The Common Cold (Book 1): A Zombie Chronicle

by David K. Roberts

  “Should she be transferred to hospital?”

  “I’m trying not to do that to any of our crew. Can you answer me a question?”

  “I’ll try.”

  “This is going to be the last flight out of the UK to the USA, isn’t it?”

  He looked closely at her before answering. “I’ve been told nothing of the sort.”

  “Come on, Captain,” she implored. “Please tell me what you think, not what you’ve been told. Please.”

  He moved her further from flapping ears. “In my opinion, I think that, if we get away tonight, this will, indeed, be the last flight for some time.”

  “So, isn’t it better that even if she’s sick, she should remain aboard?”

  “I honestly can’t answer that. I don’t know how the illness is transmitting itself, or what happens to the people that succumb. I have to consider the rest of the passengers and crew.”

  “What if I keep her in the staff rest quarters? I’d look after her. She has family back home.”

  That last comment was what made the captain change his mind; he wouldn’t offload anyone. Like all good major disasters, they always started from a single fault, decision or omission. In reality their future now was all beyond any decision he could make at this time. Fate was taking over.

  “Alright. Just keep a close eye on her; I don’t want her becoming problematic. Make sure you have lots of restraints handy; I’ve seen some strange stuff today. It’s possible she could become violent; I don’t know if it’s because of a fever, or some reaction to the infection.” He remembered the passengers he had seen earlier. “There are some people further forward that bear watching, they appear to be sick as well.”

  “Sure I will, Captain,” she replied, confident as usual. It was her job to be in control of the cabin. In spite of all that had gone on in the day, no-one really thought people could turn, turn into something unimaginable. That was the problem, it was beyond imagination.

  He continued his walk around the plane. Making sure all the exits were closed, he wandered from door to door, checking their status. It was a good decision they’d made earlier to leave only one door open as a point of entry. Most of the passengers due to board were Embassy staff, returning to the USA. They would be orderly, even if they had to board through a single door.

  Morgan made his way forward along the lower deck. He noticed at least two more people that looked under the weather, and made another mental note to monitor them as well. Finding the purser once more, he informed her of their need for attention; her job as nurse maid was likely to get bigger from hereon in.

  Back in the cockpit, BB had just finished the last of the refuelling actions, and had ordered the ground crews to disconnect everything, and move away from the plane. There were fewer of those guys than he’d expected, so it had taken longer than normal. Apparently sickness was decimating the airport’s ability to function at normal speed. He closed the cargo loading doors remotely, so now the plane was sealed, and secure from unauthorised access. If Morgan had a say in it, they wouldn’t be opened again; there was no way he wanted the risk of accepting new luggage, and any other unknowns, on board.

  He was about to speak to his first officer when BB held up his hand, signalling he was listening to his radio, his face showing disbelief.

  “That was Barnes. Unbelievable, he just told me that the buses carrying the Embassy staff crashed on the M23, just north of the airport turn-off.”

  “What? All six of them?” Morgan asked, not sure he’d heard correctly.

  “That’s what he said. They don’t know how, or why. They have helicopter support from the Brit police, and they confirmed it. Apparently some of the surviving passengers are behaving strangely. They’ve already attacked the emergency services guys sent there to help. Police have even opened fire on some of the survivors.”

  “Oh, fuck.” The captain couldn’t think of anything else to say. His rat shit scenario was coming to pass. He imagined this was going to be like the last flight out of Saigon, sitting on their bone-domes to protect their crown jewels, while the locals were revolting. And from what he had seen on his way back to the gate, the locals were becoming pretty revolting, certainly at the airport. All the folk on the doomed buses were strangers to him; nevertheless, he was horrified at the probable loss of life, nearly three hundred and fifty souls. “Where’s that fucking take-off slot?” he asked BB irritably. “Did Barnes say anything?”

  “Not yet. Ah, we’re just getting the en-route weather sent over.” A light was blinking on his console. The ops room had the ability to send over weather information, as well as other administrative data for the flight, using their own dedicated radio link.

