Chapter 6 – Fluke's escape.
"Stay away fro-" Will managed to say, before the deafening explosion caused his phone to go spinning out of his hands. It slid out into the road in front of him. He cursed under his breath and was about to walk out and grab it, when he a large red beam of energy slammed into the road not 5 feet from his phone. There had been a man laid there, a large piece of car door shrapnel lodged in his side, as he winced in pain. Now there was nothing but a burnt pile of soot. Will weighed up his options, but decided not to go for his phone. He darted backwards and hid behind a large waste bin. He pressed his back to it and peered around the corner. He saw three large shadows slowly making their way up the road from behind the BBC building, and his breath caught in his throat. Whatever was casting them had to be at least ten feet tall, and they were the one causing this destruction. He hadn't seen a proper image of the aliens, only the blurry image from the television, but he wasn't stupid enough to go and find out. From out the corner of his eye, he was the Piccadilly Tube Station leading into the underground. Surely going down would be his best chance of survival, those things can't fit down there, they're too tall. All that stood between him and safety was 10 meters of open road, with large destructive aliens just waiting for him to cross their path. He nodded to himself 'this is the only chance I'll have.' Will took the flimsy plastic lid off of the bin, held it to his side, lowered his head to the ground, and ran.
Deafening explosions and screams of people around him drowned any sound that the creatures may have made, but he didn't look up. Everyone had to make his or her own way now, and he wanted to survive. He saw through his narrowed eyes a hot red light burst from somewhere to his right, and felt the ground below him erupt. They had missed, but only just. He dived into the tube station tunnel and ran as fast as he could downstairs. He threw the lid of the bin away, as he hopped over the ticket barrier and deeper, down the now stopped escalators, and onto the station platform. Of course there was a huge crowd, and of course the trains had totally stopped. Will stood on the last few steps before the platform, watching all sorts of people clambering around. There were parents, looking for their children, men in suits looking angry and confused, Teenagers huddled in corners talking about movies they'd seen just like this. And then there was the man in the middle. Will had seen him before, the man who when hearing of the ships entering the atmosphere had told everyone to accept the invaders, and that the end times were coming. He was wearing a large trench coat that he clung to tightly, and was screaming about how they were all heathens for not accepting their new masters. 'Of course the nutters survived this' Will thought to himself, as he began to make his way into the crowd.
But as he took a step forward, he was the made in the middle throw open his trench coat, not to reveal his disgusting naked body, but a large bomb strapped to his chest. Will eyes widened suddenly, and he heard a man in a business suit yell "Get down!" Will turned around and threw himself to the floor, grazing himself on the rough tiles. As his body hit the dirty, gum-covered floor, he heard a large explosion; he felt a searing heat, and then the sound of multiple bodies hitting the floor. He felt something warm and wet hit the back of his head, and someone else lay down on top of him. He waited for a moment, and then heard people begin to panic, hearing screams, people crying out in anguish, and people running away and up the stairs. He slowly crawled out from the man that was laid on him and turned around. It was if the decorators had been in, and pained the tube station platform red. There was a black seared circle where the man with the bomb had been, and around him were bits of people, legs, arms and heads. Blood covered the area, and he saw that it had been someone's kidney that had hit his head. He looked at the devastation, the charred bodies of people around him, and at the horrified and blood covered faces of those still alive. His eyes fell on the man laid on him, the man who's face was now a charred mess, unrecognisable to anyone, his flesh falling off of his lifeless face. He turned away quickly, and his eyes saw the kidney next to him. He dropped to his hands and knees, and was immediately sick on the tiles.
He'd been walking now for about an hour, and the taste of his own vomit was still in his mouth. His shoes were finally getting the last of the blood and bits of person off of them, as he walked at a brisk pace through London's now totally empty tube lines. If the trains were still running, he would be dead by now, flattened. But all trains had stopped, and he made his way through the dimly lit and damp underground without a problem. Rats scuttled past his feet, but he was finally making some progress, getting out of the city centre. He finally made it to the platform he'd been looking for, Canary Wharf. He hopped out and off the rails onto the platform. He looked to the stairs, and there was only one other person there. An old man, must have been about 70, was slumped by the stairs, shaking violently, though a blanket covered him.
His eyes met Will's, but the old man turned away from his gaze and muttered. "Its the end young man, nothing matters now."
Will paused as if to speak, but just continued up the stairs and out into the totally deserted tube station. He ran up the stopped escalator and into the shopping centre that connected the tube to the main shopping district. He walked through the empty shops, passing a Dorothy Perkins, Prada, Pandora, and even a HMV. He paused, looking into the game shop, before walking on and entering a small One-Stop shop to grab some food supplies. He came out with two double wrapped carrier bags full of food and drink, and since he had to backpack, he walked into Mountain Warehouse to pick one up, which he stuffed the bags into. He walked towards the exit and peered out. He didn't see any invaders around him, and so took a deep breath, ready to go out. As he took a step, he felt a hand grab him from behind. He turned around shocked, ready to defend himself from anyone trying to steal his supplies, but his eyes met a softer face, not an angry one. A girl, no older than nineteen was gripping his forearm and shaking her head. She had dark eyes; brown hair that reached her shoulders, and was slightly smaller than Will was, in height and frame.
