28 Days Later - Death of a Nation

It seems a bit unrealistic that the infected would be so easily able to break military blockades. While they would have overall numerical superiority, distances and numerous delaying targets of opportunity would mean that most would be fairly strung out and arrive in groups of a couple thousand rather than all at once. Difefrences in strength and size would likewise mean less healthy Rage victims would arrive much later than healthy victims. The military would be able to fairly easily drive the essentially midnless infected into narrow chokepoints and gun them down en masse. APCs and tanks would be essentially impervious to the infected except in very large groups. Obviously the military would eventually break down, but it would take several days of constant fighting; most likely they would simply run out of ammunition and have to retreat.
 

Hnau

Banned
Ah, I love these attempts at capturing the magnificence of 28 Days Later in timeline format. I also attempted a timeline years ago when Weeks was coming out. There must be several now here at AH.com. I applaud your efforts and find it very enjoyable to read. Right on. The questions that always occupied me during the creation of my own 28 Days Later TL was "How many British people will survive in the aftermath? How many will be evacuated? How many will be caught overseas? How many will survive in Northern Ireland or the Isle of Man or other holdouts? What would be the consequences for the global economy and geopolitics, especially during the earliest days of the War on Terror?" So awesome. Keep it up!
 
It seems a bit unrealistic that the infected would be so easily able to break military blockades. While they would have overall numerical superiority, distances and numerous delaying targets of opportunity would mean that most would be fairly strung out and arrive in groups of a couple thousand rather than all at once. Difefrences in strength and size would likewise mean less healthy Rage victims would arrive much later than healthy victims. The military would be able to fairly easily drive the essentially midnless infected into narrow chokepoints and gun them down en masse. APCs and tanks would be essentially impervious to the infected except in very large groups. Obviously the military would eventually break down, but it would take several days of constant fighting; most likely they would simply run out of ammunition and have to retreat.

That was actually one of the main issues i had with 28 days later too, the virus would have taken longer than 28 days to spread nationwide, especially when it began to get into less populated areas further north. But for the sake of sticking with cannon i had to have the virus spreading as quickly as in the film.
 
But for the sake of sticking with cannon i had to have the virus spreading as quickly as in the film.

I do not want to be rude, because I am liking this TL a lot, but... Why? If one wants canon, they can go and watch the film, after all. The most interesting TLs based in unrealistic novels/movies is when they that that premise and try to make it realistic.
 
I do not want to be rude, because I am liking this TL a lot, but... Why? If one wants canon, they can go and watch the film, after all. The most interesting TLs based in unrealistic novels/movies is when they that that premise and try to make it realistic.

Thats quite a good point, never thought of it like that.
 

JSmith

Banned
I do not want to be rude, because I am liking this TL a lot, but... Why? If one wants canon, they can go and watch the film, after all. The most interesting TLs based in unrealistic novels/movies is when they that that premise and try to make it realistic.
I disagree in this case. What makes this premise so interesting in part is the idea of a disease so virulent and deadly that it could take down one of the worlds greatest powers in just 28 days-maybe 30 :eek: I think that if you change that too much you dilute a powerful aspect of the story.
 

JSmith

Banned
Ah, I love these attempts at capturing the magnificence of 28 Days Later in timeline format. I also attempted a timeline years ago when Weeks was coming out. There must be several now here at AH.com. I applaud your efforts and find it very enjoyable to read. Right on. The questions that always occupied me during the creation of my own 28 Days Later TL was "How many British people will survive in the aftermath? How many will be evacuated? How many will be caught overseas? How many will survive in Northern Ireland or the Isle of Man or other holdouts? What would be the consequences for the global economy and geopolitics, especially during the earliest days of the War on Terror?" So awesome. Keep it up!
This is what I tried to start to do with my TL but didnt quite get there. I'm really pulling for this one to succed.
 
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I disagree in this case. What makes this premise so interesting in part is the idea of a disease so virulent and deadly that it could take down one of the worlds greatest powers in just 28 days-maybe 30 :eek: I think that if you change that too much you dilute a powerful aspect of the story.

