Day Zed - Box Set: Volumes I and II

by Charles Smith

  “Close the border, pull the troops back.” Harrington informed the group

  The water cannon had gone some way in suppressing the crowd who had bade for the blood of the front line defence. The sergeant was happy enough to now turn the hoses back off, and ascertain if the mob had given up. He was approached by one of the corporal’s who issued him with orders that had just come from the Prime Minister himself. He took the envelope from the corporal and read the orders over and over in his mind before instructing his men that they would be closing the gates with immediate effect. The water cannons were turned back on, and his men began to close the gates, despite the onslaught of the cannons the crowd surged forward. The main ringleader saw that it was the perfect time to attack the border and rallied them forward.

  “Open the gates let us through.” The ringleader screamed.

  “You have no right to keep us here let us through now.” He roared.

  The sergeant pulled his pistol as he stood at the gate.

  “Step back now.” The sergeant hollered as he fired one bullet into the air.

  The crowd paused for one split second then rushed at the fences, and the barriers rocked they would come crashing down at any second. The sergeant looked into the face of the ringleader who was still inciting the hate that drove the crowd, knowing that he had to act fast the sergeant levelled the pistol at the ringleader’s face and fired. At such a short range the bullet tore through the ringleaders head and exited through the back taking some of his brain with it. The crowd directly behind where showered with the spray from the wound, and most importantly of all the barrier stopped rocking. The sergeant now stared at the crowd and at the top of his voice issued a chilling warning to the desperate throng of people before him. “If you attempt to charge the barrier again we will open fire.”

  For minutes that seemed liked hours each side stared at one another. The soldiers watched for the slightest movement, whilst the crowd waited for something to spur them forward. A child who was pressed up against the gate of the border spoke to the sergeant. “Do you have enough bullets to shoot us all?” He calmly asked.

  A babble of conversation rippled through the waves of people. The child was right, there were simply not enough of the soldiers to take everyone down. The atmosphere from the crowd grew darker, their crowds faces screwed up, each face filled with one expression, one of pure rage. When they began to chant, the sergeant knew he had seconds to spare, with that he picked up the radio to contact the sergeant in charge of the mortars. “We need suppressing fire laid down to give my men time to retreat.” He ordered.

  He must have been asked to confirm the order as he had to repeat the same line again. The sergeant stepped back and the crowd began to surge forward. A tell-tale noise of ordinance dropping split the air, with the noise growing as the explosive shell neared the ground. The crowd had stopped, and then tried to move back, but there was nowhere for them to go as the first mortar hit the ground one hundred yards from the gates. Screams erupted as a shower of limbs, and blood cascaded over nearby survivors, the screams were then drowned out by further mortars dropping, each one dropping into the ground, and then ripping swathes of the crowd apart as they detonated. The soldiers behind the gate retreated whilst the bombs prevented the crowd from surging towards the barrier and attacking them, they each had maps showing them the course they would need to take to avoid the mines that had been planted, they had to move fast as slowly the mortars arc would decrease and start targeting areas within the border. With a slight head start they moved out, and attempted to get to the next defensive line before the crowd in front of them broke through.

  Left with no choice of escape the crowd could not run, they couldn’t break to the side as they were penned in by walls. The throng of people still joining the exodus from England behind them stopped them from retreating. The first eight mortars had fell to the ground and killed and maimed hundreds, they had been left with no choice they had to go forward. They rushed the barrier. The barrier put up little resistance, and with such a large crowd they turned the fences over in mere seconds, and they ran forward to catch the fleeing soldiers. The soldier’s movements were impaired with the heavy weapons and ammunition they tried to run with and the crowd were soon upon them. As soldiers fell the crowd stopped and pummelled the fallen men with their fists, some had knifes that they used to stab at the men.

  As the thousands moved forward the mortars continued to drop until the crowd reached them. The men who had been firing at them were quickly taken care of and the crowd moved on surging forward to seek out both refuge and retribution from the men who had sanctioned firing upon them. These men had sworn to protect them, yet to save themselves had betrayed their fellow man, they would now pay for their betrayal with their own blood.

  The front line of the crowd continued to move ahead in the distance the sight of the town gave them added purpose, they didn’t slow down from exhaustion or lack of food and didn’t back off as the first of the landmines exploded. By shooting into the crowd the sergeant who now lay dead beaten to a pulp, had unwittingly created a mob that required no leader, every person just felt wronged and they now had one purpose to destroy the traitors that hid before them. The crowds fear had totally dissipated and now it had been replaced by sheer rage.

  2nd July, West Ham, East London, 11:00am

  The morning had dragged for Gerard and Shanice, since the zombies surrounding the outside of the shed yesterday Gerard had refused to use the generator again. The pair had been using the gasoline lamps for light in the dingy bunker, ever since waking early that morning. The novelty of the whole experience had started to bore Shanice who for the last hour had asked her father to turn the lights back on. Gerard had refused the little girls requests knowing that the noise of the generator would draw any zombies in the area back to the shed, and he wasn’t sure how long the wooden frame would be able to resist the dead from breaking it down. If one or two came to the area to beat upon the exterior he had no doubt that the shed would hold, and that they would be safe. Should a herd of the cadavers appear the tiny wooden frame would be put under serious levels of stress and eventually break. For Gerard it was a no win situation if he turned on the generator it would attract attention, and if he didn’t he would soon alienate his daughter who hated the dim light that was offered by the lamps.

