Noah jumped onto the fire escape, and twisted to the side, just as a ball of flames licked out the window. He could hear the ceiling collapse.
He had no time to think about all his worldly possessions going up in smoke; he had to get away from the burning building.
With a hard boot, the fire escape’s ladder rolled down into the alley with a grinding, grating screech. He hooked the rifle over his shoulders, wedging it against the pack. With difficulty, he swung around and started to climb down. The weight from the two bags was astonishing; he was already sweating.
The weight will soon go when I start eating the food. Then I will be wishing it was still as heavy.
Noah jogged to the end of the alley, away from the burning building. Fire spewed out the back of the hairdressers, igniting the piles of rubbish.
Now what? Where to now? Should I head towards Bakers Park woods and set up camp there, or find an empty house to hold up in, while there is still electricity I can use, and maybe food the homeowner has left behind?
As he rounded the corner onto the main street, the choice was taken out of his hands.
6
Doctor Lazaro
Exeter University
The Gym, Bio-pod Area
8:38 AM GMT
Inside the first pod, a middle-aged woman sat on a metal bench that was secured to the gym’s floor. Next to her was an old man in his sixties and a child of about nine. They were all dressed in white medical one-piece garments, with attached boots, just leaving the hands and face free.
Dr. Lazaro knew there had to be a reason why the three civilians were locked away in a containment pod. Her first instincts were to spin around and demand an answer from the general, until the scientific part of her mind kicked in.
What is wrong with their eyes, why are they all blinking so much?
All three were blinking repeatedly, almost nonstop, and they had red rings around their orbits, with what looked like small veins over their puffy eyelids and cheeks.
Realization dawned.
“It is stage one, isn’t it?” she asked, while not taking her eyes off them.
The woman sat crying while blinking, as she rocked back and forth. The man sat rigid, and apart from his eyes, only his hands showed any movement as he clicked his nails together. The boy was now walking back and forth like a caged animal, while constantly rubbing his eyes and mumbling something to himself.
“Yes,” the general stated. “It is stage one, just like you described.” He did not turn his head to talk to Melanie, but kept staring into the pod.
She ignored the sounds coming from the third pod, and concentrated on the first. She would get to see what sounded so animalistic in a moment.
“The first stage lasts about five days to a week. It starts with the newly infected blinking uncontrollably. There is a condition called blepharospasm, which is a condition characterized by the persons rapid, uncontrolled blinking and even involuntary eye closure. One specialist tells me that it is a form of dystonia, wherein the nervous system signals the muscles to contract inappropriately. Towards the end of stage one, the blinking is accompanied by other quick facial changes such as eye rolling and severe grimacing.”
The boy sat back down, while still rubbing his eyes. He started to rock back and forth, as if copying the woman. None of the three took any notice of Melanie and the general stood staring in.
Either they are used to being caged like animals, or part of the infection starts by changing the brain’s chemistry, or they have no recollection of who they are, or where they are.
“They have bouts of cogitative moments, where they remember who they are and demand to know what is happening. Then, just as suddenly, they withdraw into themselves. It gets worse as the week draws on. By the end of stage one, they are mutes.” The general stated, answering her unspoken question.
Melanie’s faceplate was steaming up from breathing so hard. Instinctively, she went to wipe the moisture away, before realizing it was on the inside.
“Over here,” the general said, while walking the short gap to the second pod, “is where you can see stage two.”
Melanie followed closely behind. The type II hazmat suit was awkward to move in, and was making her sweat. Condensation was running down the faceplate.
The pod was identical to the first, but inside none of the five people was moving. It looked like they were in some type of coma. They were in different positions. A man in his early twenties was laid out on his back. A female child of about six was crouched in a corner. An older male and female, possibly in their seventies, was leant up against each other on a bench. Lastly, a female in her late thirties was laid face down on the floor. All were wearing the same one-piece medical garments as pod one.
Melanie had to stare hard to notice that any of them were breathing. There was just a hint of chest movement.
“During the second stage, which lasts two, sometimes three days, the host goes into a catatonic state, similar to a coma patient.” The general raised a hand and pointed at the closest person to them – the man on his back.
“Have you noticed the eyes and throat?”
It was the first things she had noticed when she looked in. The eyes were slightly enlarged and swollen, with thick veins mapped across the forehead and cheeks – they look red raw, much worse than stage one. The throat was also different, looking bloated and inflamed, with the same engorged veins.
“The reason for the throat becomes obvious in the third pod.”
This was the pod she was not looking forward to looking in. The sounds coming from it made the hair on the nape of her neck stand on end. She had been trying to block out the screaming and guttural noises since she had entered the contained side of the gym.
Something caught her eye. Inside the smaller high containment isolator unit, which was between pod two and three, a teenage girl of about fourteen was being dissected by a doctor in a type I hazmat suit, with his hands going into the until via thick rubber gloves. The girls head was right back, with her neck sliced open vertically, revealing the swollen insides.
Melanie moved over to the smaller chamber to get a better look.
