Capital Falling | Book 4 | Sever

by Winkless, Lance

  “Yes, take me with you, please take me with you,” the woman says, the door opening back up without a second thought, her face showing a glimmer of hope that must have seemed lost to her.

  “Okay, what’s your name?”

  “It’s Tanya,” the young woman tells me, the door widening. She can’t be much older than Stacey, I think, as she reveals more of herself.

  “Get behind me Tanya and we’ll go and get Karen and Jim,” I tell her, nodding behind me.

  “Where are they?” she asks as she finally emerges from her sanctuary to fall in behind me.

  “They are in one of the offices over there,” I tell her pointing with the M4’s muzzle. “You need to be quiet now and stay behind me. If anything happens drop to the floor and find somewhere to hide, understand?” I order.

  Tanya’s fearful face nods at me, her body crouching to mirror mine. I am pleased to see that the young woman is wearing sensible shoes, even if they don’t seem to match the formal, but worn, office trouser suit she is wearing.

  I move out and Tanya does as she is told, she stays silent and follows close behind as I stalk across the office. I scan the entire area as we move, but the M4 points right, towards the enclosed offices, and more importantly towards the entrance off the reception area. I am incredibly nervous that the commotion that has taken place in here, especially the exploding pane of glass, will have given away our position to other Rabids in the building. I have no confidence that the plastic tree wrapped around the adjacent office’s door handles will lock one zombie inside, much less a horde of zombies. I have visions of them bursting through to overwhelm us at any moment.

  Tanya and I manage to cross over to the other side of the open-plan office before the imaginary army of the undead rain down on us. Maybe, I haven’t given the plastic tree enough credit, I joke to myself, but know that actually, I have.

  Phil Matlock’s nameplate is mounted on the third door from the left, which is painted in a ‘lovely’ shade of blue. I usher Tanya to the left of me, out of direct line with the door, and once she is in position, I tap on the door with my knuckles.

  Before my knuckles have had a chance to complete their third tap, the door handle is depressed from inside and a crack of light appears next to me. A beady eye looks at me through the crack for a second before the crack widens.

  “Andy, thank God! It’s so good to see you,” Jim announces with a broad, grateful smile cracking his dirty, tired face.

  In his excitement, he tries to leave the office and I see Karen behind him, almost pushing him out of the door in her eagerness to leave.

  “Hold on,” I tell both of them, my left hand moving to Jim’s chest to stop him. “Back inside, we’re not leaving yet,” I explain.

  Jim’s expression changes to one of disappointment and confusion as he comes to a stop, as does Karen’s behind him, but she reverses back inside the office and she pulls Jim back with her.

  An awful smell drifts out of the confines of the small office, the stagnant air is thick with the smell of body odour and human faeces. I almost regret telling my two friends to back up and I debate whether to change my decision.

  I don’t change my mind and usher Tanya inside the office before I follow her in, leaving the door open as long as possible. As I shut the door behind me, I feel a gag building in my throat, but manage to control my stomach and cover my reaction with a couple of coughs.

  “It must be rank in here, sorry Andy,” Jim says. Obviously, I didn’t cover my reaction as well as I had hoped.

  “That’s okay, it can’t be helped,” I reply, trying to regain my composure.

  “Tanya, thank God you're okay,” Karen says upon seeing her young colleague.

  Tanya goes straight over to Karen, upset getting the better of her after her ordeal and Karen opens her arms and takes Tanya straight into them to comfort her.

  “We need to wait a while and let things calm down,” I tell everyone.

  “What was the loud crash?” Karen asks from above Tanya’s head.

  “One of the windows shattered from gunfire,” I reply as Karen’s eyes fix on the M4 across my midriff. She has probably never seen a real-life assault rifle before, I think as her eyes widen upon seeing it. “That’s why we need to wait, let things calm down before we leave the building. We’ll give it ten minutes and if everything’s quiet then we’ll go.”

  “Okay, Andy, whatever you say,” Jim says, as I look around the room.

