Devouring The Dead (Book 1) (6 page)

It dawned on her
then that Janet might not be in tomorrow. And then she realised that actually none of her staff might appear tomorrow: Edward, Kate, Morris, even Phil, the hunky man who cleaned and watered the plants once a week. What if they didn’t come back? What if they couldn’t? What if there was a serious problem out there in the city and she was stuck up here alone? Christina felt very alone and goose bumps tickled themselves down her arms.

Glancing at the clock
, she saw it was nearly five p.m. She tried her mobile again, but there was no signal.

“Damn
it, what is this, the fucking eighties? What the fuck is going on?” Christina angrily threw her mobile across the room and it shattered as it exploded against the Formica wall. She picked up her stapler and did the same. Her mouse and a cat’s cradle swiftly followed, piling themselves on top of the broken phone.

“What the fuck is going on?” she said again
, as she began sobbing into her hands. Her shoulders shook as she slumped over her desk feeling desperately alone and afraid.

* * * *

The remainder of the day was boring for some, and a bit of a blur for others. Parker had reappeared with Benzo and a strange woman, and he told them what he’d seen: the bodies, the soldiers, the insane fighting. He told them what had happened to Cindy. Nobody blamed him, of course, but he felt guilty. Parker went and sat at his desk, his head resting on his folded arms.

“I should talk to him,” said Jenny.

“I think you should leave it for now,” said Jackson. “The lad just needs some space to deal with it. If he wants to talk later, so be it. For now, let him be.”

Jillian told everyone to stay on the floor and she would keep trying to contact security whilst
Benzo told them why he hadn’t been able to get home.

“God damn security, that’s what happened!” he said, furious.
Bar Jill and Parker, he was sat in the rec’ room with everyone else sat around listening intently.

“When I got to the foyer
, I think I was pretty much the last one there. Most other floors had already evacuated. People were just pushing and shoving and practically climbing over each other to get out. Jessica here,” he said, nodding to the girl sat beside him, “got knocked down and I stopped to help her.”

   “It was unbelievable,” said Jessica. Dark stains on her cheeks
and around her eyes gave away that she had been crying. Her legs were bare and she had cuts and scrapes on her knees. For the first time, Freddy started paying attention to what a girl was actually saying and put his magazine down. A few in the group recognised her as the building receptionist, but most just filed past her every day without a glance. Tom recognised her instantly.

“I was with Brie, my colleague
, and we were ushering the last people out when some tosser pushed me over. Benzo helped me up, but then we heard one of the security guards saying they were shutting the doors. I think it was Colm, but I couldn’t see clearly. He hopped through the doors, smashed his radio on the ground and that was it. The doors slid shut and I saw him and Brie running away and all these people outside...I don’t know what happened really. It looked like they were fighting with each other.”

“Jessica
and I went to her desk to try to call security and get them to open the doors, but there was no answer. We stayed a while, ringing anyone we could, but the phones must be dead. We couldn’t find anyone,” said Benzo.

“I guess they all got out and left you behind?” said Jackson.

“No, they couldn’t have,” said Jessica. “You can only lockdown the building from the inside, which means there has to be someone from security left here. My guess is it’s Ranjit.”

“Who’s he?” asked Tom.

“I’ve met him a couple of times. He’s a fat freak. He just sits in the security office all day perving over us. He thinks we don’t know but we do. You never see him on the rounds, coz he’s too lazy. He’ll be there now, I bet.” She looked up around the room at the ceiling, looking for cameras. “He’s probably watching us right now.”

There was murmuring and chatter around the room.

“Well, let him. He’s as stuck in here as the rest of us. If he won’t answer the phone or open the doors, there’s not much we can do,” said Freddy.

“This is nuts,” said Jackson. “The very protocols and fail-safes they put in place to help us in a time of crisis like this
, are trapping us here. We’d be a damn sight better off without them if you ask me. Bloody security are a law unto themselves. I’m going to see Jill.” Jackson stormed out.

“How did you find Parker?” said Tom
breaking the silence.

“As we couldn’t get out or reach anyone
, we decided to head back up here. Jessica wanted to grab a first aid kit so we stopped on the second floor café. Parker was...” Benzo stopped and looked downcast.

“Is Cindy still down there?” said Tom. He took a step forward
from the crowd around Benzo so he could see him clearly. It didn’t seem right trying to hold a conversation when they couldn’t see each other.

