by Hatchett
When he was sure Mamba was otherwise engaged, Isaac sneaked a quick look around the group; Mamba, Skelly and Ahmed, all lieutenants and veterans of the gang with matching tattoos on their necks to signify their seniority, were in a huddle having a private discussion. Then there was himself, Zak, Grace, and Nelson, all tattoo-free and the new generation to find themselves automatically inducted as gang members. Then there were the regular foot gang members; those who were not equipped to be leaders but had the necessary skills required for gang membership. Isaac didn’t know any of them, except by sight, although he knew most of their names, and for those he didn’t, he picked them up over the past few hours. There was Knock, who had asked a question earlier, and Fish, Dodge, Bird and Smiley making up the twelve.
Fish was a funny character; he was twenty-three and stood at six feet three and was muscled. Sometime in his past his tongue had been removed so he could no longer talk. He got his point across through gestures, although from what Isaac had seen so far, these gestures were relatively basic and usually involved one or two fingers. He had obviously got his nickname because his mouth continually opened and closed like a trout which had just been plucked from a river.
Dodge was twenty-four and six feet two inches tall. It was a surprise that he was even with the group as no one could usually find him; hence the nickname. He tended to avoid people, lurked in the shadows and not much was known about him, as far as Isaac was concerned anyway.
Bird was also twenty-four but stood at six feet four inches, the same height as his brother Smiley. Bird’s nickname came from the fact that he had spent most of his life behind bars; juvenile detention when a minor, then he graduated to jail terms for various offences including armed robbery, Grievous bodily harm, and sexual assault to name but a few. Smiley was a couple of years younger at twenty-two; he had followed in his brother’s footsteps but had learnt lessons from seeing what had happened to his brother and had not been caught doing anything serious. Whereas Bird was impetuous, Smiley was more cunning and could hold a grudge for eternity; he would carefully pick a time and place for any payback due. He and his brother were as thick as thieves and backed each other without question. Smiley did not have a pleasant and happy outlook on life; his nickname was partly sarcasm and partly due to a scar from his mouth to his right ear from a knife fight a few years earlier; the other guy hadn’t got back up.
Isaac was not feeling particularly safe surrounded by eight seriously hard nutcases, even if they were supposed to be on the same side. They were animals if he was being honest, and one wrong word or look could see him with a knife sticking out of his body at any second. This was on top of his concerns about Grace and her uncle and he was seriously beginning to wonder whether he was cut out for gang membership. In his reverie, he failed to notice that Mamba and the other leaders had finished their conversation and had returned. He nearly jumped out of his skin when Mamba spoke.
“Time to learn how to set up a new zip to a higher buildin’, this one is twelve stories high and we’re at seven stories,” Mamba advised before taking out some implements from various bags and heading to the Western wall. The rest of the group followed him and made a semi-circle around him.
“Any ideas?” Mamba enquired. “What about you Pinky?”
Isaac knew he was being picked on and he also knew that this was likely to continue forever so he just had to soak it up.
“Throw a grapplin’ hook with the line across the gap and onto the roof?” Isaac nervously suggested.
“Nice try Pinky, but you ain’t gonna throw the line that far. Might be able to do it if the buildin’ was lower and closer, but in this case the buildin’ opposite is higher, so we have two choices; get a line going down and then climb up to the roof, or we shoot two lines onto the roof and use one to pull ourselves up. To shoot the line, we have this,” Mamba indicated what looked like a bazooka on the floor next to him. “This here’s a harpoon. It shoots a metal arrow which will imbed itself into a wall and when you try to pull it out, these bits open and hold fast. Which way should we do it Pinky?”
Isaac looked closely at the building they were aiming for and considered the different options. There was a glassed stairwell directly opposite which looked deserted, but he picked up his glasses to make sure. “How accurate is that harpoon?” he asked.
“Not very,” Mamba responded.
“I would aim for the stairwell,” Isaac advised.
“Why?” Mamba asked intrigued.
