Immediate Survivors

by Cenz Barone

  Grant responded to add to Elise’s words of encouragement as he surveyed the room, paying particular attention to Laura and Melissa. Grant said “We won’t be able to get far, the state we are in after all. Look at those two devastated girls” Grant being objective towards Laura and Melissa who were far from looking strong, Grant with sympathy added “I am so sorry for you losing your friends but we have to all work together from now on, to stick together” then Grant looked at Kenny and the rest of the group as he went on and said “Otherwise what will happen is we all fall apart and argue and fight. We are all strangers more or less all of us, I am only saying this because without me you all would be worse off and without you, I would be worse off. We need each other, I say everyone votes for the next course of action and continue to vote, all of those in favour of staying here just don’t say anything else but all of those who are not and want to go just don’t say anything and go. I am done talking about this now”.

  There was a silence among the group as all overlooked each other then they all looked at Kenny who felt their gazes on him as he said resigned to the reality of the situation “I am not going anywhere”. But the silence was short lived when a police siren was heard and they were hearing distant sirens all night but this one was closer than normal, it seemed outside in the street at the front of the house. Everyone realised this and together they rushed towards the front of the house. Now a sense of déjà vu for Kenny, Grant, Elise and Cherie was had, to do with when the man crashed his car and his family were with him earlier on, but now a sensation of a different situation was taking place overcame each.

  As they reached the front area, Grant rushed upstairs towards one of the front room windows up top and he noticed the street had police vehicles within, he smiled in amazement, he could not believe his luck. Grant flashed a torch he had withdrawn from his pocket and the police car sped down the street and parked in the middle of the road upon so detecting the light maybe or were they looking for them, had help finally come for them personally Grant wondered.

  Grant observed many heavily armed police officers stepping outside the various vans. It was a miniature convoy it seemed. Each fired their guns at the wondering people and then looked around the scene, surveying the urbanised street. What Grant saw next was extraordinary, various houses put their lights on, people shone their torches in the same way Grant had just done. The police were obviously unprepared for such a large amount of people indicating they were alive. But they noticed Grant more as he shone the torch in their faces and was the first light they noticed. Four of the police officers went to the door of the house Grant was in.

  Downstairs near the front door Elise and Cherie unbolted the door, Kenny, Elise, Cherie, Laura and Melissa were all relieved. Laura and Elise were crying with happiness at being rescued and when the door was open Grant made it down the stairs, the four heavily armed police officers entered, one of the police officers asked “Are you people all right?” everyone was excited and nodded, and then he asked “Is anyone here hurt, has anyone been bitten, ill or sick”. Grant stepped forward from the bottom step, resuming his leadership role but unintentionally as he said “Nobody is Sir, we are all just incredibly afraid and tired, we are so glad to see you”. The other police officers scanned the house surroundings. All of them were masked up and in riot gear, each wearing masks as though to stave off gas or was it something else. It was so surreal but nobody cared within the house.

  One of the police officers called out to the leading officer who spoke “Steve, over there”. They all looked at the three dead bodies, only with sheets covering them which were put towards the side of the corridor “Who are they, what happened” asked one of the police officers. None of those within the house expected such questions as outside they could hear gunfire of the other police officers in the streets providing cover for other officers going into other houses. It was all organised and professionally done.

  “They are our friends, each one of them was bitten and turned on us, trying to attack us” said Laura as Steve pressed his radio button and stated “This is floating bird. Survivors found in house 78 on Layton Street. Tomas call in more back up. We have more people on this street in other houses. Get at least 5 more vans over here and another 30 officers down here immediately. ASAP Tomas” Steve and his colleagues were all walking around in silence and were intimidating to those within the house due to the manner of their dress and the silence, plus the fact they had huge weapons on them.

  Steve the officer in charge began asking searching questions “Are you sure nobody else among you has been hurt?” Grant with such relief in his voice said “Thank God you are here. None of us are hurt, I swear”. Steve surveyed them and heard the gunfire outside increasing, he knew he had to be quick and he could not be sure unless he physically checked them but he reasoned going by their faces all looked healthy enough and he had to move fast. So he began laying out the expectations of each for the forthcoming few hours.

  Steve said “This is what is going to happen. I am going to hold you here until transport is ready to take you, which will take you all to the nearest rescue station which is a few miles outside the city. I am going to warn you the city is in chaos, there is a lot of gun fire as you have probably heard and a lot of people are dead. I advise each of you to do exactly what myself and my colleagues say, Nancy”. A female armed officer approached him and waited for instruction “You stay here with me. Neil and Peter you two take the house across the street, establish who is in there, if anyone is hurt quarantine them with handcuffs, you know the drill”.

