Dystopia

by Jason Chapman

  Sam looked directly ahead fixing her stare on Detective Constable Daniel Teague who was in the middle of the dancefloor.

  A dozen or so forensic officers were cataloguing the dismembered body parts scattered about on the floor.

  Sam stood over Teague who was knelt by the body of a young woman. Her throat had been torn to shreds. Sam composed herself glancing around at the other bodies that dotted the dancefloor. ‘Jesus!’ She gasped.

  ‘Jesus had nothing to do with this shit.’ Teague replied.

  ‘What the hell happened?’

  ‘According to witnesses some bloke went all out walking dead on these people.’

  ‘Is that all you have to compare this with.’ Sam said with sarcasm.

  Teague looked up at her. ‘How else can you describe it? These people have been eaten.’

  ‘We’re in the twenty first century Dan, people don’t eat people.’

  Teague indicated to the body of the young woman. ‘Tell that to this poor cow.’

  ‘How many dead?’

  ‘Eight in the nightclub and another seven on a tube train in Piccadilly.’

  ‘Fifteen.’ Sam gasped.

  ‘There are another nine seriously injured.’ Teague added. ‘Including the owner of that hand.’ He indicated to the severed limb several yards away.

  A high ranking uniformed officer approached. ‘It’s a bloody mess.’ He commented looking around. ‘What are we dealing with here, terrorists?’

  ‘Not unless you plan to add zombies to the terror list.’

  Assistant Commissioner Jack Bishop glared at Teague. ‘Bit of a comedian are we son.’

  Teague shook his head. ‘No sir, but it looks as if this bloke was trying to eat people.’

  ‘Do we have a suspect?’

  Teague pointed to the other side of the dancefloor. ‘Fortunately we have a dead suspect.’

  All three walked over to a white sheet draped over a body.

  Teague bent over and pulled the sheet back.

  ‘Jesus, what’s wrong with his eyes.’ Bishop questioned.

  The man lay on his back staring up at the ceiling. His eyes completely white and his mouth was open. Blood was smeared all over his face.

  ‘He was seen assaulting that girl by a number of witnesses.’ Teague pointed at the body of the young woman. ‘Before he lost consciousness the man who is now missing a limb claimed that this man pulled his hand off.’ Teague then indicated to another body. ‘He then picked up one of the nightclub bouncers and snapped his neck.’ Teague walked towards another white sheet. ‘Bouncers rushed to the dancefloor to try and bring this guy down. He did this to one of them.’ Teague pulled back the sheet.

  Sam stared down at the body fighting the urge to look away.

  ‘This man had part of his spinal column torn out.’ Teague pointed towards another body on the dance floor. ‘That poor bastard had his heart ripped out.’

  ‘And you’re saying that the man over there did all this?’

  ‘According to witnesses at the scene sir.’ Teague nodded.

  Bishop walked back over to the man. ‘What are we dealing with here? Someone who was high on steroids.’

  ‘That was my first thought. However, he doesn’t look like the type who goes down the gym seven days a week.’

  ‘Do we have a name?’ Bishop asked.

  Teague checked his notes. ‘His name is Dexter Wilson Price. He’s a city stock broker, 27 years of age. We managed to get a quick interview with one of the friends of the girl who was first attacked. He was her ex-boyfriend. They had been together for about two years. Last year they got engaged. But then she just dumped him about a month ago.’ Teague checked his notes again. ‘According to one of her friends she dumped him because he was taking drugs.’

  Bishop looked down at the body. ‘What kind of drug could have made him do this?’

  Teague shook his head. ‘I have no idea, this is something new.’

  A police officer in forensic clothing walked over to Bishop. ‘Sir, the press are starting to gather outside.’

  ‘Shit.’ Bishop seethed. ‘Hold them off. I don’t want anyone getting in. I want armed officers on every entrance to this nightclub.’

  ‘Understood sir.’

  ‘The owner of the nightclub is still on the premises sir. He has a private office on the third floor.’ Teague said.

  ‘Stay here and try and make sense of all this mess.’ Bishop instructed looking at Sam. ‘You’re with me.’

