DISCLAIMER: I do not own World War Z or any of its contents, all credit goes to Max Brooks who wrote the novel. I am however responsible for my own OC's. Thank you for your understanding.
A/N: This is just a one off for to the story, depicted from within the United Kingdom. At present this is just one chapter, I may express writing more to this one off in the future. We shall see, if you want more, leave a review and I shall see what I can do. And to those who have read the novel World War Z, you will know it is basically a transcription of a series of interviews.
WORLD WAR Z:
REFLECTION
South Wales. United Kingdom
[Angus Robertson, a Welsh survivor of the Zombie Plague is more than willing to speak to me about his recount of what happened during the War. He was also more than willing to tell me how much the world has adapted and come to terms since the War ended. Moreover, his demeanour to how the world handled the outbreak is harsh. We sit out on the patio in the hot sun, he offers me some fresh orange juice to which I accept. Angus pulls out a Richmond cigarette; he offers me one, but decline.]
I understand that your wife lives in China.
Jing did live in China, but she and her family were lucky, they were by chance heading out to meet me here in the UK. By the time they had left Changsha, the plague had struck.
So, your wife and her family survived the plague.
I keep telling her how lucky she is.
What about her friends?
Oh, Jing's friends narrowly survived, a few scrapes here and there, but they are fine.
How did your wife take it that it the plague was started in China?
The plague didn't start in China, it began in China, there is a difference to the words 'start' and 'began'.
I don't follow.
'Start' implies that the plague was produced, created, in China and that China is responsible for the near eradication of humanity. 'Began' implies that the plague landed in China from elsewhere and spread from China to the world.
You think the plague was started elsewhere?
Seeing as no one found out what happened or how the plague started, one can only guess.
What were your involvements during the war?
Practically sod all. Here in Wales we took a different approach to the plague. That is, the plague never touched us. Wales was spared.
How come?
[Chuckles] Sheer luck. Some would say God was on our side, maybe God was. Those soulless Ghouls never came anywhere near Wales. You should hear all the theories that English folk come up with, 'the dead no like a sheep shagger.' And yet all us Welsh folk could do was laugh our guts out at the fact that English folk thought that they were in safe hands with the English Government. The actual truth of what happened was that Wales had already prepared itself in…pre-advance shall we say?
Pre-advanced?
After the news of the outbreak in China, First Minister of Wales took it into his own hands to 'batten down the hatches' as it were. Jing landed in Cardiff Airport just short of the Minister closing all airways and roads into and out of Wales, no ferries or ships were to come anywhere near Wales until the Minister gave his approval. Bare in mind the people of Wales had no incline of this outbreak yet. Oh, I heard of riots occurring in parts of China in the news, but nothing about the outbreak. That was one of the reason's Jing and her parents left Changsha, to get away from the riots.
Weren't you suspicious of the ministers' actions?
Naturally yes. Jing appeared in the arrivals area of the airport, I remember I wrapped my hands around her tightly and did not want to let her go. When she heard about the fact that Wales had closed its borders to the world, she instantly feared for her friends back in China. The media, the Welsh people, we wanted answers, the minister would not tell us straight away. Many tried various other methods of getting answers. Hacking into satellites, government databases, but the Welsh Government were on it like a shot. Then three weeks into the isolation, the minister spilled his guts on live television. He told us about how China was now facing an epidemic.
Was this when you and your wife learnt of the zombies?
I said the minister spilled his guts didn't I?
[I nod]
At first people were in disbelief. Zombies coming back from the dead! Oh, I have heard theories on the fact that zombies can be made possible by parasites and the rabies virus, but scientists are always going on about how our generation will never see the day when we actually see a real live zombie apocalypse. Yeah right.
So China fell, naturally, then what happened next?
A couple of weeks later or it might have been months, I did not keep track of the days; South Africa is hit. After that, the whole world went to shit. Countries started to close their borders; Israel announced that it was now in a nationwide quarantine, and that they were closing their borders to anyone who may appear infected. The United States did very little to help. They assumed that they could outsmart this plague…seriously, as soon as the world faces crisis, America always saves the day. [laughs hysterically]
[He finishes his cigarette and pulls out another one.]
I heard that some false marketing campaign created a placebo effect. Seriously, who are they kidding. Using placebos to make it look like that they won't get any infection. Please.
Didn't Wales have any vaccination protocols?
Only the standard against meningitis, the flu shots, but not against the Zed Plague.
