Infected Page 2
Dan had not noticed that the traffic lights had turned from red to green, and they were changing back to red as the husband emerged from his car covered in even more blood and looking every inch like a wild animal. A man in the BMW behind Dan had not seen any of this and, horn blaring, had lowered his window and was hurling abuse towards Dan for missing the green light. The animal like man instantly jumped over the low wall and the convulsing body of his wife and sprinted towards the guy in the BMW, who was still shouting obscenities at Dan. BMW man finally noticed that someone was running towards him, “What the fuck do you want?” were his last words before the animal like man drove bodily through the open window. The blood-soaked wife now stood up, and it was obvious to Dan that she also had been affected as she charged down the driveway to attack another passer-by, Dan had seen enough, slamming the car into gear and with wheels spinning he drove through the red light and left the scene of carnage behind.
Dan drove away from the built-up area and on to an isolated country road, apart from an ambulance parked further down the road there was no other vehicle or person in sight, so he slowed to a stop, so he could think. This was like a bad “B movie” with the blood and gore, but this was happening, he had seen it with his own eyes, so he needed to take stock! If you are attacked by one of the human monsters you seem to be infected and exhibit the same symptoms, hell, you become one yourself and this takes place very fast, within twenty seconds or so. For the first time since the traffic lights he realised that the car radio was still on and repeating the announcement “People should stay inside and lock their doors”. “Good advice… shit, Pam is at home, but she will be leaving soon!” he thought. Dan hit the speed dial on his mobile phone but then noticed for the first time that there was no phone service, he spun the car around and headed back towards the house, resolving not to stop for anyone, or anything, “thing” being the operative word!
Although he had only left the house ten minutes ago, it seemed to Dan like an hour had gone by before his car finally screeched around the last corner and into his own road where Pamela was walking to her car without a care in the world, but then Dan saw Philip Jenkins running towards her. He could not tell if Philip was infected with the same mania as the others, but he knew that he could not take the chance, so pressed hard on the accelerator, aimed at Philip, and braced for the impact.
07:15 - Day One of Outbreak, Ambulance Paramedic Amanda Bell
Recently qualified Ambulance Paramedic Amanda Bell was coming to the end of her night shift, her driver was Tim Price and they were both looking forward to returning to their base and then to their homes to sleep the morning away. The night shift had been quiet, there were the usual callouts to pick up and nursemaid the drunks that had proved too much for their mates to handle and an old gentleman that they had transported to hospital after a suspected heart attack, but within the last hour all the other Ambulances from their depot had been dispatched to attend emergency calls.
Amanda and Tim were now parked up in a lay-by on a county lane, waiting for the inevitable callout that would make their shift end late. The lay-by was a good spot for them to park up, it was quiet here because the road led to the open countryside, it was just a short drive to the suburbs and beyond that there was easy access to the motorway and the town should they be needed there. The bushes were a bonus, very convenient if a toilet break was on the agenda.
Their radio crackled into life and they both braced themselves for a callout, holding their breath, still hoping that they would not be tasked with a job this close to the end of their shift. It was just another unit that had been tasked earlier reporting in, Tim exhaled in relief and said, “That was a close one, I am going to make use of the bushes!” He grabbed his smartphone, jumped out and disappeared in the direction of the hedge. Amanda just nodded, once she had realised that the message on the radio was not for them, she paid no more attention to it, but now that she was on her own, she concentrated on what was being said and caught the end of the transmission. It was the Sally, the driver, from one of the other ambulances and she was shouting into the radio “Patrick has been attacked by the patient, and he is now convulsing!”
Amanda knew and liked Patrick, he was a good paramedic, had been her mentor and taught her a lot, so she listened to the radio for the next report. Control called the other crew asking for clarification but there was no reply.
Control called each of the other ambulances that had been despatched, but not one of them responded. Amanda then called the Control Room and asked to be despatched to the same location as Patrick’s ambulance, but she was told in no uncertain terms to stay where she was and not leave the ambulance. Amanda thought this was very strange but assumed that Control just wanted her to stay by the radio, she also now realised that some fifteen minutes had gone by and Tim had not returned.
Amanda wound down the window and called out to Tim Price, “Are you constipated? You have been out there nearly twenty minutes!” But there was no response from him. “Tim, stop messing about, there is something going on. You should get back in here!” There was still no response, this was so unlike Tim, he was not a joker. Amanda got out of the ambulance and walked towards the bushes calling out to him as she went, but he still did not answer, then she heard a car engine approaching from the direction of the village. The car was a 4x4 and as she watched it slow to a stop about one hundred metres from her, it remained stationary for a short time and then it screeched around in the road and began driving back in the direction that it had come. Amanda thought “That guy is in a big hurry”, then saw Tim Price emerge from the bushes near to the car, running like a wild man after the departing vehicle. Amanda called after Tim, but he did not hear her, he was still intent on catching the 4x4. She got into the driver’s seat of the ambulance and reached towards the keys, but they were not in the ignition, “Damn you to hell, Tim!” she said out loud, not realising that he was already there.