"You do NOT want to go out that way," She said, "Not unless you want to be fried."
Will raised an eyebrow, stepping inside. "What do you mean, there's nothing there." He replied, peering out again.
The girl tugged his arm again. "Look, trust me. They're round the corner, and unless you feel like turning into a pretty pile of soot on the road, I'd suggest taking the other door." He said, letting go of his arm. "Your funeral."
Will considered this, before stepping back inside and turning to the woman. "Alright, can you show me a better way out of here?"
She scoffed at this. "You want to try and leave here? There's food, clothes, and safety in here!" She said, in disbelief.
"Please, can you just show me the way out, I need to find some people."
The girl sighed, turning around and starting to walk. "Alright, I'll show you the best way." She kept walking, and then added, "I'm looking for someone too."
They walked through the shopped centre for a few minutes, until they reached the larger exit, the one facing the water. Will turned to the woman and asked. "How is this exit any better?"
"Well, the ships are around the other side of the tall buildings. Going out this way doesn't make you a sitting duck." She said, raising an eyebrow, challenging him to come up with a better idea.
Will looked out, at the water. He would see a small dock with a boat on it, leading across the Thames and onto the outer parts of London. He saw no ships that way, and that way lead him closer to Dover. He turned back to the woman and nodded. "Alright, thanks. You're coming too, right?" He asked.
But the young woman shook her head. "Nah, I'm... I'm just waiting for a mate." She said, turning to look back down the long hallway, seeing no one.
"You do know they're most likely..." Fluke said, before being interrupted.
"I'm sure my boyfriend is most likely somewhere in these shops buying me some flowers to make up for him being late to our date." She said, deflecting his negativity with humour. "He said he'd meet me here an hour ago, and I'm not leaving until he shows up."
Will wanted to reply, but saw the stubbornness in her eyes, and nodded. "I'm sure he'll have bought you a lovely bouquet." He said, sounding defeated, but giving a small, half-hearted chuckle.
The woman nodded, and leaned her body against the wall, looking up at him. "Take care out there, and if you see my boyfriend around, tell him I'm waiting for him." She said, grinning a little.
Will didn't bother asking what he looked like, knowing that he'd most likely met the same fate as many others around him. Instead, he nodded, and turned towards the door.
"Who are you trying to find?" The woman asked before he could leave.
"My friends... They're far away but they're driving to meet me in Dover." Me looked at his pocket and cursed. "Shit, my phone..."
He felt the woman tap his back, holding out her phone to him. "Here, take this. I really don't need it anymore."
Will turned and shook his head. "No, I cant take that from you, your family will-"
"I said, I REALLY don't need it anymore." She repeated, her eyes firm, but she was definitely sad. Her voice chocked a little as she tried to maintain her composure. "They won't be calling me back, they're a little busy right now." Each word sounded like a struggle, and Will knew she was close to breaking down.
"Alright, thank you." He said, taking the phone from her outstretched palm.
She nodded, swallowed hard, and then looked up at him. "Go on then, get across the river and call your friends." She said, not taking her eyes off of him.
Will nodded, patted her on the arm, and turned towards the door. He took a long and deep breath, before jogging, then running out the door and towards the dock, about 200 meters from where he stood. He glanced over his shoulder, and saw the woman looking out at him, keeping her cool for now. He also saw the edge of the large ship in the sky behind the building, so he turned his head around and kept going.
He got to the dock in no time, and hopped onto the small boat with the electric motor. He revved it up as best he could, until it finally roared into life, and began to clumsily steer it towards the other side. He got there far enough, but the boat slammed onto the bank on the other side next to a Hilton Hotel. He shook himself back into action, grabbed his bag and jumped out of the boat. He ran into the hotel and had an idea. He ran to the desk and found the draw the concierge kept all of the guests' keys in. He found two sets of car keys, and he walked outside. He clicked the first pair of keys, and a small Audi made a noise, its lights flashing once. He grinned a little, hopping into the car and starting to drive. He made it out of London without any hassle, the streets did have some abandoned cars in them, but it was mostly empty streets. Eventually he found a road sigh he recognised, Croydon. He stopped the car by the side of the road, still empty, and pulled out the woman's phone. It was an old fashioned iPhone 3G, and he chuckled at how quaint it seemed, since the iPhone 7 had just been released. He dialled Josh's number, but it went straight to voicemail. 'Out of power' He thought. He struggled to remember Aaron's number, but finally remembered it, and dialled it. It rang for a few seconds; before Aaron's tired and anxious voice came down the end of the receiver.
"Hello?"