by Hatchett
“OK,” Andy replied reluctantly, rising to his feet and heading in the direction of the makeshift armoury set up in the offices behind the reception desk.
“Jack,” came the Major’s voice in his earpiece.
“Here,” he replied.
“Massive breaches in the fencing, zombies piling into the area, attracted by the noise and the fires. I just hope everyone has got themselves inside,” the Major advised.
“Not a lot we can do if they haven’t,” Jack replied. “Are the heli’s up yet?”
“Just warming up.”
“Good. How many people have we got getting geared up?”
“Hard to tell, it doesn’t help that Bear and Irish have a plane load up in Manchester. There’s also Dave and Gina at Battersea with more soldiers. Shall I call them back?”
“No, nothing they can do. It ‘d take Bear and Irish a couple of hours to get back and Dave and Gina need to stay at Battersea in case it comes under attack. We need to sort this ourselves. You stay there and keep me posted. I’ll stay here.”
“Issy, you there?” Jack asked.
There was no reply.
*****
Issy had been wandering around the airport fence next to Terminal 4 on the Southern part of the airport, watching the zombies on the other side and thinking about how she might attack if she was in Mamba’s shoes. She idly took her knife out and went up to the fence to stab a zombie in the head when she noticed an object in the grass on the other side, glinting in the light from the nearest spotlight. She was edging a little closer for a better view when the first bomb went off on the Northern Perimeter.
Issy instantly knew what was in front of her but there was no way she could reach it through the fence. As the second and third explosions echoed around the airport she knew that it was only a matter of time before the device in front of her also went off, so she quickly stood up and started sprinting across the concrete towards the nearest vehicle, an airport van. She jumped in, turned the key in the ignition and roared off in the direction of Terminal 3, about a kilometre away. She pushed down hard on the accelerator, knowing exactly where she was heading, then remembered that she’d turned off her comms. As she pressed the device in her ear there was a massive explosion behind her, swiftly followed by another then another. It was clear that Mamba had laid bombs all around the perimeter to spread them out and make it easier to pick them off. Well, that wasn’t going to happen, not on her watch.
“Issy here,” she said once the device was on.
“Thank God,” came Jack’s voice. “I was getting worried when I couldn’t raise you.”
“I’m OK, heading to Terminal 3. What’s the status?”
“Bombs going off all around the perimeter, zombies coming in like the tide.”
“OK, where’s Andy?”
“Getting geared up.”
“OK, what about Terminal 3?”
“Heli’s should be taking off any second. Others are getting geared up in the Terminal 3 armoury.”
“Need to get dirty if we’re gonna move around freely.”
“They’re doing it,” Jack confirmed. “Good idea of yours, that.”
Jack was referring to Issy’s idea a few days earlier that they should store zombie blood in containers all around the airport, but especially near the armouries as this would be the first place they would go to in the event of an attack. Issy’s idea was to capture and kill zombies and collect their blood in containers so it would be quick and easy to pour the contents over their bodies when needed, rather than having to find a zombie and slice it up at the time.
“Handing control to you, Issy,” Jack advised, “the Major and I will chip in with intel when we can.”
“Roger. Tom, open all channels on the comms.”
“Open Issy,” Tom confirmed a few seconds later.
“This is Issy, listen up. We’ve got numerous perimeter breaches. I want Apache 1 in the air on the Northern Perimeter, Apache 2 on the South. Take out anything in sight without damaging infrastructure. The attackers could be dirty and blending in with zombies so shoot at will. Be careful, they may have rocket propelled grenades. Andy, you there?”
“Here Issy, in the Hilton armoury,” came the instant response.
“How many with you?”
“About twenty-five.”
“I want you to round up volunteers and help get them to the buses. Their job is to try and close off all the perimeter breaches, so no more zombies can get in. Send two or three soldiers with each vehicle for protection and get everyone to kill as many zombies inside the perimeter as possible. But make sure the attackers aren’t lying in wait near the breaches to stop you blocking them. You’re Team Bravo.”
“Roger, Issy, leave it with me,” Andy confirmed.
“Don, you there?” Issy asked.
“Here Issy, in Terminal 3 armoury with Joel.” Don replied.
Don White was in his late thirties, with dark hair, beard, and brown eyes. He was a big man, just over six feet tall but also wide and strong. He had been a Staff Sergeant in the army for years, generally whipping new recruits into some semblance of a soldier, and he had been doing the same with some of the civilians over the past few days. He was a strong team leader and had worked well with Issy and her team when they had taken back control of the Tower a few days earlier.
“Don, how many with you?”
“About forty,” came the response.
“OK, you’re Team Alpha. Protect the buildings, we don’t want the attackers getting inside. Send a couple of soldiers to the Terminal 3 entrance to link up with me.”
“Roger, Issy.”
“Joel, I want you and the other pilots near the heli’s in case we need them.”
“Roger, Issy.”
“I want all snipers to the roof or where you can get a good view of the airport and start picking off targets.”
Issy arrived at the entrance to Terminal 3. “Anyone else out there?”
There was no response.