“Yeah, we covered her with a blanket we found in the kitchen. Didn’t know what else to do really, you know? Parker didn’t say much. He just came up here with us. We only heard the shooting from the stairwell. We
know as much as you do.”

Tom sighed.
“When we get out of here, we should take Cindy with us if we can. At the very least, put her someplace safe. We can’t let the government cover this up. When the streets are back under control, we have to let everyone know what’s happened here today.”

There was more murmuring amongst the group. Br
ad stayed at the back listening and watching, especially the attractive new girl, Jessica.

“From what I saw
, it’s going to take a while to get anything out there under control,” said Parker from the doorway. The room hushed as he walked in toward the water cooler.

“Make
yourselves comfortable, because we’re not going anywhere,” he said. They watched as Parker poured himself a glass of water, then he left as quietly as he had come in.

And so the group dispersed
into smaller groups. Some stayed in the rec’ room where they could play cards, make cups of tea, and chat about anything but what was happening outside. Tom, Caterina, Brad, and Amber went to one corner of the office to discuss what was happening whilst Jackson and Freddy went to another. Their mini society was already fracturing.

Jillian stayed in her office.
She could hear clearly through the wall what was being said next door in the rec’ room. She knew her task was fruitless. They had had a seminar a few months back on what would happen if the city was targeted. If terrorists planted a bomb in one of the buildings there would be an emergency evacuation if time permitted, then lockdown. So far it had gone according to plan, except for one thing: communication.

Jillian was supposed to be notified when any terrorist incident occurred immediately. She should have had phone calls, emails
, constant updates from one of the security guards. Instead, there had been a blanket of silence.

The lifts had been shut down, the doors to the building locked
, and the phones cut off. All mobiles signals would be cut off in case the bomb was to be detonated by radio signal.  She tried the internet, but still had no access. It seemed they had cut that off too. They were effectively in a panic room; two hundred feet high with no way in for the terrorists, or whoever they were. Jill knew though, that meant there was no way out either.

CHAPTER FIVE

“Of course it’s a cover up,” said Parker. “Governments
have been trying to cover crap up for years. Twenty years from now, we’ll probably be reading about Zombie-gate.”

Brad and Tom
couldn’t help but laugh. Parker walked away. He didn’t have the energy to get into another fight. He wasn’t ready to joke about it either.

They had eaten lunch a couple of hours ago and were trying to stave off boredom.
Nobody dared to go downstairs again and were just hoping the phones would start ringing and they would be given the all clear.

“What
does he mean ‘Zombie-gate’?” said Amber frowning. She looked at Tom and Brad sniggering. “I don’t get it.”

“Oh
, read a book for fuck’s sake,” said Jenny scornfully.

“
A book?” said Amber. The laughter increased.

“Seriously
?” Tom looked at her, incredulous, and let out a long sigh. “Sheesh, I didn’t realise I was that old.”

“Let me enlighten you
, darling,” said Jenny, leaning forward over the desk. “When you were just a twinkle in the milkman’s eye, we used to read books: great wads of paper, bound together with words on. This was before the Kindle was invented. Let me guess, you’ve probably got one of those Express things at home, right? Like a sheet of paper but with lots of novels in it? Shakespeare? Dickens? Heard of them?”

“Oh
, all right, yeah I got one of them. Never heard of Shakespeare or whatshisname. I don’t like reading much. I’ve heard of them books you’re talking about. Sounds, well old, like something my dad would like.” The group chortled and Amber went red.

“Oh
, whatever, you don’t have to be so stuck up about it, just because I’m younger than you.” She stood up and looked at Brad. “I’m going to the tenth floor, I hear they’ve got a bigger rec’ room there with much stronger stuff than just cups of bloody tea. I need a change of scenery. Anyone coming?”

Nobody answered her
because nobody wanted to go with her. They were comfortable enough here, waiting for news from Jill. Amber’s company, whilst physically attractive, could be testing. As she turned and walked away, Brad stood up and followed her.

“Back soon
, folks, I’ll just make sure she’s okay,” he said swaggering off.

“I’ll bet he does,” said J
enny quietly, exchanging looks with Jackson.

Out by the exit to the stairwell
, Brad caught up with Amber, as she had hoped, and he put a hand on her shoulder. The chatter of the group had started again and was distant.

“Hey
, babe, you all right?” he asked her.

Amber looked up at Brad and fluttered her eyelashes. She leant
closer to him. “Yeah, sorry, I just need a break. It’s hard enough working with them. Don’t ask me to spend the night with them too.”