  “Good, that probably means we’ll get a slot soon.” The captain felt there was little point in hanging around now the Embassy staff weren’t going to be arriving. The information being updated on the screens said there weren’t many passengers checking in. Deep in thought, he peered out of his port side window and noticed there were a number of people wandering around the tarmac. Peering more closely at the runway, which he could just make out from his position, there appeared to be a number of people running around out there, others chasing them, security presumably. They’d better be out of the way by the time he wanted to take off; he wasn’t going to stop for anyone.

  Chapter 12

  The Decision to Leave is Easier Than You Think

  Crashing through the front entrance to the library, Rob and Daniel let go of the children’s hands and turned to secure the doors against all comers. Just in time, Daniel flicked the latch as a cheetah collided with the reinforced frame and bounced off again harmlessly, leaving a bloody smear across the glass. It stood up again, and laid into the door in a frenzy.

  “Come on, move away from here; while it can see us, it’ll stay mad.” Daniel gently pushed the cowering children away from the entrance porch and into the main library hall. Rob was ahead of them, his rifle up and ready for anything. Daniel still had his pistol in his hand, and moved ahead of the group; he had been here before and knew where Janet would be. Or so he hoped.

  Keeping his desperation to find Janet in check for now, he carefully made his way down towards the staff area. Off to the left he saw movement, small but rapid. With a high-pitched shriek, a child launched itself at him. A single, instinctive shot brought the child down. Several more were standing there, a couple of women standing with them. All were infected, it seemed the only fast one among them had been the child he’d just shot. Signalling Rob to keep an eye on them, they all closed ranks, and moved as quickly as possible further into the library. Unless necessary, neither Rob nor Daniel had the slightest desire to kill toddlers and women.

  Once at the staff quarters behind the reception, Daniel peered in and saw an inert form on the floor, blood pooling around its head; Daniel thought he looked familiar. With no-one seemingly alive in there, he turned and, gun pointing ahead, made his way across the hall to the reference room. Peering through the glass, he got the shock of his life. Janet was on the floor, backed uncomfortably into a corner; Paul was crouching in front of her, staring at her intently. Daniel knew his wife had seen him, but still she remained motionless, as if moving would break some kind of spell.

  Looking more closely, he saw a suppurating wound on Paul’s arm; it was seeping, the liquid slowly collecting under him; he had clearly been crouching there, motionless, for a while. Rob joined Daniel at the door, and saw the stand-off that was taking place. Ducking out of sight, he took up a defensive position, keeping the rest of the area covered, in case the zombie playgroup decided to join them. Daniel held his hand up, indicating that no sound be made. He had signed to the children to crouch down under a nearby desk, making them as safe as possible.

  Gently, Daniel pushed against the door to the room. It wouldn’t budge, something was jamming it from the other side. Peering down, he caught sight of a chair. Great for defence, not so good for rescue. Thinking for a moment, he wondered how to r
each Janet without Paul, or whatever it was now, causing her harm.

  He’d never been an expert at charades; not that it was something that normally bothered him, but right now he wished he’d paid more attention as, signing clumsily, he tried to indicate that she should lie down when he tapped on the glass. Janet had to be out of the way for him to shoot at Paul; shooting through the glass would not guarantee the bullet would go exactly where it was intended to go. She gave a slight nod, indicating her understanding. Unfortunately Paul caught the movement, and moved closer to her. The perfume she was wearing must have been confusing to him; he was clearly trying to figure her out, his sense of smell failing him.

  Daniel gently tapped on the glass. And all hell broke loose. Paul, in a single action, spun around, and leapt for the source of the sound. The creature he had become crashed through the door at high speed, and caught Daniel off-guard. Stunned by the collision, he fell to the floor; glass was falling all around him, and his chest was being crushed by an incredible force, as the door and the Paul-creature landed squarely on him. The children shrieked in fear, hugging each other for protection. Rob turned around in surprise, and saw the cascading glass, door and poor Daniel slide across the floor in a tangled mess, being ridden by the zombie. Danny’s pistol clattered across the floor towards the children.

