“Shit!” I take my hand off and the box returns to white.
“Uh-oh. Now we’re fucked, Andy hasn’t paid his rent,” Ian laughs.
“I put the cheque in the post!” I return whilst wiping my hand down the leg of my jeans.
Again, I put my palm in the box, now a bit nervous that the technology has done one. A long second or two passes but thank God, the box turns green and a green open button appears below.
I’m not the only one who sighs in relief and I quickly press the open button before it changes its mind. The screen reverts to the six-box passcode screen. There is a winding sound followed by a couple of clunks and then the door starts to swing inwards by itself.
The lights inside the armoury flicker on automatically, revealing probably the biggest cache of illegal weapons in the country. The room isn’t that big, the concrete walls making a four-meter-by-four-meter square, and the ceiling is low.
Running down the middle of the room are three triangular storage trolleys with black fabric covers running down each side to keep the contents hidden. These trolleys are loaded with various weapons for quick deployment. I am planning to take the first two with us. Each one will have twenty M4 Carbine Assault Rifles, ten per side and the drawers at the bottom of each side will have pre-loaded magazines, grenades, smoke grenades and flashbangs.
Under normal circumstances, all this equipment would be checked by myself and Dan before they are taken out of the armoury but these aren’t normal circumstances. So, they will have to leave unchecked. The men will check the weapons when they are issued with them, so I’m not concerned.
The holdalls are for other equipment we will need to take from the racking that runs down each side of the walls. They hold body armour, night vision goggles and more ammo and grenades; we will take as much of these supplies as we can carry.
“Fuck me! It’s Aladdin’s Cave in here,” Ian pipes up, as he, unlike Dan, hasn’t been down here before.
I tell them both what we are taking and to arm themselves with whatever they fancy as we go. The first thing we all do is fit ourselves out with body armour. Whilst the Rabids won’t be firing at us, we hope, we have all seen the chaos of a firefight and friendly fire hurts just as much as the enemies.
In quick time, the three of us are kitted out, and the last piece of equipment I pick up is my M4 Carbine Automatic Assault Rifle, one I am very familiar with. It wouldn’t be my first choice of assault rifle but would come very near the top of my list. The M4 is a variant of the famous M16 but smaller and lighter, ideal for close quarters combat and more than capable in the field. The one I’ve picked up is my own personal one that I’ve used several times before, but I have only ever shot it for practice, never having to shoot it on the offensive or in self-defence before.
Ian and Dan are already packing the holdalls with equipment; I take one and join them, thinking this one will be going back up to the top floor with me. I make sure it has four of the few smaller-sized body armours in it for the girls to wear, as well as plenty of ammo, grenades and a pair of night visions, just in case they are needed.
The holdalls now packed, Dan takes off the brakes of the first of the pre-loaded triangular trolleys and with Ian, pushes it out to the lift. I follow with two fully-packed holdalls, one in each hand. The trolley fits in the lift with the two holdalls, leaving enough room for two men. Dan and Ian take the first load up straight to the first floor so it can be wheeled out easily.
While the two men are gone, I radio to Steve at the front window overlooking the courtyard, to get the latest.
“Steve, Andy here. Report, over.” Steve is now very concerned, I can tell immediately.
“The ugly fucking things are at the windows, over,” his words not mine.
“Okay mate; how many and how are the windows holding up, over.”
“Windows look safe enough at the moment, but there are only around ten of them there, they are banging on them. But farther behind, the fuckers look like they are building up for something. We need that firepower, over.”
“Dan and Ian are on the way up with that now, and they will come straight to you, over.”
“Affirmative,” Ian’s voice comes over the radio.
“Okay, Ian and Steve, can you form a perimeter around the windows in danger. Use whoever you need to, I’ll be up ASAP, over.”
Both men give me an affirmative and over and out. I check my watch: 1315 hours, the time moving so quickly. I take the brake off the second trolley and start to push it into position out by the lift. We’ve got to move as fast as possible to secure that area.
Rabids are already at the windows. ‘Shit!’ The pile there is growing quickly, quicker than I bargained for; will the windows hold to keep them out? I’m certain this situation was not on the planning board when the windows were being designed. Security was, but a pile of infected frenzied monsters was not, so will they hold the weight?
As I’m mulling this over, the lift arrives back, and Dan gets out.
“Not getting lonely, Boss, I hope?”
“No, Dan, I’m okay, but thanks for the concern. Is Ian sorting upstairs?”
“Yes, I told him to get some help from one of the men to get the hardware to Steve.”
“Good thinking, mate.”
“Shall we get this trolley in?” Dan says, already starting to push the trolley out towards the
