The Common Cold (Book 1): A Zombie Chronicle (21 page)

“The children!” she cried, and awkwardly fumbled with her
seatbelt. Rushing to their side she could see they were unharmed from the
landing. “Come on kids, let’s go, I told you it would be okay.”

Groggily, they made their way forward towards the front
exit, the dog desperately pulling on the lead. They all carried a strange
combination of weapons, clothing and backpacks. Rob looked behind them, and
pulled at Daniel’s shirt to attract his attention. They looked back. The
fuselage had split, and stars could be seen through the rent in the ceiling, no
more than ten feet behind where they had been sitting. The chairs under it were
shredded by flailing metal; they would not have survived in those seating
positions. Janet crossed herself.

As they descended the stairs to cockpit level, they saw what
had made the massive jolt and noise. The lower decks of the aircraft had been
torn away, the lower seating gone completely. The people on that deck had
surely perished. Their wreckage appeared to be entangled with another plane,
its nosecone clearly recognisable. They must have collided with the one that
had tried to land earlier; it had ripped the lower deck to shreds. Bodies lay
everywhere, unidentifiable, bloody masses and limbs scattered randomly among
the debris. No-one could have survived. They’re dead, Daniel thought.
Hopefully, they’ll stay that way.

“We have to get away from here, now,” he urged, pulling his
wife on. As the lower half of the aircraft was somewhere behind them, they
didn’t have a long drop to the runway, in fact it was only a three foot gap
that could easily be jumped. Clinging onto their guns and warm clothing, they
leapt to the tarmac. The night air was freezing, well below zero. Feeling terra
firma under their feet once more, they knew one dangerous part of the journey
had ended, the next was about to start. Daniel looked up to the cockpit, and
could see the two pilots open their windows and throw their knotted escape
ropes out. Climbing down, they joined the survivors on the runway.

“The cockpit door jammed,” the captain began, looking
around. “Is this it?” he asked. He looked at the small group. Unrealistically,
he had hoped to see emergency services coming to their aid, but the airport was
surprisingly quiet and dark. In the almost total darkness, it was as if it
wasn’t there at all. He looked back at his broken plane, and sighed with a hint
of sadness, not just for the plane, but what it’s destruction represented; a
symbol of the old world passing. It was lying like huge dinosaur bones along
the length of the runway. The rear of the plane had severed itself from the
main body, and movement could be seen within the cabin. “There are survivors!”
he whispered urgently, but deep down, he knew it wasn’t what he would have
liked to have seen.

Detecting some movement on the ground, he shone a torch in
that direction. It illuminated an inverted three seat section of chairs, to
which were secured three infected people. Rather than die, they were struggling
to move like a twelve-legged beetle across the ground, in the direction of the
survivors, their appetite clearly not abated. With a broken neck, the middle
person’s head hung like a bell’s clapper, swinging with the motion set up by
the others. “Oh my God,” the captain blanched. Sitting in the cockpit for most
of the journey, he had not seen these creatures in all their glory, and was now
just beginning to realise the fuller picture.

From the nearby wreckage they saw some movement. The captain
recognised Becky, who was struggling to be free of the debris that covered her.
Morgan ran to her side and grabbed her hand. Seeing the reality of her face, he
recoiled in horror. Daniel ran over to him, and saw that Becky had turned, her
eyes white and staring.

“Oh my God. I’m so sorry, Becky,” he said drawing his
pistol. The captain stayed his hand.

“Are you sure it’s the only way?” he asked, pleading with
his eyes.

“Sorry, Captain. There doesn’t appear to be a way back from
that. We either leave her in this state, and she might attack a normal person,
or we can end this tortured existence for her. Your choice.”

The captain reluctantly dropped his hand, and Daniel
performed the deed. Becky’s face relaxed. She must have been infected earlier
in the flight, perhaps while guarding those down the back. She had a
sensitivity and concern for people that had clearly brought her into harm’s
way, even knowing the risks to herself. One thing was for sure, this lovely
lady would be missed; she had been smart and capable. Meanwhile, the dog
started to growl; he was looking out into the darkness, and had sensed
something.

