by Jessica Ward
“I’m sure Andy can speak for himself” The Corporal replied calmly trying to diffuse the situation. “We are not forcing anyone to do anything they don’t want to do”
“Andy, mate what do you want to do?” Nick asked.
All eyes were now on Andy. He looked uncomfortable and was shifting around, clearly not quite sure what to do.
“I’m sorry Lola, but I’m going. I know you’re worried, but it’s ok. We’ll all be armed and I’m not alone. I’ll come straight back to you I promise” he tried to put his arm around her but she was having none of it.
She shrugged him off. “Whatever. Do what you want then. Go out and get eaten, then when you get infected you can find a nice infected girlfriend and then you’ll be happy” She said sarcastically. With that, she stormed off again. Her storming off was starting to become a regular occurrence.
“What was all that about?” Nick asked shaking his head.
“I have no idea, but fuck it, can’t be arsed with it” Andy shrugged; he sounded pissed off.
“Glad to have you on board” The Corporal said patting his back.
That was the first time I had ever seen Andy stick up for himself. I kept it to myself, but I was proud of him. It was a step in the right direction. Duckface seriously needed to learn that she couldn’t control everyone. She was acting like a spoilt child.
She stayed upstairs the whole of that night. Everyone seemed a little on edge. It was like preparing for battle. We tried to keep conversation light-hearted but we all knew tomorrow, our boys were leaving the safety and security of our hangar. It was our first mission.
Chapter 8 – Hangar 5
The next morning we all did our normal lap around the assault course. Afterwards the Corporal took us into the ammunition store. He picked us each rifles, the ones we had used to practice with, as well as a handgun and two boxes of ammunition. He told us to keep the handguns on us at all times, if the worst was to happen.
Lacey and I took these to the roof and set ourselves up. We each took a corner. We agreed between ourselves which areas we would cover. Lacey covered the left side whilst I stayed to the right.
The infected were nowhere to be seen. The trail of blood and body parts could still be seen staining the ground beneath us, but just as the Sergeant had said, no bodies could be seen.
On closer inspection I could see that trails of blood where the bodies had evidently been dragged. The trails led to the other side of the base away from Hangar 5. This was a good sign, it meant they infected weren’t hiding out where the boys were going.
We heard the automatic shutters open up beneath us, the boys were making their way out. As soon as the car was in view, I followed the area around them with my scope, my finger poised on the trigger, in case the infected came into view.
The Sergeant had told us to aim for the head, but if there were too many to also aim for the legs as it would slow them down.
They managed to make their way over to hangar 5 with no problems or unwanted guests. None of the infected could be seen.
As soon as they got to their destination, the Sergeant got out and punched in the code for the building. I aimed my scope into the building and saw all the boys had their guns at the ready. I felt a lot safer knowing that we were all well-armed.
As the shutters came up on the hangar in front of us, I could see the lights flicker on. I saw three figures in the entrance come running towards the boys. I held my gun up ready to fire when I saw the boys lower their weapons.
All 3 figures were dressed in combat uniforms. They were all still alive. They all greeted the Sergeant with a salute and greeted the boys with friendly handshakes. They seemed to be talking among themselves and introducing themselves to each other, I aimed my scope towards them, trying to get a closer look.
I was brought back to reality when I heard a shot coming from Lacey’s rifle. I quickly checked my scope again to see if the boys were ok, I thought she had shot one of the men we had seen come out the building. Everyone was ok but they were all looking to the left. They all ran inside ushered by the new faces, whilst the Sergeant pressed the release button on the shutters lowering it down. I had no idea what was going on.
I looked to my left and saw crowds of the infected running out from behind the hangar in front of us, making their way to the shutters. They were running at full speed towards the entrance. Their diseased ridden faces snarling and biting the air as they advanced towards their targets. It was like watching a pack of wild dogs chasing down their prey.
My heart dropped, I knew if they got to the boys that would be it. Lacey and I sped into action. They were starting to pour out from both sides of the building; I immediately took the first two down. Still they kept coming; there must have been about 30 of them. It didn’t take long for Lacey and I to dispose of them all, but it was a lot harder to hit a running target.
They had never done that before. In all my previous encounters they had been slow and shuffling, I was completely baffled as to why they were suddenly capable of running at such speeds.
After we were sure they were all down, and definitely weren’t getting back up, we did a sweep of the area around us. Had we not been on the roof, the boys wouldn’t have been so lucky.
My heart was pounding, adrenaline was running through me, I was so relieved the boys had made it inside but I felt so helpless from the roof. If anything was inside there was nothing either me or Lacey could do about it. They were out of our sights.
I looked down to the fresh corpses now lying on the ground. The infected must have been lying in wait; the sound of the shutter going up must have alerted them and prompted them to attack. They were clearly getting a lot more advanced.
We sat on the roof waiting for them to return. After an hour we still saw no sign of them. Still we checked the areas in front and around us, trying to avoid any nasty surprises, for their return journey.
Another half hour passed. We heard the trapdoor open; Duckface had come up to join us. She had never been out here before. She looked incredibly pale against the sunlight. She hadn’t seen any natural light in over a week.