  Chapter 2

  Maxwell Church swigged down a glass of whiskey. A uniformed police officer stood guard outside his office.

  Bishop walked in followed closely by Sam.

  ‘Mr Church, I’m Assistant Commissioner Jack Bishop. This is Detective Sergeant Samantha Drake.’

  Church remained silent pouring out another glass of whiskey before swigging it back.

  ‘Did you witness any of tonight’s events?’ Sam asked.

  ‘No I did not, it was over before anyone realised what was going on.’ Church replied in a thick cockney accent. ‘I have been in my office all night going over accounts.’ He paused for thought. ‘Which is fucking pointless now because this nightclub is finished. I’ll never be able to open again.’

  There was a short silence before Sam spoke. ‘The man who did this, have you ever seen him in here before?’

  Church looked at her. ‘No I haven’t. Look, we get hundreds of people in here every week. How the fuck am I supposed to keep tabs on everyone.’

  ‘There has been a suggestion the attacker may have taken some form of drug.’

  Church looked at both Sam and Bishop. ‘I get it, you want to blame me for this little charade do you.’

  ‘Not at all Mr Church.’ Bishop replied. ‘However you do represent many celebrities. Some of whom have had very public incidents involving drugs.’

  ‘Look, everyone is searched before they come in. I do not allow any of that shit in here. I don’t even know how that bloke got into my club. He should have been turned away at the door.’

  ‘What about your staff? Is there a chance someone could be bringing drugs in?’

  Church shook his head rigorously. ‘No way all my bounces and waiting staff are vetted. I don’t employ anyone who has got a criminal record. Most of my bouncers are ex-army. Some of them former SAS.’

  ‘Well I’m afraid Mr Church, you may have to consider the possibility that someone managed to smuggle drugs into your nightclub.’

  Church remained silent for a few moments. ‘Am I free to go? It’s only a matter of time before the press get wind of this and start sniffing around my door. I have to prepare some kind of statement.’

  ‘Until we’ve completed a preliminary investigation into this matter, you are to remain here.’

  ‘Typical.’ Church scoffed.

  Bishop turned and headed for the door.

  A few minutes later Sam and Bishop were in the back of a police land Rover Discovery heading towards Piccadilly tube station.

  Sam looked out of the window at the streets as they streaked by. Early morning revellers walked home from their night out. Sam thought about the nightclub and the horrific scene she had witnessed. A painful memory forced its way to the surface. She closed her eyes for a brief moment suppressing it.

  ‘Are you ok Sam.’ Bishop asked in a sympathetic tone.

  Sam composed herself. ‘Yes sir, just trying to focus on the job in hand.’

  ‘Nothing could have prepared you for the mess back at that nightclub. Shit, I had trouble believing what I was seeing. I hope to god this isn’t some kind of new drug hitting the streets. We’re all in the shit if it is.’

  Chapter 3

  Sky News – BREAKING NEWS – 1:43am

  ‘You’re watching Sky news. Police have issued a short statement regarding two separate incidents in central London. They have urged the public to stay away from a nightclub called the Sound Box located just off Leicester Square and also Piccadilly tube station. We curren
tly have one person on the phone now who is near Leicester Square. She is a young intern with Sky, Amanda Simmons. Amanda good morning to you, what can you tell us at this moment?’

  ‘Anne, there is a lot of activity around the Sound Box. From Where I am standing I can see scores of emergency vehicles. I have spoken to a few witnesses who described scenes of utter carnage inside the nightclub. Rumours are circulating that there may have been a number of deaths. The police are continuing to advise members of the public to stay away from the immediate area while emergency services are attending the scene.’

  ‘Have the police given any indication as to the cause of this incident?’

  ‘The police have yet to give any explanation as to what has happened at this precise moment. They are just describing the event as an incident, nothing more.’

  ‘Amanda, thank you for speaking to us.’

  Downing Street – Whitehall – 1:50am

  Tessa Mayflower squinted at the alarm clock on the bedside table.

  ‘Who the bloody hell is that?’ Her husband complained as a mobile phone continued to buzz loudly.

  She picked up her phone. ‘Hello.’

  ‘Sorry to disturb you Prime Minister. I’m afraid it’s bad news, there’s been an attack in central London.’ Edwin Fuller the Deputy Prime Minister revealed.