  This time Daniel really was fighting for his life. Paul had apparently acquired significant strength through his infection, and was doing his best to latch onto this fresh prey. The aftershave had worn off, and Paul knew exactly what he wanted: flesh from this new source. Was Daniel being fanciful, or did Paul recognise him? There was a certain look in the zombie-like eyes. Perhaps what was left of the man was trying to get rid of his rival for Janet’s affections? After all, why didn’t he attack Janet after he had turned?

  All these thoughts happened in a flash, as Daniel struggled with the creature. A resounding crack sounded as the butt of Rob’s rifle found its target; Paul’s head. The librarian collapsed like a rag-doll. Daniel leapt to his feet and quickly retrieved his weapon, and turned to find his wife, momentarily unsteady on her feet, leaning on the door jamb of the room that had been her haven for the last several hours.

  They hugged each other tightly, then Daniel pulled back and started to look her over.

  “Are you hurt? Did he touch you?” he asked.

  “”No, no. He didn’t. He got bitten when trying to help me. Without him, I think I would be dead, or one of them. Their bite seems to have caused Paul to change.”

  Daniel hugged her again, thanking the forces that had kept her safe. Keeping hold of her hand, he turned to face the others.

  “So, what now?” he asked of Rob. “We obviously can't stay here.”

  Rob had been surfing for information on his phone. “I’ve still got a signal,” he said, holding his mobile up, “and from what I can see, this thing appears to be spreading all over the UK. It also appears to have broken out from the east coast of the USA. I really need to get home, Daniel. Back to Sandra.” The American paused, hesitating to voice his thoughts. “Daniel, I know it’s a lot to ask, but will you help me get to the airport? There might still be a flight out.”

  “Jesus. Of course I will.” While agreeing readily to his friend’s request, Daniel had become distracted, he’d noticed the women and children from the playgroup were slowly edging their way closer to them. “Well, the first thing we need to do is get away from here, and get home.” He began to lead them away from the encroaching threat, towards the other exit and the adjoining rec centre. “If we have a neighbour who isn’t afflicted, we can drop the kids off, and then work out how we can achieve this.” He put his hand on Rob’s shoulder, and squeezed. “You’ve saved my life more than once today, I’d be glad to do this.”

  The kids had overheard this conversation. “We ain’t going to be dropped off wiv no-one else. We don’t want to be left wiv no strangers.” Little Penny started crying quietly; Sam was looking truculent.

  Daniel looked at them. He didn’t want to commit to anything; between him and Rob, they’d already made a significant negative contribution to their young lives, and breaking promises wasn’t a good way to continue. “Let’s see when we get to our house.” They looked back at Paul, who was surrounded by the playgroup. He appeared to be coming around, his head lolling from side to side. “Whatever we do, it has to be now. Paul’s waking, and you’ve seen how fast he moves. Considering how he’s helped you, I don’t want to kill him.”

  “Thanks, love. Nor do I,” she said, looking back towards the moaning form on the floor. She looked back at Daniel. “How did you get here? Have you got a car?” Janet asked. “We can’t get down the high street without one. There’s probably too many of them.” She sounded panicked at the thought of going outside, and was finding reason to stay here, where she had been safe, sort of. Seeing Paul lying there, coming round, and knowing what he was capable of, she found herself between a rock and a hard place. To her, the world outside this library was very scary, with too many unknowns. Just getting home seemed like a hopeless step too far.

  Daniel heard the fear in her voice, and pulled her to him once more. “Don’t worry. Between Rob and me, we’ll be alright. Let’s go out the back way, fewer of them around, I shouldn’t wonder.” His confident tone helped rekindle her spirits, and seeing their guns, she knew she would be alright as long as they were together.

  “Sure. It’s this way,” she said, pointing, “but I don’t know if there are any more of those things in the building. I’ve been trapped in there all along.”