Zed Plague?
Z as in Zombies, keep up! No, though many here in Wales assorted to wearing mask. Jing and I did for a while as well. When it was clear to the both of us that this plague was transmitted via different means of transmission, well, we assumed that we were doomed for anyway. Which is why we started smoking. You see, when we heard of the different means of transmission, that the plague could been spread via human trafficking, water transmission, and possibly airborne, well, Jing brought herself a pack of cigs for both of us. She took me outside one night and do you know what she said to me…'join me' she said. That was all she said. Therefore, we started smoking there and then. I know they say smoking is bad for you but it helped pass the time for us both. Brought us even closer together.
[He starts on his third cigarette] How did you manage to get pass the Great Panic?
When the Great Pandemic started, that is what I call it. The Minister began giving people labour work; Jing and her mother were given the jobs of sewing and knitting. She took to it as well. As for myself I was placed as a harvester. I do not normally do gardening; I have my grandfather to thank for that, God rest his soul. That is how it stayed, labour work for all of Wales. The minister also resorted to placing curfews on the whole of Wales. No one was to be outside when light fell.
When did this happen?
Sometime after Iran and Pakistan destroyed each other in that nuclear war and just before zombies overran New York. That was when Jing took a turn for the worse. She broke down over the stress that Wales's isolation may one day topple and we would succumb to the zombie plague. Yet still, they never came knocking on our door.
I don't suppose you heard of the Redeker plan?
Oh, I have heard of it. I wouldn't say it was effective.
Oh?
Calling for establishment of small sanctuaries and leaving large group of survivors in abandoned special zones to fend for themselves while allowing other zones to regroup and recuperate! Just a fancy way of saying: "kill of the weaklings and let the strong survive". 'Survival of the fittest' that was what the Redeker plan was.
I suppose the Redeker plan never even touched Wales.
Even if it did, the Welsh Minister would never had approved. He would have kicked Paul Redeker in the balls if he had the chance.
Where there any riots here in Wales during the Great Panic or Pandemic as you put it?
Hardly any, you see the Welsh Minister never told us much about his plan, but whatever it was, it worked. He only told us what we wanted to know. He never told us about how the world was faring or what was happening to other parts of the U.K. His plan kept us occupied. Though I have to admit, it was a boring job. Gardening all the fucking time. Still I cannot complain, it put the food on the table.
Where there tensions rising in Wales?
If there were, I cannot recall. My parents moved up to the North of Wales and I would always call them at every chance I got, just to see how they are doing and what the situation up there is like. Same here in South Wales, calm and peaceful.
What about Jing? Where there any racial tensions etc?
If there were, I kept her away from them. I love Jing with all my heart, I did my best to get her mind off the other goings on in the world, I told her how her friends are safe in some underground bunker in China or somewhere. I think the reason why racial tensions never rose was that people were afraid that the First Minister was going to through them out to the rest of the world and get devoured by zombies.
Now that the war is over, do you think we can learn from our past experience's?
If we have learnt, it is that those who survived, we were given a second chance to get things right. There were six billion people on the plane to start with, now there is little under 2 billion humans left, maybe even less than that. Jing and I, we stood on the side lines. But look at it like this, we have had two world wars, do you think that just because we have survived World War Z that there won't be a Second World War Z?
[I don't answer]
Maybe we will get it right this time. Maybe we all needed a wakeup call, that we need to put aside our differences and not fight like children, if only we would just sit down and talk things over like reasonable people then we wouldn't be in this mess. But then again, even if we do learn from the past, there is always bound to be some idiotic fool who will make matters worse.
Before I go, I heard you and your wife have a little daughter.
In fact, we have two. As soon as the war ended, Jing and I got married, a month or so before the isolation of Wales ended, Jing and I tried for a baby. Two months later, we found out that she was going to have a baby girl. Lifang we call our first child. I was over the moon. Now we have a second child. Zhumei. Our parents were thrilled; we also saw it as a blessing that humanity is worth saving. To heighten the joy, Jing's friends found us and settled here in Wales, Jing has never been happier. I am glad for that.
They will not go back to China?
No, they don't feel safe there, I can't blame them.
[I finish my interview with Angus Robertson; he finishes his third cigarette and starts his fourth]
A/N: Well, this is a first for me to write a story in this format, as I said above this is just a one off chapter, if you want me to write more for this story, leave me a review and I will get on it as soon as.
SoulVirus