‘Taff,’ I called. ‘There are people following it.’
‘Infected?’ he asked.
‘Possibly. I can’t make them out properly.’
I shielded my eyes to see but the car was too far in the distance.
‘Here,’ shouted Taff, handing me his binoculars.
I placed the glasses to my eyes and nearly jumped back as the figures suddenly became much nearer and clearer. They were infected alright. About ten of them. I moved to the right and picked up the car. It was driving along the edge of the racecourse and would eventually reach us if it kept coming.
‘Anything?’ asked Tony.
‘They’re infected, about ten of them, that’s confirmed,’ I said. ‘The car is coming this way. I can’t see how many people are in it.’
Taff joined me now and searched the area with his eyes.
‘Give me those,’ he said, reaching for the binoculars.
I handed them back and he immediately trained them on another part of the racecourse.
‘More,’ he said. ‘Too many to be fighting against.’
He looked up at the sky and cursed. ‘Where the fuck is that chopper?’
The car got steadily closer now. It could easily outrun the infected, but with more closing in on them it was going to make escape more difficult. A lot of people thought that it would be simple, just to drive straight through them, knocking them down like skittles. Let me tell you, it doesn’t work out that way.
I watched a news report one night. I saw a car, driven by a kid of about fourteen. He drove it straight through a mass of infected, thinking he would just carve a path through them. It didn’t work. Bodies became jammed underneath and eventually he stalled and couldn’t get going again. The TV crew kept filming, in full colour glory, as the dead dragged him from the car and ate him alive.
These people were a bit more clued up. They stopped the car and one person got onto the roof and had a look around the area. Then he jumped back in and they kept driving towards our position.
They came steadily closer to us and I was almost certain they would drive right over the top of our men, when suddenly Si and Shaky stepped out from their cover, weapons raised. The car quickly drew to a halt and hands appeared out of the windows. I couldn’t hear what was being said, but a few moments later the doors opened and a man and a woman got out. Si ran to the boat with them, while Shaky took cover again, waiting for contact with the infected.
When Si arrived at the boat he presented the two of them to Taff.
‘I couldn’t leave them there,’ he said. ‘There’s no way out.’
Taff grunted and I think he was about to speak when we suddenly heard gunfire. It was Shaky, firing at a group who had strayed too close. I watched as his accurate fire finished off the first ones easily. The second group was much larger, however, and he would never be able to fight them all off.
It was looking like the river was going to have to be our saviour once more, when I suddenly heard the most perfect noise I have ever heard. It was a helicopter. The one they said they would send us. It was day late, but there it was.
It swooped low over the horde of infected, which had grown considerably and came around for another pass. There was a machine gunner in the door and he laid down a withering fire against them as the chopper settled on the ground.
‘Let’s go,’ shouted Taff. ‘Into the chopper.’
Leaving everything we didn’t need, we scrambled off the boat and towards safety. Shaky was still firing at the mass as they tried to get to him, but it was the overwhelming firepower from the machine gunner that was managing to keep them at bay.
We ran, now with two new members of our group, until we reached the doors and leapt aboard. The crew didn’t ask any questions about the extra two bodies. There wasn’t time. We sat down and buckled up and were already taking off again when Shaky jumped on board.
We rose into the air, leaving behind the flailing arms of a thousand infected as they reached hopelessly for us. It was quite a sight. The racecourse was covered with them already. We would have had to have escaped on our boat again, but we all knew that the fuel would have run out before very much longer.
We were grateful for the ride to the castle, passing over the heads of tens of thousands of the damned, as they clawed at the walls and gates of the impregnable fortress. It was an awesome sight. The castle was entirely surrounded. There was no way we could have got inside other than by helicopter. My only fear was, how long it would remain intact. One breach, anywhere, would finish it.
Anna Hasker
12:40 hours, Sunday 17th May, Loch Leven, Kinross-shire
The next day I was awake before dawn. The light was just beginning to appear in the eastern sky and it looked like it was going to be a nice day. What a joke. Who cared about the weather now? That British tradition, of being obsessed with the weather, whether it was rain, sun or snow, had surely had its day. There were a lot more important things to worry about now.
I slipped out of the shelter, leaving Mike and the two children asleep, all wrapped up together in a ball. It was chilly and I wrapped my cardigan around my shoulders to ward off the cool air.
The fire, which had kept us so warm in the darkness, was close to being out. Dull embers glowed under a chunk of charred wood, which had failed to completely burn away.
I remembered Mike’s Boy Scout lesson from the previous day and found a silver birch tree. I peeled off a large handful of the outer bark and placed it on the fire, surrounding it with some smaller twigs. I blew hard until the bark ignited and then worked hard to keep it going with the smaller twigs and branches. Within a few minutes I had successfully reignited the fire and I warmed my hands in its leaping flames for a few moments, savouring the heat.
I sat by the fire for a couple of hours, as the sun began to rise and steadily spread its light across the loch. I wished I had something to eat. After a while I walked to the edge of the loch and stared out across the calm waters. There was another island, further to the north. I could just about make it out in the distance. The tree lined shores rose up from the water. It felt silly, but I suddenly felt less alone.
