The Z Infection

by Russell Burgess

  ‘And if others come behind us?’ asked another.

  I looked around. Every back garden had a gate. I pushed the first one and it opened.

  ‘We go in there,’ I said. ‘Then through the house and out the other side.’

  There was another discussion as we talked through how many we should aim to fight in this first proper engagement. In the end I explained that we would have to decide at the time if there were too many for us to cope with.

  ‘We can always run away to fight another day,’ I said.

  So it was decided, in a somewhat democratic process, that we would make our first stand against the infected in that narrow alleyway in Hounslow. It wasn’t exactly a glamorous setting, for humanity to start its fight back against the dead, but we were way past glamour by now and it was a start.

  Callum MacPherson

  11:52 hours, Wednesday 27th May, Central London

  I was amazed by what Xiaofan and Claire had achieved in such a short space of time. They could be almost self-sufficient, tucked up in their fortress. They had food and security, which were the two main things, but they also had weapons and some luxuries too. Yes, they had to take some risks from time to time, going out into the streets when they ran low on certain things, but their set up had given me an idea.

  Once they were satisfied that we posed no risk to them, they allowed the rest of my men to join me. We used our own rations for our evening meal, to preserve their food as much as possible, but we were given a beer each and they let the lads use the hot tub.

  I had called the base to explain that we were safe for the time being and they were relieved to hear it. The chopper had a more serious problem than was at first thought and it had been grounded. All the others were already committed on other jobs and we were told that we couldn’t get extracted until the next day.

  So we had settled in for the night, taking over the whole living room as our temporary billet.

  The next day I took Xiaofan and Claire to one side.

  ‘What you have here isn’t unique,’ I said. ‘But it is impressive. You could remain here for months, if not years. I doubt that you’ve had many problems from the infected this high up?’

  Claire laughed. ‘They did get into the building once, but Xiaofan dealt with that. What really worries me is what happens when the power goes off?’

  ‘I spoke to Headquarters about that recently,’ I said. ‘They have pulled out all the stops to keep the power on for as long as possible. It isn’t easy, but it can be done. When I go back I will be making sure that it stays on in this part of town for as long as possible, but you have to accept that it might go off eventually.’

  ‘What happens then?’ Xiaofan asked. ‘We rely on the security doors to keep the infected out.’

  ‘We could board them up for added security,’ I suggested. ‘We could secure all the ground floor windows too, then rig up a rope ladder from one of the first floor flats. I’ve not met a zombie yet, who could climb a ladder.’

  ‘What about lighting and cooking?’ asked Claire. ‘I’m used to hot food and I like my hot tub.’

  ‘We can drop in a generator and some fuel for emergencies,’ I said. ‘We can also drop in tools, weapons and ammunition for you. This could be a fortress.’

  They looked at one another.

  ‘I’m happy to stay if you are,’ said Xiaofan.

  ‘Looks like it’s a done deal then,’ said Claire. ‘We stay.’

  By late morning I had been advised that the chopper was ready to come back to collect us. I gave our location and gave them a list of things I wanted for the two women. Those included the generators and fifty litres of fuel, automatic rifles with enough ammunition to last for several days, extra food, water and medicines.

  My request was greeted with some degree of surprise but I assured them that I would explain everything when I returned.

  Just before midday I was contacted again and told that the ETA for extraction was at 11:50 hours. I assembled the men on the flat roof and when the chopper arrived the equipment and supplies was lowered down to them. Once that was done we transferred it inside the apartment, while our transport landed on a nearby roof and waited for us.

  I gave the girls a crash course in how to use the rifles and made sure that the generators were properly positioned for them and they knew what to do to switch them on. Then I said my goodbyes and promised I would return soon.

  When we were finished, one of my men called the chopper and it returned and hoisted us up. Then we were away, leaving those two determined women to their rooftop paradise. I envied what they had there. It was something really special and it was something I would have given anything to have.

