UK Zombie Epidemic

On the 4th of August 2000, nobody could have imagined that within a matter of weeks, the United Kingdom of Great Britain would cease to exist as a nation. A virus, the likes of which the world had never seen was about to sweep the nation.

First Cases
At 11:34 AM, August 4th 2000 in Norwich, England, a vet in Norwich treating a Yorkshire Terrier infected with the rabies virus is bitten by the dog. He restrains the animal and immediatley attempts to clean the wound with cold water and and anti viral wipes. An ambulance arries soon after and takes him to Norwich University Hospital for stitches. By the time the ambulance reaches the hospital, the bite is showing signs of infection and the man "Patient Zero" is dipping in and out of conciousness. He is taken to Intensive Care as his condition deteriorates. Doctors determine quickly he has been infected with the rabies virus, but none are certain as to why it is affecting Patient Zero so quickly as it can often take weeks for rabies to affect people like this after being exposed. The patient is transferred to Quarantine and experts are called in from London and Cambridge to evaluate him. Tests show that he has indeed been infected with the rabies virus, but it appears to have mutated into a far more dangerous strain. Six hours after being bitten, the man suddenly sits up on the bed, much to the shock of hospital staff, and lunges at a nearby virologist grabbing his arm and biting down hard, tearing a chunk of flesh away. The patient gets off the bed and runs at another doctor, grabbing and biting him. A security guard rushes into the room and restrains the patient, however, he too is bitten. The patient is handcuffed to the bed and secured. The three staff who have been bitten are taken for treatment. Within an hour, all three men who were bitten are complaining of nausea and headaches. An hour after that, they are coughing up blood and losing conciousness for several minutes at a time. 3 hours after being bitten, the security guard attacks a nurse treating him, biting her, before being restrained by another security guard. Twenty minutes later, the virologist who had been bitten turns and bites four staff members before being restrained. An hour later the third person bitten also changes and bites a doctor and a police officer who had arrived to investigate the disturbances. Several polie officers began to arrive at the hospital to interiew witnesses and talk to the suspects, but the suspects would not cooperate, and seemed hell bent on attacking anybody they could. Those who were msot recently bitten also changed and bit others, who then changed and bit others. Within 24 hours, there were more than 100 cases in the hospital. Several more police had arrived to try and contain the situation. At 12:05 PM 5th August, a group of 15 infected broke into the intensive care unit, overpowering doctors and security guard who tried to stop them. The patients in the ICU, wounded in various accidents(fires, car crashes, stabbings ect) were defenceless against the attackers. The infected began to claw and bite at the people lying in the beds, many hooked up to life support machines. Within a few minutes, all patients in the ICU had been killed. Patients in other wards came to see what the noise was all about, only to be pounced upon by the infected. The infected rampage through the wards, killing dozens of people and infecting many more. By 1:00 PM, the remainder of the hospitals patients, as well as the police and security still left inside, had been evacuated from the building. Several patients and staff who had been bitten were being treated in the hospital car park where tents had been set up to accomadate for the wounded as the building was no longer safe. By the time they realised what was happening to those who were bitten it was too late. By 2 o'clock, many more people who were being treated in the makeshift car park hospital were turning and attacking those treating them. Police attempted to restore order, killing several infected in the process but still he number of infected grew, forcing the police to retreat back to Colney Lane, and eventually from the area around the hospital all together. As 3 o'clock drew near, the infected had spilled out of the hospital and into the neigbouring parts of the city, killing and infecting as they went. Two hours later, the police had been pushed back to Watton Road, just past the Institude of Food Reseach. The arrival of riot police and armed response units managed to hold the infected back and slow their spread for a while. But more and more people were becoming infected, and that meant the police were becoming outnumbered.

Infection hits Norwich
Within 30 hours of Patient Zero arriving at the hospital, there were close to 350 cases of the virus in Norwich with more than 200 people killed outright by the infected. Police started to arrive from neigbouring Constabularies to lend support, but even they could not significanlty stem the spread of the virus. At 5:30 PM, the NHS Trust that had run Norwich University Hospital sent information to the Home Office and the Department of Health regarding what they thought to be a new strain of the rabies virus. At the same time, the Prime Minister Tony Blair was also being informed over the phone by the Chief Constable Ian McPherson of how bad the situation was becoming, and he even asked for military assistance claiming that : "Its as though Hell itself has set upon Norwich...everybodys killing eachother, the streets are running with blood. We need help now !"

Troops from the Royal Anglian Regiment were dispatched shortly afterwards with orders to shoot to kill any and all infected. By the 40th hour of the outbreak, the number of infected totalled 2,000 + with at least 800 killed.

