by Hatchett
Gina walked up the ramp of the Chinook and took her seat on the bench next to Don and the rest of her team. The bench ran along the full length of the hold and was fully taken up by the four teams.
Gina was thankful that Don was with her. He gave her a warm smile as she sat down.
“You OK?” came through her comms.
“Fine thanks, Don. A little nervous if I’m honest.”
“We’re all nervous. If you weren’t I’d be worried,” Don replied.
“Are we all ready?” Gina asked.
“Raring to go,” Don confirmed.
Gina gave the order to depart.
The Chinook took off and banked before heading towards London. The journey would only take a few minutes and now that they were on their way, Gina’s nerves were slowly replaced by a steely determination.
“Coming up on Landing Zone 1,” came through her earpiece and she saw Issy and her team make their final preparations, which included pouring zombie blood over their clothes and wiping some across their faces. For this mission, there was no uniform. Everyone was in their civvies because they would need to be able to blend in with the zombies and not be spotted. Of course, they needed plenty of pockets and jackets to hide much of the weaponry. The sky was overcast and threatening rain, so they had their fingers crossed that it would stay dry.
The Chinook landed in the middle of Hackney Downs, situated a kilometre or so just to the North East of the Dalston Estate. The ramp lowered, and the ten members of Team Alpha moved out to join the thousands of zombies shuffling around at the edges of the downdraft.
“We’re down,” Issy’s voice came through the comms and the ramp immediately started rising as the Chinook took off once again.
The next landing was in London Fields, about a kilometre to the South East of the Dalston Estate. Gina led Team Bravo down the ramp and confirmed when they were down.
The Chinook took off to deposit Bear and Team Charlie in Butterfield Green, about a kilometre to the North West of the Dalston Estate then Irish and Team Delta in De Beauvoir Square, about a kilometre to the South West of the Dalston Estate.
All teams knew the aim of the mission; effectively to form a net around the Dalston Estate, but far enough away to monitor any comings and goings without being spotted. Sully was not a trustworthy man, and they believed that it was only a matter of time before Mamba made an appearance.
Once the Chinook had taken off, Gina checked her team and led the way out of the park, passing a Lido as they entered London Fields West Side and headed North.
There were zombies all over the place, but they ignored the team and the team ignored them. They did not want to do anything which drew unwanted attention to themselves, especially the closer they got to the estate.
At the junction of Greenwood Road and Richmond Road, Gina motioned for the Team to get close and clicked on Channel 3.
“We’re nearly at our target, so as discussed earlier, this is where we split up into our pairs, A, B, C, D and E.” She indicated each pair as she went through the letters, with her and Don being Pair A. She didn’t need to know who was in each pair, but by using the letters, she could move them if needed. “Remember, we’re dealing with clever, sneaky people, so the idea is to find a spot where you can see what’s going on and lay low. If you think you spot something, even if you’re not sure, let us know.” There were nods all around. “Any questions?” There was no response. “Right, let’s go, and good luck.”
The soldiers broke away from the huddle in their pairs before heading off. A couple went up Greenwood Road and found an empty house overlooking the Dalston Estate, where they could hole up and keep watch. Three other pairs spread out along the length of Richmond Road. They couldn’t see the Dalston Estate, but it was a likely access point and they would be able to see any comings and goings.
Gina and Don headed towards the A10 Kingsland Road, and at the junction with Richmond Road and Englefield Road, found themselves a Newsagent’s shop to settle into. They both used their bowie knives to kill the four zombies wandering around inside, then Gina moved various paraphernalia from the front window, so she could see out without being seen. Don went to the apartment upstairs, drew the curtains and made a hole large enough for him to see through. They found themselves some drinks, some snacks, something comfortable to sit on, got their binoculars out and settled in to watch and wait.
Gina knew that all the other teams were doing the same thing, so the Dalston Estate was now effectively surrounded.
After a couple of hours, Gina was aching all over and beginning to wish she’d stayed at Heathrow. This sitting around waiting was mind-numbingly boring and to think she could have gone for a swim in the hotel pool or have a drink at the bar. Still, this was her mission and she was responsible for her predicament, so she’d just have to suck it up.
66
Day 15 – 09:00
The Fox, Clerkenwell Road
Ayla was dressed and ready to leave the pub to go see her father. She wondered if the others who had left the previous evening had got home unscathed, especially in the state some of them were in.
“Ya sure ya remember what we agreed?” Mamba asked for about the millionth time.
“Yes, Mamba, I’m sure,” Ayla replied, exasperated by Mamba’s constant barrage of reminders and warnings. “I’m sure, I’m sure, I’m sure, OK?”
“OK. So long as yer sure,” Mamba replied.
Ayla just shook her head slowly in defeat and opened the pub’s door.
“See ya later, alligator.”
“Yes, Mamba. I will see you later. Where we agreed and when we agreed!” Ayla confirmed and left the pub, slamming the door behind her.
“See ya later darlin’,” Mamba said to the closed door. He turned to Ahmed. “Bit touchy ain’t she?”
“Not fuckin’ surprised the amount ya go on,” Ahmed replied.
