Surviving The Evacuation (Book 1): London Read Online Free PDF

changed.
     
    There was some talk about showing the US Presidents broadcast, just as a way of filling time. I’m glad they didn’t. It was timed to go out exactly a week after the outbreak in New York, over the Emergency Broadcast System, but by then I’m not sure how many people were left, or able, to watch. The official line over there was that the crisis was under control. The reality was that most of the US, like the rest of the world, had already collapsed. Millions had fled the cities to fight over what they perceived as defensible real estate, and the infection had gone with them.
    The President shouldn't have given the broadcast. I'd have told him not to, or at least not to do it from the lawn of the White House, but someone, and I've my suspicions who, persuaded him that it was utterly essential he do it, and do it there. It would, he'd been told, “calm the populace, encourage people to stay in their homes and restore faith in both the administration and the government.”
    That's why it had to be from the front lawn, so that everyone, politicians and public alike, could see that the Prez was still in Washington and look folks, he's not worried! The speech itself was, well, it was nothing. It wasn't spectacular, it wasn't moving, it had none of the oratorical skill that had won him the presidency, it was just a string of words for him to say whilst the cameras focussed on him and his entire West Wing staff arrayed in ranks behind and to the sides. It might have worked if his family had been there, or if the Marines hadn't been placed in such a way as it looked like the staff were being held there at gun point, but maybe even that wouldn't have helped after what happened.
    He was right at the end of the speech and had just said “God bless you, and God...” when he saw her. He stopped right in the middle of the sentence and it sounded like he'd just sworn.
    The cameras stayed on him, after all they were being operated by professionals, so for a long few seconds there was just this image of the President staring slack jawed into the camera whilst off screen you heard a scream. Then there was a flurry of gunshots then more screaming, then more gunshots before the feed was cut. After a moment the picture returned to a studio where the presenter blithely continued with announcements about water purification and energy conservation, as if anyone who saw it could pretend that they didn't know what had just happened.
     
    There was another camera, one belonging to a group of university students from Notre Dame. They'd been producing a documentary on the inner workings of government as part of a broadcast aimed at teenagers who'd be old enough to vote for the first time at the next election. They'd been with the politicians for months when New York happened and I suppose no one thought to take away their credentials. They just kept recording and uploading the raw footage, but not to the net. They knew if their footage became public that they'd lose their access so instead they sent it to the one person they thought it would be safe with, Sholto. He forwarded it to me along with a copy of the footage the networks broadcast. From the two sets of video, I've pieced together what happened.
    A staffer had been infected, died and turned in a bathroom just inside the security cordon. How I don't know, as the staff had been sleeping at their desks since the lock-down after the Prez announced he was staying in Washington. Since everyone was outside and looking either at the President or at the cameras, and since the zombie was wearing a suit with a pass hanging round its neck no one noticed until it lunged at the crowd.
    Of course, the Secret Service agents saw the threat before any of the rest of the crowd. They reacted with that precision and skill that only comes with decades of practice designed to take down the threat quickly. They aimed for the centre mass.
    It must have been hit at least a dozen times. It spun. It fell.