Issy knew that they were thin on the ground with Bear and Irish having taken a large team up North, but this was far worse than she’d thought. She’d expected there to be some guards on stakeout around the perimeter as a minimum, but perhaps they had been taken out when the bombs had gone off. Whatever the answer, there were currently no perimeter guards. She made a mental note that they’d have to be far more careful and organised going forwards, but first, they had to get through this.
“Jack, Major?”
“Here Issy,” Jack replied.
“Here Issy,” the Major confirmed.
“Start getting civilians armed. Try and place them at windows or in vehicles where they can shoot without risking themselves. Tell them to hit anything wandering around inside the perimeter.”
“Roger,” came through her earpiece from each of them.
Issy got out of her van and ran to the entrance of Terminal 3, where there were three soldiers waiting for her.
“You, with me,” Issy ordered pointing to the first soldier standing there. She then pointed to the second and third, “you two keep guard of this entrance. Fall back inside and lock up if you get overwhelmed. Shoot anything that moves.”
Issy then ran another twenty metres to her Panther patrol vehicle, with the soldier she’d selected in hot pursuit. The Panther was the only practical fighting vehicle they had and Issy made another mental note to get some more Panthers or a few tanks. The Panther weighed seven tons and had a 7.62mm L7 General Purpose Machine Gun on top of it and a night vision sighting system. It looked a little like a customised Hummer and was a serious piece of kit.
“You’re driving,” she ordered the soldier. “Head to the Northern Perimeter where the first bomb went off.”
Issy climbed into the back of the vehicle and quickly changed into her combat gear and used a container of blood to cover herself. She then climbed up into the turret, ready to unleash the GPMG.
The Panther cleared Terminal 3 and roared across the
tarmac towards the North East corner of the airport. She could see shapes begin to emerge from all the smoke and as they got closer she opened up with the GPMG. The zombies – if they were zombies – were shredded by the large calibre gun, and Issy knew that if they were zombies and hadn’t been hit in the head, they’d get back up and continue moving or crawling along.
They arrived at the first breach and Issy continued firing. “Keep driving around near the breach and run the fuckers over,” she ordered the driver.
The Panther drove around, crunching over zombies and with the GPMG blazing away.
A few minutes later Issy saw the first buses heading in her direction and quickly ordered the Panther driver to stop.
The first of a long line of coaches pulled up to the first perimeter breach, smashing into a horde of zombies trying to enter the airport. As soon as the vehicle stopped, two soldiers inside started picking off targets through the broken windows. The breach was wider than the coach, so another pulled up behind it until they were touching, and another two soldiers started firing at the targets below them. The rest of the coaches moved on, following the perimeter and looking for the next breach.
Issy waited a moment to see if the soldiers on the coaches would be shot at from outside the airport, but nothing happened so she ordered the Panther driver to follow the rest of the coaches heading towards the next breach, using the GMPG to help reduce the number of zombies on the ground inside the perimeter. Once the perimeter was finally sealed, she would need to climb down from the Panther and start clearing the area with her MP5 and her trusty knife.
So far, things appeared to be working as she anticipated, but things had only just got started and there was a long way to go.
52
Day 13 – 21:00
Tower of London
Daniel was enjoying a glass of cold beer in the Yeoman Warders Club, also known as ‘The Keys’, a private pub situated unobtrusively in the Southern Outer Wall of the Tower. It was the only remaining bar in the Tower and was about the size of a tennis court with a parquet wooden floor, wooden tables and red leather padded seats and benches. The room had various paintings and pictures on the wall and display cabinets showings all kinds of memorabilia. The Warders had their own beers specially brewed for them; a Beefeater Bitter and a Yeoman 1485 lager, although both were beginning to run out. There was also a selection of Beefeater Gin and other spirits. Before the outbreak, only the Warders and their family or guests could use it, but now it was the main watering hole for all the occupants at the Tower.
Daniel was talking to two of his fellow Leaders from Heathrow, Sean and Travis. The gathering also included Isaac, Zak and Grace, although Isaac and Grace were more interested in each other than the conversation going on around them.
Isaac was eighteen, six feet tall and devilishly handsome. His half-brother Zak was a couple of years younger and a few inches shorter. Both were of African descent, both slim with black curly hair and deep brown eyes, but where Isaac had filled out a little, Zak was almost gangly. Grace was seventeen and five feet four inches tall. She was a slim half-caste girl with a very pretty face and piercing green eyes with straightened hair down to her shoulders. Isaac had recently got together with Grace without knowing that she was Mamba’s niece. If he’d known, he’d never have gone near her, but as it happened, she disliked Mamba as much as Isaac and Zak did. The three of them had switched sides and had been instrumental in helping Daniel reclaim the Tower from the East End gang which had taken it over.
As they discussed cordoning off the surrounding area with vehicles and that day’s scavenging, there was a massive explosion which shook the whole room, pictures rattling against the walls, cabinets rattling and a few crashes as glasses and other objects fell to the floor and smashed.
Daniel put down his drink and was heading for the exit when a second explosion shook the room. He clicked his comms which were linked to key people in the Tower, the Green Park Estate and people in the Security Command centre.