  I was still thinking of it when I was nudged by the co-pilot of the helicopter as we approached the Northern Operating Base. He pointed to the ground and I had to hold onto the seat as I feared I might have fallen out through the shock of what I was seeing.

  On the ground, marching towards the Northern Operating Base, was an army of infected that stretched as far as the eye could see. Never mind thousands, or hundreds of thousands. There must have been a million of them.

  ‘Where the fuck did they come from?’ I yelled.

  He held up his hands.

  ‘We need to tell the Commanding Officer at the base bout this,’ I shouted.

  ‘Already done,’ he yelled back. ‘They were already aware of this swarm and are engaging them as we speak.’

  As I looked on I could see the armour from the Northern Operating Base, backed up by infantry, making their way towards the swarm. It looked like a pitiful force against that mass of infected, but I knew they weren’t engaging the enemy to try to win a battle. They were hopelessly outnumbered, without a chance of winning the fight. They were simply buying time for the others to escape.

  Sophie Westerly

  12:15 hours, Wednesday 27th May, Windsor Castle HQ, Windsor

  I found Kareef on the wall near the front gate of the castle. He was gazing down at the swarm of infected below and was in his own little world, where everything was good and his wife and children were safe.

  ‘Hey stranger,’ I said. ‘Have you been avoiding me?’

  He shook his head. ‘No. I just needed some space to think.’

  I stood next to him. If anything the swarm that surrounded us seemed to be even greater than before. I couldn’t see where it ended. The stench was horrific. We were slowly getting used to it now but most days, when I took my turn on the wall, I still had to cover my mouth and nose with a scarf.

  ‘Have you made a decision about what you’re going to do?’ I asked at last.

  I feared the answer. I liked Kareef. He was a nice guy and he had saved my life several times. It was becoming a standing joke. Every time he mentioned it he added more to it. I think, at the last count, it was about thirty.

  ‘I can’t stay here,’ he said. ‘I owe it to my family to look for them at the very least. But I don’t know where to begin looking and even if I did there’s no way out of here while this lot surround us.’

  He was in despair. I really feared that he might lose hope altogether and do something stupid.

  ‘The northern safe zone was supposed to have been set up just outside Aylesbury,’ I said.

  ‘They told me the zones were never used. They were overrun before they were implemented,’ he said.

  ‘That’s true,’ I replied. ‘But the idea was there and they had begun to organise them. Maybe they just moved somewhere else? In any case your wife wouldn’t have known that. She might have headed in that direction, thinking that it was safe.’

  ‘Possibly,’ he said. ‘How do you know all this?’

  ‘I speak to people,’ I said. ‘There are lots of people in here, who know lots of things.’

  ‘Do they know a way out?’ he asked sarcastically.

  ‘Actually,’ I replied. ‘They do.’

  Kareef Hadad

  12:20 hours, Wednesday 27th May, Windsor Castle HQ, W
indsor

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Not only had I been lied to about the safe zones, but now it seemed that there was a way out of the castle too.

  ‘You need to tell me about this,’ I said to Sophie.

  ‘It’s a tunnel,’ she replied, keeping her voice to a whisper. ‘Not many people know about it. The PM does, of course, the royals will too and some of the top military men maybe. It’s meant to be a secret, but some of the royal staff know about it. One of them told me about it.’

  ‘How did you manage that?’ I asked.

  She blushed, I think. ‘Never mind, that’s not important. What is important, is that it goes right under the grounds of the castle for over a mile and comes out at a place called Frogmore Gardens. That will be well away from the swarm.’

  I could barely process all the information. Could I really get out? What if I did? Could I find my family again? One thing was for sure. I wouldn’t find them while I was still within the castle walls and every day they spent outside their chances of survival decreased.

  ‘I need to see this place,’ I said. ‘Can you show me?’

  She led me from the castle walls and through the grounds, to a part of the building that overlooked the east terrace lawn. Once there she found a door and used a key to open it.