The general noticed where she was heading and followed her.
The man was scraping tissue, to collect a sample from inside the enlarged throat.
“The neck muscles have completely changed, and the throat has widened.” She muttered to herself. The general must have thought she was talking to him.
“Doctor Dresner is our otolaryngologists, an ear, and nose and throat specialist. He used to work at the Royal Devon and Exeter hospital in Wonford, obviously in the Otolaryngology department. A nicely located building, but simply too big to protect.”
The general pushed a button on the unit, enabling him to talk to the doctor working inside.
“Doctor Dresner. Any new findings?”
The short, tubby doctor inside turned to the two figures stood outside the high containment isolator unit. He looked clumsy and hot in the bulky suit. The arms and legs were far too long for him, and the extra material seemed to weigh his arms down.
“Ah, general. Nothing new I am afraid. I’m just re-examining the masseter jaw muscles and the clavicular and sternal muscles.” The doctor turned back to look at the young girl on the metal Gurney table. “Such a shame.”
“Thank you doctor. Please continue.”
Dr. Dresner simply nodded and pushed his hands back into the thick rubber gloves connected to the unit.
The general looked into Melanie’s faceplate for the first time since donning the suit.
“I’m afraid the third pod is by far the worst,” the general stated while leading the way.
Melanie followed closely behind. Her breath caught in her throat. She was completely unprepared for what pod three contained.
7
Noah
Newton Abbot
Courtney Street near Market Square
8:54 AM GMT
Noah stood motionless.
In front of him, maybe thirty feet away, was the four yobs that set light to the building next to his flat.
They did not notice him; they were too busy heading across the street, while shouting and swearing at each other, and smacking objects around with their assortment of weapons.
Red hoody swung his head around, to avoid a tied-up carrier bag of rubbish that one of his mates had just kicked at him, and in that instant spotted Noah stood motionless with his two bags strapped to him, his gasmask on, and his hands at his sides.
“What ‘av we here then, boys?” red hoody said while pointing the samurai sword in Noah’s direction. His mates turned to see what he was going on about.
Red hoody looked to be in his late teens, possibly eighteen, or nineteen. He was skinny, and his clothes were dirty and hanging on him as if they were a couple of sizes too big. His white baseball cap was poking out from under his red hoody.
“What you got in the bag’s mate?” One of the other yobs asked. He was much thicker set, looking slightly overweight, with a grey tracksuit on. The front of his zip up top was covered in what looked like blood, and it was dripping off the cricket bat he was holding.
“Yeah, what’s in the bags asshole?” A small, runty looking boy asked who only looked about twelve, with a Manchester United tee shirt on, and he had a baseball bat resting over his shoulder against a black bomber jacket. The left leg of his grey tracksuit trousers was rolled up, for some reason, showing off his pulled up dirty white sock, and a tatty white trainer.
The last one in the group was much older, looking about thirty, but he didn’t say a word, simply stared, unblinking. Noah noticed he wasn’t swinging the curtain pole like a weapon, but was using it as a walking stick. His baseball cap was pulled down low, so it was hard to see what he was staring at. He was the only one not wearing a tracksuit. Instead, he had on jeans and a long army poncho that went down to his knees.
The group of four yobs had turned towards Noah’s direction, and was slowly inching towards him, while fanning out like a wolf pack on the hunt.
“My brother asked you a question, wanker!” Red hoody stated.
“I don’t want any trouble,” Noah said, which sounded muffled due to the gasmask.
“Well you found some mate,” red hoody replied, with a snort, while swinging the sword from side to side. It looked like a cheap replica, which the teenager had obviously tried to sharpen. “And what’s with the gasmask?”
Noah ignored the questions. He shifted to the side and swung the 22. air rifle off his shoulder, while swinging it around. He held it out, pointing it at red hoody’s spotty face.
“Come no closer.”
The four stopped.
“It’s just an air rifle, init,” the small runty looking kid said.
“It will still take your eye out from this distance,” Noah stated, while swinging it to point at the young chav with the baseball bat.
The boy hopped to one side. “Watch where you’re pointing that fucking thing!”
“Or it could do some real damage hitting you in the head. It has special pointed lead pellets. How would you like one rattling around inside your skull?”
“I said stop fucking pointing it at me!” The small lad was ducking behind his brother with the red hoody.
“You can only shoot one pellet at once, and when you reload, we will rush ya, like,” the blood covered, tracksuit lad said.
“Yeah, just one bullet. But one of you would get it in the face. Would you be willing to risk it won’t be you?” Noah said swinging the rifle to point at the person with the cricket bat. He also hoped using the word bullet would make it sound more threatening.
“Okay. Okay. You made ya point. We have no beef with you mate,” red hoody said while starting to back away. “Just messing is all. No harm, no foul.” Without taking his eyes of Noah, he said, “Come on guys, let’s head over to Abigail’s, and see if the dumb bitch is awake yet?”
Noah stood rock still, staring down the barrel, just to the side of the scope, watching them back off and head in the other direction.