  ‘Terrorists?’ The Prime Minister asked.

  ‘We’re not sure ma’am. I’m on route to the cobra briefing rooms. A senior Metropolitan police officer is due to hold a conference on the incidents. You need to get over here immediately.’

  ‘Yes of course.’ The Prime Minister replied.

  ‘Another day another terror alert.’ Brian Mayflower groaned.

  The Prime Minister tapped a number on her phone’s speed dial list. ‘David, bring the car, wake the staff right away.’

  Piccadilly – 2:17am

  Sam and Bishop descended the escalator into the tube station. As with the nightclub dozens of forensic officers were present. A number of armed officers were also present, dressed in white jump suits. An armed officer approached the Assistant Commissioner. ‘We’ve closed off this line until further notice sir.’

  Bishop nodded. ‘That should please early morning commuters. I have to make this short.’ Bishop checked his watch. ‘I have a briefing at Cobra as soon as I have assessed the situation here.’

  ‘We’ve set up a command post in the manager’s office. As you can see our officers are searching the station.’

  ‘Any witnesses?’ Sam asked.

  ‘We have one confirmed survivor who saw everything. He even filmed it on his phone.’

  Sam stepped into the carriage and looked about at the carnage. She closed her eyes for a moment.

  A man in a white forensic jump suit approached. ‘That’s far enough. I don’t want anyone contaminating this crime scene.’

  Sam remained where she was. ‘What happened?’

  ‘I’d say some serious shit went down here, that’s what happened.’

  White sheets had been placed over all the bodies in the carriage.

  ‘From what the witness described a gang of youths were attacked.’

  ‘By who?’ Sam asked.

  The forensic stepped towards the nearest body and pulled back the sheet. ‘By her.’

  Sam stared at the bloodied face of a young woman. As with the man in the nightclub her eyes were completely white, devoid of any pupils.

  ‘She did this?’ Sam pointed at the woman.

  ‘According to our witness.’ The forensic replied.

  Bishop appeared looking at the woman. ‘Jesus, it’s just like the attacker at the nightclub.’

  The forensic produced a mobile phone from a plastic bag. ‘I found this on the floor of the carriage.’ He touched the screen which lit up. ‘I’m guessing just before they were attacked they were watching this.’

  A video began to play.

  ‘Looks like someone filmed the attack at the nightclub and uploaded it to Facebook. It’s already had several thousand views. This will go viral if we don’t contact Facebook and tell them to pull it offline.’

  Bishop stared at the video. ‘Fuck!’ He cursed before turning around and heading for the escalator.

  Cabinet office Briefing Rooms (COBRA) – 70 Whitehall – London – 2:41am

  Bishop walked into the room followed by two armed officers.

  The Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Home secretary and the head of British Intelligence sat at a large conference table. The Prime Minister’s personal security stood at the door.

  Bishop sat down and glanced at what little information he had managed to acquire on the nightclub and tube station attacks. ‘Thank you for coming Prime Minister.’ He said. ‘At approximately 12:10am this morning police were called to a nightclub just off Leicester Square where an incident had occurred.’

  ‘What kind of incident?’ The Prime Minister asked.

  ‘An attack in a club known as The Sound Box.’ Bishop paused. ‘Eight people have been confirmed dead. Another nine are seriously injured.’

  ‘My god.’ The Prime Minister gasped. ‘Was it a terrorist attack?’

  Bishop shook his head. ‘We’re not sure.’

  ‘What do you mean you’re not sure?’ Head of British intelligence Robert Parsons stated.

  ‘Please let me finish.’ Bishop said. ‘Shortly after police received another call from Piccadilly tube station. Another attack occurred with a further loss of seven lives.’

  ‘Jesus!’ Edwin Fuller exclaimed.

  ‘Why don’t you know if this was a terrorist attack?’ Stephen Burns the Home Secretary asked.

  ‘Because of the manner of which the people were attacked. Early witness reports reveal the two individuals responsible for these attacks somehow lost control.’

  ‘Lost control, I don’t understand.’ Mayflower said.