  ‘You have keys too?’ I asked, astonished.

  ‘Of course,’ she winked at me. ‘They don’t post a guard here, because they don’t want to draw attention to it, so they just keep the door locked,’ she said.

  Inside the room was another door. She unlocked this one too and it swung open to reveal a set of stone steps. Sophie turned on the light and we walked down and down for what seemed like a hundred steps, deep into the gloom.

  At the bottom was a tunnel. It was narrow and I had to duck my head because of the low ceiling, but it was well constructed, with stone walls and electric lights every few metres. I couldn’t see the end. For all I knew it might have gone on forever.

  ‘And this goes for a mile?’ I asked.

  ‘Give or take,’ said Sophie.

  ‘What about at the end?’ I asked. ‘Is there another locked door?’

  She held up another key. She had thought of everything.

  ‘All you have to do is go,’ she said. ‘If that is what you truly believe you should do.’

  I didn’t have to think for long. I knew that I had to.

  ‘As far as I am concerned,’ I said. ‘This makes us quits.’

  Anna Hasker

  12:30 hours, Wednesday 27th May, Loch Leven, Kinross-shire

  I had been on edge since Mike had failed to return from his trip to the mainland. The obvious worry was that he had been killed by some infected, but I somehow had the feeling that wasn’t the way he was going to go. He had improved his survival skills every day since we had crashed and if anyone could survive across there, it was him.

  The other thing I had found quite disturbing, was Laura’s report of a large group of survivors to the east. They had been sheltering in a wooded area but had made no effort to contact us. That worried me.

  It was mid-afternoon and I was having a bite to eat when Lucy, who was on watch on the tower, called down to me.

  ‘There are people on the shore,’ she said.

  ‘Infected?’ I asked.

  She had a pair of binoculars and she trained them on the group.

  ‘I don’t think so,’ she replied. ‘They look normal.’

  ‘How many? What are they doing?’ I asked.

  ‘There must be about twenty of them. They’re waving a white sheet,’ she said.

  A white sheet? I couldn’t think why they would be waving something like that, unless it was to get our attention. Then it came to me. A flag of truce?

  ‘Can you see Mike?’ I asked.

  ‘No, I don’t see him,’ she called.

  ‘Get everyone inside the castle,’ I shouted.

  ‘What’s happening?’ asked Dave, appearing from the cellar.

  ‘Issue everyone with a rifle and ammunition,’ I said. ‘We might have trouble shortly.’

  The whole population of the island was now on full alert. I didn’t know what we were facing, but the sudden appearance of survivors waving a white flag made me nervous. If these were the same one that Laura and Tom had seen, then why wait until now to make contact.

  ‘There’s a boat in the water now,’ shouted Lucy. ‘There are three people in it, waving at me.’

  ‘Laura and Dave come with me,’ I said. ‘The rest of you remain in the castle and put the children in the cellar.’

  The three of us grabbed a rifle each and made our way down to the western jetty. The boat was close enough for the occupants to shout to us now. There were two men and a woman on it.

  ‘We don’t want any trouble,’ shouted one of the men. ‘We came across one of your people yesterday. Saved his life. He’s safe.’

  ‘What’s his name?’ I asked.

  ‘He called himself Mike,’ said the man. ‘He said you might be able to help us out. We could do with a safe place to get our heads down for a bit, lick our wounds and eat some decent food.’

  ‘How many of you are there?’ I asked.

  ‘Twenty,’ he called.

  ‘We don’t have much food,’ I said. ‘And there’s not enough room for any more on the island. If you wouldn’t mind dropping Mike off we would be grateful to you for that.’

  He shook his head. ‘We could really do with some help. We have one or two carrying injuries.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ I said. ‘We don’t have much in the way of medical supplies and we don’t have any qualified medical people.’

  Suddenly Lucy called out again.