At 7:00 PM the Prime Minister declared a State of Emergency in Norwich and surrounding areas. The following is from the Home Secretary Theresa Mays Press Conference regarding the Norwich outbreak :

“At 1:30 PM yesterday afternoon, police received 999 calls from staff in the vicinity of Norwich University Hospital regarding a violent disturbance. Since then, the situation has escalated onto the streets of Norwich with casualties believed to be in the thousands. As the Chief Medical Officer said earlier, it is absolutely vital that the public remain in their homes and avoid all contact with infected individuals. Anyone currently in Norwich is asked to seek shelter immediately. If you are not in your home and are incapable getting back home please head to the nearest church, school or community centre. Norwich Police, in conjunction with local government, have set up protected shelters within these buildings. Locations of these safe zones are being e-mailed to all major news outlets as I speak. I would like to stress the need for calm, and that the situation is under control. Rumours that emergency services have collapsed or have fled are completely baseless. Police units from neighbouring constabularies are beginning to arrive, as is a contingent of troops from the Royal Anglian Regiment in an effort to restore law and order to the area."

Contrary to the Home Secretary's assurances, emergency call centres had been overwhealmed with calls for help and the citys police force had taken heavy casualties. Ambulance and fire crews were coming under frequent attack and there had been several cases of police officers deserting and fleeing Norwich with their families. Emergency Services were starting to fall apart. The First soldiers began to arrive on the 6th of August, and set up checkpoints on the outskirts of Norwich to prevent the infected getting out, effectiley quarantining the entire city. 137 uninfected civilians were shot dead trying to break through the quarantine that day. The Soldiers killed at least 300 infected in only a couple of hours, but more adn more kept coming. By the early hours of 7th August, the Army, along with the remnants of Norwich Police, had pulled out of the city and helped boulster the defences set up to impose the quarantine.

According to top secret figures circulating within the various government agencies involved, the numbers of infected was exceeding 40,000, with more than 8,000 dead.

Virus Breaks Through Quarantine Zone
On the 8th of August, four days since the first cases of the virus were reported, the infected were attempting break through the army blockades surrounding Norwich. Mortars, machineguns and even heavy artillery were used to hold off the onslought, and for a while, it seemed to work. But more and more infected kept pouring out of the city, and ammo was starting to run low. The troops fought valiantly, and even support from RAF close air support was not enough to turn the tide. At 11:12 PM, the main army blockade on the A74, just outside Norwich was finally overrun. In the next few hours, the remaining blockades were abandoned as the troops were ordered to pull back. On the 9th of August, the Prime Minister ordered an additional 10,000 troops to East Anglia to help contain the virus.

BBC Reports Concerning "Zombie" Outbreak, Days 1 - 5
DAY 1 - "And to round up todays news in East Anglia, an incident has been reported at Norwich University Hospital. At least 3 people have been murdered by an unspecified number of attackers, with at least 10 injured, four critically. Police have declined to comment further."

DAY 2 - "Welcome to BBC News 24 and the headlines tonight, Riot at Norwich University Hospital. At least 30 people are confirmed dead and hundreds more injured. Unconfirmed reports indicate that rioters made their way through hospital wards and the intensive care units attacking and killing patients and staff alike. Police have not yet ruled out terrorism."

Later on DAY 2 (from an on-scene reporter) "The situation appears to be growing worse and the deathtoll has risen again, this time to 54. The number of rioters has, for reasons unknown, continued to grow, forcing staff and police to evacuate those remaining inside. The wounded are being treated in the car park as...(infected break through front entrance, overrruning police)"...oh my god ! They've smashed through the front doors andstarted attacking people. They look like they're biting people...they're running towards us. Go now, get in the van !"

DAY 3 - "There are reports of chaos across Norwich tonight as violence sweeps the entire city. Hundreds have been killed, and thousands more injured. According to the Health Protection Agency, this violence has been caused by a mutated strain of the rabies virus, which was first confirmed in Norwich University Hospital by doctors on Wednesday afternoon. The Prime Minister has sent in the Army and declared a state of emergency in an effort to restore the sitation to normal. People living in the city are advised to seek shelter immediatley and not to venture outside for any reason. Emergency phonelines are overloaded as...(newscaster stops talking and listens to his earpiece)...i've just recieved word that a travel ban is being enforced to Norwich, effective immediatley, effectivley quarantining the city. No unauthorised persons will be allowed to enter or leave Norwich, and armed troops are setting up checkpoints on all roads in and out of Norwich. The Home Secretary will be holding a press conference in an hour to explain this travel ban in further detail."

DAY 4 - "Thousands of people have died as these "zombies", as the public are now refering to them, overrun Norwich and nearby villages. Soldiers from the Royal Anglian Regiment manning the blockades on the roads in and out of the city are reportedly facing a sustained assault by large numbers of infected. The Ministry of Defence denies the soldiers are low on ammo and morale, but many reliable sources who have asked not to be named are saying that at least three blockades have been overrun, and that most units are running low on ammo. At least twelve cases of desertion have been reported, with all but four being shot immediatey upon being captured."

