Viral Pandemic

Chapter 11 (Part I)

About an hour later, lunchtime came, and both Harry and Hannah were sitting on the sofa at the Residence Lounge. They had been chatting away like old friends who hadn’t met for years. Both of them shared their opinions about the virus and brainstormed together about a vaccine or antidote.

The onboard chef came and banged a metal pot lid to announce her presence. All of the passengers looked out to hear what she has got to say. Other passengers from economy and business class had been given a free upgrade to first-class so that life for the crews would be easier.

After announcing some random things and distributing the menu, the chef went back to her station. Harry and Hannah both ordered the same thing: risotto for the appetizer, beef wellington for entrée, steaks with a special sauce for main, and cheese tarts with clotted cream and raspberry jam for dessert.

Their meal arrived shortly after and it was followed by a helping of caviar on top of biscuits along with a bowl of soup, a bread basket, and a cheeseboard. Simply said, it was an incredibly generous meal. Harry was so full at the end that he had to bend his back while walking so that his stomach wouldn’t hurt. He was amazed at how the airline managed to prepare all those food and other amenities amid a zombie apocalypse.

It was time to land at Geneva airport and both Harry and Hannah went back into the Residence. Both of them sat on the sofa and just stared at the TV in front of them.

“So, have you got any weapons? You might need it later.” Harry asked.

“I had a shotgun with me in the suitcase. It’s a collapsible one that’s why it fits in there. I don’t have many bullets left though” Hannah replied.

“What does it fire?” Harry asked even more.

“12 gauge I believe. It can hold a magazine. I have got enough ammo to fill up the mag twice.” Hannah explained.

“Don’t worry. I have supplies. I have a full backpack of ammo and pistols. We’ll need them later.” Harry said.

“Where did you get all those?” Hannah asked with a peculiar expression stamped on her face.

“I have friends in the military,” Harry replied. Hannah just nodded and went staring at the clouds. An hour later, they landed at Geneva airport and deboarded the aircraft. Harry took out his cellphone and turned it on. He then dialled Smith’s number.

“Hello? Smith?” Harry started the conversation.

“Hey man? How is it going?” Smith asked.

“I’m at the airport right now. How do I get to HQ? Are you sending a car or something?” Harry inquired.

“Oh, you’re already here. All right, I will arrange for a car to you right now. Hold on.” Smith said and put the line on hold. Harry continued walking with Hannah beside him.

“The car will be there in thirty minutes. Be prepared though. There are some places here with zombies. The driver might take the long way to the HQ. Have your weapon ready. If you see any zombies, shoot to the head.” Smith explained.

“Yeah, I got you,” Harry said and put his cellphone back into his pocket. He then proceeded to explain the situation to Hannah who would be going with him to the WHO HQ. After they were done with everything, Harry stopped near the terminal exit and took out his SCAR while he signalled Hannah to take out her shotgun.

After he was done equipping the SCAR and Hannah’s shotgun with a generous amount of ammo, Harry distributed two pistols among themselves. He briefed Hannah again and then they went out of the terminal building.

“Lookout. It’s a black Jaguar with WHO stickers on the doors.” Harry said. Hannah nodded while she searched for their car. She then noticed a black car approaching them. Hannah signalled to Harry. Harry came to her and saw the car too.

When the car was right in front of them, they were in a state of shock. The car had been scratched badly, the windshield was cracked and one of the door windows was broken. The car was not in a good shape. Harry guessed that was all they had right now.

Without hesitating, Harry opened the rear boot and loaded their bags into it. He and Hannah then jumped into the car, their weapons ready. Hannah noticed that the driver had a pistol in his hands. The driver explained about the zombie situation and that they might encounter them throughout the trip.

Both Harry and Hannah didn’t know what to say. Harry was looking calmer than Hannah, who was fidgeting a little. The driver switched gear to Drive gear, and the car started rolling. Harry, who was sitting beside Hannah at the back, made sure that his weapon was completely ready to use.

As soon as the car left the terminal building, Harry and Hannah had a clear view of Geneva. There were fires with towering smoke all around the place. Cars simply sat there by the roads and streets.

The car now zoomed through an expressway, which was very empty. There were a few cars that whizzed by them, looking like they were trying to flee. It was easy to flee the country, as the French border was very close to Geneva but it wouldn’t be too useful as the zombies are everywhere.

“So, how’s the situation here?” Harry asked the driver.

“Not good. The number of zombies is increasing every day. The WHO Director, Dr. Elise had ordered the citizens to go into the bunkers available. But there are people who are not too aware of the danger, and they go strolling at the parks and gets bitten. There is no government anymore here. World Health Organization is running the country, and Dr. Elise is literally the queen of Switzerland.” the driver explained. “Be prepared, we are going off the expressway now. We should be seeing some zombies in a second.” the driver said.

Harry looked at Hannah, who was a bit pale now. Her fear had grown when she heard about the situation here. She had fled Malaysia for safety, turns out that she came to a worse place. Like jumping from the frying pan to the fire.

Nevertheless, she prepped up her shotgun and let the barrel go out of the window. Harry, who was installing a suppressor on his SCAR, reminded Hannah to make sure that she could move the barrel for better aiming.

As they rounded the first corner, a zombie came into view. Hannah gave a slight shriek and Harry shot it twice in the chest. The zombie dropped dead immediately. He looked at Hannah, who now seemed like she was gathering confidence.

The driver was now driving faster than he needed and simply crashed into any zombies that came into view. If there were too many, Harry and Hannah would be ready for them.

After around five minutes of this situation, the WHO Headquarters finally came into view. It was a magnificent complex of buildings. The driver now slowed down and gave chance to Harry for some shooting opportunities and clear up the area around the main gate.

The guard at the main gate pushed a button so that the gates would open, and rushed out with his shotgun, shooting any zombies around. The car slid into the perimeter and the guard ran back in, closing the gate.