The Z Infection (33 page)

‘What do you think Leo?’ said the
leader, addressing the black man. 

‘Why should we share it with them,
when we can take it all?’ he said.

I realised he was right.  They were
in complete control.  They had the guns and we were now their prisoners, at
their mercy.

‘Where’s the handgun?’ said the
leader.

That was the last thing I wanted to
give up.  ‘I lost it,’ I said.

He looked me up and down.  I prepared
myself for another punch but he went into the kitchen instead.  I could hear
him opening cupboards and drawers and I closed my eyes.  It would only be a
matter of time before he found what he was looking for.

Suddenly there was a shout from him. 
Leo, the black guy, stuck his head around the corner and whistled
appreciatively.

Moments later the leader was back in
the room, a bottle of whisky in his hand.

‘Looks like we hit the jackpot
today,’ he said.  ‘No more hiding in derelict buildings or empty shops for us.’

He uncorked the bottle and took a
swig of the whisky, smacking his lips together as the strong liquid bit at his
throat.  He tossed the bottle to Leo, who also took a gulp.  All I can
remember, was being thankful that they hadn’t found the handgun and hoping that
they would eventually get so drunk that they would pass out.

Anthony Ballanger

18:00 hours, Sunday 17
^th
May, Windsor
Castle HQ, Windsor

It was with a heavy heart that I prepared
to make the daily television appearance that evening.  The news that Dr Bryson
had returned with, was astonishing to say the least.  I now had to make a
decision which would ultimately affect every person in the country.  It was a
simple choice.  Do I tell them the truth – that their loved ones, who were
still walking around, were dead and that there was no cure for them?  Or should
I lie?  If I told a lie, what would it be? 

In the end I discussed it with His
Royal Highness, General Breck and Dr Bryson and we all came to the conclusion
that people had to know what they were dealing with and how to stop the
infected.

I felt very alone, as I sat in front
of the BBC camera, in the temporary studio they had created.  It was a large
room which had windows looking onto the castle lawns.  At any other time it
might have been a nice place to be.  Now it felt like a prison.  We, the
government, were the captives, while the dead were our gaolers, making sure we
couldn’t escape.

‘Thirty seconds,’ said one of the
crew.

I straightened my tie and took a sip
of water from my glass.  This was it.  I was counted down and then I was on
air, speaking to… how many?  How many were left alive?  I didn’t know if anyone
was going to hear my message but I was determined to get it across anyway.

‘Good evening citizens of the United
Kingdom.  I speak to you tonight from Windsor Castle, our headquarters and seat
of government and crown for the time being.’

‘Today we are facing one of the
greatest challenges this country and indeed the planet, has ever faced.  Today,
and the last few days, have seen our lives transformed from order to chaos. We
have seen many die.  There are many missing.  Many more have been infected by a
disease we know little about and for which we have no cure at the present
time.’

‘Please be assured that we are doing
everything in our power, to find the source, to examine this new virus and to
find an antidote for it.  This work will take time, however, and it is unlikely
that it will cure any of those currently affected.’

‘The reason for this is simple. 
Those who are infected and who are currently walking the streets of our towns
and cities, are dead.  I know that sounds like a scary story, but from the information
we have gained so far, that is the conclusion we have come to.’

I paused for a moment and took a sip
of water.  People would have to digest this new information.

‘I cannot explain it to you in any
more detail.  The infected are dead and if they bite or scratch you, then you
will become infected and die too.’

‘Many of you will have noticed that
it is almost impossible to stop an infected person.  You will have seen them
shot, stabbed and horrifically mutilated.  And yet they somehow still
continue.’

‘New information we have received, is
that there is one way to end their existence.  If the brain is pierced, they
die.  This, it seems, is the only way to stop them.  So, my one piece of advice
is this.  When you encounter them, aim for the head.  Nothing else will stop
them.  They were your friends, your families, your wives and husbands and
children.  But they are not them any longer.  Kill them when you find them. 
The army alone cannot win this battle.  We need every person in the country to
fight.’