  ‘They’ve got Mike,’ she shouted. ‘He’s tied up.’

  The man nodded. ‘It’s true. We don’t want to hurt him, but we will do what we have to.’

  I turned to Dave and Laura. This was a serious situation. We were being blackmailed by these people and this wasn’t a decision I was going to be able to make alone.

  ‘What do you think?’

  ‘I think if you let them on this island we’ll have a bigger problem than we do now,’ said Laura.

  ‘I agree,’ said Dave. ‘If they come over here we might never get rid of them again. They are more than we are. They might decide that they want it and push us off. What then?’

  ‘We’ll have to think about it,’ I called. ‘Give us a few minutes.’

  ‘Don’t think for too long,’ shouted the female. ‘We might get pissed off waiting.’

  I immediately didn’t like the sound of her. She was in her twenties with long, dirty brown hair. She looked rough and had a mouth to match.

  I was wracking my brains for the answer. While in agreement with Laura and Dave, I also didn’t want to leave Mike in the hands of these people. I thought for a few moments before I made my mind up.

  ‘Okay,’ I shouted. ‘You can come across, but I want Mike back first.’

  ‘He’ll come across on one of the first boats,’ shouted the man.

  With that they turned and rowed back to the mainland.

  ‘What are you doing?’ said Dave.

  ‘There’s no time,’ I said. ‘I agree that they will be bad news once they get over here, but I’m not leaving Mike as their prisoner. Get me the bait boys. I’ve got an idea.’

  Chapter Twenty

  Anna Hasker

  12:45 hours, Thursday 28th May, Loch Leven, Kinross-shire

  I sent the bait boys to a small island which sat about halfway from our island to the shore of the mainland. They each took with them a rifle, shotgun and plenty of ammunition. Then I set up the rest of our group along the western shore of the island, while the children were taken to the cellar for safety.

  This was a risky enterprise, but it had to be done. There was enough room for everyone on the island. That wasn’t the issue. The problem was food and the fact that we didn’t know these people. They gave me a bad feeling. It was nothing I cou
ld pin down, but there was something about them that made me uneasy.

  Once everyone was in position I called up to Lucy, who was still occupying her post on top of the tower.

  ‘Any movement?’ I asked.

  ‘There are a lot of people on the harbour,’ she replied.

  ‘I need a number,’ I said.

  There was a pause as she tried to count the moving bodies.

  ‘About fifty I would say. They are getting into some of the boats.’

  Fifty? That settled it for me. Why lie about your numbers. They were coming to take the island for themselves.

  ‘Anything else?’ I asked.

  ‘Difficult to tell,’ she replied. ‘They are loading some things into the boats but it’s too far away to tell what it is. Might just be supplies and belongings.’

  ‘Or it might be weapons,’ I said. ‘Keep an eye on them.’

  You could feel the tension amongst the group, as we waited in silence for our uninvited guests. To my left I had Dave, who was a crack shot with his rifle. On the other side I had couple of women and further down the shore I knew that Tom and Laura had set themselves up in good cover. In all there were eighteen of us on the shore, with Lucy in the tower and the bait boys on the small island, well hidden from the now fast approaching boats. My heart was pounding in my chest. We were badly outnumbered, but we had a good advantage of being on dry land.

  They were closing in on us now. There were seven boats in total and I cursed my failure to have removed them from the harbour when I had the opportunity.

  As the lead boat passed the smaller island I prayed that our bait boys wouldn’t be seen. No one on board even looked their way and one by one the boats passed them. They were sailing into our trap.

  When the boats were about two hundred metres from shore, Lucy called down to me.

  ‘They have weapons with them,’ she said. ‘I can see them preparing them as they get closer, handing them around.’

  ‘Any guns?’ I asked.

  ‘It looks like the usual axes and knives and home-made efforts,’ she said. ‘Wait though, the leader seems to have a shotgun. Maybe one or two others have as well.’