  “Please, Sir what is going on” asked Laura to which Steve answered “There is an attack by various gangs”. With disbelief Laura said “Gangs, my friends were not in any gangs” as tears streamed down her face. Steve then stated “You have bolted this place up well, doors and windows. I need each of you to take a statement in the rescue station, who is responsible for those bodies” Steve pointed to them but nobody wanted to answer, each of the people felt like they were being suspected of being criminal, it’s as if the police were not behaving in accordance with the current situation, which did not make sense. Steve had based this off the fact Mark and Billy especially did not look like the usual suspects who were massacring people in terms of skin colour even though their skulls were bashed in, he could tell from other parts of their body they looked less infected.

  Melissa turned to Kenny in desperation as though she wanted him to say it was him. So Kenny stepped forward and admitted “I was sir, I did it, but only because they were attacking us” this was a slight lie and Kenny feared this, but he did not expect to be held accountable for their deaths even though Billy and Mark had not turned. Kenny expecting support or some kind of understanding was shocked as the leading officer become quite stern and said formally “You are under arrest for the murder of these three individuals, you do not have to say anything, as it may harm your defence which you may later rely on in court, you have a right to an attorney..” as the officer said this he was handcuffing Kenny who could not believe this as the officer continued to read out Kenny’s rights, and then as the handcuffs were clicked on, the officer asked Kenny “Do you understand these rights”.

  Kenny shouted in protest “The fuck I do”. Everyone around Kenny objected but the officers held them back and they did back off as one of the officers who entered to support his team immediately aimed his machine gun to them all, it had the desired effect. Kenny pleaded “This is bullshit, you have to fucking tell them it is not what they think” Kenny shouting at Elise, Laura, Melissa, Grant and Cherie who were stunned they were arresting Kenny. Steve ignored them and took hold of Kenny after handcuffing him and tossed him towards the female officer he identified as Nancy and said “Nancy take him away”. The female police officer tightened her grip on Kenny via the cuffs to control him but Kenny no longer objected he was just relieved to be with authority figures. “Take him to the car! We will take him down the rescue station and into the police station”. N
ancy escorted him outside. Grant objected to Steve “This is wrong sir, he was defending us, and we all attacked them because they were assaulting us” Grant realising Billy and Mark had not officially turned but it was inevitable they would, Grant also felt responsible as he insisted Kenny do so, they all did, not even Laura or Melissa objected. It just happened so fast and Steve, the police office was clearly switched onto the fact something more than met the eye went on.

  Steve now told Grant angrily “You will all be given your chance to speak when we take your statements but right now you have to listen to me, do you understand?” Grant just nodded as Steve heard his radio go off. It was from Peter who spoke on the radio from another house on the same street, interrupting his senior “Steve we have four people in here. Two OAPs and one woman, her son has been bitten it appears and he is looking really bad”. Steve shouted back on the radio “Peter hold him there, put him in cuffs we will wait for more vans to signal they are ready”. More gunfire was going off as Steve shouted at the rest of the people in the house with him “Nobody else is in this house right”.

  Elise told him “Nobody is”. Steve then lifted up his machine gun and said “Okay, you all wait for the lead of the officers outside. He will direct you into what van you will go into. Just wait here and do not move” Steve then raced into the streets heading into another house. As the group within the house that were rescued waited for instruction, and watched the madness outside unfold.

  Kenny at this time was sat in the back of the police car by this point. He was handcuffed up like a criminal, despite outside gunfire going off and people being shot which were the attackers, there were so many police and helicopters were overhead now to provide a searchlight which had people within those helicopters laying down gunfire. More police vans arrived and Nancy was outside the police car watching what was happening and surveying the scene with her own weapon, she was scared and terrified at what was happening, just like her colleagues but their training overcame the helplessness.

  As more police vans arrived and more officers stepped out it was clear their fire power was keeping back those people on the streets, those dead things from getting closer and the dead things were significantly amassing at this point due to the noises in the streets. All the officers were in their strategic position and it provided an artful way to contend with the urbanised streets to deal with the onslaught of attackers, amazingly some of the people who were obviously not human were handcuffed and thrown into vans, this was happening throughout. Grant and his friends watched this unfold as Cherie said “We should tell them Kenny is not a criminal” but Grant replied “How can we Cherie, how can any of us reason with them. Look at what is happening. Who knows why they are arresting people”.

  Kenny broke down in the police car, because he felt so relieved, despite the mayhem outside he felt safe for the first time since this all happened even though he was arrested. Grant and his friends then noticed a darkly clad police officer rush into the front gate of the house they were in and waved to them. Laura said “Wait” only Cherie remained and Melissa did also. Grant and Elise had followed suit to the commands of the officer. Melissa then said “Laura, what are you doing?” Laura replied “I need to take this for Claire’s parents” Melissa did not understand and the gunfire outside increased once more as Melissa said “Just hurry Laura”. Melissa exited, joining Grant and Elise who went to the police officer outside who was calling them over, pertaining to what Steve said would happen.

