Endurance: Apocalypse (The Endurance Series Book 2) (10 page)

‘No, it’s a beach I used to go to with mum and dad. It helps me relax.’ Daniel said with a sigh.

‘Right Daniel we will let you rest now. See you soon.’ Miller said as he opened the door.

‘Bye, nice to meet you Jonny.’ Daniel said.

‘It was good to meet you too Daniel.’

Miller led Jonny out of the room and they entered the room next door.

Inside was a TV with a number of DVD players underneath it; there were also four big filing cabinets, one in each corner of the narrow room.

‘You won’t know this Jonny, but these DVDs and files are from the replica. Many people had to die in my London replica but…’

‘Why did they die?’ Jonny interrupted.

‘Because of the virus. The replica gave us, the government, the opportunity to test new scientific developments and technology. We documented the entire experiment. We had some key participants.’

Miller placed a DVD into a player and switched on the TV. ‘Here you can see the names of people. Tom Williams, Danni Taint and so on, and look, Daniel Gregor.’ Miller used the remote to highlight Daniel’s name and he pressed select. He watched the CCTV footage. ‘Any moment now you’ll see Daniel, although he didn’t look too good.’

As Jonny moved his head closer to the screen, he lunged backwards as Daniel appeared from nowhere and stared into the camera.

His eyes were completely black; bloodstains marked his face where blood had dribbled from his eyes, nose and mouth. The colour of his skin was the colour of an eggshell and his veins looked like black ink flowed through them, across his face.

‘That’s what the virus did to him appearance wise, though I was able to help him with that. This is his video. He did not move from that spot. He stood like this for forty-five minutes. We had to get into the replica and take him out of it. He was brought to a secret facility where I knew no one would find him.’

Jonny stared into Daniel’s eyes on the screen until Miller took the DVD out of the player. The TV turned a grey and black grainy colour, making Jonny jump from his stare.

‘Time to make an announcement, a request for people with a cure to come forward to help me.’ Miller laughed as he walked back onto the underground station.

‘Do you want to cure London?’ Jonny asked.

‘London cannot be cured. We elites are the future, people just do not realise this.’

‘What if someone did have a cure?’

‘They won’t, it would need to be a huge amount of the cure because this virus is worldwide. This is happening everywhere. The world has gone into panic mode. Once everyone accepts we’re the future then we can return to a more normal life.’

‘I want to know who I was before.’ Jonny said.

‘In good time.’

‘I want to know now.’ Jonny said.

‘Your old life wasn’t good, Jonny trust me.’

‘My name is Jon!’ Jonny shouted swinging his fist at the tiled wall next to him, breaking three tiles that crumbled and crashed to the ground.

‘I’m withholding information for your own sake. Everyone you loved died except for one. The one person you did love killed you. The person you loved was the person I’m looking for; Danni Taint. She killed you! I want to find her, kill her and give you a new life.’ Miller smirked as he walked through the underground. Jonny sighed as he followed Miller.

‘Why would she kill me if we were in love?’ Jonny asked.

‘Because she’s an evil bitch.’

10

‘I think that’s the end of it.’ Danni said.

Enzo walked out of the room still trembling and breathing fast.

‘Enzo are you okay?’

Enzo looked to Danni and shook his head. ‘They killed a little girl, she wasn’t infected; she went to the patrol for help and…’ Enzo knelt down and leaned against the wall. ‘I should have saved her.’

The corridor was silent.

‘We can all go back to our rooms now. I’ll come with you Enzo if that’s ok?’ Danni asked.

Enzo stared at the ground, eventually replying to Danni, ‘Yes.’

Everyone returned to their rooms. Danni walked into Enzo’s room. Enzo followed her with his shoulders slouched and head hanging down.

‘Come on.’ Danni said softly, guiding him to the end of his bed.

They let themselves drop onto the bed, falling backwards and lying side by side.

‘Enzo, the little girl dying is not your fault. You could have launched yourself at them and killed them all, but the fact is, we would have been found; you could have been killed and she still would have died.’ Danni paused and Enzo stared at the ceiling. ‘Well anything could have happened; I’m just glad you’re okay and still here with me.’ Danni said and smiled.

‘Thanks Danni, I just can’t stop thinking of her.’

‘I completely understand Enzo, we’ll just talk about something else; I’m here for you.’ Danni said and she took hold of Enzo’s hand. ‘Bloody hell, your hand is so hot.’

‘Must be the drugs.’ Enzo said with a sigh.

‘Must be.’ Danni hesitated for a moment as she stared into the dark. ‘So what were you doing before this all happened?’

‘Was in hospital; but before that, I was in a dead end job which isn’t even worth talkin’ about. I wanted to go in the force but my parents were against it; they encouraged me to go to university.’

Danni smiled to herself for a moment and then asked, ‘How old are you?’

‘Why’d ya ask that?’ Enzo said and chuckled.

‘Well, they wanted you to go to uni?’

‘As a mature student, I’m twenty six.’

‘I see; that makes sense now, but did you live with your parents then?’

‘Well yeah, but I was never at home; we just didn’t really get on. Me and Dad would clash and fight, Mum would try to intervene and get hurt, it was that kind of relationship.’ Enzo paused and then took a deep breath. ‘But I haven’t seen them for months and since all this has happened, I just wonder if they’re ok.’

‘Well all we can do is hope they are. We can look for them once London isn’t so dangerous.’

‘I’d like that.’ Enzo smiled as he tapped Danni’s hand on his. ‘So what about you?’

‘Pfft well mine is pretty dismal as well, so if you want cheering up, I won’t bother telling you.’