I paused for another second before I
delivered the last, carefully worded lines.

‘Be safe out there and be assured
that we can only win this battle for our survival together.  Go out, band
together, seek out the enemy that wishes to destroy us and slaughter them all.’

 ‘And have no mercy on them, because
they will show you none.’

‘Goodnight.’

The crewman gave me the thumbs up.

‘You’re off air now.’

I loosened my tie and got up from my
chair.  I had just delivered the biggest speech of my life.  It had been less
than thirty lines but it had, I hoped, packed enough punch to galvanise those
survivors who were still out there.  It was a terrible thing, to suggest that
people kill their loved ones, but they had to fight.  There was nothing else
for it.

‘Well done,’ said General Breck.  He
was standing with Dr Bryson and the Prince of Wales.  ‘Hopefully we might see
some people prepared to resist now.’

Dr Bryson nodded in agreement.  ‘But
we must keep looking for the cure at the same time,’ he said.

Everyone agreed.  This had to be the
course of action to take.  It was unfortunate that those already infected were
unlikely to be saved, but we had to find a way to protect the rest of society
from suffering the same fate.

‘I want you to head a group, looking
into this,’ I said.  ‘We already have a small lab here, in the castle, set up
by a couple of young scientists.  Take charge of them and investigate every
possibility.  Anything you need, just ask.’

‘The SAS team is also at your
disposal,’ said General Breck.  ‘I have overall command, but you seemed to work
really well with them.  Any time you need their assistance, they’re yours.’

The two men walked away, discussing
the matter in finer detail, leaving me with the Prince.

‘Well,’ I said.  ‘I hope that the
speech works and people are invigorated by it.’

‘I certainly am,’ he said. 

We walked for a few steps before he
spoke again.

‘There’s been a decision made, Anthony,’
he said.

I looked at him, curious.

‘It’s been unanimously agreed that
you should lead the nation,’ he said.  ‘As an emergency Prime Minister.  I
discussed it with Her Majesty and what is left of the government and they all
agree that you have showed exactly the sort of skills we need at this moment in
time.’

‘I don’t know what to say,’ I said.

‘It’s a temporary decree,’ he said. 
‘The power will only last for as long as it takes to restore order.’

‘And the PM?’ I asked.

He looked saddened by what had befallen
a once good man.

‘He will be cared for, as much as we
can,’ he said.  ‘We owe him a lot.  He’s a good man, but he’s not the man for
this.’

Mike Bradbury

18:30 hours, Sunday 17
^th
May, Loch Leven,
Kinross-shire

‘Dead?’

‘That’s what it said on the radio,’
said Anna.

I couldn’t believe my ears.  The dead
had risen and were walking the earth and the government were telling us the
only way to kill them was to pierce their brains with something.  We were being
told to fight them.

‘This isn’t happening,’ I said. 
‘This sort of thing doesn’t happen.’

‘Well it has happened,’ said one of
the others.  ‘Who cares why or how?  We have to accept it and work out how we
are going to deal with it.’

I sat down on a log on the beach and
stared across at a figure on the shore.  It ambled along, stumbling and
faltering in that now familiar way.  How could that person be dead?

‘Whatever the truth of the matter,’
said Anna.  ‘We still need to live.  And the fact is that the infected attack
us whenever they can.  So, whether they are dead or not, it doesn’t make an
awful lot of difference.’

She sat down next to me and put a
comforting hand on mine.  She was always so calm in a crisis.  It was probably
all that airline training she’d had.

‘I have a plan,’ she said.

‘You always have a plan,’ I smiled.

She smiled back.  ‘It involves some
risk, but it will be worth it.’

‘So tell me.’

‘I was talking to Dave,’ she said. 
‘The one who came to the island with me when I collected you.  He says that the
big island has good soil on it.’

‘And?’

‘We could farm it,’ she said.  ‘This
island is too small for that, but it makes a perfect defensive position for
us.  We are safe here.  We could make it even safer.’

I was listening to her.  She always
made a lot of sense.  Still does to this day.  She is one who people are
prepared to follow.

