time, or those that had been picked off but got back up, slowly managed to get onto the conveyor belt but were rapidly carried away from their prey before they were able to get across into the dead zone.
As Des and his team’s ammunition was starting to get low and the build-up of zombies in front of them grew, new screams started coming from the Baggage Reclaim area behind the hatch.
“Shit! Those fuckers have managed to get into the Baggage Reclaim area. We need to follow,” Des shouted. “We can’t stay here as they’ll get to us eventually. Let’s get through the hatch.”
34
Day 1
09:35 GMT
Heathrow Terminal 3
The zombies came in waves down from Level 2, along the passageways and concourse and entered the large Immigration and Passport Control Hall which was packed with queueing passengers who had arrived from all over the World. The next few minutes was a massacre as zombies attacked the passengers and breached the gates at the front of the hall. There was nothing the Immigration officials could do but watch in horror before fleeing in the direction of their offices, which they prayed would be secure enough to save them from the horde. The zombies followed passengers to the next set of stairs and escalators, taking them down to Level 0, the ground floor, and towards Baggage Reclaim.
Level 1 of Terminal 3 also housed the departure lounges, bars, restaurants, and shops in a separate area of the building. It didn’t take the zombies long to find a way into the Departures Hall and attack passengers who were enjoying food, drink, shopping or just taking the weight off their feet before their flights were called and they moved to their specified gate. Those passengers fortunate to be in one of the airline lounges were able to shut the doors and watch on in horror as events unfolded.
35
Day 1
09:40 GMT
Heathrow Terminal 3
The passengers from Virgin Airways flight VA4559 who had arrived from Seattle were crowded around Baggage Reclaim Belt 3 after a tiring journey. Those determined to get their bags first were jostling for position as close to the hatch as possible.
The first few bags had already come through and many were frustrated that their bags were not amongst them. They were further frustrated that only a few bags came through before there was a lull in activity.
“Looks like those fricking useless baggage handlers have gone on their tea break having done half a job as usual,” muttered a stressed and obese looking American, his face covered with droplets of sweat from his exertions getting to Baggage Reclaim. His shirt was badly shadowed around the armpits and he was giving off an obnoxious odour. “Same the World over. Beats me why they can’t just load all the bags at the same time instead of every half-hour. They’re probably all sitting around smoking, talking shit, and laughing at us while we have to stand around waiting on them like morons.”
A few bags came through the hatch for a second time. “Why is it always the bags which no one picks up that come out first?” he moaned to withering looks from either side of him. A couple of people jostled a little more in a bid to move away from the mouthpiece.
The bags coming around for a second time were followed by some bodies. “Looks like the hobos have overslept,” shouted another one of the passengers to much laughter, “or maybe it’s the Baggage Handlers getting in a quick nap,” continued the joker to further laughter. The laughs quickly faded and turned to screams as the bodies on the conveyor belt turned and started to get up, reaching for the nearest passengers and pulling them towards their mouths. The passengers closest tried to run but were blocked by a combination of their hand luggage, trolleys and other passengers waiting their turn to get to the belt. They were boxed in and easy prey for the zombies. Those in the second row could see what was happening and tried to get away themselves but it had been a busy flight and the passengers were queued three of four deep, and those at the back were pressing forward to try and find a gap. The area around conveyor Belt 3 quickly became a bloodbath, with passengers at other conveyor belts oblivious to what was happening nearby.
Des and his team came through a hatch into a crowded Baggage Reclaim hall and hopped off the conveyor into the dead zone once again. They could see the zombies attacking passengers as even more of them followed his team through the hatch. Des quickly realised that they wouldn’t be able to fire their weapons because the chances of hitting the passengers were too high. He ordered his team to take out their Bowie knives before rushing forward to stab the zombies.
As expected, the knives did nothing to stop the zombies who were now taking out the passengers at will. Blood was being sprayed in all directions and guts were landing on the floor making it slippery, causing passengers to fall and causing others to trip over them in a domino-like effect. Passengers were now frantic to get away and were fighting with each other for right of way. One of Des’s team went to stab another of the zombies but slipped on the blood causing his knife to impale itself in the zombie’s head rather than the shoulder blades where he had been aiming. He retracted the knife and was about to stab again when he realised that the zombie had not moved. Instead of stabbing again, he grasped the zombie’s arm and dragged it into the dead zone where it slumped onto the floor and didn’t move. He kicked the body, but again, there was no movement. He carefully put his foot under the body and quickly lifted it to flip the body over, ready at a moment’s notice to jump back out of the way if the body moved. It didn’t and all he saw were rheumy sightless eyes staring straight ahead. He kicked the body a couple more times for good measure but there was still no reaction. He screamed to his team mates who looked over and whilst he explained through the comms, he gestured with a stabbing motion to the head that that was what they should be doing.
Des and the team quickly moved forward with new purpose, slipping, and sliding as they tried to find targets to try out the new theory. They didn’t have far to look, and they soon found targets before quickly stabbing their knives into heads. The zombies crumpled to the floor inert, but the force of the blows caused three out of five team members to fall with the zombies as they went down. They were soon trapped in the melee and were unable to get out before it was too late.
Des and his remaining team member tried valiantly to maintain their attack, but they were becoming tired and there were simply too many zombies and nowhere to go. They slowly succumbed to the overwhelming numbers they were up against.
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Many of the passengers were rushing towards customs and on into the Arrivals Hall and the exit, their baggage long forgotten. Some decided that they could not reach the Arrivals Hall so doubled back towards the stairs to get back to Immigration and Passport Control. To their horror, they saw that zombies were already coming from that direction and realised that they were trapped. There was nowhere to go and nothing to do except fight, a one-sided affair that didn’t last very long.
36
Day 1
09:40 GMT
Heathrow Terminal 3
Bear and Irish entered the Security Command Centre and moved swiftly to take seats either side of Jack. They followed his gaze and could see Des and his Charlie Team being taken down in the Baggage Hall. Jack’s eyes watered but they didn’t leave the screen as he spoke.
“We now know that a knife to the head will stop these fuckers in their tracks,” he advised.
“A shot to the head will also work as we’ve just found out,” added Bear. “Nothing else seems to work.”
“Yes, I think that’s what Kelly from the Cabin Crew was trying to tell me, but we didn’t have the time to finish the conversation. Right, let’s go to my office and find out exactly what we know and what we plan to do next?”
The three moved swiftly to Jack’s office and all but Jack settled into the chairs at the meeting table. Bear and Irish were quickly introduced to Sarah, Kelly, Paul, and Andy.
“We’ve met,” Bear noted with a nod of his head.
“It looks like the only way to stop these things is to smash in their heads, either by bullets or knives,” Jack advised.
“Yes,” Kelly confirmed, “that was what I saw on the monitor earlier. Some of the zombies had been shot in the head and they didn’t get back up.”
