by Hatchett
Issy and the rest of the team had seen what had happened and started to head towards their colleagues. All zombies were facing the same direction, so it was relatively straightforward for the team to come up behind them, slide their knives through the softer area at the back of the head and up into the zombie’s brain, before leaving the body to drop to the floor and move on to the next target. The team moved swiftly forwards, pleased that the zombies’ focus was elsewhere. After a few minutes, they managed to reach their colleagues who smiled gratefully before they continued to clear the area.
Once the area was almost clear, Issy retraced her steps and stood in the centre of the concourse where she could look down the tunnels on either side of her which led to the platforms. She could see past the zombies in the tunnel to a tube train sitting on the Northbound platform, but looking towards the Southbound platform, all she could see were zombies. Issy noted that she hadn’t heard anything through her earpiece for a while, unless she just hadn’t noticed because her attention was fully focused on other things. She clicked her earpiece and quietly checked to see if it was working.
“I can hear you Issy,” came Sarah’s response. “Team 3 and 4 have reported in and are at the train station as we speak but it looks like we may have lost Team 5. We haven’t heard from them for some time, so I’ve asked Bear and Irish to go and see what’s up.”
Issy wasn’t in a position to have a conversation so she double clicked her comms to acknowledge what Sarah had said. There was nothing she could do about Team 5 now, she had her own job to do.
*****
Bill and Team 5 had cleared the ground floor and Level 1 of the Short Stay Car Park and had grouped together on the ramp leading to Level 2. The team were making good progress and had easily dealt with the zombies they had encountered so far.
The team were taking a drink of water while Bill walked a few steps up the ramp and took a quick look around the corner of the concrete wall shielding them from the next level; he could see that there were dozens of zombies wandering around aimlessly, and it appeared that there were also figures in some of the vehicles. At this stage, Bill could not tell whether these figures were zombies or people waiting to be rescued, but they would soon find out. He turned and retraced his steps as two others of his team, Charlie and Chloe, arrived after clearing the toilets and passageway where the lifts and ticket machines were housed on Level 1. He described the scene in front of them before ordering Charlie and Chloe to fall in behind and deal with the vehicles as the rest of them dealt with the zombies wandering around.
Once they had finished their short break, Bill gave the order to move. He and eight of the team edged to the top of the ramp then slowly spread out into a line and began moving towards their targets. Charlie and Chloe followed a few paces behind, scanning the vehicles on either side. It didn’t take long for Chloe to spot movement in one of the nearby cars and she gestured to Charlie that she was going to take a look. Charlie acknowledged her with a nod of his head and indicated that he was heading to a different vehicle on the opposite row. They split up, Chloe heading towards a silver Vauxhall estate.
As she moved towards the vehicle, Chloe couldn’t see any movement, but she knew that she had seen something a few moments ago. Whoever or whatever was in the vehicle must have ducked out of sight.
As she got closer, she could see that the front seats were empty, and she still couldn’t see any movement from the back. She edged into the gap between the Vauxhall and a red car next to it then slowly sidled up to the rear of the car. She looked into the back window and was greeted by a scream from inside. Chloe quickly raised a finger to her lips and the scream stopped. Two faces, a man and a woman, looked at her in fear. She could now see why she hadn’t been able to see them earlier; they had pushed the rear seats flat and had been lying in the space it provided. The scream, although muffled by the glass, was sure to attract some attention and Chloe quickly scanned all around her. She could see several zombies were turning and heading in her direction and that others were heading towards the line her team had formed. She turned back to the people in the car and indicated that they should lower the window a couple of inches. The man lent forward and did as instructed, the woman cowering behind him.
Chloe put her mouth to the gap and whispered, “We’re army, coming to clear this area. We’ll hopefully have you out of here in a few minutes.”
The man nodded and moved back. As Chloe straightened back up she felt a burning sensation in her leg. She looked down and screamed as she saw a small child, a girl, biting her. Chloe had her knife in her hand but was stunned and in shock. She couldn’t bring herself to stab the little girl but kicked out and stumbled back a couple of paces. She could feel blood beginning to run down her leg as she looked at the girl’s horrifically altered face, a face that was now crawling its way back towards her, teeth snapping together. Chloe realised that the girl could only have been five or six as she took another couple of paces back. As she did so, she felt another tug at her leg and quickly looked down to see another child trying to bite her. She kicked out again and started to turn and flee but stumbled and fell to the floor. Within seconds she felt two little bodies on top of her, biting anything in range. Chloe had forgotten all about the knife and raised her arms to defend herself. She felt teeth bite into her hand before she felt her little finger being torn off. The pain was all consuming for a couple of seconds before Chloe’s head fell back to the floor. She felt like she was in a dream and watching the scene from afar. She could feel herself screaming and was vaguely aware of the little bodies being pulled off her and a face she recognised staring down at her before she lost consciousness.