DAY 5 - "Prime Minister Tony Blair ordered an additional 10,000 combat troops to the infected zone in an effort to contain the spread of infection. Current reports now have the deathtoll surpassing 25,000, with that number expected to rise significantly in the coming hours. All signs point to this situation worsening before getting better. According to the M.O.D., all of East Anglia is now under a state of martial law, due to the high percentage of police officers who have been killed in Norwich, including those from other East Anglian counties, resulting in a lack of law enforcement and a massive increase in crime in which the army must now step in and deal with."

The Anglian Ring
As Norwich fell to the rampaging hoardes of zombies, the British Army fell back in disarray. Britain's Military Forces are among the best trained and equiped on the planet, but they were not trained to deal with such a situation. Morale was lowered considerably when soliers had to shoot their mates who had been bitten. Troops fell back down the A11 and A47, establishing defences at the towns of Attlebourgh and East Dereham. Other troops set up defences at Hevingham and Blofield and a few other towns and villages around Norwich, effectivley creating a "ring" around the city. But as the number of infected grew, the situation became bleaker. Large groups of infected who had followed the retreating soldiers began to try and overrun their defences. By 11th August, over 800 soldiers of the British Army had lost their lives. The First Battle of Attlebourgh began at 12:07 PM, August 11th 2000. It pitted 3,000 zombies against 400 soldiers of the Royal Anglian, who had been the first to see action against the zombies a few days earlier, and so were more experienced. That experience paid off, as the zombies were all killed within an hour, with th loss of "only" 92 soldiers. A similar battle was fought at East Dereham about the same time, although the soldiers took much heavier casualties than at Attlebourough. Despite taking the losses, the British Army valiantly held their ground, and even counter-attacked on several occasions, although they paid a heavy price for their bravery. By th 12th, the troops, war-weary and shocke, but no less determined, were still holding out against the infected. The same day, General John Paulson who was leading the troops around Norwich sent a top-secret message to the M.O.D. and the Prime Minister, advising them that the situation on the ground was becoming extremely volatile, and that it was only a matter of time before they had to retreat again. He asked that the government begin large scale evacuations frm areas of East Anglia still unaffected by the virus as he believed the infection would continue to spread. The next day, 13th August, the Prime Minister agreed to his request. The towns of Downham Market, Thetford, Brandon, Fakenham(real town by the way) and Kings Lynn began evacuation procedures.The problem was however, such a large scale evacuation had not been attempted in the UK since the first days of World War 2, and there were no plans to accomodate the tens of thousands of people being evacuated. Several thousand were able to find places to stay with family and friends,which did lighten the governments burden considerably. For the rest, the Army and the Red Cross set up camps in public parks and inside schools and churches to accomodate what the media had just began to describe as "refugees". By the 14th of August, the troops were still slowly put surley being forced to retreat, although this was not like the hasty, chaotic retreat of a few days earlier, this was a fighting retreat, and the infected were made to pay for every inch of ground they gained. On the 15th of August, East Dereham finally fell after a second, larger battle there. Attleborough fell six hours later after the last troops there finally withdrew, taking the towns population with them to saftey. East Dereham and Attleborough were the two most important towns to the Anglian Ring, and with their fall, the Anglian Ring was penetrated, and soon afterwards collapsed. Pandemonium was being reported across South East England as people began to panic buy and hoard supplies. Filling stations run out of fuel, and riots started outside supermarkets as rationing began in some towns.

International Reactions Days 5-12
United States - Day 5 - President Clinton calls Tony Blair and offers his condolences to the British people.

European Union - DAY 5 - All members of the EU offer their condolences and express their "horror" at the "shocking loss of life"

Commenwealth - DAY 5 - The Commenwealth, made up of former British colonies e.g. Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and a few others all express their sympathy to those who died and their families.

United States - DAY 6 - Realising the extent of the situation, the US begins a hurried evacuation of its citizens living in East Anglia.

Israel - DAY 7 - Offers humanitarian aid, weapons and ammo to the UK.

France - DAY 8 - French President announces that refugee camps will be built in northern France in case the situation in the UK grows worse and people need to flee the country.

United States - Day 9 - Clinton promises to give Britain up to $150 million dollars in aide, and first American shipments of medical suplies and food aid arrive for those affected by the disater.

E.U. - DAY 10 - EU promises an aid package of 200 million euros and begins sending humanitarian aid.

Iran - DAY 11 - President Mohammad Khatami declares that the outbreak is Gods punishment on the British for their support for Israel. the UK withdraws its embassy staff from Iran in protest.

United States - DAY 12 - American red cross staff arrive in the UK and begin working with British counterparts.