  Cherie though remained within the house near Laura, as though sympathetic to Laura who was struggling to remove the necklace, her hands were shaking. The police officer outside near the gate pointed to the direction Grant, Elise and then Melissa had to go towards. Which was towards another police officer near a van door which was open, the police officer could see inside and knew two others were inside as he shouted “What the fuck are you doing?” he was aggressive but worried. Laura angrily said “I cannot take it off”. Cherie went on her knees and beside Laura raising up Claire’s head and then carefully took off the necklace, she handed it to Laura who was thankful with tears in her eyes and then Cherie took Laura’s hand and both girls rushed outside towards the police officer who was pointing in the direction they needed to go towards.

  Laura had visions of taking off a soldier’s dog tags like in one of those movies she had seen in the past, and how dog tags taken were used to identify a fallen soldier, she had no idea why she had the urge to do so but Laura wanted something of Claire to remember for those who would care more than she did that Claire was dead. Finally they had all been directed out of the house and into one of vans along the street which had other people who were hiding in some of the houses nearby, even though nobody it seemed was aware others existed next door to each other. This was just a sign of how paranoid and worried everyone was about those outside their safe havens. It was clear though that everyone who identified or pointed out as being bitten or injured was put into a separate van and anyone deemed uninjured or seeking help was put another van, whilst Kenny was arrested for it seemed murdering people who were not of the attackers description, it was like the law was made up on the spot but such was the chaos of what was taking place everything was reduced to arbitrary judgement.

  It happened so fast with the street houses exited of people and the gunfire outside providing cover that the vans as quickly as they came to park on this street, now sped away from the street and everyone was in a vehicle driving away. To those who came to the rescue, the destination was clear. To those rescued the destination was out of their hands, but they could finally relax and be content that the long promised help had finally arrived. Meanwhile in the police car and alone with handcuffs Kenny sat in solitude with the police officer named Nancy still gas masked up and in her riot gear fatigues drove him, following the convoy of vans ahead of her.

  Kenny was himself unable to comprehend the sheer scale of this devastation, bodies were lying everywhere on the streets and he had no idea what streets they were driving on but the closer they must have gotten towards their final destination it appeared life was still going on in some perverse way, as Kenny saw looters were around and looting shops right under the police officers sight and in other districts he saw the police were out in force, wearing riot gear and holding back angry mobs of individuals trying to get some answers. This was happening when people were being attacked. There were watch towers and secure zones with military personnel moving around. Kenny felt like he in that van driving around must have missed all this because he could not recall any of these streets, it was like driving not just in a different city, but another country even though he knew he was very much somewhere in Oxford. He also saw the occasional attacker who would be seen and then disappear, everywhere it seemed there was pandemonium.

  The pandemonium existed because as the car passed dead body after dead body, walking dead after walking dead, living person fighting amongst each other after living person, as the blood sparked the walls and on the floors in red chunks of gore and mirth, it became apparent that the region of Oxfordshire, as was cities all throughout the country afflicted by this upsurge in violence and chaos was ongoing and there was no reason as to why. Everywhere was dying Kenny thought and if cities are dying then countries are by consequence lawless. Soon, and very soon at that Kenny and his fellow survivors would realise the consequences of the lawlessness, and the lack of standards would envelope them all and send them into a whirlwind of misery the like of which they would never ever forget but right now they were rescued and that was beautiful enough in itself to accept.

  Chapter 18 - University Rescue Station

  It took around 20 minutes until finally the convoy arrived towards a large barricaded complex, it was vast and in the perimeter it was clear to see watch stations and numerous men armed and deadly outside, being a mixture of police and military personnel. Kenny noticed as they got closer the vast van convoys went left towards another part of this complex, while he was being driven to t
he right, that was all he recognised about his surroundings, since he knew nothing about this place, but it was clear to him he was at a university, not just due to the makeup of the buildings but the sign outside which said “Marshalls University”. He had never heard of this university so had no idea where he was. All he could do was remain seated and quiet, and just be thankful that the deeper within the complex he was, the more secure he must have been. Such was his reasoning, and now he studied outside saw as the car bypassed more fences and personnel with weapons walking around. This must be a large university he reasoned, and he could tell the outlining walls must have made it a perfect place for the security services to pick.

  It was then he noticed that the car he was being along a narrow winding road and towards a large fence which he saw up ahead. And this fence was moved aside by a few men in police uniforms. This must have been the checkpoint he reasoned because the fence was artificial in design, in the respect it did not look like it would be here given normal circumstances. Kenny sat back in the seat of the car, the handcuffs were on tight, digging into him but he did not care. The driver of the car, Nancy, pulled up towards the policeman near the side of the checkpoint with the fence open, she lowered the window and engaged in small talk as if everything that was happening was routine and run of the mill.