After The Rising by T.D Jackson (free novel reading sites .txt) 📕

not all you have to do is spend the night on the balcony" He typed in a code and the door opened, a metal balcony overlooked what looked like an old bunker 15 feet below. The smell was horrendous the groaning of the un-dead echoed around the room the Doc followed me in an looked down at the monsters "The sound the groans and moans it has a devastating effect on people it wears them down, we have found people who should of survived fit healthy well armed and supplied just given up" He waved his hands in exasperation "They had everything they needed but they gave up it wears you down" "Like psychological warfare?" He sighed "Yes" "Spend the night they cant get up here right?" "No as long as you don't jump in to the room below you will be fine.The Doc did not stay much longer I cant blame him he left and locked the door behind him. It was 10am when I entered the room and the Doc said he would return at 9 the next morning that left me with 23 hours of nothing to do. I was safe and plenty of times I had been stuck in situations with the monsters surrounding me and unable to escape their call. I still had my satchel my baton but none of that was gonna help me in here I did not look down at the dead below instead I sat down on the mattress it at least had a clean sheet no pillows though. The next few hours were made up of reading a book i had with me deep contemplation and thinking of better times at about 1:00am I fell asleep the un-dead chorus still going strong I would need this sleep as what was about to happen would almost kill me. 12 Hours later.

I took a deep breath and looked out the window, it's happening again the creatures are  out in the street killing. People are running down the street screaming falling dieing. What was a small fire  earlier has now engulfed half the market stalls and is rapidly progressing to consume the rest "Is it safe?"I turned around "No it's not" "What are we going to do?" I sat down on the cheap hotel bed next to the young boy he couldn't be more than 10 "For now we stay here" "What about your friend Jon?" I sighed "I don't know where he is if he is alive he will be O.K" Their was a bang on the door Ryan the Doc's kid jumped and hid under the bed. The hotel was a simple five storey block of flats that had been made in to more of a hostel for people who needed to travel between ouposts. I stood up and put my eye to the spy hole in the oak  door. They were in the corridor so many flooding down the corridor that they were forced against the walls. As long as we were quiet we would be O.K. Screams started to come from other rooms sobs as people tried to run and were caught and consumed. Ryan started to pull his way out from under the bed as he got up his foot caght the bedside table. Almost in cartoony slow motion the vase  wobbled on the table then of course it fell hitting the tiled floor. Neither of us moved or breathed then the banging began on our door just a few hands at first then more and more 4 storeys up the door blocked we were trapped.  

 

12 HOURS EARLIER

I was shaken awake the lights were on bright the dead still moaning "Get up get up" The doc was shaking me awake "Morning Doc how are you?"  "We need to go now" I sat up on the matress still claring the grogginess from my head "You know if you keep grabing me like this you are going to have to buy me dinner" "There has been an outbreak" That caught me off guard "Where?" "Here" The look of panic on the guys face told me this was not part of the training "In the facility?" "They are everywhere here the streets it spread so quickly" I got up picked my satchel from the matress and slung it over my shoulder "Can we get out?" "It happened so quick no one had the chance to activate the lockdown we can get out" We left the room and stepped into the elavator "Did it start here?" Th elavator doors shut and started to move "No it started everywhere 1st only one or two then they were popping up every where almost like.." He let it trail off "Like it was done on purpose" I finished he nodded. The lift stopped the Doc moved to go first but I stopped him "No offence Doc but maybe you should let me lead the way" He nodded and moved aside so I could exit. In the elavator I had put on my bite proof gloves and I now extended my baton and glanced down the corridor seemed clear. In fact it was all clear everything was the way I saw it yesterday but the technicians were missing.