She sat in there waiting for Tim to return, the whole time wondering what the hell he was playing at? She did not want to “drop him in the shit” but she really had to inform the Control room that the ambulance was out of service. Amanda picked up the microphone but before she could press the push to talk button, the control room called her. They told her to return to base immediately, there was something in the controller’s voice that made Amanda realise that something was wrong and any thought of trying to cover for Tim was lost as she told Control what had happened. There was a pause, then the controllers voice came back on the radio and the usual radio protocol was missing, “Okay Amanda, stay where you are, lock yourself in the vehicle and keep out of sight, we will send someone for you” Amanda responded, “What do you mean stay out of sight, what the hell is going on?” The answer came back “We don't know, but it’s bad, so keep out of sight, and if you see Tim, do not let him back in the ambulance. He may be infected with something that will make him violent toward you so if you see him, or anyone else, don’t let them see you. We will send someone for you, but for now, keep out of sight!” Amanda waited and wondered what the hell was going on.
08:00 - Day One of Outbreak Dan and Pamela
Pam’s body was starting to react with shock because of witnessing Dan kill Philip Jenkins by running him over with the 4x4, and so it was with shaking hands that she did as she was bid and inserted the batteries into an old radio. She turned it on and selected the frequency for the local radio station, the channel was silent, and she looked up as Dan moved swiftly into the room saying, “Try Radio Four, that’s where I heard the announcement in the car.” He said. Pam again did as she was bid and turned the dial and found Radio Four…
“There are reports of disturbances throughout the UK with riots being reported in most major cities with London, Birmingham, Leeds and Glasgow all reporting incidents. Smaller towns and even some villages are reporting disorder although the nature of the incidents is vague and contradictory. No official statement has been forthcoming from the government; however, we under
stand the there is an emergency meeting of COBRA (Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms) scheduled for later this morning and we will update you as soon as we have a post meeting statement. Some local police forces are advising people to avoid affected areas, one unnamed officer was quoted as saying that “People should stay inside and lock their doors!” “But we have been unable to verify if this is official advice. In other news…”
Dan said, “I know that nothing you have heard in that bulletin will lead you to think that my actions are justified, but I am asking you to trust me and listen to me, will you please do that?” Pamela recognised the sincerity in his voice, wanting to believe him, but she knew that nothing he could say would ever justify the killing of Philip Jenkins, but she needed to play along, humour him, until she could get out of the house, so Pamela just said “Okay, I’m listening”. Dan said “Okay, good girl, grab the radio and follow me upstairs.”
They went upstairs and into the front bedroom with windows overlooking the road, Dan told her to keep well back, and he looked through a chink in the curtains and surveyed the road outside. Philip Jenkins was still pinned under the wheel of the 4x4, but incredibly he was still moving. While he watched the outside Dan recounted the story of his aborted commute to work to a disbelieving Pam but as he was finishing he noticed a group of bystanders gathered near to Philip, some were trying to call for help using their mobile phones but soon realised that there was no service. As a male from the group walked up to Philip, Dan said “I don't expect you to believe me, the story is just too fantastic to be believed, but I am going to show you something that will prove it to you, but whatever you do, do not scream or draw any attention to yourself. You must promise me this!” Pamela promised, so Dan beckoned her forward just as the man was leaning over Philip Jenkins. Pamela had intended to hammer on the widow and scream for help, but now she watched in sick fascination as the stranger bent over to help Philip, as soon as the stranger was in reach Philip grabbed him and pulled him in.
Pam could hear the screams even through the double-glazed windows and watched in horror as the stranger pulled himself away, leaving a hunk of his flesh in Philips mouth, then stagger backwards and sit on the pavement holding his face as blood flowed through his fingers. A woman who Pamela presumed was the mans partner ran up to him and tried to help, she was reaching into her bag to try and find something to stem the flow of blood, the man started to convulse, then a few seconds later he leaped forward and bit her several times in a frenzied attack. Seeing this another young man ran forward to help the woman and then within less than thirty seconds both the man and woman were attacking him. The rest of the group realised that there was something wrong and started to run, pursued by the couple and young man, all now resembling wild animals rather than human beings. Pamela retreated from the window, but did not say a word, she needed to process what Dan had told her and what she had just seen. He started to ask her if she was okay, but she just held up her hand to silence him, she needed to think!
After a few minutes, Pamela enquired “How did you know that Philip Jenkins was affected by that mania?” “I did not know for sure.” he replied honestly. Pamela continued to think. She was recovering from the initial shock and was thinking fast, the situation was unreal, but it was happening, and if the radio reports were to be believed this was happening throughout the nation. Whatever this was, it was big, and from what she had seen it was not a situation that the government was going to sort out any time soon, so she knew that they were on their own for the foreseeable future. She thought about Dan, acting without hesitation and with ruthless efficiency, he had removed a possible threat to her and had made the decision to do so in a split second, remaining totally calm and focussed during and after the event. In addition, he had made no effort to intervene to stop Philip’s subsequent attack, to do so would have put them both at risk, instead he had turned the situation to his advantage to prove to her that there was a problem, and in doing so had kept her safe. She knew that something in Dan had come to the surface, something about him that she had long suspected but had not allowed herself to dwell on. She would think more on this later, but this was not the time to analyse what she was believed what Dan may well be. However, if she was right about him, and taking in to consideration this dangerous new reality, Dan may well be one of the few people perfectly equipped to survive, more over, if what she suspected about him was true, he could quite possible thrive!
