When dawn broke it did so with rays of sunshine flooding into the room where myself, Mina and Meera slept in our arm chairs. This room was a staff tea room and had an en suite wash room. I eased myself from the chair pleased with how my motorbike injuries were already responding. I still had bruises, and my ribs hurt if you pressed hard enough, but otherwise the wounds appeared to be superficial.

In the wash room I took the time to splash water on my face and looked at my reflection. I was mixed race, and my thick tousled hair was its usual mass of curls, and after two days of no shaving I had a light scattering of stubble. My face looked tired to me, but then how could it not? My eyes were red rimmed and my features seemed more drawn than usual.

I removed my shirt and looked at my wounds from all angles. The bruises were an array of colours, but I was gaining confidence that they would be no further hindrance. I opened up a first aid kit within the room and applied some antiseptic cream to them. Once I was dressed I put back on my shirt, and returned to the tea room.

Mina had also awakened and was stood by the window looking out at the view of London beyond. More fires raged in the distance and although the sky was awash with a tangerine sunrise the city beneath seemed to be masked in a smoke filled haze.

She turned to me and smiled sadly.

“It looks like a war zone out there”, she said.

“It is”, I replied.

Mina turned to look at Meera. “And what do we do about her?”

“We bring her with us.” I said. “Assuming she wants to come.”

Meera’s eyes were closed but she answered for herself. “I do.”

We left the room as a group about an hour later. As a staff member Meera had a security swipe card and PIN number that led us through rooms and corridors that would otherwise have been inaccessible to us.

We walked back through the courtyard towards the Gower Street gates. Meera had security entrance into a side building beside the gates which had a street exit out on to Gower Street.

As she was reaching for the card in her pocket we heard a crunching on the gravel behind us as someone ran at us at speed. I thought of the security guards daughter, and turned just in time to see her clatter into Meera smashing her head into the white wash wall of the building.

Meera collapsed unconscious from the collision, and the zombie fell upon her tearing a chunk of flesh from her cheek.

Mina had already picked up the dropped security card and opened the door. As I reached into my belt to withdraw my knife Mina grabbed the back of my trousers and pulled me into the building before slamming the door shut.