I gathered some water and walked along the shore for about an hour, checking among the rocks. I didn’t know what I was looking for. Nothing in particular I suppose. I knew we needed food but I had no idea how I was going to find any.
Once I got to the northwest edge of the island I decided to turn and go back to camp. There were no trees on that part of the island and I felt slightly exposed on the barren shore. As I turned, my eyes drifted back to the other island and something caught my attention.
I shielded my eyes against the sun as I tried to see what it was. There. Among the trees, rising from them like a signal. It was smoke. Someone had lit a fire. There were other survivors.
I ran back to the camp. Mike was stirring from his sleep, but both children were still dead to the world and I didn’t have the heart to waken them. They would need all their strength.
‘Mike,’ I said. ‘Come with me.’
He rubbed his eyes and dragged himself out of the shelter.
‘What is it?’ he asked as he followed me back to the shoreline.
When we got there I pointed to the other island.
‘Another island,’ he said.
‘Look closer,’ I said. ‘Amongst the trees.’
It took him a while, until his eyes became adjusted to the light, but then he saw it too.
‘Smoke,’ he said. ‘Someone’s lit a fire.’
We quickly discussed our options. It was a long swim. Probably too far for Ben and Beth to manage it.
‘I’ll go,’ I said. ‘It can’t be much more than a mile or so.’
‘The water is cold,’ said Mike.
He wasn’t sure, but there was no other option. We didn’t have a boat.
‘Wait,’ he said.
He ran back into the woods and came back a few minutes later, with a large branch.
‘You
can use this as a float, if you get tired.’
I looked at the branch. It was too big.
‘Break it in half,’ I said, stripping off to my underwear.
Mike stood staring at me as I decanted my clothes on the beach.
‘I don’t need any extra weight,’ I explained. ‘I’ll put them on the branch and get dressed when I get there.’
He broke the ends off the branch and threw it into the water for me. I waded in after it, gasping as the cold water crept up my legs to my waist. I put the rest of my clothes onto the log and took a deep breath before ducking myself completely under the water.
‘It’s not…so…bad…once you…get…used to it,’ I stuttered. Who was I kidding? It was freezing.
‘Wait,’ said Mike, just before I set off. ‘What if they’re not friendly?’
I had already considered that possibility but decided it had to be worth the risk.
‘Then I’ll come straight back,’ I said.
I didn’t wait for any more questions. The quicker I got to the other island the better. I hadn’t even thought about how I would then get Mike and the kids across there. I would deal with that later.
The loch became colder the further out I went. Luckily it was calm and I was able to make good progress. The log had actually been a good idea. Now that it was about half its original size it was more streamlined and it didn’t take a huge amount of effort to push it along as I swam.
It still took over an hour for me to make the crossing between the two islands. As I got closer to this new one I could see that it was smaller. Thick trees covered the southern shore and behind them I could see a stone building and walls. It looked like an old castle.
I was about a hundred metres from shore when I saw the first signs of life. Two children were playing by the water’s edge and I waved to them. They looked up from their game, startled to see something living in the water, then they bolted back into the trees.
A minute later more figures appeared on the shoreline, most of them armed with a variety of clubs and other weapons. I waved again. This time nobody ran.
As I got closer, two of the men waded into the loch and helped me to the shore.
‘Where have you come from?’ asked a woman as she covered me with a blanket.
I turned and pointed to the now distant island.
‘Over there,’ I said, catching my breath,
‘I know you,’ said another woman’s voice. ‘You were one of the flight attendants on the plane from London.’
‘Yes I was,’ I said.
She gave me a hug and kissed my cheek.
‘You made sure so many got off that plane,’ she said. ‘Thank you.’
I was slightly embarrassed by the attention.
‘How many are on this island?’ I asked.
‘Just what you see,’ said a man.
I looked at the semi-circle of faces. There were no more than twenty of them. Was that all that had survived that flight?
‘And one of your colleagues,’ said another. ‘She’s injured.’
They led me to a small clearing and to a crude shelter with an improvised bed inside. My heart almost jumped into my mouth when I saw her. It was Lucy, still in her uniform. She smiled at me.
‘You made it,’ she said weakly.
‘You too,’ I said. ‘What happened to you?’
‘I fell during the escape,’ she said. ‘Went through a bunch of bushes and over the edge of a crag. I’m lucky I’m still alive. I was badly concussed. One of the passengers found me and we sailed across to this island. If it hadn’t been for that, the infected would have got me.’
I stayed with her for a few minutes and then went back out to the rest of the group. They were a mixed lot, most of them from the plane. There were four younger men, two much older ones, nine women of varying ages, three children and Lucy.
‘There are another three survivors across on that island,’ I said. ‘We would like to join you if we can.’
One of the younger men stepped forward. He seemed to be the leader of the group, although he didn’t convey any confidence at all.
‘What can you offer?’ he asked.