“I don’t ‘go on’ as ya put it,” Mamba protested. “Jus’ wanted to make sure she knew what she was doin’.”
“Jesus Christ, Mamba, a fuckin’ imbecile would know what to do, the amount of times you’ve gone through it.”
“Had to make sure, Bro, ya know that. Can’t afford any mistakes.”
“The mistake is trusting ‘er,” Ahmed opined.
“Ya are jokin’?” Mamba asked.
“Nah, I’m not fuckin’ jokin’. I like ‘er, but I don’t trust ‘er. Not yet, anyway. Where do ya think the phrase ‘Bro’s not Ho’s’ comes from?”
“What the fuck ya takin’ ‘bout, man? She ain’t no ‘ho’.”
“I didn’t say she was. I was…”
“Yes, ya did!”
“I didn’t. I was …”
“Ya fuckin’ did!”
“Will ya let me finish my fuckin’ sentence? I was simply pointin’ out that I’ve got yer back as usual, which is jus’ as well ‘cos I don’t trust ‘er.
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why don’t ya trust ‘er?”
“Duh! She’s Sully’s fuckin’ daughter!”
“So?”
“So, blood is thicker ‘n water.”
“So?”
“I give up, Mamba. Ya do what ya fuckin’ want, as usual.” With that, he turned away and went to help himself to a drink from behind the bar.
“Don’t drink too much, we need to get goin’ soon,” Mamba cautioned. “We’ve got lots to do over the next few hours – which I ain’t mentioned to Ayla, in case ya was wonderin’!”
“Can’t wait,” Ahmed replied sarcastically.
*****
Ayla headed along Old Street and passed the Tube station after about four hundred metres. She continued straight across the junction and carried on for another half a kilometre until she reached Shoreditch High Street.
Her legs were aching badly from the long walk to and from Heathrow over the past couple of days and the blisters on her feet were starting to scream.
The journey from the Dalston Estate to
The Fox the other day had taken ages because she’d had to take a roundabout route and keep doubling back to avoid detection. She really didn’t see the need to follow the same procedure for this journey, despite what Mamba had instructed a thousand times. She had her own brain, and he was paranoid in any case.
Ayla thought that the people at Heathrow would have enough on their plate, sorting things out and making repairs, without worrying about trying to find them. The only thing she was worried about was that it might rain, but that would only be a small problem and probably just delay her journey. She prayed the rain held off, at least until she got home.
The next problem was what to tell her father. She didn’t think it would go down too well if he knew what she’d been up to with Mamba, but there again, the things he got up to were hardly normal. She’d have to play it by ear.
At Shoreditch High Street, she headed North along the A10 Kingsland Road. She knew from experience that she had another couple of kilometres to go, and from the pain flaring up in her feet, it was further than she really wanted to walk. Then she remembered that they’d dumped the Land Rovers on a side street around there somewhere. She couldn’t remember the name of the street, but she knew she’d remember it by sight. She didn’t think it wasn’t far, thank God.
The street was called Redvers Street and it turned out to be just a couple of hundred metres away. The Defenders were still there, so she limped over to the first one and checked the ignition. The joy she felt at seeing the key still in the ignition was almost orgasmic. No more walking! She hurried around to the driver’s side, and breaking every one of Mamba’s many rules, started it up and reversed it into Kingsland Road, the dead zombies on top of it sliding off to be crushed beneath the wheels.
She slammed the Defender into gear and roared forward. She was so happy about finding the vehicle that she wove from side to side, smashing into as many zombies as she could, like a bumper car at the fair.
She was at the Dalston Estate within minutes.
67
Day 15 – 09:00
Dalston Estate, East London
Sully was in his church, surrounded by Hakan and his bodyguards, sipping a glass of tea.
Standing in front of him were Temel, Basir, Umit, Emre, Faruk, Ismet, Khalid and Mesut.
“Good to see you all got back safely, but where are Ayla and Osman?” Sully enquired.
“Ayla is still with Mamba,” Temel replied, taking on the role of spokesperson for the group. “She’s coming over this morning.”
“Why didn’t she come with you?” Sully asked.
Temel paused, not sure what to say. He couldn’t exactly spell out that she and Mamba seemed to be an item. He looked to his colleagues for some help, but they were all staring straight ahead as if they were deaf and dumb. Bastards.
“Er…,” Temel began.
“Spit it out, man!” Sully hissed.
“Er…I think Mamba wanted to talk to her some more about his plans,” Temel ventured.
Sully stared at him, knowing that Temel’s response had been bullshit, but at least it confirmed his suspicions. That fucking Mamba could charm the birds from the trees.
“What plans? Never mind, he can explain to me himself when I see him. So, where’s Osman?”
“We don’t know,” Temel advised.
“What do you mean you don’t know?” Sully shouted. “Did Mamba do something to him?”
“No, no,” Temel replied quickly, trying to placate Sully. “When we left in the Defenders, we were seen by a helicopter, so we had to abandon them and walk. Mamba told us what we should do and where we should meet up, and we all split up. Osman never turned up at the rendezvous.”
“So, he’s either dead or deserted?”
“Well, he might be a zombie by now,” Temel suggested.