“Daniel here, what’s going on?” he asked.
“Looks like a couple of bombs have gone off outside the walls,” one of the Tower guards replied as there was another massive bang. “Make that three.”
“Where?” Daniel demanded.
“The first was by the main entrance, the second further along Petty Wales and the third to the North West by Tower Hill.” Another loud explosion ripped across the area quickly followed by a fifth and a sixth.
“What the fuck?” Daniel asked as he stepped outside.
“Three more down our Eastern flank,” came the response. “All outside the walls.”
“Heathrow? You getting all this?” Daniel asked. “We’re under attack.”
“This is Susy in the Security Command Centre, and yes, I’m picking you up loud and clear, Daniel. We’ve had some bombs go off here as well and the perimeter has been breached.”
“Any idea what’s going on, who’s doing this?”
“Not yet. Issy is coordinating a response but we’re not going to be able to help you. I’ll contact Battersea and ask Dave to send his Apache for support.”
“Thanks Susy, keep me posted,” Daniel ordered.
“Will do.”
Daniel ran down the Outer Ward to the nearest set of steps leading to the Outer ramparts, closely followed by Sean and Travis then Isaac, Zak and Grace. They all picked up rifles from a stockpile on the way. The light from the explosions and accompanying fires lit the night sky so they could easily see where they were going.
Once on the rampart Daniel looked all around to see the aftermath of the bombs. The bottom half of the buildings surrounding the Tower were shining in the firelight and looked decimated with glass and debris still tumbling to the ground.
People were beginning to emerge from various buildings inside the Tower, looking shocked, confused and scared. Daniel quickly ordered the guards to get them back inside and make sure the portcullis was down and all access doors closed and locked.
He then ran to the edge of the Eastern rampart overlooking Tower Bridge Approach and the Tower Bridge Hotel. He carefully looked down towards the spot where one of the bombs had obviously exploded and watched as the smoke dissipated to reveal a large crater.
Daniel wondered why the bombs had been placed so far away from the Tower’s walls, but then he realised that the bombers probably wouldn’t have been able to get too close because there was a moat all the way around the Tower which contained a sea of trapped zombies. In any case, despite the obvious strength of the bombs, they still wouldn’t have done too much damage to the Tower’s outer walls.
Then Daniel realised why the bombs had been placed further away; it wasn’t an attempt to breach the Tower itself but was a successful attempt to wreck the safety cordon and instil terror to those within the Tower. Daniel could already see hordes of zombies shuffling through the gaps in the cordon where the vehicles had once formed a ‘fence’, and which had now been blown in all directions.
Daniel quickly clicked his comms and ordered anyone outside the Tower to get inside and lock up as soon as possible.
By then, the others had joined Daniel on the rampart.
“I don’t think this is a serious attack,” Sean suggested. “I think whoever is behind this is just testing us out and disrupting what we’re doing. We’ll have to clear the area again and rebuild the cordon, nothing too difficult, just a pain in the arse.”
Sean pointed towards the moat and a burning van which had obviously been catapulted into it by one of the bombs. It had landed in the sea of zombies and was burning furiously, causing the nearby zombies to catch alight. The fire spread through the zombies like a bushfire and it wasn’t long before the stench of burning flesh filled the air and wisps of charred flesh began wafting around on the breeze.
Daniel was still looking around, wondering where the bombers might be hiding. For all he knew, they could be watching him right now. He instinctively ducked down, hoping they didn’t have rifles or could
n’t shoot straight. It then dawned on him that the hotel was no longer protected so he quickly clicked his comms.
“Geoff, you there?” Daniel asked. Geoff was the hotel manager.
A few seconds later he heard Geoff in his earpiece, “Here Daniel, what’s going on?”
“Looks like some bombs have gone off and the cordon has been breached, so if you have any people outside, get them in now.”
“It’s worse than that,” Geoff replied, “some of our windows have been shattered so if the cordon has been breached the zombies will be able to get inside the hotel.”
“Then barricade yourselves in. You’ve done it before. Use whatever you can to block the gaps, and worst case, get everyone back up to the mezzanine and block the stairs. We’ll try and get to you as soon as we can, but it may take a while.”
“OK Daniel, I’m on it,” came the response.
“I’ll bet it’s Mamba,” Grace muttered.
“Some bombs have also gone off at Heathrow,” Daniel advised, “so if it is Mamba, then he’s either in two places at once or he’s found himself some helpers.”
Before Daniel could say anything further, he heard a harried Samata speaking to him in his earpiece from the Green Park Estate.
“Daniel, you there?” Samata asked.
“I’m here Samata, it’s not a good time…”
“We’ve been bombed!” Samata almost screamed.
53
Day 13 – 21:00
Green Park Estate, Stepney
Most people in the Green Park Estate were indoors. Only those on guard duty were outside, other than a few youngsters running around the stairwells and along the corridors.
Just after 9pm the barricade at the front of the horseshoe exploded, sending wood, scaffolding and other metals and rubble in all directions, killing the guards instantly and smashing almost every window facing the front of the building.
