The Common Cold (Book 1): A Zombie Chronicle (10 page)

He was about to speak to his first officer when BB held up
his hand, signalling he was listening to his radio, his face showing disbelief.

“That was Barnes. Unbelievable, he just told me that the
buses carrying the Embassy staff crashed on the M23, just north of the airport
turn-off.”

“What? All six of them?” Morgan asked, not sure he’d heard
correctly.

“That’s what he said. They don’t know how, or why. They have
helicopter support from the Brit police, and they confirmed it. Apparently some
of the surviving passengers are behaving strangely. They’ve already attacked
the emergency services guys sent there to help. Police have even opened fire on
some of the survivors.”

“Oh, fuck.” The captain couldn’t think of anything else to
say. His rat shit scenario was coming to pass. He imagined this was going to be
like the last flight out of Saigon, sitting on their bone-domes to protect
their crown jewels, while the locals were revolting. And from what he had seen
on his way back to the gate, the locals were becoming pretty revolting,
certainly at the airport. All the folk on the doomed buses were strangers to him;
nevertheless, he was horrified at the probable loss of life, nearly three
hundred and fifty souls. “Where’s that fucking take-off slot?” he asked BB
irritably. “Did Barnes say anything?”

“Not yet. Ah, we’re just getting the en-route weather sent
over.” A light was blinking on his console. The ops room had the ability to
send over weather information, as well as other administrative data for the
flight, using their own dedicated radio link.

“Good, that probably means we’ll get a slot soon.” The
captain felt there was little point in hanging around now the Embassy staff
weren’t going to be arriving. The information being updated on the screens said
there weren’t many passengers checking in. Deep in thought, he peered out of
his port side window and noticed there were a number of people wandering around
the tarmac. Peering more closely at the runway, which he could just make out
from his position, there appeared to be a number of people running around out
there, others chasing them, security presumably. They’d better be out of the
way by the time he wanted to take off; he wasn’t going to stop for anyone.

Crashing through the front entrance to the library, Rob and
Daniel let go of the children’s hands and turned to secure the doors against
all comers. Just in time, Daniel flicked the latch as a cheetah collided with
the reinforced frame and bounced off again harmlessly, leaving a bloody smear
across the glass. It stood up again, and laid into the door in a frenzy.

“Come on, move away from here; while it can see us, it’ll
stay mad.” Daniel gently pushed the cowering children away from the entrance
porch and into the main library hall. Rob was ahead of them, his rifle up and
ready for anything. Daniel still had his pistol in his hand, and moved ahead of
the group; he had been here before and knew where Janet would be. Or so he
hoped.

Keeping his desperation to find Janet in check for now, he
carefully made his way down towards the staff area. Off to the left he saw
movement, small but rapid. With a high-pitched shriek, a child launched itself
at him. A single, instinctive shot brought the child down. Several more were
standing there, a couple of women standing with them. All were infected, it
seemed the only fast one among them had been the child he’d just shot.
Signalling Rob to keep an eye on them, they all closed ranks, and moved as
quickly as possible further into the library. Unless necessary, neither Rob nor
Daniel had the slightest desire to kill toddlers and women.

Once at the staff quarters behind the reception, Daniel
peered in and saw an inert form on the floor, blood pooling around its head;
Daniel thought he looked familiar. With no-one seemingly alive in there, he
turned and, gun pointing ahead, made his way across the hall to the reference
room. Peering through the glass, he got the shock of his life. Janet was on the
floor, backed uncomfortably into a corner; Paul was crouching in front of her,
staring at her intently. Daniel knew his wife had seen him, but still she
remained motionless, as if moving would break some kind of spell.

Looking more closely, he saw a suppurating wound on Paul’s
arm; it was seeping, the liquid slowly collecting under him; he had clearly
been crouching there, motionless, for a while. Rob joined Daniel at the door,
and saw the stand-off that was taking place. Ducking out of sight, he took up a
defensive position, keeping the rest of the area covered, in case the zombie
playgroup decided to join them. Daniel held his hand up, indicating that no
sound be made. He had signed to the children to crouch down under a nearby
desk, making them as safe as possible.

Gently, Daniel pushed against the door to the room. It
wouldn’t budge, something was jamming it from the other side. Peering down, he
caught sight of a chair. Great for defence, not so good for rescue. Thinking
for a moment, he wondered how to reach Janet without Paul, or whatever it
 
was now, causing her harm.

He’d never been an expert at charades; not that it was
something that normally bothered him, but right now he wished he’d paid more
attention as, signing clumsily, he tried to indicate that she should lie down
when he tapped on the glass. Janet had to be out of the way for him to shoot at
Paul; shooting through the glass would not guarantee the bullet would go
exactly where it was intended to go. She gave a slight nod, indicating her
understanding. Unfortunately Paul caught the movement, and moved closer to her.
The perfume she was wearing must have been confusing to him; he was clearly
trying to figure her out, his sense of smell failing him.