Sully sighed and shook his head. He thought Temel was better than this. Obviously not. He wished Ayla was here, at least he would get the full story without any embellishments.
“So, tell me what you did, and don’t leave anything out,” Sully ordered.
Over the next hour or so, Temel told their story and answered Sully’s questions with the help of the others. No one mentioned what Ayla and Mamba got up to in their spare time.
68
Day 15 – 09:45
Kingsland Road, Hoxton
Gina was watching the street as best she could. Parts of her body were beginning to ache and cramp from staying in the same position for too long, and it seemed like she now needed to move position every few seconds. As time had gone by, she had slowly cleared more of the window space, so she could try and get herself more comfortable and still be able to see the street outside.
It was also difficult keeping concentration for such a long period of time. She’d read somewhere that people could only concentrate properly for twenty minutes. She wasn’t sure if this was right, but it seemed it applied to her! She found her mind wandering and thinking about all sorts of inane things. She was now beginning to understand how much effort and training was required to be a proper soldier and it was a little daunting if she were being honest. She thought of Issy and realised just how mentally strong that woman was. Gina didn’t think she’d ever be able to reach Issy’s high standards, but she’d give it her best shot. Like everything in life, nothing came easy, and she was willing to do what it took.
She looked up from her seated position to see yet another zombie shuffle past the window. She’d started counting earlier to keep herself focused, but it was more like counting sheep and it began to make her feel drowsy. What she wouldn’t give for a nice hot Latte or Cappuccino or…Snap out of it, girl! She scolded herself. Focus!
She looked at the face of the next zombie to pass the shop. It wasn’t that difficult to tell zombies from humans, really, especially if you looked closely. The zombies were all shuffling, all lethargic, all grey in the face, almost translucent in some cases, and of course, many of them had obvious wounds and bite marks. Although, to be honest, anyone with a half-decent make up kit would probably be able to walk past her without her noticing.
She almost jumped out of her skin when her earpiece crackled into life.
“This is Tom. Just picked up a vehicle heading North on Kingsland Road. We think it is one of the Defenders, just zooming in now. Gina, Don, you should be able to pick it up in a few minutes.”
Gina turned herself around, so she was looking towards the South, waiting for her first glimpse of the vehicle.
“Vehicle confirmed,” Tom advised, “grey Defender. Can’t see who’s driving, but they’re zig-zagging all over the place.”
Gina clicked her comms, “Do you think whoever’s driving has been drinking?”
“No Gina, it looks like they’re having some fun mowing down stray munchers.”
Gina raised her binoculars to her eyes and looked through the window. She couldn’t see anything yet, then a zombie stepped in front of her line of sight and blocked her view. “Get out of the fucking way!” she hissed. The zombie didn’t move. It looked like it was window shopping. Gina got up and quickly grabbed a jar of paste or something off a shelf, went to the door and threw the jar onto the pavement, the glass shattering on impact. That got the zombie’s attention and it moved towards the noise. Gina now had an unobstructed view, but the noise had attracted other zombies in the area.
“I’ve got eyes on,” Don advised. “Looks like a female driver.”
Gina almost threw herself back into her spot and raised her binoculars. “Confirmed, one female driver, no passengers I can see.”
“Do we want to stop it?” Don queried.
Gina thought about it. “No, I think we see where it goes.”
“Good call,” came Issy’s voice.
“But Mamba could be hiding inside the vehicle,” Gina suggested.
“Don’t second-guess,” Issy advised. “If he is, then he is, and we’ll deal with it later. For now, better to confirm where it’s going, although I don’t think I need three g
uesses.”
“Yeah, the Dalston Estate,” Gina confirmed as the Defender shot passed her position, driving on the pavement outside and sending the small group of zombies tumbling into the air.
“Don, time to move,” Gina ordered.
“Roger, Gina, on my way.”
A minute later, Don appeared from the back of the shop and made his way over to Gina, who was waiting with her hand on the door handle.
“Ready?” Gina asked, and Don nodded.
Gina and Don left the shop cautiously, looking both ways to make sure there were no immediate threats, then Gina crossed to the other side of the street to give them more coverage.
“Bravo five here,” came through Gina’s earpiece, “Defender spotted. About to go into the Dalston Estate.”
“Roger,” Gina confirmed. She switched to Channel 1, so everyone could hear her. “I want one of each of the pairings to move out another street from the Dalston Estate and stay mobile outside. That way we have better coverage of the surrounding streets.”
“Roger,” came through the earpiece from numerous people.
“Keep your eyes peeled,” Gina added. “The Defender could have been a diversion, so Mamba could be in the area. We need commentary on the Defender.”
“Bravo five here,” Defender still waiting at entrance to Cumberland Close…armed people appearing…gates opening…zombies being taken out near the entrance…Defender gone through… stopped about twenty metres in…someone getting out…walking to a building opposite…gates closed…armed people disappearing.
“Issy here, the woman has gone to see Sully.”
“OK, keep watching Bravo five. Let us know if anything changes.
Gina switched to Channel 4. “What do you think Don?”
“I think you’re doing a great job,” Don replied.