Sudden Death: A Zombie Novel by James Carlson Page A

that was a bite.”
    “I’ll give you a bite,” Mark said, glowering over his shoulder.
    “Shut up, Harshil,” Muz said.
    “Ooh, I didn’t know you two were noshin’ each other off,” Harshil then said, turning on him instead. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that. The Met embraces alternative life choices.”
    “Harshil, shut up,” Sparks now but ted in.
    Harshil went suddenly and sulkily quiet.
    “Right, everybody listen,” Sparks went on to say. “As you know, we’ve got officers from elsewhere manning us up, so remember to use your full call signs.
    “You may only be posted as outer cordon control , but you’re still going to have to keep your wits about you. The situation is not yet fully contained, and despite the guvnor’s ambiguity, it seems we’ve already lost officers.”
    The bus went silent then, as that statement sunk in. It was the radio blurting out that finally broke the hushed tension.
    “CCTV from IBoss, receiving?” It was the Sergeant in the IBO office.
    “CCTV receiving. Go ahead.”
    “CCC are getting multiple calls regarding Mill Hill East LT station on Bittacy Hill? Do you have cameras that cover it?”
    “Yes, we do,” said the CCTV operator with a strong Nigerian accent.
    “What have you got down there?” the IBoss asked him.
    “Definitely an affray , but we cannot make much sense of what is going on. People we originally identified as innocent victims caught up in the violence are now turning out to be aggressors, joining in and turning on other victims.”
    “Thanks , we’ll put a call in to get the tubes stopped on that stretch of the line and let BTP know.”
    “Are you listening to this?” Kieran asked Muz.
    “Yeah. Nobody’s got a friggin’ clue what’s going on,” Muz replied.
    A new voice could be heard on the radio now.
    “Sierra X-ray One from Sixty Two Uniform?” It was a TSG Skipper.
    “I’m listening. Go ahead,” the Inspector replied.
    “We’re at the forward RVP and it’s at risk of being compromised. I’m suggesting we move it further South to the Peel Centre.”
    As the Sergeant was speaking, voices could be heard in the background, screaming , and officers were shouting at people to get back.
    “R eceived,” the Inspector replied. “From the noise, it sounds like you’re too close to the action. Pull back to the Peel Centre and await SO19 and my arrival.”
    “If they’re moving the RVP,” Sergeant Spar ks commented, “they must also be being forced to expand the cordons.”
    As Mark’s driving over speed bumps and tearing round corner’s rattled the others around in the bus, Spark’s was on his radio, attempting to get a decision from IBO on the best place to set up new cordons.
    “Yeah, all received,” he said at last into his PR, then leant forward to speak to the driver. “Mark, first drop off is Engel Park, junction with the top of Bittacy Hill.”
    Mark had them there less than a minute later and Muz and Kieran jumped out. Sparks threw a roll of cordon tape at them.
    “Tape of f both roads,” he told them. “Anyone coming down The Ridgeway is to be instructed to do a U-turn. No one is allowed down either Engel or Bittacy. Okay?”
    “Understood, Skip,” Muz answered.
    “Listen in to your radios. You shouldn’t get any trouble up here, but if you do see any fighting, don’t get drawn into it. Just leave them to it and call up for assistance.”
    “You’re lucky,” Mark said, hanging his head out the window. “You’ve got a quiet road.”
    The van sped off, leaving the two officers stood in the middle of the empty road.
    “Did he just say the ‘Q’ word?” Kieran asked.
    “Yep,” Muz replied.
    He tried to peer through the darkness of the night down Bittacy Hill, in an attempt to see any of the trouble that CCTV had reported was going on down at the bottom. The long arc of the road and the treeline made it impossible to see that far though.
    “Everybody knows you never say the ‘Q’ word,”