Daniel gently tapped on the glass. And all hell broke loose.
Paul, in a single action, spun around, and leapt for the source of the sound.
The creature he had become crashed through the door at high speed, and caught
Daniel off-guard. Stunned by the collision, he fell to the floor; glass was
falling all around him, and his chest was being crushed by an incredible force,
as the door and the Paul-creature landed squarely on him. The children shrieked
in fear, hugging each other for protection. Rob turned around in surprise, and
saw the cascading glass, door and poor Daniel slide across the floor in a
tangled mess, being ridden by the zombie. Danny’s pistol clattered across the
floor towards the children.

This time Daniel really was fighting for his life. Paul had
apparently acquired significant strength through his infection, and was doing
his best to latch onto this fresh prey. The aftershave had worn off, and Paul
knew exactly what he wanted: flesh from this new source. Was Daniel being
fanciful, or did Paul recognise him? There was a certain look in the
zombie-like eyes. Perhaps what was left of the man was trying to get rid of his
rival for Janet’s affections? After all, why didn’t he attack Janet after he
had turned?

All these thoughts happened in a flash, as Daniel struggled
with the creature. A resounding crack sounded as the butt of Rob’s rifle found
its target; Paul’s head. The librarian collapsed like a rag-doll. Daniel leapt
to his feet and quickly retrieved his weapon, and turned to find his wife,
momentarily unsteady on her feet, leaning on the door jamb of the room that had
been her haven for the last several hours.

They hugged each other tightly, then Daniel pulled back and
started to look her over.

“Are you hurt? Did he touch you?” he asked.

“”No, no. He didn’t. He got bitten when trying to help me.
Without him, I think I would be dead, or one of
them
. Their bite seems to have caused Paul to change.”

Daniel hugged her again, thanking the forces that had kept
her safe. Keeping hold of her hand, he turned to face the others.

“So, what now?” he asked of Rob. “We obviously can't stay
here.”

Rob had been surfing for information on his phone. “I’ve
still got a signal,” he said, holding his mobile up, “and from what I can see,
this thing appears to be spreading all over the UK. It also appears to have
broken out from the east coast of the USA. I really need to get home, Daniel.
Back to Sandra.” The American paused, hesitating to voice his thoughts.
“Daniel, I know it’s a lot to ask, but will you help me get to the airport?
There might still be a flight out.”

“Jesus. Of course I will.” While agreeing readily to his
friend’s request, Daniel had become distracted, he’d noticed the women and
children from the playgroup were slowly edging their way closer to them. “Well,
the first thing we need to do is get away from here, and get home.” He began to
lead them away from the encroaching threat, towards the other exit and the
adjoining rec centre. “If we have a neighbour who isn’t afflicted, we can drop
the kids off, and then work out how we can achieve this.” He put his hand on
Rob’s shoulder, and squeezed. “You’ve saved my life more than once today, I’d
be glad to do this.”

The kids had overheard this conversation. “We ain’t going to
be dropped off
wiv
no-one else. We don’t want to be
left
wiv
no strangers.” Little Penny started crying
quietly; Sam was looking truculent.

Daniel looked at them. He didn’t want to commit to anything;
between him and Rob, they’d already made a significant negative contribution to
their young lives, and breaking promises wasn’t a good way to continue. “Let’s
see when we get to our house.” They looked back at Paul, who was surrounded by
the playgroup. He appeared to be coming around, his head lolling from side to
side. “Whatever we do, it has to be now. Paul’s waking, and you’ve seen how
fast he moves. Considering how he’s helped you, I don’t want to kill him.”

“Thanks, love. Nor do I,” she said, looking back towards the
moaning form on the floor. She looked back at Daniel. “How did you get here?
Have you got a car?” Janet asked. “We can’t get down the high street without
one. There’s probably too many of them.” She sounded panicked at the thought of
going outside, and was finding reason to stay here, where she had been safe,
sort of. Seeing Paul lying there, coming round, and knowing what he was capable
of, she found herself between a rock and a hard place. To her, the world
outside this library was very scary, with too many unknowns. Just getting home
seemed like a hopeless step too far.

Daniel heard the fear in her voice, and pulled her to him
once more. “Don’t worry. Between Rob and me, we’ll be alright. Let’s go out the
back way, fewer of them around, I shouldn’t wonder.” His confident tone helped
rekindle her spirits, and seeing their guns, she knew she would be alright as
long as they were together.

“Sure. It’s this way,” she said, pointing, “but I don’t know
if there are any more of those things in the building. I’ve been trapped in
there all along.”

“Okay, don’t worry. We’re ready for whatever. Are you
alright, now?” She nodded, grabbed his sleeve and pulled him away from the
children, and whispered, “how come you’ve got kids with you? Where are they
from?”

