The pub was lively, filled with the usual mix of laughter, clinking glasses, and loud conversations. Matt leaned back, enjoying the moment, as his younger brother, Jake, animatedly told a story.
"You should've seen her face when I said I was a pilot" Jake said, grinning. Matt chuckled, shaking his head. "Still single for a reason, mate."
"Well in my defence I do work at Luton Airport." Jake shrugged.
"Yeah. You're a baggage handler . Not a pilot." Matt laughed "Cute that you thought she'd fall for it though."
"Whatever." Jake chuckled, downed the last of his pint then turned to the young woman serving behind the bar. "Two pints of Carling please."
"Coming right up, mr pilot." The barmaid said with a wry smile.
"Hah, at least someone believes me." He said chuckling to himself. "So, you want Mr Pilots number?" He said part joking, part hoping she'd say yes.
Before an answer could come , the pub door slammed open. A man staggered in, sweat dripping down his face, his movements jerky and uncontrolled. The room fell silent as everyone turned to look at him. The barmaid stepped forward, concerned.
"Mate, are you—"
The man lunged, grabbing her throat and slamming her into the bar. The room erupted into chaos. Without thinking, Matt jumped up, rushing to pull the man off her. He yanked, but the man was unnaturally strong, driven by something primal.
Jake grabbed a chair, swinging it at the man's back. The impact sent him crashing to the floor, but it was too late—the barmaid, her eyes wide and bloodshot, turned toward them, a guttural snarl escaping her throat.
"Are you ok?" Jake asked. He wanted to reach out to give her a hand up, but something seemed off. Instead of answering , she vomited blood all over the floor for several seconds , before suddenly jumping to her feet and glaring at Matt and Jake, letting out an inhuman growl.
"Matt, we need to go!" Jake shouted, panic clear in his voice, tugging at his brothers arm.
"Don't need to tell me twice." They bolted out the door, hearts racing, as the sounds of shattering glass and screaming filled the pub behind them as the patrons suddenly engaged in a wild melee.
Outside, they flagged down a passing taxi. "Drive! Just go!" Matt yelled as they climbed into the back seat. The driver, confused but sensing danger, sped off.
The brothers sat in stunned silence, their hearts pounding. "The fuck was that ?" Jake asked loudly, his hands shaking.
Matt shook his head, still trying to process it. "I don't know. That guy was like an animal . Gotta be out his tits on drugs ."
"His eyes, man." Jake said in disbelief "It was like he was fucking possessed."
As they sped through the streets of Cambridge, the scene outside was no better. Police cars with sirens blaring raced past them. Ambulances followed, their lights flashing in the dark. The driver, eyes wide, kept glancing in the rearview mirror.
"You boys seein' all this tonight? Bloody mad, innit?" the driver said. "I've been picking up all sorts tonight—fights breaking out, people losing it. Thought it was some football hooligans, but I've never seen anything like this."
Matt stared at an abandoned car as they drove by, partially mounted on the pavement. No sign of the driver. "Yeah this shit is wild. Probably a new drug hitting the street I suppose."
Jake turned to look out the window. His eyes widened. "Matt, look!"
A man was sprinting down the street, and just behind him, a woman was chasing him, her movements unnaturally fast and jerky. The driver swore and hit the brakes, but it was too late. The woman slammed into the car's bonnet with a sickening thud. For a moment, everything went still. Then, impossibly, she began to rise, her eyes wild and filled with rage. Her angry eyes were blood red , with steaks of blood leaking out of them. She opened her mouth and vomited a stream of blood onto the windshield, her face twisted in fury.
"Go! Go!" Jake screamed.
The driver, terrified, floored it, speeding away. His hands shook as he gripped the wheel. "This is mad, man. I hit her, and she just got back up like nothing happened."
As they drove on, the streets became more chaotic. People were running in all directions, some fleeing from unseen attackers, others smashing windows and rampaging through shops. The driver's voice shook as he spoke. "I've been driving this cab for twenty years, but I ain't never seen anything like this."
Matt exchanged a worried glance with Jake. "Something's happening. We need to get home."
They pulled up outside Matt's house a short while later. The fare was 10, but Matt handed the driver a 20 note and told him to keep the extra, wished him good luck and hurried inside with Jake. His wife, Sophie, was already at the door, her face pale.