Chloe’s screaming had alerted her colleagues and the zombies alike; Charlie abandoned all thoughts of danger and charged across the concrete in her direction, stabbing the kids in rage and throwing them off her before dragging her back towards the ramp. He managed to drag her half a dozen yards before he was knocked to the ground and felt bodies landing on him in quick succession. It wasn’t long before he felt pain in various parts of his body before he too lost consciousness. The two occupants of the car watched in horror as zombies began to surround the car and the man quickly wound up the window before lying back down and pulling a blanket over the pair of them. The rest of the team broke rank as hordes of zombies came at them and panic ensued. One of the team members took his automatic off his back and started spraying bullets in all directions, all thought of shooting for the zombies’ heads long forgotten. Within seconds, the firing pin on the gun clicked uselessly, signalling the magazine was empty. There was no time to reload, so the soldier dropped his weapon and turned to run. He looked in horror as his escape route was blocked, so he withdrew his pistol and started firing, trying to create a gap in the zombies. The pistol didn’t make much difference, but it knocked a few zombies to the floor. He took his chance and ran for the small gap he had made but as he passed the zombies lying on the floor he was tripped by a flailing arm. As he went down, he was jumped on by other zombies and his screams echoed off the surrounding concrete.
The other team members didn’t fair any better. The panic caused by the screams and shooting and zombies bearing down on them pumped adrenaline into their systems at an incredible rate and all rationale disappeared. Some reached for their guns, others ran and those with more experience continued to stand their ground and use nothing but their knives. In this instance experience just wasn’t enough and they were eventually overwhelmed. Bill managed to provide a running commentary as he fought the zombies before he too was brought to his knees, the blood from his torn neck spraying across the concrete.
*****
Issy gestured to one team member that he should stay on the concourse near the escalators, then she split those remaining into two groups. Issy then indicated that the second group should clear the Southbound platform while she and her group took the Northbound platform.
The groups moved off. The second group approached the Southbound platf
orm, which appeared relatively quiet. Once they got to the platform, it was easy to see why; there were hundreds of zombies standing on the rails below, no doubt attracted by the noise and the intermittent flashes of electricity. Many of the zombies had fried on the electric rail and were stuck. Others had managed to pull themselves away but had left a leg or foot behind on the electrified rail. There was little chance these zombies would be able to climb back onto the platform, but they couldn’t be left just in case. The group started taking out the small number of zombies still on the platform. For a laugh, a couple of the soldiers just pushed the zombies nearest the edge off the platform and watched them crash into the others below and get crushed underfoot. Once the platform was clear, these same soldiers let out some of their pent-up anger out by kicking out at a few zombie heads that were at roughly the same level as their shins; it didn’t make much difference to the zombies, but it made the soldiers feel a little better. One of the group touched his earpiece and requested that the Coordination Crew arranged for some fuel to be brought down; the zombies would be set alight where they stood. A couple of the soldiers stayed on the platform to keep watch and wait while the rest of them went to help Issy’s group.
On the Northbound platform there were more zombies that the Southbound platform and Issy’s group were making slow but steady progress. Not only did they have to clear the platform, but they also needed to clear the tube train’s carriages. She was eventually joined by the spare soldiers from the Southbound platform and that helped speed things up. There were no further incidents and eventually the Underground was clear except for those zombies on the rails waiting to be cremated.
Issy went to the front of the train and looked into the driver’s compartment. She could see a body lying on the floor, so she knocked hard on the window. There was movement and slowly the body got up and turned towards the noise Issy was making. Issy was still not sure if she was dealing with a man or a zombie until the body turned her way. The driver was alive, but obviously not well.
“Are you ok?” Issy asked.
A smile broke out on the man’s face and he seemed to find some untapped energy.
“Yes, love, I’m alive…just!” He moved across and opened the door. “You look a right mess,” he noted, still smiling.
“Perils of the job,” Issy muttered under her breath. “Does this train still work?” she asked.
“As long as we have electricity it’ll work, but don’t forget there will be other trains stalled further up the line.”
“Have you been able to keep in touch with anyone on the radio?” Issy enquired.
“Yes and no. The main control centre has been dead for quite a while. There are still a few drivers stuck in their compartments around the network, but many are stuck in the tunnels or at stations like this. They can’t leave their compartments.”
“There’s nothing we can do for them now,” Issy replied. “Let’s get you to safety.”
“I guess I’m the lucky one,” the man said as he stepped down onto the platform. He followed Issy and her team as they made their way back up the escalators and tunnels, passing a dozen soldiers on the way who were carrying and rolling containers filled with fuel.
“You’ll need this,” Issy advised, brandishing one of the Underground keys, “and you better take one of my team with you, so you can see how it works and know what you’re doing.”
Issy and the rest of the team continued until they were back at the Arrivals Hall.
Issy looked at her watch and saw that it was 11:25. She clicked her comms and asked if any of the other teams needed any help. The responses were negative, so she told her team to take a break and meet back at 13:00. She then went and took a seat in Costa, waiting for the other Leaders to turn up. As she sat there with a Coke, she saw what was left of Team 3 and 4 come back from their successful mission and move towards the stairs to the second floor to get some food and drink.