  As I thought, the office is small with no ventilation of its own, apart from one air vent in the ceiling which has stopped working. The only desk inside has been pushed against the left wall to open up the floor space to sleep on, which is where we are all standing. Under the desk is a waste bin that has a folder strategically placed over the top of it. I have no doubt what the waste bin has been used for and my nostrils twitch to confirm it.

  “How was Stacey when you left her?” Karen asks.

  “She was okay. Anxious as you can imagine, but okay,” I tell her.

  “Were things bad outside on the streets?” Jim asks.

  “They weren’t good,” I tell him honestly, without going into any detail. There is no point scaring the shit out of everyone before we go. “That’s why I’m so late, but I am hoping I’ve dealt with the main threat.”

  “What was that?” Jim asks.

  “It doesn’t matter,” I reply as I skirt around him to have a look out of the window. Phil Matlock’s office is positioned on the side of the building, overlooking another tower close by. I can just about see the edge of the Lloyds building, which is down on the right. Luckily, the section I can see of Lloyds includes the side of the building with the entrance I went into and escaped from. Smoke still drifts out of the side of the building and rises into the sky above where the entrance is. I am relieved to see that there aren’t any Rabids near the entrance, and with any luck, the three grenades I left them with have put them all out of action.

  “When we get on the streets we need to move swiftly and as quietly as possible,” I tell them all as I turn away from the window. “The river isn’t that far, but we will run into trouble, I am sure of it. Everyone needs to keep calm and let me deal with it, okay? If you see me giving you this signal,” I pull my fist down from head height, “then get down and take cover. Do you understand?” I ask, and everyone nods their understanding to me.

  “Jim, I am going to need your help to cover our rear. Do you think you can do that?” I ask as I put my rifle down, standing it against the wall so that I can get the rucksack off my back.

  “Yes Andy, I’ll try. How do you want me to do it?” Jim questions.

  “Basically, I’ll lead us, and you follow on behind. Karen and Tanya will be in between the two of us. If you see anything, you will tell me, but you will need this just in case.” I tell him as I pull a Glock handgun out of the rucksack and present it to him.

  “I’ve never used a gun,” Jim says, taking a step back from the weapon as if it might shoot him accidentally.

  “I know you haven’t, and it’s only for emergencies. The first thing you do if you see anything is to make me aware of it. My rifle is silenced, this gun is not, and if you shoot it, the sound could attract more trouble, okay?”

  “Okay,” Jim says nervously, not making any attempt to take the Glock off me.

  “Take the gun Jim,” I tell him. “Or should I ask Karen to have it?”

  Jim glances at his wife and then quickly reaches for the weapon. There is nothing like challenging a man’s masculinity to convince him to step up to the plate.

  Jim holds the Glock and looks down at it like a child. The gun looks oversized in his grasp. Perhaps Karen would have been the better choice after all?

  “Hold it properly,” I tell him with frustration, “by the grip. That’s it, hold it up.”

  Jim’s fist closes around the grip of the weapon and finally, he looks as though he might actually be able to wield it.

  “The safety catch is on,” I sh
ow him. “Try to pull the trigger now, with it on,” I tell him making sure the weapon is pointed away from anyone. He does and nothing happens, the trigger will not depress.

  “If you absolutely need to, flick the safety off, like this,” I show him, reaching over. “Then point and squeeze the trigger. Don’t yank it. Understand?”

  “Yes Andy, I understand,” Jim replies.

  “Don’t take off the safety unless you mean to fire the gun. The trigger is easy to press unintentionally, and we don’t want any accidents.

  “If you do have to fire, aim square into the chest,” I tell him jabbing my hand into my own chest to show him. “A shot to the chest won’t kill these creatures, but it will slow them down. Only a headshot will kill them. If you think you can hit the head, then do it. Okay?”

  “Yes okay. Don’t worry Andy, I can handle it,” Jim says, with some confidence at last, as he raises the Glock to aim it.

  “Good, keep your arms fixed, out straight,” I encourage.