The older person stood his ground. He was the only one who hadn’t spoken. He gave Noah a long penetrating stare, and simply gave a nod, then turned to follow the others, limping slightly.
Red hoody shouted over his shoulder, “We shall see you around mate. You better sleep with one eye open, and your hand on that rifle.”
The four headed across the taxi rank, and into the market precinct. The grey tracksuit lad smashed a window of a burnt-out taxi with the cricket bat.
Noah did not move until the group had disappeared around the corner. He then lowered the rifle. His arms ached from holding it up for so long. He did not swing it back over his shoulder, but kept hold of it. His legs were shaking from all the adrenaline coursing through his body. His nose was also running, but he had no way of wiping it without removing the gasmask.
Noah turned and started heading in the opposite direction, at a steady jog. He knew he wouldn’t be able to keep the pace up for long, but he wanted to get some distance between him and the yobs, in case they circled around.
A patter of rain started to hit the gasmasks faceplate.
I need to find somewhere safe and warm. Somewhere out of the rain.
Sweat was running down his face and back. He did not realize how unfit he was. Noah kept up the pace as he headed down Queens Street. In the distance, there were a couple of people running across the road, heading into a building. Noah crossed over the street, to keep distance between him and them.
It was a man and a woman. The man was holding a child of about two in his arms. The woman was pushing a pram full of black bin bags. The twenty something woman fumbled with some keys and got the door open. They scuttled inside, slamming the door behind them.
Noah jogged past wetherspoons. All the windows at the front of the pub were smashed. He could see that all the chairs and tables inside were thrown about as if by a hurricane.
He navigated around some chairs that lay in the street, along with a smashed up fruit machine that someone had dragged outside.
Every now and then, he would get the sense that someone was watching him. As he looked up, he would see a curtain twitch. Everyone was hiding, hoping for rescue, waiting for the cavalry to arrive, to save them from the wandering vandals and thieves.
Queens Street looked like a war zone. Almost every shop window was vandalized. He needed to get away from the shops. There were plenty of empty flats above them, but he did not want to risk having the shop beneath set alight again. He decided his best bet was finding an abandoned house where he could squat for a while.
Noah took the first right, heading up Kings Street, past a Cantonese restaurant. On the left-hand side was a long row of houses. If one caught alight they would all burn. On the right were large business buildings. A three-story mortgage company, a paint center, and a dance studio. All were unaffected by vandalism.
He slowed his pace. He was too exhausted to jog any further. His breathing was deafening inside the mask. The bags were digging into his shoulders, killing his back. He had only travelled the length of a couple of streets.
Maybe I will look for a shopping trolley or cart of some kind, he thought.
The rain was getting heavier. Water was running down the back of his neck. He needed to get out of the rain until the clouds passed, and he desperately needed a drink of water.
Between the Mortgage Company and paint center was a car park, with small outbuildings nestled at the back. Noah headed towards them, hoping to find a door or window he could get through.
I hope that there will be a toilet and the power would still be on.
He picked a small one-story building that had a steep pitched roof that was joined to the mortgage company’s larger building.
Noah walked around the back down a small lane. It was the only way in or out. He was a bit worried that if he stayed here he would be cornered. However, he needed to rest, to take the bags off, even if it was only fo
r an hour or so.
There were a few small windows, which he would not be able to fit through. The door looked flimsy, and with one good shove; the lock gave way, and the door swung open. The room was the company’s break room. The area was almost twice the size of his burnt out flat. He shut the door, pulled a chair across, and wedged it under the handle.
There were a few doors on one wall. He hoped one was a toilet. At one end of the room was a splattering of comfortable looking chairs, and a long couch, with a few tables, along with a vending food and drink’s machine. A plasma TV was attached to a wall, next to the seating. At the other end of the room were a pool table, an Altered Beast video game, and an Indiana Jones pinball machine. In the middle, against the wall were a couple units with a sink, and a microwave.
Noah gave a long sigh as he took the pack off his back, and the smaller one of his chest. He was just stretching the knots out of his back when a voice said, “One wrong move, and I will put an arrow through the back of your head!”
8
Doctor Lazaro
Exeter University
The Gym, Bio-pod Area
9:07 AM GMT
Pod three was a slightly different shape to the other two pods; this one was thinner and longer, and sectioned into two units. The occupants were a lot different as well.
Melanie now knew what was making the animalistic sounds she had been hearing since entering the gym.
It was a little difficult to see who was in the first unit because the thick glass was covered in blood; smears and splashes of the crimson liquid saturated the sides. She could even see a tooth stuck to the glass in a blob of congealed blood. However, Melanie could just make out a figure crouched in one corner. It looked male, but that is all she could determine through the red smears.
“The male is forty-three,” the general stated. “It’s a little hard to tell, because of the mess.” He coughed to clear his throat, and then his voice became business like.
The Sixth Extinction 1: An Apocalyptic Tale of Survival. (Part One: Outbreak.) Page 4