She made her way over to me, and gasped when she saw the dead bodies in front of her. I doubt she had ever seen a dead body before, never mind a rotting, bloody corpse like the ones laid out before us. Lacey and I were starting to become immune to it.
After sitting outside for so long you tend to get used to it, the bodies were starting to blend in with the surroundings, it didn’t bother us anymore.
She sat next to me clearly shaken up. “What’s happened?” She asked.
“The infected started running out from around the back of the buildings, just as the boys were going inside. Lacey spotted them first and fired the first shot, I started shooting just after, we managed to get them all before they got in.” I replied briefly summing up the events.
“Is everyone ok?” she asked, clearly worried about Andy.
“Yes they all made it in ok, not seen them since and that was an hour and a half ago” I replied.
Lacey looked over to me and raised her eyebrow. She stayed in her position scoping out the area.
“Look at all those bodies, did you kill all of them?” She asked, there was no sign of sarcasm or judgement in her voice, she was genuinely intrigued.
“All the ones on this side I said pointing to the area in front of us. Lacey took out the ones on the other side” I told her.
She nodded, she didn’t say anything else, she simply stared at the carnage in front of us.
The sound of a gunshot could be heard in the distance, it sounded like it came from inside the building, but I couldn’t be sure. We all stayed silent, as I went back to checking the area. I wasn’t taking any chances, if I saw any of the infected, I was taking them out.
20 minutes later we heard the shutters opening, The Corporal was the first out, he ran over to the car they had abandoned when they first entered the hangar and turned it around. Luckily they had opted to use An
dy’s car.
I looked back towards the opening of the hangar and saw two 4x4’s driving out. The boys were still armed and all looked a little tired and out of breath, but apart from that they seemed ok. They were joined by the new faces.
The short journey back to the hangar was a lot less eventful than the first. Lacey and I still had our guard up but we didn’t need to use our rifles again.
As soon they had got back in safely, we left our posts and made our way back in. As I was about to make my way down, I glanced up at hangar 5. The infected were starting to reappear again, I quickly held my rifle back up, to get a closer look through the scope. They weren’t running this time, they looked more quizzical. They went over to the bodies and started to drag them round the building. There were a lot more of them this time, at least 30 had come out from the shadows. I ignored them and made my way downstairs, eager to see the boys and our new friends.
* * *
The following events are recounts from Nick and Paul, who filled me in, shortly after returning from hanger 5.
After we had made our way to the roof, they were taken to the ammunition store. They were also given handguns, as well as a bigger assault rifle. They were given instructions on how to use both, and were also given knives, in case hand to hand combat was necessary, something that the Sergeant and the Corporal were yet to cover with the rest of us.
They got in the back of the car with Andy whilst the Corporal drove the car out. They were all surprised as they got out into the open, as how there was no infected around.
As soon as they got to the hangar the Sergeant told them all to stay put, he told them to keep their weapons at the ready and be prepared. As soon as he punched the code into the door the shutters started to open. They both admitted they weren’t paying attention to what was going on around them; they were trying to get a good look into the hangar. They said that the entrance had 2 army trucks parked in front of the door, but could see 3 men running towards them, armed and in combat gear. As soon as they saw the Sergeant they stopped to salute him. They looked at Nick, Andy and Paul quizzically and from getting a nod of approval from the Sergeant they went over to greet them.
The first soldier was a guy called Josh. He was in his mid-twenties, but he looked a lot younger. He had a boyish face, he didn’t seem be able to grow any facial hair, his hair was cut short, he was very light blonde. He had blue eyes and a rather skinny build.
The second soldier to introduce himself was a man named Greg, he was a fair few years older than Josh, in his mid-forties. He was a lot more filled out than Josh and had the beginnings of a beer belly starting to show through. He was a lot more rugged and manly. His hair was starting to grey at the sides and his stubble showed he certainly hadn’t had access to a razor for some time.
The third soldier was a tall, broad handsome man. He was well over 6ft, in his late twenties with an olive skin tone and dark hair, he was called Leon. He looked a lot more the army type than the other two did. He had a stern face at first, but smiled and greeted the boys charmingly.
It was then; when they heard Lacey’s shot being fired they all stepped back following the line of fire. From the corners of the building they saw the infected running out towards them. It took them all off guard.
“Quick, get in the building, leave the car” Leon shouted motioning the boys inside.
“I’ll get the door, all of you in. Corporal take flank” The Sergeant barked.
As soon as they were all in they saw the infected dropping all around them. They took a step back from the door not wanting to be caught up in the crossfire whilst Lacey and I took them all out.
Once the doors were closed and they were safely inside the Sergeant smiled. “Those girls did good”
“Girls?” Josh asked “Sir, they did that?”
The Corporal nodded “Yes we didn’t want to put them in danger, so I set them up on the roof and left them with orders, which they carried out perfectly”
The Sergeant agreed. “We have much to discuss. Is it just the three of you here?” The Sergeant asked.
Leon stepped forward “No sir, Professor Hyatt is with us as well.”