  “Princess, Daddy is going to check outside to see if it’s clear.” Gerard told his daughter

  “Stay here, I don’t want you coming up you hear?” He added.

  Shanice nodded to her father as he walked to the stairs, he picked up the club hammer that lay on the bottom step in case he needed it. Gerard crept up the stairs and slowly, but silently eased the bolts back that locked the trapdoor to its frame. For minutes he stood in the shed and surveyed the interior of the walls, they all looked solid enough. He had been listening out for any signs of noise around the outside and after he was sure the area was clear he unlocked the shed and crept through the shed door.

  The allotment was deserted, and Gerard looked out at the rows of houses in the distance. From where he stood he could see several plumes of thick black smoke caused by fires, whether it was buildings or cars he couldn’t be sure. A strange noise resonated across the fields, it was a constant hum, every now and then it would be broken by a scream or shout off in the distance, but the noise didn’t change in its intensity, its low expressionless tone washed over the allotment. Gerard had never heard a noise such as this, and wondered what could possibly be making the sound, and it wasn’t until he thought what was new to the area that could possibly make the noise, that the chill of realisation engulfed his body. The realisation that it was not a hum, but the moans of millions of zombies shocked Gerard right through to his bones.

  Gerard locked the shed door from the inside, bolted the trapdoor behind him and made his way back to Shanice. Shanice looked at her father, he looked worried.

  “What’s wrong Daddy?” She asked

  “Nothing Princ
ess.”

  “Sure don’t look like nothing.”

  “Everything is fine Princess, Daddy is going to stick the generator on for a little while.” Gerard lied and swiftly changed the subject to avoid his daughter questions.

  The generator sputtered into life and once again the bunker was filled with light, and as if nothing had happened Shanice’s mood changed back to the excited child on an adventure as she rushed off to collect some of her toys. Gerard headed for the kitchen area, and began to prepare them breakfast. Every now and then he would cast a glance towards the trap door at the top of the stairs ever mindful of the threat outside. The pair sat down and ate their breakfast, once they had finished Shanice tore back off towards her room to continue the game she had been playing with her dolls, whilst Gerard washed up the breakfast dishes in a bucket of water. Again Gerard kept looking towards the trap door, why he kept looking he didn’t know as he wouldn’t be aware of any presence outside until he heard noises, rather than waste time looking Gerard decided it would be safe enough to look out of the shed window until a threat existed.

  Gerard watched for a long time, at first there was no sign of movement but slowly inquisitive zombies started to appear. The noise did seem to draw them to the previously deserted area, as if it alerted them to the presence of people alive. The nearest zombie was a good one hundred feet away, it shuffled towards the shed, but kept falling on the strips of the allotment that had been ploughed for planting. Wanting to test his theory out Gerard run down to the basement and handed Shanice a lamp, told her to remain in her room and then powered down the generator. He had got back to the window in no time at all and whilst standing there with the hammer in his hand ready, he watched the same zombie and what its actions would be like without the noise and vibrations emanating from the generator.

  Amazingly the zombie had just stopped. It had routed itself to the spot the minute the generator had been powered down, and now just stood in the same place with its head moving back and forth whilst it waited for something to draw its attention. Four other zombies that had been in the field displayed exactly the same traits. The humming that Gerard had heard earlier was much louder in intensity and it now engulfed the tiny shed, it seemed to be growing nearer as if the zombies were on the move. The noise didn’t seem to attract the zombies that now stood lost in the allotment, and they all still stood on the spot waiting.

  From way behind the shed what sounded like gunfire erupted, the five zombies all at once turned their head in the direction of the sound and begun to move forward again. Gerard knew he should go below and get into safety, but was transfixed as he watched the movement of the zombies before him. If he made no sound they would walk past and ignore the tiny shed as they sought the noises from off in the distance. As Gerard watched his mouth dropped, from the estate directly to their right hundreds of the monsters now made their way to the field, they moved on mass as one towards the gunfire. As the gunfire was coming from somewhere behind them it meant that this herd would pass directly past the shed and across the ground directly above the bunker. When Gerard had designed the area his calculations had allowed for maybe twenty people at a time to be on that ground which was an over exaggeration to make sure the supports held, he knew it would never hold this many.

  Taking the steps two at a time he raced through the darkness to the dull light at the end of the bunker, Gerard knew he had just minutes to act. He collected Shanice and told her to follow him and not make a sound. Without argument she done as her father requested with a worried look in her eyes. The bunker would collapse with the tremendous weight that was about to be exerted on it. The ceilings would definitely give, and zombies would come tumbling down along with the ground they walked on. To be underneath would mean certain death from asphyxiation if they hadn’t been crushed to death. Even if they managed to survive they would be surrounded by plenty of the dead to finish them off.