"What's going on out there?" she asked, her voice full of alarm. "I've heard sirens all night."
Matt quickly explained what had happened at the pub, the attack, and the chaos they'd seen on the way back. Sophie's eyes widened, and she quickly locked the door behind them. The three of them sat down in the living room, turning on the TV, hoping for some explanation. The news was on, but they were covering other events. Clearly the media hadn't gotten wind of whatever was going on yet.
They turned down the volume as the sound of distant sirens and shouting grew louder outside. Sophie glanced nervously toward the window. "What do we do?"
Matt took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice calm. "We stay inside. We wait. Hopefully, the police or someone will figure out what's going on."
Sophie got up and put the kettle on to make a cuppa. Jake and Matt opted for a glass of single malt instead to calm their nerves.
Jake, pacing the room, glanced at the door. "I think we should get out of here. It's only going to get worse. You saw what happened out there."
Matt shook his head. "Where would we go? We don't even know what's causing this. Let's just wait till we get more information on whatever is going on before going outside. Chances are it'll have calmed down by morning."
Hours passed, and the sounds outside grew worse. The distant shouts turned to screams, the sirens more frequent. Every now and then, they heard the unmistakable roar of one of them, whoever they were. The city was spiraling into chaos, and all they could do was wait. They switched the lights off and closed the curtains. Matt occasionally took a peak through the curtains. It was hard to make out what was happening outside , but more than once he saw people running down the street, or a car screeching out of a driveway.
Matt and Sophie went to bed, Jake took the sofa and a thin blanket. None of them slept more than a couple of hours, tossing and turning. By morning, the chaos had only worsened. The news was covering the unfolding disaster and reporting that sections of Cambridge were completely out of control. The "rioters" - as the media was calling them now - had spread across the city, and the authorities were struggling to contain it. Matt and Jake sat by the window, watching as more and more people tried to flee the city, some on foot, others in cars.
"We can't stay here," Jake said quietly. "We have to get out before it's too late. These people are fucking insane. They're literally tearing people apart. Yet they still don't know the cause ?"
Matt thought "Maybe it's a sickness . An infection of some kind ? I mean look at that ." Matt pointed to the tv , where the camera zoomed in on one of the rioters who was on his knees vomiting blood on the road.
"Even more reason to get the fuck out of here then." Jake said.
Matt nodded, knowing his brother was right. The city was falling apart around them. He glanced over at Sophie, who was packing a bag. They didn't have much time left. The virus - if that's what it was- had arrived, and there was no stopping it now. The sound of a car crash the next street over followed by a high pitched scream which suddenly cut off suggested bad things nearby , very bad.
By mid-morning, the city was descending into full-scale chaos. The TV showed desperate scenes from across Cambridge—streets packed with abandoned cars, people running for their lives, and violent mobs roaming aimlessly. Convoys of police vans were beginning to arrive, but they seemed woefully underprepared for the ferocity of the infected. ITV News had already done a segment , filming a street where a baying mob of maniacs can came through the night before. Although theyd blurred the faces of the dead, it was still harrowing seeing the bodies of over a dozen policemen being loaded into bodybags by crying paramedics. Emergency services had been overwhelmed and were near breaking point in the few parts of the city they still had some control over , and government officials on the news still struggled to offer any real guidance. The only advice being given was to stay indoors and barricade homes if possible.
Matt, Jake, and Sophie had spent the early hours of the morning packing up essential supplies. They gathered food, water, first-aid kits, and anything else they thought they might need. Matt stood by the window, watching as more and more people tried to flee the city, some with suitcases, others with nothing but the clothes on their backs. It was a scene straight out of a nightmare.
"We need to leave before the roads get completely blocked," Jake urged again, his voice tense. "Once those nutjobs spread further, we won't stand a chance here."
Matt finally agreed, realizing they couldn't afford to wait any longer. They had seen enough signs that Cambridge was already falling. The military presence, while visible on the outskirts, was certainly not present in the city centre. It seemed like the army wanted to close the city off. Sophie zipped up her bag and looked at her husband, anxiety clear on her face. "Where are we going to go?"
Matt hesitated, but Jake answered for him. "We head south. London probably. If we wait, we'll be stuck.
Matt nodded. "Where we gonna stay though? I suppose thats a bridge we'll have to cross when we come to it. Alright, let's try. But if the roads are blocked, we'll have to think on our feet."