“Well, you can’t shoot for the roof ‘cos you can’t see what you’re aimin’ at and you can’t hit the wall near the top with any certainty. You could shoot it into the wall opposite but then you’ve gotta climb up somehow. If we hit the stairwell, we can climb the stairs to the roof.”
“Not bad,” Mamba replied, “but we could get cut goin’ through glass and we don’t know if there are any zombies in the stairwell.”
“The first person down could stop before the stairwell, kick out the glass and shoot any zombies” Isaac suggested without thinking.
“Good of you to volunteer Pinky,” Mamba advised with a sly smile, “I’d have gone for the wall, then used these” he said indicating what looked like metal spikes he’d just taken out of one of the bags. “You slide down to the wall then make yourself some steps up usin’ these pitons. Once on the roof, you can shoot a line back here. If you do it properly, no one knows. Get all the facts before you make a decision Pinky, but I like your suggestion and I don’t care who hears or sees us so let’s give it a go.”
Isaac was even more nervous as Mamba raised the harpoon and aimed for the stairwell. “Let’s hope there’s no one in there,” he said with a little chuckle as he shot the arrow across the gap and through the glass. There was a shattering of glass followed by a loud echoing bang as the arrow hit something in the stairwell. Mamba dropped the harpoon and grabbed hold of the zip and gave it a big tug. Once he was happy that the arrow was secure on the other end, he drilled a hoop into the concrete roof he was standing on and attached the other end of the zip, making sure everything was held fast.
“Let’s hope the arrow doesn’t come undone or you’re meat for the horde,” Mamba noted as he looked over the wall at the zombies below.
Isaac grabbed his bag and replaced the semi-automatic he had been using. He selected a smaller automatic weapon, one which he could move in a confined space. He added a small pistol to one of his pockets, careful to ensure the safety was on. As he did so, Zak moved to the wall with his gun and glasses and started checking the stairwell and nearby windows to see if all the noise had alerted anyone. Isaac moved towards the wall, Grace squeezing his arm gently in support. He clipped his pulley onto the zip and ensured the pulley was connected correctly to his harness. He sat on the wall then swivelled so that he was facing the building opposite. Grace picked up his glasses and joined Zak to help him scout the other side.
Isaac slid off the wall and started sliding slowly towards the target building; the zip only had a very slight decline on the way to the building although Isaac’s weight made the decline even shallower. He was so nervous he forgot all about enjoying the ride and was sweating freely as he approached the broken glass on the other side. He applied the brake on the pulley, felt the zip judder and unconsciously started praying that the line would hold. He came to a stop a couple of metres from the glass and could now see that the arrow had imbedded itself in the wall opposite. The hole in the glass was relatively small, certainly too small for him to fit through. He noticed wire within the glass and realised that it was safety glass. He released the brake on the pulley and moved closer to the gap, wondering how to widen the hole. He decided to try his knife, pulled it from its sheaf and turned it so the point was directed at himself. He then stabbed forward and hit the safety glass with the knife’s handle. A small amount of glass shattered and fell to the floor with a tinkling sound, but the sudden movement had caused Isaac to start swaying on the zip before the juddering came again. ‘Not a great idea’
Isaac thought to himself as the zip slowly steadied. Isaac considered his options and decided the easiest way to remove the glass would be to shoot it out. He replaced the knife, grabbed his automatic and switched the button for single shot. He selected part of the glass a foot away from the original hole and took a shot. The bullet tore through the glass and hit the wall opposite; it had made another fist-sized hole but again, it was not large enough and didn’t join up with the existing hole.