Brad drew her close and they pressed against each other. He could feel her pert breasts
pressing against his chest and she put her arms around his waist. She looked up and he leaned in to kiss her. A faint bang startled them as someone in the rec’ room went to the toilet, the door banging shut behind them.

“Come on, let’s go to the café and see what’s going on outside
. It might be clear now,” said Amber tugging Brad along into the stairwell.

“Actually, I have a better idea,” said Brad stopping. “Let’s go upstairs. I think everyone else has left
, so let’s explore a little. When else do you get an opportunity like this?” He flashed his teeth and Amber melted.

“Okay,
I’m game.” Amber pushed her blonde hair behind her ears and walked on ahead of Brad up the stairs, so he could follow her slim legs all the way. One floor up and they found the door was locked. On the next floor, Amber pushed the door open and walked in. It was a reception area carpeted with lush green plants decorating every corner.

“Hello?
Anyone here?” She giggled as Brad took her hand and he led her through another door into an office. It looked much the same as theirs except with less cubicles and more space. The silence was bizarre. To be stood in such a huge room without the normal chatter and hum of life, was a little unnerving.

“This way,” said Brad, and Amber duly followed him, holding his hand firmly. He found his way into a large lounge area with soft recliners, drink machine
s, a sink, and two long, brown, sofas. Amber walked over to the window and pushed her face up against the glass.

“I can’t see anything. It’s so
gloomy out there,” she said. She felt Brad’s arms slip around her and he nuzzled her neck. She sighed and closed her eyes, letting his hands ride up inside her top to squeeze her breasts through her silky bra.

“Oh
, Brad,” she murmured as she let him take off her bra. He stepped back and in the dim light, she turned around to face him, pulling her top off so he could see her small but pert breasts, her pink nipples standing out in the unlit room. She licked her lips and knelt down before him unzipping his trousers. She pulled his pants down and took his erection out. Brad looked at the reflection before him in the large window. He smiled at himself and watched Amber’s blonde head bob up and down as she sucked eagerly on his hard cock, his hands resting on her bare shoulders.

Ranjit
leant back and unzipped his trousers, focusing the camera on Blondey. After all the stress and shit he had dealt with today, he could do with some entertainment.

* * * *

Christina wiped her nose and got up. Ten minutes of crying and she was through. Her staff would have egg on their faces when they came back to work tomorrow. She wandered aimlessly through her office looking for a distraction. She eventually found herself back in the boardroom. The storm was dying down and her eyes ached. She rubbed her puffy, red eyes, and looked east. Through two skyscrapers opposite, a small gap gave her a glimpse of the airport. Occasionally, she would take a break in here on her own, and watch the planes taking off and landing. She didn’t like to visit the kitchen often. Invariably, the staff would leave as soon as she came in and eventually she stopped bothering. Today was so quiet though, she felt like she needed to see those planes, to know there was still life out there somewhere.

The clouds obscured any clear sight of the airport but she noticed it was unusually quiet. There were no planes in the sky and no movement on the ground. Even the runways were quiet and dull
. The usual twinkling landing lights were all off. She had never seen it so empty before.

Christin
a wondered if perhaps the situation was more serious than she had given credence to before. From the boardroom, she dialled security, but there was no answer again. She went to the lifts but there was no response. She hit the call button repeatedly but it brought nothing up to rescue her. She went back to the boardroom and sat casually on the table, its smooth mahogany finish cool against her legs.

“I’m not walking down twenty five sodding flights of stairs,” she said aloud. In this room
, she was used to an answer when she spoke: mostly yes’s, rarely a no. Now her voice was unaccompanied by anything but the sound of her own beating heart. Well, that’s something, she thought.

Her stomach grumbled. The evening was drawing in and she began to wonder if she was going to have to stay the night. It was that or
walk down to the ground and see what was happening. Maybe Edward and the others would be down there waiting for her, ready to have a good laugh.

“Suppose I’d better go,” she said to herself. Sitting there quietly,
procrastinating as the weak rain pitter-pattered against the window, she began to hear another noise: a beating, thumping sound, at first faint, but increasing in volume by the second.

Christina
slid off the table and stood by the full length windows looking out over the grey world. It didn’t occur to her to look down. She had trained herself over the years not to do that anymore: the height was disconcerting. If she had looked down though, she would’ve seen the city as it had become in the last twelve hours: the dead, the fires, the burning trucks and the shambling corpses. She would’ve grasped the severity of her situation at last.

