Sophie, from the backseat, clutched a small backpack of belongings. "Never been to the Millenium Dome before. Always heard it was a big waste of money."
"Well, we're about to find out." Matt said in reply as he pulled the car into the carpark.
Even from outside they could smell it. Policemen and Red Cross volunteers directed people inside, giving each person a cardboard box with some basic essentials to keep them going.
"I don't like the look of this." Sophie said, clinging tightly to Matt.
The Dome refugee camp was packed, chaotic, and crumbling from within. Lines of army camp beds stretched as far as the eye could see .The lucky ones had tents to themselves to give a modicum of privacy. They were ushered inside, where the sheer number of displaced people made it impossible to find adequate food or water. Red Cross volunteers tried to distribute rations, but it was barely enough. Matt watched as two men fought over a small bag of rice, fists flying until military police intervened. Thousands of people, perhaps tens of thousands were crammed in the camp. Entire families who had fled Cambridge , alongside commuters who hadn't been able to return home. On one side of the site was a line of portaloos , whilst on the far side was a a large tent that seemed to hold a massive soup kitchen, whilst over from that was another tent with a huge red cross on it that acted as a field hospital, staffed by medics from the Territorial Army alongside the Red Cross.
"It's only been two days and this place is already a powder keg," Jake muttered, scanning the crowds, watching people push and shove one another. The cramped conditions, combined with trauma and fear were not a good combination.
Every night was filled with tension. Cramped tents , and limited resources made tempers flare. People whispered about the infection spreading. Rumours were rife. A military helicopter flew overhead, a distant reminder that some semblance of control remained. But it felt fragile. How long would it last ?
By the fifth night staying at the Dome, the camp's atmosphere had brown even more hostile. Rumours had spread of murders occurring. Bodies had been taken out during the night. Was it murder? Suicide? Disease? It could have been anything, but nonetheless fear and suspicion spread. The Red Cross had already cut the daily ration supplies to an even more bare minimum - if that was possible. They claimed a number of roads to the north had been cut and that fewer supplies were coming into London because of it. Sophie, walking alone back to their tent, was suddenly grabbed by a man from the shadows. She struggled, and just as things looked grim, Matt and Jake arrived in time. They wrestled the man off her, their shouts drawing a small crowd. The man, glaring, spat at them. "You think anyone gives a damn about rules anymore? It's every man for himself."
"Back off cunt or I'll fuck you up !" Matt roared. The man sensibly obliged.
Shaken, Sophie clung to Matt. "I can't stay here. It's not safe, not from them, not from anyone."
Jake clenched his fists, his voice low. "We need to leave. Before this place turns on itself."
One of the radios in the camp buzzed with grim news: the infected had breached some of London's outer defences.. At first, the army held the lines. Barricades stood strong across the bridges, and the military pushed back wave after wave of infected. But reports came that supplies were running low, soldiers were losing morale, and the city's survival was growing less certain by the hour. Outbreaks were cropping up behind the lines in Islington and and as far west as Barnet. Police were fighting running street battles with the infected in multiple north London boroughs. It was clear everything north of the river was a lost cause. Officials in Number 10 were planning to try and move millions out of South London whilst there was still time …whilst North London held the line for those south of the river to make a run for it.
Matt listened in on the radio again, catching the latest update. "We now report that the army has begun evacuating South London. Citizens are advised to head toward designated southern evacuation points. Buses and trains will be picking people up at pre determinated locations that will be listed on this channel in a few moments. Fuel and food rationing are in effect. The infected are breaching several locations along the north of London, and the military is fighting to hold them off."
Across the river, they could see smoke rising from the fighting. Gunfire echoed from the bridges, where soldiers fought desperately to hold back the infected. The crackle of gunfire from SA-80 rifles was relentless. The British Army still held the bridges, but time was running out.
"Look at that," Jake said, standing at the edge of the camp. "They're losing."
From the camp, they could see soldiers steadily retreating toward the bridges as groups of infected swarmed behind them. It was clear that London wouldn't hold for long. The army was holding - barely - but for how much longer ? A few hours ? A day ? The clock ticked on.