  The only safe area was the shaft itself that was constructed from crossed sleeper rails. Gerard led Shanice up the stairs, and stood her by the side of him whilst he secured the trap door. The rolled up rubber mat was placed in front of them shielding them for view just as the first of the zombies began to pass the window of the shed. Both Father and daughter silently preyed that the shed would keep them hidden from view, as to be discovered meant certain death. As the herd travelled past, the odd zombie fell onto the shed, it had no consequence to the frame that was secured to the sleepers. The zombies continued to move towards the shots as they rang out, as Gerard crouched behind the mat the constant monotone drone of the zombies moan filled his head and tormented him. More and more of the zombies walked across the bunkers ceiling and slowly the strain placed against the joists started to take effect, both Gerard and Shanice could hear soil begin to push through the seams of the marine plywood covered ceilings, and eventually they gave way.

  A huge crash sounded around the area as the allotment around the shed collapsed taking all the zombies that were on top of it crashing down below. Thankfully the shaft held and the shed remained in place. The trapdoor was still bolted tight, as well as the moaning, came sounds of digging as the zombies that were trapped in the soil filled bunker tried to escape, some even hissed as they scratched at the dirt. The reminder of the zombies moved on towards the gun shots, they didn’t care about their fallen brethren. They just continued forward, many walked straight into the large hole in front of them. It was if they couldn’t see the large hole, there wasn’t enough soil in the pit for them to climb back out and they just stood clawing upwards at thin air trying to escape.

  Gerard waited for a couple of hours before he checked outside, the zombies had all moved on except those that had been trapped in the collapsed bunker, of whom many looked at the man with hatred in those dark eyes as they clawed at the earth that held them in place desperate to get at him. Gerard ushered Shanice out of the shed and told her to keep her eyes closed whilst they moved away from some of the “bad men”. They edged towards the fence at the allotment and headed over to the station in the distance. Gerard remembered from his childhood how to get into the secure station from outside, as he and his friends had always been able to get in there and enjoyed looking down from the embankment wall across the entirety of their neighbourhood years ago.

  2nd July, Chatsworth Plaza, London, 3:00pm

  The entire group had just finished assembling in the command room for a meeting that Kathy had called earlier in the day. After speaking with Scott and then Daryl they had decided unanimously that they would join the other six and leave the bunker tomorrow morning. The other train survivors would now be given the opportunity to leave with everyone else, and if they chose to stay the three bunkers staff would show them the day to day workings of the bunker in order to give them a chance to survive before they left.

  The chat with Morgan earlier had installed new hope for the soldier, so far she had spent her life following orders to progress up the career ladder, but now she would finally be doing something for herself. With hope that they would come across other survivors around the country, and a possible chance of companionship with a man amongst these, she had even forgiven Jackson for spurning her advances and involving himself with the two young girls.

  Now as she stood before the group she felt more at ease, and didn’t need to feel superior to the people sitting in front of her. Even Penny had noticed a difference in the soldier as she greeted her with a smile. Kathy addressed the group and informed them that she, Scott and Darryl would now be joining the exodus, she also went on to inform them that the safe zone exterior border had fallen, and that the soldiers were now doing everything they could to ensure Berwick wasn’t over run. Kathy then moved directly in front of the train survivors, and addressed them as one.

  “You now have a choice of leaving with us tomorrow, or staying behind and taking your chances here on your own.” Kathy offered.

  “Great, aren’t your orders to maintain the bunker?” The man from Jin Lee’s carriage aske
d.

  “Everything has collapsed, are we to stay as we are, for the rest of our lives?” Kathy asked the man.

  “You’d rather go outside and risk being eaten?”

  “I’d rather die trying, than die sitting here.”

  “Don’t let us stop you.”

  “Look you have to decide what you want, one by one.” Kathy finished.

  Without hesitation every one of them immediately voted to stay in the bunker, the scenes they had endured whilst trapped on the train had been burned into their minds and none of them wished to endure that mental torture again. When Kathy offered them some training they refused at first, until common sense kicked in and they realised they knew nothing of the workings of the facility. Scott and Daryl led them off to teach them what they could, whilst Kathy finished up the meeting and then went to the loading bay with Morgan in tow to load a third Hummer. They chatted whilst they made their way to the vehicle compound.

  “You saw sense?” Morgan laughed as he asked her.

  After nudging him and chastising him for his sarcasm she thanked him for taking the time to talk to her earlier. She looked into his face, and to her surprise found that she quite liked his sense of humour.

  “Only tagging along to cover your bony backside.” She jested.

  “You shouldn’t be looking at that.” Morgan joked back.

  They both laughed and Kathy explained to him that she had spent enough of her time in the bunker and it was time to get a life, however short it may be. Morgan climbed into the vehicle and pulled it up next to the others, they now set about gathering the supplies to fill it.

  “Need a hand?” Jackson had made them jump as he asked the question from behind them.

  Jackson wasn’t alone his two shadows stood either side of him and Dave and Penny stood to the side.

  “Many hands make light work.” Penny chipped in.