If you get a basic premise so unrealistic than you simply cannot apply supension of disbelief, than you do worse than diluting the story, you kill it. A disease than only can spread by normal(ish) walking people, rather than actual zombies than do not need to even breathe to cross rivers, who has an incubation period so fast than you cannot spread it by plane or train, and whose spreaders are facing armed opposition all the way, needs far more than a month to cover a thousand kilometers.
 
Panic
As news broke that London had fallen, the next day a minutes silence was held across the country in memory of those that died.

Meanwhile, the infection continued to spread northwards, generally in a northeasternly direction, with army blockades on the M1 being overrun with rampaging hordes of infected, leading to outbreaks of infection in Sheffield exactly two weeks after the first outbreak.

Scientists accross the country scrambled to develop a vaccine to the virus, with aid from scientists from the CDC and ECDC, but progress was painstakingly slow, and some of the labs overrun as the infection spread or as test subjects escaped their confines.

Attempts at evacuating Sheffield were haphazard and chaotic at best, with some evacuation centres not even opening and not enough buses or trains to get people out. Roads were gridlocked resulting in many drivers being killed as they tried to evacuate. Power failures did not help matters either as people struggled to flee the city in the darkness. Rotherham, Stocksbridge and Barnsley fell the same night or early the next morning with thousands of people losing their lives.

Army units began to disintegrate or desert their posts when they started running out of ammo and supplies, and morale seemingly collapsing as the virus spread uncontrollably, allowing the virus to spread almost unchecked by authorities in some areas.

Further west, the infection was spreading towards Manchester and Liverpool, and outbreaks were starting to occur in Wales also, but due to the smaller population of Wales compared to England's, the virus spead slower there, until it reached the capital Cardiff.

On 17 May, thirteen days into the outbreak, a large crowd of infected tried to break through the 35th blockade south east of Liverpool, and were beat back by troops from the 4th mechanised brigade, but once they began to run out of ammunition and supply lines began to collapse, the end came swiftly for the defenders of Liverpool.

The remants of the 4th Mechanised retreated into the city centre, fighting the infected all the way, trying to buy time for the city's population to escape by ferry and plane over the Irish Sea to Ireland, or in some cases the Isle of Man.

The infected advanced eastwards from the ruined city of Liverpool in pursuit of retreating survivors from the army and refugees who couldnt make it out by sea. By 18 May, they had reached the outskirts of Manchester, which was arguably the most brutal engagement of the outbreak.

The infected rampaged through St Helens and Warrington, and rampaged along M602 motorway, killing motorists as they fled the city.

The main blockade on the M602 was defended by the 42nd(North West) Brigade which was based out of nearby Preston, commanded by Major Henry West after the CO, Brigadier John Reynolds, and second in command Colonel Michael Patterson were Killed in Action.

The brigade, despite coming under near constant attack for several days, held out for a long time, even after the virus overrun Manchester.

Manchester was in a perilous position, as it was blocked off from the north and west by the infected, and everything to the south was a warzone. The city itself was suffering for what was bascially complete societal collapse. Running water had been shut off, power had completely failed in the area and sewage overflowed as rubbish piled up in the streets, as there was no fuel for refuse collection trucks. Hospitals were working by candlelight as backup generators began to fail, all schools, colleges and universities were closed indefinatley and Old Trafford Stadium had been turned into a refugee centre. The few police who had not deserted their posts struggled to cope with the increase in crime, as looters stole what they could from the few shops that remained open. Summary executions became common place for looters and rapists and food or fuel hoarders. Funeral pyres in back gardens were the order of the day as disease spread with the collapse of sanitation, and mass graves were dug in public parks or bodies just dumped in churches.

As the situation in the city became untennable, it became clear that evacuation was the only option. The evacuation of Manchester was to go northeast along the M62 into Bradford and Leeds and from there, towards Newcastle, where ferries were going to and fro everyday between England and Norway carrying refugees.

The infected broke into Manchester from the south and east on the night of 18 May, with elements of the 42nd Brigade, the 11th Light Brigade and survivors of Greater Manchester police, as well as some of the Royal Artillery holding the line. MLRS and howitzers pounded the infected in the city centre, as did appache gunships and RAF Tornado jets.