“Get a fuckin’ move on,” someone shouted from behind him. He assumed it was Mamba. ‘Fuck this’, Isaac thought as he switched the selector on the gun to fully automatic. He picked his spot then pulled the trigger, moving the barrel in an arc around the existing holes. The noise was ear shattering and glass exploded in all directions but there was now a hole which was big enough to fit through. He waited for a few seconds, allowing his line to steady and his ears to adjust. He then released the brake and slowly eased through the gap into the stairwell. Isaac stood up, glass crunching under his feet and released his pulley from the zip. As he did so he heard movement coming from the corridor which led from the stairwell to the flats on this level. He quickly raised his automatic and backed away to the opposite wall. It was a concrete stairwell, like most of the buildings in the surrounding area and no different to his own building. It was fairly dark in the corridor and he couldn’t see very far down it; the lights were probably on a timer, if they were working at all. Isaac focused on the sound of feet shuffling towards him, more sweat beginning to form on his brow and drip down his face. He could hear Mamba screaming but that was the least of his problems at the moment. Suddenly a figure appeared in the stairwell entrance. Thankfully, Isaac’s eyes had now adjusted to the gloom and he could see instantly that the figure was a zombie and not a living resident. Without thinking he pressed the trigger and bullets thudded into the chest of the zombie. The zombie was thrown backwards into the corridor and Isaac stayed where he was. He realised that he had not hit the head and his fears were confirmed when he heard grunts and what sounded like someone getting to their feet. Within seconds the zombie reappeared, and this time Isaac hit the creature in the head; bone, brain, and blood spraying back down the corridor.
Isaac stayed where he was and listened. He could hear more movement, but it was obviously in the distance and of no immediate threat. He quickly moved towards the opening and gave a quick ‘thumbs up’ before going back and resumed his position.
A couple of minutes later Mamba came through the gap and started undoing his pulley ready for the next person. “What the fuck are you doin’? Do you wanna wake the whole fuckin’ neighbourhood?” he shouted. He looked towards Isaac and saw that he had a finger to his lips and was looking intently towards the corridor. ‘Cheeky fuck!’ Mamba thought to himself as he followed Isaac’s gaze. He couldn’t see what all the fuss was about until he noticed the body on the floor. He quickly drew his own gun and listened carefully. Like Isaac, he could hear noises, but they seemed far away. He quickly went to the gap in the window, looked up and signalled ‘quiet’ by putting his first finger to his lips. He was sure Zak or Grace would pick this up through the glasses, then he indicated the next person should come down. He then moved quietly to where Isaac was standing against the wall and whispered, “All clear?”
Isaac nodded and whispered back, “for now, although there’s other noises not too far away.”
Mamba nodded, grabbed his bag, and brought out a flashlight. He then moved towards the corridor, gun at the ready, and checked that it was clear. Once he was happy, he shone the torch on the body on the floor.
Smiley came through the gap, gun at the ready, and took in the scene in a couple of seconds. He unhooked his pulley, signalled for the next person to descend, and quickly moved towards the second corridor leading off from the stairwell.
Over the next ten minutes, the rest of the group entered the stairwell, everyone staying silent and prepared. Grace moved across to Isaac with a smile on her face and picked out a couple of pieces of glass which had gotten stuck in his hair. Isaac looked at her and could not hold back a smile of his own before pointing to the body in the stairwell. Grace followed his direction and had to cover her mouth to stop herself from screaming. Isaac couldn’t hold back a short, snorted laugh which drew a few hard looks from those around him.
Mamba came back and stood in the centre, all eyes on him. He pointed to the wall showing the floor number as a fraction of the highest. It showed 6/12 so they were effectively halfway up the building. Mamba indicated the stairs and his gun then gestured that everyone should stay quiet. He then picked up his bag and led the way towards the stairs and the seventh floor. The others followed suit, Ahmed ensuring he was the last in line and covering their backs.
Mamba took the first flight of stairs, carefully checked around the corner at the switchback and then ascended the second flight onto the seventh floor. He quickly moved across the landing to the first corridor to ensure it was clear. He could still hear grunting and shuffling, although he was fairly sure it was coming from a higher floor.
Skelly was second up the stairs, right behind Mamba, and silently made his way to cover the second corridor. Once the rest of the group had reached the landing and everything was still relatively quiet, Mamba moved towards the stairs to climb up to the eighth floor.