I suddenly realised that they didn’t particularly want any more people to join their group. It must have been difficult finding enough food for the twenty of them. Feeding more mouths would only increase the burden.
‘The man I am with has good survival skills,’ I said.
I wasn’t exactly sure that was the truth. He could build a rudimentary shelter and make a fire, but did that qualify him as an expert? He was no Bear Grylls.
There was an animated discussion now, as the group argued about the pros and cons of the matter. Eventually they were silenced by one woman’s voice.
‘Shut up,’ she shouted. ‘Do none of you remember yesterday, or the last few days? We are fighting for survival and this woman was responsible for saving a great many lives after the plane crash. We owe her and whoever is with her. We will only be strong enough to survive if we come together as one. Individually we are finished. We should be welcoming her without question.’
There were one or two more murmurs, before another of the younger men spoke up.
‘As far as I’m concerned you are welcome to join us,’ he said.
It was a relief, I have to say. The thought of being rejected and having to try to survive without support, while trying to care for two small children, was terrifying.
I managed to dry off completely and then dress myself. One of the women brought me a bowl of soup and I devoured it and a second one before I felt the hunger pangs subside a little.
I was at the point of thinking about swimming back to the other island, when I suddenly remembered something that Lucy had said.
‘Do you have a boat?’ I asked.
Sophie Westerly
12:50 hours, Sunday 17th May, Windsor Racecourse, Windsor
Kareef drove while I read the map and gave the best directions I could. It was a difficult journey. There were infected everywhere, mostly in small groups, but occasionally you would see a larger mass, or a swarm as they were called in the media reports.
We listened to the radio constantly, avoiding the areas where the concentrations were greatest. The vicinity around Staines, Windsor and Slough was particularly infested and Heathrow Airport was described by one bulletin, as a no-go area.
We decided to skirt around these places and drove out into the countryside. I have to say it was only marginally better. There were infected walking in many of the fields, ambling along with that peculiar gait. We still didn’t know the truth at that point, that the infected were actually the dead, risen to wreak destruction on us all.
To the south of Windsor we found a small side road, which had a sign post for the town. Kareef suggested we take it and find somewhere to lie low, while we decided on the best way to get inside the castle.
We drove down it but had to double back when we saw a group of infected. They spotted us and followed until we outran them.
Kareef then found another road, which just appeared as a line on the map I had.
‘What do you think?’ he asked.
‘It probably just leads to a farm,’ I said. ‘It might be a dead end.’
‘We’re running out of roads to use,’ he replied. ‘Every road we’ve tried is choked with infected.’
I looked at the map again. I thought I knew where we were, but I couldn’t be absolutely certain.
‘Try it then,’ I said.
Kareef turned onto the track and we bumped our way down it slowly. About half a mile or so later, we came to a small rise. As we climbed to the top of it we saw a farmhouse with several outbuildings. It didn’t look like there was anyone around.
‘We need some water,’ said Kareef. ‘What do you think?’
I hated going into houses, especially out here in the countryside. You never knew what was waiting inside for you. If there were infected, that was bad. If there were survivors, that could be j
ust as bad. A twitchy farmer, holding a shotgun, was the end of many in those days.
But Kareef was right, we were low on water. We would have to take a chance.
He switched off the ignition and we walked around the side of the house and into a yard at the back. There was one body lying there, mostly eaten. A dead dog lay nearby. It looked like it had been shot.
‘Let’s take our time,’ said Kareef.
We made our way to the rear door and entered a small utility room. Kareef shouted to make it known to anyone inside that we didn’t mean any harm. There was a sudden noise from the kitchen and we were instantly alert. There was someone in there and my guess was that they were infected. We braced ourselves for flight, expecting something to come crashing at us through the door at any moment, but nothing happened.
We looked at one another. An infected person would have stopped at nothing to have got through that door, but there was no attempt. He called again, stressing that we planned to go into the kitchen, just to take some water. We wanted nothing else from them.
There was another noise, like a rattling. It sounded like wood on the stone floor. And there was that familiar moaning sound, only subtly different from others we had heard.
Kareef looked at me again. ‘Perhaps the infected person is tied up?’
It wouldn’t have been the first time. In those early days families often tied up their loved ones and left them in a spare room, hoping that a cure would be found.
He pushed the door slowly and it creaked open. The rattling intensified. The moaning became more excited and insistent. Dinner was about to be served.
Kareef peered into the room and instantly averted his eyes, his hand shooting up to cover his mouth. I thought he was going to puke.
‘Don’t look,’ he said. ‘I’ll get the water.’
He took the bottles we had brought from the car and walked into the kitchen, leaving me in the utility room. I could hear the moaning increase as Kareef went to the sink and ran the water. Why wasn’t he being attacked? What was in there? It couldn’t have been anything worse than all the other things we had seen.
The moaning continued, incessantly. The rattling intensified. I couldn’t take it any longer. I had to see what was in that room. I prodded the door open and walked in. What I saw has haunted me ever since. Worse than anything I had ever seen before. The person was infected, true. But he wasn’t tied up or restrained.
The Z Infection Page 25