  “Okay, don’t worry. We’re ready for whatever. Are you alright, now?” She nodded, grabbed his sleeve and pulled him away from the children, and whispered, “how come you’ve got kids with you? Where are they from?”

  “They have no-one, and we couldn’t leave them behind. Both their parents are dead. They don’t seem to have any one at all, I think, and on top of that, their house burnt down this morning. Let’s talk about it later.”

  Putting on a positive smile, he turned to Rob. “Let’s get this show on the road. Come on kids, we’ve got to go now. I suppose introductions are needed. This pretty young lady is Penny, and this is her brother, Sam. He’s been quite the rock for Penny so far.” The children nodded their hellos. “This is my wife, Janet.”

  “Hi kids. Seems like you’ve had quite the adventure today. We can go to our place, and we’ll get some food, proper food. Would you like that?” The children nodded eagerly. It was noticeable how they were beginning to relax now that there was a woman in the group. Janet chided Daniel as he offered the battered, soggy sandwiches all round. They were warm, and looked unappetizing in their squashed, plastic containers. “They’re probably off by now.”

  Rob opened his sandwich pack, and found that Janet had been quite the prophet. Wrinkling his nose at the smell, he cast them into a waste-paper bin.

  Rob and Daniel led the way to the back entrance, taking up their serious role of defending the group once more, their rifles at the ready. A couple of dead bodies lay abandoned on the floor and only one active zombie was in sight. Luckily, this zombie was a slow one, and was soon outpaced. From behind, a growl attracted their attention, and they turned to see Paul standing there, the side of his head oozing blood and grey matter. He looked really angry, as if they were taking something that was his. Janet acted first, and moved forward to speak to him.

  “No, don’t.” Daniel whispered.

  “Hold on,” she replied. “Paul.” He recognised her voice. “We’ve got to go now. You must stay here.” He seemed to understand, his head twisting sideways, like a dog, trying to comprehend what she was saying. Somehow his face looked sad; he touched his cheek where she had placed that friendly kiss earlier.

  The group started backing towards the exit, slowly increasing the distance between them and Paul. Suddenly, a screech erupted off to the side and a crazed zombie raced out of a side corridor, and lunged at them. Fortunately, due to its enthusiasm for the ki
ll, the creature slipped on the smooth floor and it sailed harmlessly past, in what would, in other circumstances, appear comical. Paul reacted swiftly and fell upon this new interloper. They fought furiously, more of Paul’s brain dislodging from the gaping wound. Gradually his movements became erratic as grey matter began to slop out of his skull. His motor responses finally failed, and the newcomer began to feed on the contents.

  They all rushed through the glass exit doors, quickly putting as much distance between them and what they had just witnessed. Janet was quiet, a tear falling down her face, as they moved slowly away from the scene.

  “We really need to apply more aftershave,” Rob said, sniffing himself. “If I can smell me, I’m bloody sure they can too.” There were no Infected on the side street; Janet had been right in her assumption. They stood around, a strange sight, each applying spray to themselves, and to each other.

  “I hope this isn’t ‘Candid Camera’,” Daniel said, looking around. Seeing Janet still sad, he put his arm around her shoulders. “I’m genuinely sorry about Paul. There’s nothing I can say, but I’m here for you.”

  She looked back into his eyes, saw in them his reliability, and her sadness began to ebb. “Did you have a car?” she asked, quietly.

  “We had a van but it broke down on the high street. There’s a car park around the corner, I bet there’s one there that’s got an open door.”

  They trudged off down the road, maintaining their ‘zombie walk’; slow, unhurried steps. Daniel explained his findings on how to avoid their attention; Janet was beginning to feel more confident.

  Arriving at the car park, they carefully looked around for something substantial they could use for their home run. And there it was, a brand new Range Rover Vogue. The door was ajar, and they could see the key in the ignition. There was a small amount of blood spattered on the driver’s seat. Rob and Daniel looked at each other; both had talked about this 4x4 and both loved it, or certainly the idea of it.