The group swiftly moved upwards, just the sound of footsteps echoing in the stairwell. They congregated silently on each floor before moving on to the next. At the switchback between the tenth and eleventh floor Mamba stopped suddenly and held up a hand. The sounds he had been hearing since he entered the building were now significantly louder, so much so that he could hear the gnashing of teeth over the grunting and shuffling. Skelly was second in line and just avoided walking into Mamba’s back. With the rest of the group holding their breath on the stairs, Mamba took a quick look towards the eleventh floor before quickly drawing back out of sight. He repeated this two or three times before turning to the group and indicating that he thought there were five potential targets ahead. He slid across the stair to allow Skelly to join him as the first line of attack. Fish, Dodge, Bird and Smiley pushed their way forwards so that they were second and third in line while Ahmed remained at the rear.
Mamba checked that everyone was ready, looked at Skelly and nodded. They rounded the corner, guns raised, and moved up a couple of steps so that those following could also get a line of sight on any targets. Mamba and Skelly almost immediately let off shots which thudded into zombies milling about on the eleventh-floor landing. They followed these shots by moving up the stairs and picking other targets to shoot.
As Mamba and Skelly neared the top, a body came lurching from one of the corridors and fell over the railings above and behind them. The rest of the group were startled, and Grace let out a scream before trying to push her way back towards the tenth floor. The zombie had landed hard, but its fall had been broken by landing on Knock. Before Knock could scramble back up or get out of the way, the zombie bit into his arm and tore away a large section of skin and sinew. Knock screamed in pain and tried to reach for his weapon as the zombie lunged at his arm again. As it did so there was a loud report and the zombie’s brain was splashed all over the stairwell, covering many of the group. Ahmed drew back his weapon with a smile on his face and returned to his place at the back of the group.
Mamba, Skelly, Fish, Dodge, Bird and Smiley had heard the commotion behind them, but they were concentrating on the targets in front of them. They quickly took out their targets before spreading out on the eleventh-floor stairwell and checked both corridors leading off it.
The rest of the group slowly made their way up, Nelson and Isaac helping Knock get up the stairs. As they arrived, Mamba came over and stared at Knock’s arm; there were two large holes with blood streaming out of them.
“Sorry Knock,” Mamba uttered before raising his weapon and putting a bullet into Knock’s head. Nelson and Isaac let go of the body and staggered away, completely taken by surprise
and shock.
“Had to be done,” Mamba muttered before looking around and listening out for any more sounds. Once he was satisfied that there was no further danger he ordered “Let’s go,” before moving across to the next set of stairs.
The others started to follow in silence. Grace was now crouched and crying quietly. Isaac went across to her, put his arm around her and helped her to her feet. “Gotta keep goin’,” he whispered in her ear before guiding her in the direction of the stairs.
On the twelfth floor, Mamba quickly found the access to the roof and shot the padlock keeping the access door closed. He swung open the door and moved out into the daylight, never for one second relaxing his guard. Once he was satisfied the coast was clear, he turned to see Ahmed closing the roof door and trying to wedge it shut.
The others in the group had sat on the ground and were talking in hushed tones around mouthfuls of water.
“Not such a good idea to use the stairwell after all,” Mamba remarked in general. “We’ve wasted bullets and lost Knock, God rest his soul.”
“Did you have to shoot him like that?” Grace asked, tears now gone.
“No choice. He got bit. End of.” Mamba replied. He looked at his watch and saw that it was 12.30. It had taken them half an hour and cost a lot more to clear this building and there was still a long way to go before they reached the Tower of London. Mamba indicated to Ahmed to shoot a line back to the building they had just left before he moved to the Western wall and used the walkie-talkie to update the Judge on developments.
11
Day 2 – 18:30
Mansard House, St Katharine’s Way, London
The remaining group of eleven were sitting on the roof of an old warehouse which, on the Western side looked down into St Katherine’s Dock, and on the Eastern side, had a clear view across the A100 to the Tower of London itself. If they looked Southwards, they could see Tower Bridge and the River Thames. With the late evening sun slowly dipping below the horizon, it was a fantastic view, but they only had just over an hour before it would be dark.