Suddenly
, the noise increased sharply and an army helicopter appeared, its rotor blades spinning rapidly. Unknown to her, it was the same one that had ferried Doctor Garner away earlier in the day. It had gone back to St Thomas hospital at his bequest, before he died, to retrieve some key information: a body. He had described it and the soldiers had managed to find it where he said it would be. They were transporting it now back to a secret location.

The khaki green helicopter was huge. She had never seen one so close before and it was now only about fifty feet away. It was headed in the direction of the airport when, without warning, it veered off to the left. Christin
a watched as the overhead blades came within inches of striking the tower opposite her. She looked on as the helicopter momentarily hovered, righting itself, before lurching again to one side. It was caught in a spin and the metal beast came straight toward her. Christina screamed and froze.

It stopped just in time, inches away from
crashing straight through the boardroom windows making mincemeat out of her. She clearly saw the pilot who was struggling with the controls. Two men appeared to be fighting, knocking and pushing him, when suddenly they were upon him. The pilot’s mouth shouted unheard obscenities and then the helicopter swung round and plummeted down.

Christin
a watched it disappear from view and she fell to the floor, her shaking hands grateful to be able to clutch the firm flooring. She rested her clammy forehead against the cool glass. It was unreal. Moments later, the building shook as a fireball billowed up from below.

“Oh God,” she said
, “what’s happening?” Never had Christina felt more alone.

* * * *

Thirty minutes earlier and with no information from Jill, Jackson decided they ought to try downstairs again and see if they could get out, or at least figure out what was going on. He talked to Freddy and Benzo who agreed with him, and they talked to Tom and Brad. Between them, they decided they had to risk it. There was no way Parker was going back down, so Brad decided to go with Tom. Sitting up on the sixteenth floor was getting them nowhere; people were starting to get hungry and whilst there was food in the kitchen, none of them liked the idea of sleeping at the office.

“So, buddy, you
good to go?” said Brad.

“Yep, sure.
We should stick together. Safety in numbers and all that.” Tom thought it was a good idea to check downstairs too. He still felt a bit like an outsider, being the new guy, but he wanted to get involved. He didn’t feel much like sitting around anyway; he wanted to do something useful. Brad seemed pretty dependable. Being able to hold a civil conversation was something that seemed to elude a lot of people these days, so Tom was thankful of his company.

“Let’s get this done
, then.” Brad strode off to the stairwell and Tom followed. As the door swung shut behind them, the office was again thrust into silence.

On the way down
, they didn’t speak. The stairs were illuminated by the emergency lighting; a strange orange light that only heightened Tom’s feeling of wariness. They descended the stairs and on each floor Brad tested the exits. Every door was unlocked; some swung open easily, some seemed to get stuck as if there was something lodged behind them. They didn’t venture any further than the doors, as there seemed no point at this stage. Upon reaching the ground floor, Brad stopped, resting his hand on the last door handle.

“What’s up?” said Tom.

“You ready for this?” asked Brad. “We don’t know what’s on the other side of that door, buddy. Could be nothing, could be a whole heap of trouble. You okay with that?”

“I’m ready,” said Tom. He had to stop himself from smirking. In the office
, he could tell that Brad was playing the hero; flexing his muscles both literally and metaphorically, but there was no need to do it down here. It was just the two of them and Brad was not Tom’s type: wrong sex for starters. Tom could tell that Brad was used to being in control and having his own way. Brad wasn’t really asking Tom if he was ready for trouble - he was asking him if he was a coward or a fighter. Brad just wanted to let Tom know who the boss was.

“Go ahead, Brad
, I’ve got your back,” said Tom, lowering his head submissively, but keeping his senses alert. Brad opened the door slowly and looked out. The lobby appeared empty. He pushed the door open further and took a step out. It was cold and dark. There were no lights on in the foyer aside from the emergency exit signs above the doors. The front desk was empty. Brad motioned for Tom to follow and he let the door swing behind him. Suddenly, he realised if it latched shut, they might not be able to get back in again and he grabbed the handle. Tom took his tie off and shoved it between the door and the frame, propping it open.

“Can you see anything?” Tom whispered to Brad who was creeping forward.

“No, it’s too dark outside. Look, the rain’s nearly stopped. I’m going to try the front door, see if it’s open yet.” Brad crept toward the huge glass doors and when he reached them he pulled on the handle, but they wouldn’t budge. He shook them harder, but they didn’t move an inch.