Rob came up behind Daniel. “I think we need to get away from
here, and as quickly as possible. I can hear
them
all around us. I don’t think there are any emergency services
coming, I think we’re all alone.” As his words sunk in, Daniel shivered, and
not just from the penetrating cold, as he stared out into the dark, and
listened as hard as he might.

Above the crackling of the dying fires, and from within the
pitch blackness surrounding them, he could hear stumbling feet and moaning, and
not just from where the remains of the passengers lay.

Feeling safer next to something they were familiar with, the
surviving group hunkered down by the wreckage of the front section of the
aircraft. All around them small fires blazed; the wings had broken off further
down the runway, thankfully, as the large amounts of fuel still in their tanks
had become a raging furnace. It silhouetted the movement of zombie creatures,
from some of whom smoke was rising as they wandered aimlessly, apparently
oblivious to the intense heat coming from the burning kerosene. The brilliance
of the fire made everywhere else appear extremely black, nothing visible in the
giant maw of darkness that surrounded them. The inky black night intensified
their fear of the unknown, their primitive instincts waking up. The children
were hugging Janet for all they were worth, a physical manifestation of the
terror gripping every adult in the group. The dog had already contributed his
worth by dousing their area with urine to prevent fires. Oskar was
conscientious like that, clearly becoming an asset to the group of survivors.

“We can’t stay here,” Daniel said, deciding it was time to
be on the move. “So, any ideas as to which way we go?” Daniel asked his friend.
As Rob was from Denver, he had visited the airport many times for work.
Admittedly, it had always been daytime, and like everyone else, he had been
restricted to the main buildings. He had never ventured beyond the confines of
the public areas, certainly not onto the runways, all of which looked the same
in the darkness.

“We need some transport. The car parks are probably the best
bet for that. Which side of the airport are we on, Captain?” Rob asked, unable
to fix their position.

“We’re at the end of runway 34Right. If we headed in that
direction,” he said, pointing, “we would get to the third terminal and the
tower.”

“So, considering there are those zombie creatures all around
us, I think it’s safe to say it isn’t a good idea to try for a terminal.
Especially as there appear to be no lights visible over there. Agreed?”

“Sounds like good logic,” Morgan responded. “If it wasn’t
for the fire, we could head down the runway, then across towards the main
terminal; that would take us close to the parking lots. But I don’t want to be
silhouetted against the fires, we’d be sitting ducks. We don’t know what’s out
there.”

“So what do you suggest?” Daniel asked, anxious to get out
of the open, to somewhere they could protect themselves. If they remained here
much longer, then by morning, a mere few hours away, they would be exposed.
With the vast expanse of airport they had to cross, there would be nothing to
offer them protection or cover; even from the few times Daniel had been to
Denver, he knew that much about the lay of the land.

The captain thought for a moment. “Head towards the
terminals, we’ll find a taxiway that goes southwards. That will take us close
to the parking lots.”

“It’s a risk going close to the terminals, don’t you think?”
Daniel challenged, afraid of jumping from the frying pan just yet.

“It’s a risk wherever we go; it’s pitch black in all
directions, so I think it’s a bit of a crap shoot, whatever we choose.” The
captain had always been frank in his assessments, believing the truth was
better than soft-soaping the survivors.

“Okay, I’m sold. Let’s do it. You okay with that, Janet,
Rob, BB?” This had to be a joint decision, everyone’s life was at stake.

Agreeing, they began the long walk towards the terminals. As
they moved away from the crackle of the fires, they became aware of the sounds
of their own footsteps which were beginning to sound overly loud. Taking their
time, they worked at being as quiet as possible; they could still hear a lot of
movement all around them. Oskar’s ears were flat back on his head, his fear
evident. Without bidding, the dog stayed glued to Daniel’s side. The children
walked with Janet, holding her hands as they moved into the darkness. Daniel
was determined they would stay in front of him, where he could see and protect
them; his position as tail end Charlie would ensure that. He was banking on the
supposition that the dog would alert him of any approach from behind; that was
the theory, at least. His rifle at the ready now, he wouldn’t go down easily,
whatever happened.