83
Day 3
11:50 GMT
Heathrow Terminal 3
“Penny for your thoughts,” Andy said as he appeared from nowhere with a bottle of water in his hand and dropped into the seat next to Issy. She smiled. She’d been miles away, wondering what had happened to Team 5 and thinking about what had to be done next. She liked Andy; he was obviously strong and talented, but he was just so laid back, the opposite of her.
“Just dreaming,” she replied.
“Of me no doubt?” Andy suggested with a sly smile.
“Now you’re the one dreaming, Cowboy!” Issy protested, but she couldn’t stop her own smile spreading across her face.
“Break it up lovebirds!” Irish ordered with a smile as he and Bear arrived and went off in search of a drink before heading back to the table.
Issy couldn’t wait for them to sit down before she asked, “What happened to Team 5?”
“We found two civilians in their car,” Irish advised, “and from what we can gather, a woman was trying to help them when she was taken out by a couple of kids.”
“Kids?” Issy asked puzzled.
“Yeah, kids, rug rats, ankle biters – literally in this case! We assume it was Chloe. While she was trying to help, these kids came from nowhere and before she could do anything, she’d been bitten and taken down. The rest of the team tried to help her, but the noise just caused confusion and attracted more zombies and the team was overrun.”
“Fuck!” Issy muttered.
“Yeah.”
“So, what’s happening now?”
“We just left there with Level 2 now cleared. Sean and Travis are still up there with our combined Crews to clear the last few floors.”
Dave was next to arrive at the Costa, followed almost immediately by Sarah and Gina.
“Joel’s still off on his travels liberating equipment and supplies,” Gina noted, “so he won’t be joining us. We might as well go through the updates.”
“The train and Underground stations are now clear, and the Short Stay Car Park will be clear shortly,” Issy advised, “although we’ve taken a lot of unnecessary casualties. There’s still hundreds of zombies on the rails on the Southbound platform but a small group are on their way right now to burn them.”
Andy lent forward, “We tried the snowploughs out this morning. Thought it might be a good idea to push the bodies into piles. Boy, were we wrong! Made more mess than when we started. The blades just tore bodies apart and then bits from the bodies were torn off from being pushed along the ground, then bits were getting crushed under the tracks.” Andy started laughing. “It was like something out of Monty Python.”
“Monty Python?” Issy asked in disbelief. “What do you know about Monty Python?”
“I’ve seen the repeats and the films!” Andy countered defensively. “What have the Romans ever done for us?”
“Apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education….” Bear chipped in to laughs all around.
“Yeah, ‘Life of Brian’,” Irish added, “great film.”
“Never seen it,” Issy advised, “and I doubt its being repeated anytime soon.”
“Anyway,” Andy continued, “we’re now saving the snowploughs for the snow. Forklifts weren’t much better so we’re back to manhandling the bodies onto baggage trains and moving them to the far South-Western side of the airport, just off the Southern runway and against the fence. When it’s safe, we can use some fuel and start the bonfire.”
“I’ll have the perimeter and access tunnels all secured by late this afternoon,” Dave advised. “I’ll then start parking vehicles at various intervals alongside the fences; this will help prevent the fences from being pushed inwards and also give us a platform for sentries or defence.”
“Bear and I would have cleared Terminal 2 until we needed to help with the car park,” advised Irish, “so we’ve still got some of Terminal 2 to clear and then we need to deal with Terminal 4, Terminal 5 and the Cargo area. By the way, I know Jack was looking for a large transport plane like a Galaxy, but t
here might be something we can use somewhere in the cargo area.”
“I’ll take Terminal 5 if you want?” Issy advised, “It’ll give you more time to do the rest and I’ve got nothing better to do other than find a room at the Hilton.”
“Hey, hey, you’re luck’s in Andy!” Irish remarked before Issy gave him a ‘death stare’.
“Thanks, Issy,” Bear quickly added, “that would be a big help. What about Sean and Travis once they’ve finished with the car park?” he asked quickly to deflect the conversation. “I understand they’ve already placed HGV’s across the runways at various intervals, all with the keys in the ignition so they can be moved quickly. We’ve asked them to start thinking about security but I’m not sure how far they’ve got.”
“They can help out wherever they’re needed,” Issy advised bluntly. “Let’s see once they’ve finished what they’re doing.”
“What about you Sarah, Gina?” Bear asked. He thought it best to intervene as Issy didn’t appear to be in any mood for chairing the discussion.
“Coordination is going great,” Gina advised enthusiastically. “We’re getting more and more people, and this will continue as you clear the other Terminals….and the Hilton,” she added with a grin. “We’ve got new nurses and doctors to help in Medical, various pilots including Sarah here, electricians, engineers. In fact, you name it, we’ve probably got it. Some of the civilians say they’ve used guns and they’re happy to join your teams if you think they’re good enough. We’ve got gardeners who’re happy to start planting food if we agree an area and find some seeds. We’ve got various drivers and various age groups. So, it’s all positive, but I guess the ‘elephant in the room’ is the oldest of our civilians; we need to be very careful because if any were to die, they would turn and could cause us problems if we’re not ready for it. The good news is that it takes older people longer to turn as we have already seen.”
