Falling

Chapter 6 : Homeward Bound

During the journey home, the Ark Royal was joined by a small flotilla of other British ships and boats. Several warships and cargo vessels took up position to the rear of her, and around 20 other smaller craft followed in close proximity. Normal operating procedures would have a small screen of destroyers, and other escorts spread out around the aircraft carrier, but this was not a normal time, and the threat of attacks was deemed to be negligible.

The tourists had been restricted to an upper deck throughout their journey. This was a warship after all, and they had only made limited contact with the crew. They were all looking forward to going home. More than 800 British tourists were crammed into a hospital deck that was designed to accommodate up to 300.

Jim, Dave and Ella were sat in a corner of the mess hall, they had found it easier to stay together in the mass of displaced people.

"Another 2 ships joined us last night." Dave and Jim heard Ella's voice, but neither responded. "Did you hear me?" Her voice rose, a little indignant.

"Yes Ella, we both heard you, but it doesn't mean anything to us. What difference does it make?" Dave's voice sounded flat, bored.

"Don't you think its strange that all of these ships are heading to England now?"

"Ella, you're too suspicious." Dave laughed at her, "Not everything has a conspiracy behind it you know."

"I just think it was strange." She sipped from her foam cup.

"Go on inspector Ella, what's strange?, the walking dead?, the infections, or Spanish troops blowing up Spanish civilians?"

Ella leant forwards and gently hit Dave in the head.

"No need for sarcasm David!", she deliberately used his full name, knowing he didn't like it. "All I'm saying is, did this number of ships normally sit at anchor in the Med?, did this number of ships always carry enough food for thousands of people. It all seems a bit organised to me."

"Oh stop with the....." but Dave was interrupted by Jim, who had been silent up to now.

"Go on Ella, tell me what you're thinking?," He had been staring out of the porthole up to now, The passing Atlantic looked grey and cold, but as Ella spoke she had his full attention.

"I just find it odd that the Spanish were attacking civilians so fast. It's like they knew how to deal with it already. And don't you think it's strange that all of these British ships were waiting in the Med? Did they know we were going to need evacuating? It all happened so fast, it's like they were expecting it, ready for it almost.", She played with the cup, eyes looking at the table.

"I think you might have a point there". Jim spoke quietly. "Go on Ella".

"Well if you think about it, if people were attacking other people, you would expect the authorities to try to contain it, to arrest the perpetrators. The Spanish didn't. Did they know there was no point?. They just starting killing anyone infected. Why would they do that?."

"Now you put it like that sis, it is pretty weird." Dave was listening intently too.

"The whole thing is wrong. We were allowed to fly to the islands by our government, so the outbreak hadn't happened yet. The Spanish army were shooting the infected over night. We were evacuated in the morning. So the day we flew everything was OK, the first night we were there the infection started, by morning the Spanish Army went nuts and by the afternoon we all got to fly out to a conveniently waiting aircraft carrier." She paused for a minute, then continued, "I think they planned for it happening, they just didn't know when it would."