  “Are we going to look for anyone else, before we go, Andy?” Karen asks, with Tanya now stood beside her. I assume that Karen has quickly told the young girl what is happening.

  “No,” I tell her bluntly. “If anyone else was still alive they would have come out to make themselves known, as Tanya did. It’s too risky to start opening doors and asking for trouble. I can’t cover a big group of people either, not effectively.”

  “I agree, totally,” Karen tells me, her self-preservation coming to the fore, which I am pleased to see. That is the mindset we all need and in spades.

  “Good, this is going to be extremely dangerous, with just us, especially when we are out in the open. So, do exactly as I say, when I say. Don’t think you know better because you don’t, believe me. If we get separated, our boat is waiting on the river. On the right of London Bridge, there is a small wharf down there. I take it you all know where that is?”

  “Yes, we know. Don’t we Tanya?” Karen says, and Tanya nods.

  “There are steps down off the bridge on the left if we have to use them. But we will be taking the road right of the main junction on the way and then left to take a small road down to the wharf. Do you all know the way I mean?” They all nod to confirm.

  I dare say that they all know this part of the city well, better than me. I could imagine myself taking a walk down to the river on my lunch breaks if I worked in this area, and I bet they have all done the same.

  “Okay, good,” I say slinging the rucksack back onto my back and turning to pick up the M4. My left hand reaches for the radio on my chest. “Josh receiving, over,” I ask.

  “Receiving. Unchanged here, over,” Josh answers quickly again.

  “Good. We are just about to move out and make our way off floor ten. We have one extra civilian, so that is me and three others, confirm over.”

  “Confirm, four total, over,” Josh replies.

  “ETA, fifteen to twenty minutes. Out.”

  “Copy.”

  I look at the three civilians, who look extremely nervous, but determined. Jim’s knuckles are beginning to whiten on the grip of the Glock, and I tell him to relax as I skirt back towards the office door, which he does.

  “This is it,” I say turning to face the others. “Keep calm and stay behind me. If any of you see anything, Jim in particular, then tell me, as quietly as possible. If I pick up the pace or slow down, then so do you.

  “There is going to be hideous scenes on the way, blood, and guts. I shot several creatures in the stairwell on the way up and it will be gruesome, so prepare yourselves. If you can’t handle it, then don’t look, keep your eyes fixed on me. We cannot afford panic; panic will get us killed. So, concentrate on getting out of here and concentrate on me. Any questions?”

  “We are ready, Andy,” Karen speaks for them all, after a moment’s silence.

  “Good, then let’s go.”

  Chapter 18

  Welcome air from the main office fills my lungs through the crack in the door that I make to check outside the small rancid office. The room is just as I left it minutes before, it seems that we have got away with the exploding window.

  I signal for the others to stay where they are and pull the door wider so that I can slip through. Behind my rifle, I move down the room at double-time to take up a position at the entrance to the reception. Nothing moves, so I wave my hand behind me to signal to Karen to lead the others down to my position.

  Glancing back to see them come, I notice the two women have copied my stance and stay low while they scurry over to me. Behind them, Jim brings up the rear, he too has his head down, with the Glock gripped in both of his hands, the gun high up next to his head. His stance reminds me of Clint Eastwood in his old Dirty Harry cop movies, but at least Jim has the barrel pointing upwards where he can’t shoot any of our group.

  Jim does a good job covering the rear as I move across reception arriving at the company’s double-doored entrance. Staying on my feet, I push against one of the doors to give me a view of the foyer beyond, and I am pleased to see that the plastic tree, I derided, is still in place and that the foyer is empty. I tell Karen to stay put and I slip out of the entrance, the door closing behind me.

  I am wary of the door to the Gents on my right and the other to the Ladies farther along the foyer. Either doorway could suddenly open, bringing with it a Rabid attack. The doors swing inward though, and I rely on that keeping any creatures that might be inside, trapped there.