Rob, the captain, and BB walked ahead, navigating the
semi-darkness. The night wasn’t as pitch black as they had originally thought;
soon they could see the ground ahead of them, as their eyes adjusted to the new
environment. The sky was clear, there was no moon, but the abundance of stars
above gave them a lot more light than Daniel had ever thought possible; he was
a city boy after all. As his vision improved, he began to see dark shapes,
people blundering around as if blind. Unwittingly, they had passed by several,
some mere feet away, so closely that they surely must have detected the group’s
presence. Maybe night time was a bad time for the Infected, they certainly
appeared to be docile enough; of course, he wasn’t about to put it to the test.

The children had noticed the mass of stars above; being city
dwellers, they, too, were fascinated by the sheer numbers visible on this cold,
dark night. Thank God they had a distraction from their current misery, Daniel
thought.

He peered ahead, trying to see the terminal buildings. In
this light, by now they should at least have been able to see the white,
tent-like, billowing roof-tops of the Jeppesen Building. Concerned that he
couldn’t see any structure at all, the thought was popping into his head that
they were going in the wrong direction. He blinked, trying to make out
something recognisable. The way the men up front were peering forwards, it was
clear they were having the same problem. All they could see was irregular
shapes of something dark, with the odd protrusion of a tall pole or column, all
that was visible. They arrived at the taxiway Morgan had told them about. They
couldn’t have been more than two hundred yards from the terminal building, but
still there was nothing.

The captain stopped and the group bunched up, unsure which
way they should turn without his guidance. He looked bemused, almost frightened
by the unknown. For Daniel, this was a first, seeing the captain actually
unsure of himself. That thought alone worried Daniel more than the dead walking
around the field.

“It’s not here,” he murmured.

“That can’t be right,” BB agreed, “we’ve walked in the right
direction, there’s the North Star,” he said pointing upwards and to their
right.

“Where?” Penny asked, unable to understand how he could see
it among all those other stars. BB bent down, and with his shoulder next to her
face, pointed upwards. She smiled as she saw it, and coyly thanked him.

“Well, if we’re in the right place, we need to go along this
taxiway for about half a mile.”

They moved off along the concrete road, a yellow painted
line showing them the way. As they walked, they noticed large dark blocks
littering their way ahead, one even obstructing their intended route. Getting
closer, BB let out a cry of dismay.

“It’s a goddam military troop carrier!” His time in the
service enabled him to recognise the mangled metal lumps for what they were.
“Look at them all, there’s loads of them.” He ran to each one nearby, but there
was no denying what he was seeing. Looking back at the group, they could see
his face, which was even more pale in the starlight. A streak of a tear could
be seen as it ran down his cheek. He wiped it away angrily.

Captain Morgan went to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
He, too, had joined the dots to the puzzle, and the look on his face was like a
thunder cloud. They didn’t need words to share what they were thinking, as they
suddenly understood what they were seeing in the weak light.

“We have to leave this place, and quickly. Come on,” he
beckoned to the group. Moving around the destroyed trucks, Daniel caught up
with him.

“They’ve nuked the place, haven’t they? Normal bombs
couldn’t have done that to all these trucks. And there are no craters. That,
and the fact we can’t see the bloody terminals. I’m right, aren’t I?” The
England they had left behind was looking more appealing right now. The captain
just nodded.

Daniel hung back, waiting for Janet and the kids, once more
taking up his position at the rear. In silence they covered the distance to the
parking area.

“There’s no point trying any of the cars, their electronics
will have been fried by those fuckers,” BB announced, his anger still burning
brightly. The parking lot looked like the hand of God had swept the cars to one
side, piling them up in a heap in the corner. “We need to keep on moving, away
from here. Perhaps we’ll pick one up on the road, further away.”