“Good, please take me to him” The Sergeant asked Leon as he ushered him further into the building.
The Corporal stayed with the boys and the rest of the soldiers. “OK men, the plan is, we take what we can carry and we make our way back over to the Hangar. Is the area secure?” He asked the soldiers.
Josh and Greg looked at each other “Yes sir” they replied.
Looking around them, they saw the 4x4s in a better light. One was a green pickup type truck with an oversized Mercedes badge on the front. The pickup was covered with a canvas tent high off the ground.
The Corporal pointed to the truck. “Let’s start filling this truck, gather all the supplies you can, I want you all working together on this one” The Corporal took charge. “I will head to the communications base and pack the equipment ready for transport”
“But sir, the communications are down, we’ve been trying it ever since we got trapped in here, we didn’t think anyone was alive out there” Josh told the Corporal.
“Stand down, cadet. We will take it all over to the other building, and set up there.”
Josh nodded. Nick and Paul followed them over to the supply area. The soldiers took them to a small warehouse. It was filled with small beds, rucksacks, uniforms and MRE’s. It was like walking into an army camp shop, it was full.
The boys started carrying the beds and rucksacks to the truck. Uniforms, bullet proof vests, camping equipment, clothes and footwear were next.
“I’m sure the girls will love their new shoes” Paul joked.
“So what are these girls like?” Josh asked, a little too eager.
“Taken” Nick replied quickly.
Andy explained. “My wife Lola, doesn’t get involved with the rest of us, she doesn’t agree with what we’re doing, she’s a big fan of gun control. She just stays on the plane. She doesn’t get out much.”
“Sounds to me she needs a wakeup call, the rules of the world have changed” Greg chimed in as he passed “No offence mate”
“Ha, she’s needs to get her head out her arse more like” Paul sniggered “No offence” he quickly added.
“What about the rest, how many of you are they?” Josh continued.
“There’s only two others, the ones on the roof shooting the shit out of those things earlier” Nick added, “my fiancé and his wife” he said pointing to Paul. “They’re a lot more grounded, they don’t really get on with Lola” Nick continued.
“I have no idea why” Paul added in sarcastically.
“Ok, that’s enough. Look I’m sorry she’s acting like this, but there’s nothing I can do about it, she is the way she is” Andy tried to defend her.
“We’re not having a go at you mate” Nick started. “It’s just..”
Andy interrupted. “Don’t worry, forget it. George is over there with us as well, you know the old guy that runs this place?”
“Oh yeah, I’ve seen him a few times. Never thought the old sod would make it if I’m honest” Greg said, happy to change the subject.
They carried on emptying the room until the truck was full. “No point in taking the MRE’s, I already knows your camps full of them” Josh told Nick.
By the time the Corporal had come back with the communications equipment the boys were just about done.
“I think we’re done here, let’s go and find the Sergeant.” The Corporal suggested. Before anyone could utter another word they heard a gunshot fire towards the back end of the building.
The Corporal and the soldiers grabbed their handguns and ran to the area where the Sergeant and Leon had disappeared to. The boys followed their lead and ran after them.
They ran through a clinical room, a make shift science lab. As they turned the corner to the room where the Sergeant and Leon were they all stopped. There in front of them was a padded room. Two gl
ass windows overlooked the room where the boys had stopped. As they peered through the windows they saw an infected solider lying dead on the floor, a bullet in his head. The Sergeant stood over the body, blood splattered down his shirt, whilst Leon and the Professor stood behind him.
They boys had no idea what had happened but speculated that one of the soldiers must have got infected, so had been locked in the room, either before or after they died.
The Sergeant walked out of the room, cleaning the end of his handgun. “Have any of you come into contact with Private Tembury?” he asked, the soldiers shook their heads. “Have any of you been bitten?” he carried on forcefully. Again they shook their heads. “Good, I think it’s about time we headed back don’t you?” He asked the Corporal.
“Yes sir” he replied.
They all walked back to the cars in silence. Leon climbed in the driver’s side of the truck, whilst the Sergeant and the rest of the boys climbed in the second 4x4, it was a jeep.
The Corporal opened the shutters and turned Andy’s car around heading back to base. The Sergeant headed out first, with the boys and the communication equipment. Leon was the last to leave, closing the shutters and securing the building on his way out before hopping into the car with the Corporal.
Chapter 9 – Theoretical Science
As soon as I had got down from the roof everyone was already buzzing around. The boys were busy unloading the truck by the time me and Lacey went over to them.
As soon as Nick saw me he put the supplies down and came running over to me, he pulled me into his arms and kissed me.
“Hi baby” I said smiling. “Did you miss me?”
He laughed “Yes I did. You did well up there I’m really proud of you”
“Told you I had a good shot” I retorted as he loosened his grip around me.
The Sergeant came over to us. “Girls, I’m impressed with your work today. You got us all out of a tight spot, I’m very grateful”
“As are we” Leon came forward and shook our hands. “We haven’t been introduced yet, I’m Leon, and this is Josh and Greg” he said pointing to the two others. They both turned around to us and waved, but carried on unloading.