  Quickly, I move double-time past the doors and into the corridor that leads to the stairwell. The route is clear, so without delay, I return to get the others. I hold the door to Cole & Co open to let everyone out, my rifle pointing right, covering the threat from the toilets. With Jim out last, I follow the group, covering the doors the whole time. This means that I can’t be upfront to lead the way, but I can’t be in two places at the same time and right now I consider the foyer to be the biggest threat.

  We reach the entrance to the stairwell without incident and after taking the obligatory look through the glass panel in the door, I open it.

  Death is in the air of the stairwell; it rises to assault both our noses and our confidence. Everyone’s complexion has taken on a shade of sickly green, something that I cannot hide either.

  “This is going to get gory,” I warn everyone before I move to the first flight of steps down.

  There is no hiding the slaughter when we reach the floors of my fight with the undead, but at least they all get a warning that we are entering the carnage, blood-splattered walls give them the signal, as well as my words.

  My speech, warning them to avoid looking at the ripped flesh and mangled bodies, if they didn’t think they could handle it, sounds ridiculous as I play it back in my head. I can barely handle it myself as I reach the bodies and certainly cannot avoid looking at the carnage once again.

  A whimper comes from behind me, as somebody struggles with the horror show, and that sound is quickly followed by a sickly urge from someone else. All our eyes must look upon the twisted bodies strewn across the stairs to avoid stepping on them or putting a foot into the large pools of dark congealed blood.

  I point the M4 forward and try to get us past the slaughter as quickly as possible. I can’t help myself taking one last look at the petrified face of the man whose guts have been fed upon as I go, brain matter still slowly running down the steps, as they will until the air overrides gravity and dries them out.

  Just as I allow myself to think that the worst is over, my eyes fall on the screaming female Rabid, her face frozen in that desperate scream. Blood crowns the wall behind her and the body that has tumbled onto her cannot hide the bones jutting out of the skin of her crumpled, thin legs.

  “Steady now,” Jim’s voice sounds behind me.

  I turn to see Jim quickly move to put his arm around Tanya’s waist, helping to hold her up. The poor girl’s face is white as a sheet from the horror, and her legs are unsteady beneath her. I stop and wait just past t
he crumpled legs on floor six to see if Jim needs help, but he tells me he can handle it.

  “That’s the worst of it over,” I tell everyone as we reach floor five and stop to take a breather.

  “That was horrendous,” Karen says, panting deeply to get oxygen back up to her dizzy head.

  “I’m sorry but it couldn’t be avoided,” I reply, breathing heavily myself.

  “No, I expect the other stairwell would have been just as bad,” Karen guesses.

  “I didn’t even know there were other stairs,” I reply.

  “Yes, on the other side of the building,” Karen tells me.

  “They would have been too dangerous anyway, I haven’t cleared them.”

  “Did you kill all of those… people?” Karen asks innocently.

  “Yes, I’m afraid so, but they weren’t people. They attacked me,” I tell her defensively.

  “Oh, I’m sorry Andy. I didn’t mean it to sound like that. Of course, they weren’t people,” Karen says, looking mortified at her choice of words.

  “Don’t worry, Karen. I know what you meant.”

  “My heads all over the place,” she tells me rolling her eyes.

  “How are you feeling, Tanya?” I ask, changing the subject.

  “Better,” she manages to reply, but she still looks ill.

  “Are you okay to continue?”

  “Yes, let’s get out of here,” she replies trying her best to stand straight.

  “I’ve got her,” Jim tells me, nodding his head forward, the Glock waving in the air behind him. He is eager to leave the rank stairwell behind, as we all are.

  We descend the remaining floors slowly and steadily, and I check each level as we reach it and glance to check on Tanya intermittently. Her colour begins to return, and she is climbing down the stairs unaided as we close in on the bottom of the tower.

  When we reach the door that I entered the stairwell through, we stop again to take another breather. I retrieve a bottle of water from my rucksack, take a swig and then offer it around. Everyone shares the bottle gratefully and Jim gulps down the last of the water while I peer out of the glass panel in the door.