  ‘All of the victims suffered horrific injuries.’ Bishop revealed.

  ‘What did the attackers use, guns and knives?’ Parsons asked.

  ‘They had no weapons, they killed with their bare hands.’

  ‘What kind of injuries did the victims sustain?’ The Prime Minister questioned.

  ‘Initial forensic reports claim the attackers tried to eat their victims. It is a scene of utter carnage in the Nightclub and in Piccadilly.’

  ‘I’m sorry I could have sworn you said the attackers tried to eat their victims.’ Fuller said.

  Bishop nodded. ‘It sounds bizarre I know, but I have seen the victims myself. In all my years as a serving police officer I have never experienced anything like this before.’

  Mayflower leant back in her chair contemplating the moment. ‘What are our options right now?’

  ‘To be frank with you ma’am we have no options.’ Bishop replied. ‘The press are starting to circle. The BBC and Sky are scrambling correspondents to the affected areas. By breakfast time this will be the main news of the day.’ Bishop hesitated. ‘Someone filmed the attack on the nightclub and uploaded it to YouTube and Facebook. It’s already had over twenty thousand views.’

  ‘You need to get hold of Facebook and YouTube and tell them to take the videos down. We cannot have footage of these attacks just floating around social media.’ The Prime Minister stated.

  ‘We have contacted their UK offices but they have yet to respond to our request to take the video offline.’

  A ringtone suddenly sounded. Parsons reached into his inside pocket giving Mayflower an apologetic glance. ‘Hello.’ Parsons listened for several seconds before hanging up. ‘That was GCHQ. They’ve just confirmed a brute force hack across all social media platforms. Facebook, YouTube and Twitter have been the main targets.’

  Bishop produced a mobile phone and passed it to the Prime Minister who pressed the play icon on the screen. She put her hand to her mouth. ‘Dear God!’

  ‘We need to step on this right away.’ Parsons said. ‘Where are the suspects?’

  ‘Dead.’ Bishop replied.
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br />   ‘So your men went in guns blazing preventing us from getting any real answers.’ Fuller stated.

  Bishop shook his head. ‘Actually the suspects were dead before the police arrived. According to eye witness reports they both suffered from some kind of seizure and collapsed at the scene.’

  ‘Do you at least have names of the attackers?’ Fuller asked.

  Bishop glanced at his notes. ‘The name of the man who attacked the nightclub was Dexter Wilson Price, a city stock analyst.’

  ‘Hang on.’ Parsons interrupted. ‘These weren’t foreign nationals who carried out these attacks.’

  Bishop shook his head. ‘We have yet to name the woman who attacked the tube train. She wasn’t carrying any identification. We should have something within the hour.’

  ‘Do you think this was a coordinated attack?’ The Prime Minister asked.

  ‘It’s too early to say at this stage ma’am. If I were to hazard a guess I would say yes. However, we have never faced anything like this before, we are entering new territory.’

  ‘You must have options on the table to deal with this sort of thing.’ Mayflower said.

  ‘No ma’am.’

  ‘What could have driven these people to commit such a terrible act?’

  ‘At this moment we believe they may have taken some form of performance enhancing drug.’

  ‘Steroids.’ Fuller said.

  Bishop nodded. ‘Until we get a full toxicology report we won’t be sure.’

  ‘The last thing we need is some new designer drug hitting the streets making people do this. It could be disastrous. Who knows how many people could have taken this drug.’

  ‘What do we do?’ The Prime Minister asked.

  ‘We wait another two hours before we make a statement to the press.’

  ‘In the meantime social bloody media are already running this video. That should be enough to incite panic in London. Not to mention the media having a field day.’ Fuller complained. ‘A smear campaign against the social media platforms might prove effective.’

  The Prime Minister shook her head. ‘We will just come across as being the over bearing government.’ Mayflower glanced at Parsons. ‘GCHQ has just confirmed a hack so we can’t scald social media over a video they have no control over. I will make a statement at nine o’clock.’ She glanced at Bishop. ‘I want as much information as possible on what happened tonight. Our main goal is to maintain calm.’ She then made eye contact with Parsons. ‘I want you to go over all avenues, find out if these two individuals were connected in anyway.’