She looked at him now, and simply said “Thank you.” She could see no fear in his eyes, just a burning desire to move on, to start organising the next stage in this new reality. She could see how much willpower he was having to exert to force himself to stay there in the room, giving her time to come to terms with their situation. She smiled inwardly, then released him, allowing him to spring into action by saying “Okay, what’s next?” She was not shocked by the speed of his response, it only lent more weight to support her diagnosis.
“We will deal this this as follows” said Dan. “1, Security - barricade the access points. 2, Weapons - something to fight with should someone… something get in. 3, Water. 4, food. I’ll take care of the Security and weapons, you sort the water and food. Fill up every container, pan, bowl, mug and cup that you can before the water stops running from the taps, then take half the stored water and food upstairs. But remember keep away from the windows, do not be tempted to look out. One more thing, if anyone gets into the house get back upstairs and then make your way into the loft, then pull the ladder up after you, do not hesitate and do not wait for me!” Pam thought about all of this for ten seconds then replied with one word “Understood!”
Dan realised that Pam would be okay, she was intelligent, adaptive and handling this totally alien situation better than most people would. She had not been hysterical but had quietly taken the time to assess the situation, accepting it for what it was. She would adapt to the new circumstance, and be a survivor, not a liability. He thought about that word “liability”, if she had broken down and become hysterical, would he have kept her around? This thought stopped him in his tracks, how could he even think that, what was going on in his head? He loved Pamela and had done for over a decade, so how could he even think like that? He decided right there and then, they were together, he loved her and he would look after her come what may! But the very fact that the thought even crossed his mind confused him, he would think more on this later, but now was the time for action.
All the doors were fully locked, and Dan hung a blanket over the outer front door, so no one could see into the porch. He pulled a wardrobe to the top of the stairs so that it could be tipped down to block them off should the need arise. He found an old baseball bat for Pam and told her to keep it with her at all times.
Dan was a nondescript looking man in his forties and of average height, however anyone looking closely could tell that he had the physique of an athlete and would see that he moved with the grace and propose of a leopard, he had always kept himself fit, practised mixed Marshal Arts and had his own fully equipped gym in the house.
Leaving Pam with the baseball, Dan made his way downstairs and in to his gym, he walked past the large punch bag, weights and pull up bar and then stooped to pick up his Katana sword from its stand. The sword was blunt, very blunt. This was deliberate as it had only ever been used for “Sword Karta” (a choreographed series of sword techniques strung together a simulated fight, a kata is the ART in Marshal Art). He retrieved a sharpening stone from a tool box in the garage, then went to find Pam to help her finish filling the water containers.
She was in the kitchen, every surface covered with containers filled with water. “Just the Jerrycans in the campervan to fill” she said. Dan nodded and fetched them, and they stood together in the kitchen filling them, each thinking about what was next on the agenda. The house was secure, they had stored all the water they could, so now was the time to gather information and start planning what they would do next and what action they take in any given event.
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nbsp; Pamela had been listening to the radio as she was storing the water, the situation was still very confused, and given what she and Dan had seen she thought that she already knew more than the radio could they tell them, at least for the time being. Something that Pamela thought strange was that the advice to stay inside was no longer being broadcast. “Surely staying behind locked indoors would be most sensible thing to do” she commented to Dan. “I’m not surprised,” said Dan “would you want to be the one to tell the whole of the UK to stay at home and not go to work, the cost to the national economy would be incalculable” “I see your point,” said Pam “but I can’t help but think like a doctor.”
They went back upstairs, Pam kept an eye on the road outside, looking through a chink in the curtains while Dan sat on the bed and used the stone to work on his Katana sword, “This is going to take some time” he commented as he worked the stone along the blunt blade of the sword.
Whilst looking out of the window, Pam started to speak in a quiet but steady voice “Filling the water containers was a good thing, it gave me a chance to think. I have been a Doctor for twenty years, but I have never seen or read about anything like the symptoms presented by the subjects that I have observed.” “Some form of rabies?” asked Dan. Pam replied, “No this is not rabies, this is something else, and something not found in nature, with the admittedly limited observations that I have made so far, I would say that whatever this is, it is man-made, and assuming that the reports on the radio about disturbances up and down the country are related to the same symptoms presented here, I would say that this is a deliberate attack upon the nation.” “Shit,” said Dan I love it when you talk like a Doctor!”
Day One of Outbreak - Flight LL261 on Route to Washington Dulles International Airport USA