“They have no-one, and we couldn’t leave them behind. Both
their parents are dead. They don’t seem to have any one at all, I think, and on
top of that, their house burnt down this morning. Let’s talk about it later.”

Putting on a positive smile, he turned to Rob. “Let’s get
this show on the road. Come on kids, we’ve got to go now. I suppose
introductions are needed. This pretty young lady is Penny, and this is her
brother, Sam. He’s been quite the rock for Penny so far.” The children nodded
their hellos. “This is my wife, Janet.”

“Hi kids. Seems like you’ve had quite the adventure today.
We can go to our place, and we’ll get some food, proper food. Would you like
that?” The children nodded eagerly. It was noticeable how they were beginning
to relax now that there was a woman in the group. Janet chided Daniel as he
offered the battered, soggy sandwiches all round. They were warm, and looked
unappetizing in their squashed, plastic containers. “They’re probably off by
now.”

Rob opened his sandwich pack, and found that Janet had been
quite the prophet. Wrinkling his nose at the smell, he cast them into a
waste-paper bin.

Rob and Daniel led the way to the back entrance, taking up
their serious role of defending the group once more, their rifles at the ready.
A couple of dead bodies lay abandoned on the floor and only one active zombie
was in sight. Luckily, this zombie was a slow one, and was soon outpaced. From
behind, a growl attracted their attention, and they turned to see Paul standing
there, the side of his head oozing blood and grey matter. He looked really
angry, as if they were taking something that was his. Janet acted first, and
moved forward to speak to him.

“No, don’t.” Daniel whispered.

“Hold on,” she replied. “Paul.” He recognised her voice.
“We’ve got to go now. You must stay here.” He seemed to understand, his head
twisting sideways, like a dog, trying to comprehend what she was saying.
Somehow his face looked sad; he touched his cheek where she had placed that
friendly kiss earlier.

The group started backing towards the exit, slowly
increasing the distance between them and Paul. Suddenly, a screech erupted off
to the side and a crazed zombie raced out of a side corridor, and lunged at
them. Fortunately, due to its enthusiasm for the kill, the creature slipped on
the smooth floor and it sailed harmlessly past, in what would, in other
circumstances, appear comical. Paul reacted swiftly and fell upon this new
interloper. They fought furiously, more of Paul’s brain dislodging from the
gaping wound. Gradually his movements became erratic as grey matter began to
slop
out of his skull. His motor responses finally failed,
and the newcomer began to feed on the contents.

They all rushed through the glass exit doors, quickly
putting as much distance between them and what they had just witnessed. Janet
was quiet, a tear falling down her face, as they moved slowly away from the
scene.

“We really need to apply more aftershave,” Rob said,
sniffing himself. “If I can smell me, I’m bloody sure they can too.” There were
no Infected on the side street; Janet had been right in her assumption. They
stood around, a strange sight, each applying spray to themselves, and to each
other.

“I hope this isn’t ‘Candid Camera’,” Daniel said, looking
around. Seeing Janet still sad, he put his arm around her shoulders. “I’m
genuinely sorry about Paul. There’s nothing I can say, but I’m here for you.”

She looked back into his eyes, saw in them his reliability,
and her sadness began to ebb. “Did you have a car?” she asked, quietly.

“We had a van but it broke down on the high street. There’s
a car park around the corner, I bet there’s one there that’s got an open door.”

They trudged off down the road, maintaining their ‘zombie
walk’; slow, unhurried steps. Daniel explained his findings on how to avoid
their attention; Janet was beginning to feel more confident.

Arriving at the car park, they carefully looked around for
something substantial they could use for their home run. And there it was, a
brand new Range Rover Vogue. The door was ajar, and they could see the key in
the ignition. There was a small amount of blood spattered on the driver’s seat.
Rob and Daniel looked at each other; both had talked about this 4x4 and both
loved it, or certainly the idea of it.

“Yes,” Rob said, licking his lips in anticipation.

“I think we’re going to have to toss a coin to see who
drives.” While they fished for a coin, Janet slipped past them and got
decisively into the driver’s seat, waiting for them to notice.

“Come on, children. And Penny, Sam.” She smiled endearingly
at the two grown men focusing on what she considered unimportant, especially in
the circumstances. The kids got in, Rob joining them on the back seat. Daniel
got in the front, next to the boss. She turned the key and the engine roared
into life.

“We’ll dodge the high street,” she said, turning left. Janet
was enjoying the slalom ride, dodging witless, slow-moving Infected, riding
onto the pavement to avoid colliding with abandoned vehicles. Several fires had
broken out and, on more than one occasion, they had to reverse back out of a
street that appeared, itself, to be completely engulfed in roaring flames, no
emergency services in evidence. The only other car they had seen was going so
fast that it leapt off the road at the first corner it encountered, and
ploughed into a row of terraced houses. The resulting explosion caused a
fireball that raced between the properties; someone must have left the gas on.