With no arguments from anyone, they continued their walk
southwards. They soon left the metalled taxiway strips behind, crossing sandy,
rock strewn, but ploughed fields instead. At least they saw no more Infected to
contend with; most appeared to be happy to remain within the airport bounds. On
their way across the fields, they encountered a shuttle parking zone. They
found many cars with keys in the ignition, doors open, as if the occupants had
just gotten up and walked away; which they probably had. Unfortunately, they
were still too near the epicentre of the nuclear detonation; they may have had
the keys, but all the electrics were fried. Every car they found with a key
paid no attention to gentle coaxing or abuse. They would have to keep on
walking.

Out to the east, the sky was beginning to brighten. They
could hear the sound of coyotes fighting over their prey, they were clearly not
far away; it sounded like there had to be at least twenty of them in the pack,
attracted by the offering of easy meat. Daniel held his rifle more tightly,
these animals were perfectly capable of attacking people; he just hoped they had
enough alternatives out there to leave this group alone. In less than an hour
it would be dawn, by which time they anticipated finding a suitable vehicle,
for their safety, and to make better progress.

Penny was flagging by now, her pale little face showing the
pain she felt in her tummy. She had retched twice so far, all prayed it had
nothing to do with their proximity to the blast zone, preferring to think it
was stress and fear causing her stomach to misbehave. Although she wouldn’t eat
any of the sandwiches Becky had thoughtfully packed into the rucksacks, she did
sip the water, much to Janet’s relief. Sam was stoically keeping an eye on his
sister; he must have been exhausted, too, but refused to show it. The little
guy was a survivor, and he would die rather than lose his sibling. Rob and
Daniel took it in turns carrying her, allowing her to rest, and hopefully
recover.

Forty five minutes later they climbed over the fencing
alongside the main airport access road. Exhausted from walking across such rough
terrain, combined with the constant adrenaline high of their plight, they
collapsed at the side of the road. Penny had recovered a little, thanks to the
respite; her colour had returned, and she was becoming more her old self. She
was patting Oskar, and even smiled a little. Oskar didn’t complain at the
attention either.

The sun was definitely on its way up now; its glow, even
though still below the horizon, had replaced the starlight, and was improving
everyone’s spirits.

“Right, can everyone make sure they’ve had some water,
please.” The captain had looked through their supplies, and seen that there was
plenty of water to go around. There was enough to last for a few hours yet. His
survival training, something all long haul pilots underwent, dictated that it
was better to use water properly while you had it, rather than to eke it out
over a longer period.

Refreshed from the rest, and eating sandwiches while they
walked, they set off down the main access road. Much to their relief, they
appeared to have left the dead, including the walking ones, behind at the
airport. It did seem to be a recognisable trait that the zombie would, if left
undisturbed, try and continue the purpose or activity foremost in its mind
before it turned.

They all hoped to obtain a car, and soon; none had felt so
mind-numbingly tired ever before, but all were too nervous and strung out to
sleep, fearing what might happen while so vulnerable. It didn’t help that they
were a mile high in this area; the air was thinner, and less oxygen available
to their lungs than the sea level air they had been used to in London. Sharing
mobile phones, Morgan, BB, and Rob began trying to get in touch with their
loved ones. Sandra was hugely relieved they had landed in one piece, and was
looking forward to their arrival. Hers had been a peaceful night, the odd moan
and scream notwithstanding; her sleep had been fitful and unsatisfying, as she
suffered much the same deprivation and fears as the rest of them. The captain’s
wife had not answered the phone, which, of course, set him to worrying about
her and the kids.

BB’s wife answered after the first ring. It was still night
time for her, a couple of hours before dawn. She’d watched the news earlier in
the evening, and had stayed up all night, waiting to hear from him.
Disheartened that he was in Denver, she was pleased they hadn’t gone to
Washington, DC, because it was probable that none would have survived what was
going on in the capital. Apparently, the city was out of control, or lost to
something that was steadily marching across America. There had been three nuclear
explosions she had been informed of, one being Denver, the other two out east.
The only TV channels she could get now were Californian ones, and everyone
seemed to be in a blind panic. Giving her advice to stay indoors as much as
possible, stocking up with food and water, and getting her to load the gun,
there was little else he could offer her at this time. His position was almost
as bad as the captain’s. The frustration in him was building.