Enzo laughed and said, ‘These sad stories bring people closer together so it makes me happier.’ Enzo’s eyes lit up as he spoke.

‘I suppose they do. Well then prepare yourself; this will make you real happy.’

‘You don’t have to if you don’t want to,’ Enzo said as he patted Danni’s hand.

‘No it’s fine, I will.’ Danni took a deep breath and began. ‘Well before all this, I was in the replica with Dad and it didn’t end too well. There was a small group of us; we came up with a theory about the infection. Eventually it was just me and Dad left to fight for survival, until I saved a guy called Tom Williams from an infected tramp.’

Danni smiled and she closed her eyes. ‘Tom joined us and he was so determined to find his girlfriend. I remember wishing for a boyfriend like him. Anyway, eventually it all ended. Unfortunately I lost Dad and Tom lost Anna, but I kind of felt like my life was getting back to a normal kind of life. I lived with Tom in London and it was great. My family loved Tom and you know, I felt a connection with Tom, until…’

Danni paused as a tear dropped from her eye. ‘Until… until I came home from work to find him hanging in the living room.’ Danni wiped her cheeks. ‘Ahh sorry Enzo, I’ve never spoken about it to anyone.’

‘Well I’m glad you have now Danni. You can talk to me about anything you want.’ Enzo said and smiled.

‘Can I tell you that I had to kill my dad?’

‘You… you killed your dad?’

‘No one knows that either, except Tom. I had to kill him because he had changed and started attacking me and Tom, so I had to kill him.’

‘That must have taken a lot of guts.’

Danni opened her mouth but instead, she just nodded in agreement.

‘I best get back, thanks for this chat Enzo; it really helped.’

‘Anytime Danni, and thank you for listening.’

Danni smiled as she sat up on the end of the bed.

‘See you tomorrow.’ Danni said as she walked out the door.

11

2 days later

We’ve been under each other’s noses for a couple of days in this hotel. We’ve heard announcements from Miller, asking for a cure and for assistance. He wants the cure but contradicts his own beliefs by creating these elite humans. Surely we can’t be the only ones to see it that way?

We’ve been waiting for the right time to go to Waterloo to attack.

I am honestly scared. Not for my life, but for Mum’s, Sadie’s and Jerome’s because if any harm comes to them, I’ll feel as if I have to take the blame. I can fight but not well enough to take on the elite humans. Flynn is the same. The only one who could is Enzo.

Anyway we’ve been listening to the clean up. The patrol marches throughout London, killing the infected and civilians who stand in their way.

We have food but not much, after breakfast we won’t have anything left except snack type food.

Let’s hope this isn’t my last diary entry. Will write more tomorrow.

‘What have you got there?’ Lynne asked Danni.

Danni looked up to Lynne standing above her and smiled. ‘A diary, I’ve been writing in it on and off for a couple of years. I thought I would write about all this and you know; if someone finds it then they will know all about Miller and Sarah.’

‘I was thinking about this Sarah. Do you think she’s working with Miller?’

‘Yes, I saw her on the underground, they tried to kill me.’

Lynne nodded and smiled.

‘You don’t think she is, do you?’

‘I just think that maybe… maybe something has happened. They fell out, or he’s done something to her.’

‘I have a feeling she’s working with him. She’s broken a promise she made to her son, when I finally see her, I’ll kill her.’

‘Ok darling.’ Lynne said as she stroked Danni’s arm.

Lee and Molly lay next to each other.

‘Morning,’ Lee said to Molly as her squinting eyes looked at him.

‘Oh my god,’ Molly gasped clutching her ribs as she sat upright. ‘I’m so sore.’

‘Same,’ Lee chuckled.

‘How are you two?’ Sarah said as she walked over to them.

‘I’ve been better,’ Lee said.

Sarah smiled as she looked around at the group.  ‘Did you just leave all the bodies where they were?’ Sarah whispered.

Lee and Molly both nodded.

‘Okay well, I sent one of the guys to go through the tunnel to find the bodies and there weren’t any. But it’s been two days since that skirmish and no one has come to find us, so I don’t know what’s happened there. However, this means we haven’t needed to attack as early as we first thought, but today is the day. When the patrol goes out at one o’clock, that’s when we’ll have our eyes above to radio down to us when to detonate each bomb. Once we’ve detonated them all, we’ll make our way through the tunnel. We have a great force behind us. We’re the minority down here. We have army officers on our side against Miller too; they’re up above. Will you two be able to fight with us?’

‘Yes, I mean we’re a bit sore but we will fight.’ Lee said.

‘Thank you.’ Sarah said. She briefly rested her hands on Lee and Molly’s shoulders and then turned to the group. ‘Right everybody; today is the day we attack. We’re ending this today and no later. London has been completely under Miller’s thumb for far too long. We have our spies above who will communicate to us and we will destroy the patrols. We have a couple of hours to get ready. Let’s go!’

‘I am Dr Leanna Haetel, I have a compound which would give us the opportunity to cure the entire world of this infection.’

‘You have a cure… that works?’ Miller sat forward on his chair on the stage at Waterloo.

‘It works, for some people it will cure, for others it will kill.’ Dr Haetel said as she brushed her grey-flecked brown hair behind her ears and shoulders. Her small brown eyes squinted at Miller.

‘Well I am intrigued, let’s hear this.’ Miller said as he stood.

‘Ok well this is a mist which carries the chemical. When it is inhaled, it neutralises the body. It can have either one of two effects. It can make you feel drowsy and weak for a couple of minutes or it can send you into a coma. After this stage, it either cures the patient or they do not wake up. If the patient does not enter the coma stage, they can still die, but it is a very painful death.’