We reached the entrance with out incident the door was open "Is it meant to be like that?" I asked. "No" I moved towards th door the decontamination spray was going off continuiously and I held my breath as I exited. The two guards were dead they lay in pools of blood I checked for a pulse on both and did not find one. The Doc appeard beside me and vomited on the floor "Are they gonna come back?" he gasped doubled over next to a potted plant "No" I said turning one of the guards on to his back a large hole was right between his eyes the Doc came back over for another look "They were shot" He observed "But they did not turn some one shot them before this all happened" "Why?" "Dunno but some one took there guns to but that is not our biggest concern right now Doc getting the hell out of here is"

We made our way out in to the street fires burnt in buildings people ran in every direction, there were procedures  and rules to follow for ordinary civillians to follow for exactly this kind of outbreak most involved returning to your residence locking the door until the all clear was sounded but as usual with humans all the practice in the world is completely forgotten when your Aunt tries to bite your face off. Running round on the street lik this would probably end in one of two ways getting eaten by the dead or shot by accident by the TRT "This way Doc" I said pulling him down a side alley "What are we going to do?" He pleaded "Doc don't worry I have been through this I know what I'm doing wheres your home?" He took a moment to compose himself "About 20mins away in the hotel room 42 oh God my son" "Where would he be Doc?" "He he should still be in the hotel" "OK thats good we need to head there and wait for the all clear it's too dangerous out here" He nodded "Yes your right it's this way" We exited the alley and travelled down smaller quieter roads until something caught my attention a large metal bar gate was open I looked inside a man wearing a blue jumpsuit and carrying an SMG on a sling was closing the door to a large white truck that would genrally be used for food storage except the inside from what I saw was covered in dark brown splotches and the biggest giveaway body parts "Wait here" "Why?" "Wait!" The Doc shutup and I walked through the gates the man was making a call on the radio another was behind the wheel smoking a fag FD-26 was written in large red letters on the side of the truck confirming my thought it was a food truck FD being food and 26 meaning it was vehicle 26 now how would he explain the body parts. Body disposal was done in black vehicles marked BD were they short of them? Time to find out.

My footsteps were siilent on the cracked concrete grass was sprouting through it in places old debris pallets oil drums were placed in seemingly random places. The man had his back to me what he was wearing was remarkably similar to a TRT jumpsuit "Yes Sir Yes of course" "Hi" The man almost dropped his radio in suprise as he turned to face me I presented him with my I.D TRT members being one of the few groups allowed to know their identities, all though the Doc knew the guards must of known maybe this was not as secret as Kane told me "Jesus you scared me kid" "Yeah I get that a lot shouldnt you be out there dealing with the dead?" The man did not hesitate with his reply "We were ordered to drop off the food supply first if we left it on the street it would be gone by the time we got back" I nodded "So you are transporting food?" "Was" He corrected "And you dropped it off?" "Yes and why the hell is some Ghost giving me the 3rd degree?" He said through gritted teeth" "You learn by asking questions thats what my teacher told me all though he also said I would never amount to anything in my life..." He cut me off "What do you want?" "To look in the back of your truck" "Nothing back there" The driver said getting out of the cab and walking towards us. He waore the same jumpsuit as his friend the driver was my height 5'9 skinny short greasy black hair his friend the guy on the radio was 5'11 and looked like he put a bit of time in the gym standard no 1 length haircut "Well it wont take me long then will it?" The driver pointed a finger at me "We dont have time to entertain your delusions kid lives are at stake "You better let me get on with it then" I retorted "What gives you the right..." The radio man started "In the abscence of an active poice officer in times of civil unrest mass destruction terrorism lives in imminent danger etc blah Ghosts are permitted to act as peace officers with all assosiated powers" The two men looked like they were thinking this over "Fine"The driver said throwing me the keys to unlock the back help yourself.

I pulled out my phone as I walked to the back of the truck and dialed hoping this area had a signal "Tom?" "Yeah boss it's me we have a problem the outpost has gone to hell here" "I know they are abandoning the outpost now Parliament has already evacuated" "Well I am so relieved to hear that what aout the rest of us mortals?" "The TRT and guard are overwhelmed they can't cope with the amount of outbreaks all they are doing is trying to contain and get people outside the walls