11:30 am helicopter crash site.

"We should get goin now." I said.

"No shit." He replied.

"Where do ya think we are?" I asked.

"I was headin back to Hereford when we crashed, so a bit North of St James park."

I stood up and motioned Eric to follow me. We both did one last gear check and took anything we could salvage from the crash site, which was pretty much nothing, and made our way stealthily through the park careful not to draw any unwanted attention.

"Alex we should head north, to Manchester." I heard Eric whisper from behind me.

"Are you mad? We can't possibly make it to Manchester on foot, let alone out of London!"

"No shit. We need to get a vehicle, I know wh--" Eric started.

"Then we'd have to go on the streets!" I snapped.

"I know, I can hot wire a car if we find one in good shape. We don't have any orders, and this riot shit might have spread to some other major city centers!" Eric said.

I had two sisters in Manchester. Andrea who was 2 years older than me and Cheryl who was only 9. I desperately wanted to get to them and make sure they were safe. This riot... or whatever it is could've easily spread across the countryside, and in Manchester which was almost as big as London... Well it would be a disaster like the one I just witnessed.

We continued along through the park. We had a few kilometers to cover to make it out and back to the streets. With those... people... out there we had to move quietly and keep out of sight.

CRUNCH! The sound of a branch snapping caused us both to go down and take cover behind tall grass and brush.

People talking in the distance...

mumbling, more mumbling

"If I don't know where we are, I can't bloody well get us out of here now can I?!" Snapped a tall man with long hair.

"W-we could g-go back, I think we were uh on Waiting St. when we crashed." A short man with glasses said, he looked to be in his mid thirties and had a business suit on.

"I don't fucking know! I wasn't looking where we were when we crashed I just wanted to get away from those fuckers!!"

"W-well lets go just check really fast. We need a p-plan to get out of the c-city."

"Oy you can go you stupid bastard, all I know is that there are none of those fuckers are here so I'm stayin here, ya got me?" The taller man said. He had long brown hair and was dressed in jeans and a Manchester United jersey.

I looked over to Eric and he understood my, 'cover me I'm going in' look and took up a position behind a tree.

"Hey, hold it right there!" I said in the best authoritative voice I could muster with my rifle pointed at them.

They froze.

"H-hey we're.. we're not.. don't shoot p-please" the shorter man said.

"Who are you?" I said as I lowered my rifle.

"My name is Archie and this is Richard" the taller man replied.

"We're not one of them crazies so don't shoot ok?"

"Oh thank god the military is here to rescue us, see didn't I tell you they'd come Archie?" Richard said in an almost joyful voice.

"Rich look at him I think he's just as bad off as us so shut up will ya?"

He was referring to the injuries I had suffered from the crash. My right arm had been scraped up and I had some blood on my vest and pants. I was covered in dirt.

"Where are you headed?." I asked.

"Anywhere but here." Archie said.

"Well, if you promise not to hold us up, you're welcome to come along." I offered.

Archie just nodded.

"Hey, I'm Eric." Eric said as he stepped out from his hiding place. Eric wasn't in the best shape either. He had some minor cuts and bruises, blood on his clothes like me, and dirt in his hair. Eric pulled me aside and he looked angry.

"Alex, what the hell?" He asked in a whisper.

"What are you on about?" I asked.

"They'll slow us down!"

"So we should just leave them? Eric we can help these people, we're armed, we'll be fine." I said.

"Ugh... fine, they better not fuck things up or I'll shoot them myself." He replied.

As we walked through the park with more of a false sense of security I studied the two men we had just come across. Archie, was taller than me, about 6'2 I could guess, with a large build. Blood dotted his shirt and was smeared on his pants. The other man, Richard, was short, about 5'5 with a business suit and large glasses. They both looked to be in their early thirties. When we came up to the street Archie and Rich stopped in their tracks.

"Uh we don't want to go back there if ya know what I mean?" Archie said, I could see he was pretty spooked.

I signaled Eric and he went down across the street and took up a position by the corner of a building and covered me while I took a position behind a burned out car in the center of the street. Once we determined it was all clear Eric started searching for a functional car. It was quiet.

Too quiet.

I assumed all of those crazies were in big mobs around the city harassing the police and military barricades and other people that were holding out. We were lucky for the moment and I intended to exploit that luck to take a breather.

"Hey Alex come here, I found one." Eric said, I made my way over to him with a quick glance at the two men still hiding in the brush on the other side of the street.

"Hey, you ever learn how to hot wire a car?." I gave Eric a puzzled look then figured he was referring to the car. So I went to his side and watched him fiddling with the wires.

"Just in case I.. I don't make it or something-"

"Oh don't get all sentimental on me now, we're not bloody Americans."

"Okay you bastard, just listen up, this is a useful talent." I nodded and he resumed his lesson. Once he finished and the car started we motioned for the two men to make their way to us. They were reluctant at first...

moan in the distance.

"Shit, hurry the fuck up you bloody fools!" Eric yelled out. As he said that I was already taking up a position behind a burned out car. Rich and Archie went as fast as they could to the small taxi that we had acquired and jumped in. Eric was having trouble with the car again.

"What are we gonna do, come on hurry up!" Archie was jumping up in down trying to will Eric to go faster with his mind.

"Oh no oh no please please please." Richard was saying as he bit his finger nails.

"Shut up will ya!" Eric snapped at both of them.

I heard a scream and saw two people running from a crowd of people. Two women. I looked through my rifle scope, one was very good looking with blonde hair and the other was a bit large. The large one was too slow and she tripped. Come on keep running black hair but she stopped to help her friend. In seconds they were devoured by the crowd and I heard them both let out a scream before it was muffled by bodies. I couldn't save them, there was nothing I could do damnit. After there was nothing left to for the crowd to chew on, they turned their heads in and started walking in our direction.

They haven't spotted us yet so that bought us some time. Not much though. I counted about 20-30 people, too many to shoot my way out. The gas grenades proved ineffectual last time. The car still hadn't started. They would be on top of us in less than a minute.

Think I told myself, think.

"Eric, Eric I'm going to distract them away from the car while you get it started-"

"No fucking way Alex, I'm not leaving you." He snapped back on his walkie.

"Eric, that car is our only chance, I can outrun these bastards you just need to get that thing working, keep in touch and we'll decide on a rendezvous point once we're clear, out." I replied through my walkie.

Eric reluctantly agreed. I had always been a good runner, best in my class and in my unit. All I would have to do is draw their attention away from the cars, simple. If I stayed here and put my hopes on the car being started, I risked all of our lives. If I decided on running and creating a distraction, I would only be risking my life. Easy decision really, it all came down to logistics. I took a few deep breathes and a quick swig of water and hopped over the car that was serving as my cover. I could easily outrun a few city folk, crazed or not...