‘We could build houses inside the
walls of the castle, reinforce the gate and rebuild the main tower.  Put a roof
over it as well,’ she said.  ‘It would offer us the perfect place to defend
ourselves if the worst ever happened.’

‘And the other island?’

‘Becomes a farm,’ she said.  ‘It’s
big enough.  We could grow several different crops, fruit, vegetables,
potatoes.  We could even keep livestock.  There’s enough room.’

‘And who’s going to grow all this stuff?’
I asked.  ‘I worked for a bank.  You’re an air stewardess.  Most of the others
won’t have a clue.’

‘But Dave does,’ she said.  ‘His grandfather
owned a farm.  He knows a lot about it.  He could teach others.’

I still wasn’t completely convinced,
but she was getting there.

‘We’ll need to be self-sufficient
eventually,’ said Anna.  ‘We can scavenge for food in the short term, but
sooner or later we’ll have to grow our own.  This is the only solution.  It’s
too dangerous to set up on the mainland.’

She was right.  Eventually we
wouldn’t be able to find enough food to sustain ourselves.

‘What do you want me to do?’ I asked.

She smiled.  ‘You will be our
architect.’

I frowned.  ‘Architect?’

‘We need shelters.  You can design
them and oversee their building.’

It was better than farming, I
thought.  She had talked me round.  I suddenly realised that the others were
gathered around and they began to talk excitedly.  This was a new future in the
making. 

And I noted something else, too. 
There was a slight shift in the group dynamics.  People were looking to Anna. 
As a leader.  

Clive Westlake

19:00 hours, Sunday 17
^th
May, Hounslow,
West London

The route west was full of dead
bodies, abandoned cars and the occasional infected person.  I shut most of the gruesomeness
out of my mind, but there were some sights that you could not avoid.

What were the worst ones?  Children. 
Every time.  They were often the ones who didn’t get away.  They would
sometimes be separated from parents and try to hide from the infected. More
often than not they were found.  I won’t go into detail.  You’ve heard it
before.  It was no different for children than for adults.  They were killed
with the same callous disdain that the dead had for everyone.

I saw a group of people who had
obviously been surrounded by the infected.  They had formed a circle with the
children in the centre as they had desperately fought off their attackers.  It
had been unsuccessful.  Bodies lay on the street, ripped apart and disfigured
as the swarm had torn through them.  It was a heart-breaking sight.

On a corner of a street I saw an
elderly couple who had suffered a similar fate.  Too frail to escape, the man
had tried desperately to defend his wife and they had died together.

Out towards Heathrow I was forced to
take a detour as a large group of infected spotted me and gave chase.  On the
bike, however, I could easily outrun them and I was soon out of sight.

I cut through Hounslow and on towards
Feltham.  It was generally quiet in that area, with just the odd infected
person, and for the most part I made good ground.

About an hour later I found myself at
a country park.  I stopped and took a long drink of water from the bottle.  I
was hungry.  I hadn’t eaten all morning and had given away all my food, apart
from a chocolate bar which I ravenously devoured.

I was about to get back in the saddle
when my attention was taken by a noise.  It was distant at first but then I
realised it was getting closer, coming in my direction.  It sounded like
chanting and the banging of drums.  Were people that stupid?  I couldn’t
believe there was anyone left on the planet who didn’t know that the infected
were drawn to noise.  It was the dinner bell.

I jumped back onto the bike and
cycled further into the park.  The noise suddenly became louder and from behind
a screen of trees in the distance I could see people emerging onto the large
open space.  There must have been a couple of hundred of them.  One man, at the
front, had a huge bass drum and he was beating it as those around him chanted a
defiant challenge. 

I cycled towards them, cautiously at
first and then with more confidence as I heard their encouraging shouts,
hailing me.

When I got to them I could see it was
a mixed group of men and women of all ages.  All of them were carrying weapons
of some sort.  Sharpened golf clubs were a favourite, but there were all manner
of things, including baseball bats, home-made spears, knives and axes.  These
people meant business.