《Apocalypse》Episode 006: Edgeware Road

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The police officer stepped into the ambulance and stood over the slain paramedic and put one more round into her head too. He looked at me as he stepped back out.

"The hospital is about to be quarantined." He said. "Move out."

"Where did they come from?" I asked. "The attack victims."

"Paddington Station." He said. "Don’t go there."

I turned to look at which hospital I was at. It was St Mary’s.

"But that is just around the corner", I said.

"We have perimeters in place."

"Where else in London has been attacked?" I asked.

"In London? Just this I think so far. But around Heathrow is just a mess."

I immediately thought of my own neighbourhood.

"And Hounslow?" I asked.

"Do not go to Hounslow", he said.

I stepped away from the hospital. Paddington Station was a five minute walk behind me so I walked east towards Edgeware Road. I had lost my phone, my transportation and my wallet in my motorbike crash this morning. I had no knives or food as these must have been removed by the hospital staff when I was admitted. I could feel a rising sense of panic inside me as I walked along the side streets where it remained eerily quiet.

At this time even this kind of road in London should have been buzzing with traffic and yet apart from a cyclist and the distant buzz of a scooter disappearing around the corner I heard no-one in this vicinity. It was like the city held its breath before deciding on its next move. All stores were closed. Someone had left a discarded metro bicycle lying on the ground. I lifted it, feeling a pain from my ribs as I did so, and after a quick visual inspection to make sure it was still rideable mounted it and set off at slow steady pace.

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Ahead was Edgware Road and I could hear it before I saw it. The road was gridlocked. Vehicles laden with families, pets and possessions. Irritated drivers beeping their horns in frustration, rage and helplessness. I mounted the pavement and rode past a lengthy line of vehicles on the road to nowhere. It was now a cacophony of noise and the despair was palpable.

Ahead I saw someone come from a side street and lunge at a vehicle. I stopped. Two more lumbered from the same direction. I watched as the three lumbering wretches beat at the window trying to get to the unfortunates within. One was using its head against the glass like a battering ram. Still more emerged from the side streets in the same location. I counted seven total.

There was a rising cry of shock and horror as drivers became aware of what was happening. Some people exited their vehicles and simply ran from the scene. Others turned around inside their vehicle aware that something was happening but not sure what.

One car ahead of me started reversing back crunching into the vehicle behind him to create more space before driving into the vehicle in front to push him forward too. With a screeching of tires and wheels he was able to generate enough space to get on to the pavement at which point he accelerated on the pavement towards me. I jumped from the bicycle, hearing it crunched behind me as the vehicle tore past. I weaved between the vehicles on foot now feeling more vulnerable than ever.

I was aware of the zombies ahead of me, and that more could emerge at any moment from any direction and that the vehicles I wove between could move at any moment too. More panicking drivers were now attempting the same crazed manoeuvre of crunching vehicles both in front and behind to generate turning space.

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I returned back to the pavement of the other side of the road immediately needing to hug the wall as another vehicle turned on to the pavement to accelerate.

There was nowhere to turn, no place of safety. I could hear screams up ahead and saw the zombies had shattered the wind screen of the first vehicle attacked. A couple of them were now dragging themselves through the open space amid the flailing limbs of the trapped occupants. The piercing dying shrieks of the victims would now be etched on my memory forever, I knew.

Another vehicle mounted the pavement but as he accelerated the wheels caught the kerb twisting the car so that it struck the adjoining building head on. The man opened his car, but realised too late his seat belt was stuck. He tried to close the door again but too late again. One of them was on him. He beat at it weakly as it chewed on his face. With agony from my own bruised body I vaulted the bonnet of this vehicle and made my way further along Edgeware Road.

Up ahead I heard shooting.

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