The Battle of Manchester ignited a massive firestorm that would sweep the city for weeks afterwards, the flames could not be tamed by the remnants of Manchester Fire and Rescue Service. The inferno forced what was left of the city's defences to flee towards the east coast of England. Thousands of people who had barricaded themselves in their homes commited suicide rather than burn to death or face the infected. The raging inferno drove thousands of infected out of Manchester resulting in nearby towns and villages being swarmed.

The government knew things were falling apart, and that the military was too overstretched to regain control, or even hold what remained of the country. It was time to cut and run, and save as many lives as possible. What remained of the British cabinet, operating from the now fortified city of York, began to discuss how to evacuate the entire surviving population of the UK to Europe.

The map below shows the general layout of central England and Wales, if anyone is unsure of the geography of the UK. (New capital York is in the north east of the map)

Staffordshire-Way.gif
 
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Then im going to have to figure out a way for the infection to spread through the Yorkshire Dales, the Lake District and the Moors. I just dont see how the infection could penetrate that since there is no human hosts there for it to spread to. Thinking cap time i think:p
 
The Queen is dead, Long live the King
"This is BBC News from Edinburgh. This morning Her Majesty the Queen died. The palace announced that Her Majesty died at 7:55 AM this morning of a heart attack. Her eldest son, Charles, Prince of Wales, will take the throne, although a coronation date has yet to be set. The Queen will be buried in the castle grounds, at a ceremony attended by family and castle staff on Saturday. She won much praise from the public for her decision to remain at Windsor Castle and not go to the saftey of Balmoral Castle, Scotland with Prince Charles." - BBC News report 12:30 PM 19 May 2002.

The sudden death of HM Queen Elizabeth II came as a shock to an already shocked nation, and only damaged the already weakened national morale even further. The governments announcement only a few hours later would serve another blow to public morale. Tony Blair went on national TV at 2:25 PM that day, and made the following address from York :

"Her Majesty reigned over this realm for many years. For most of us she was the only monarch we have ever known. Yet even with her passing there is hope. Hope that our nation will rise again. Hope that the end is in sight. Hope that this dreadful blight will soon be lifted from our green and pleasant land. We must stand firm and united, as one, and face this evil together. Like Her Majesty, we will be strong and we will remain resolute. Last night, it was agreed that this plague cannot be allowed to spread any further. I have ordered a mandatory evacuation for all citizens living south of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, the North York Moors, and the Lake District. Those evacuated will be taken to temporary accomodation in Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern areas of England, as well refugee camps in Europe. This decision was taken under advice i have recieved from both military and medical professionals regarding this virus. The simple fact is, if we remove the potential hosts of the virus, i.e., the public, and take them someplace safe, further north, the virus will have no one to infect as it cannot spread any further without more hosts, eventually it will burn itself out. Then we can begin to rebuild out nation, it will take years, perhaps decades, it will take perceverance and patience, it will take teamwork and community spirit. It will take faith. We can do it, together. We have already gotten through the worst i believe." - Prime Minister Anthony Lynton Blair - 2:25 PM 19 May 2002 (Day 15)

The cities of Southampton, Portsmouth, Plymouth and Brighton on the south coast, as well as York, Hull, Bradford, Leeds, Preston, Wakefield, Lancaster and Blackpool in the north were all to be fully evacuated over the next 48 hours before the infection hit those cities. Many would get out in time, but millions more would die in the chaos that ensued. The governments evacuation of over 5 million people from England and North West Wales was hailed as the biggest rescue operation in history, swaddling the Dunkirk evacuation by several magnitudes.

The Prime Minister and remaining members of his government and military command left York at 10:00 PM that night in an RAF helicopter and offically moved the national capital, for a second time, this time to Edinburgh, until London could be reclaimed. They would settle in Holyrood Palace, surrounded by the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and Lothian and Borders Police.
 
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In the U.S....

There would be constant news coverage of the events in Britain on CNN and MSNBC, while the networks would broadcast half-hour news updates on the situation in Britain.

More, more!!!!
 
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JSmith

Banned
Then im going to have to figure out a way for the infection to spread through the Yorkshire Dales, the Lake District and the Moors. I just dont see how the infection could penetrate that since there is no human hosts there for it to spread to. Thinking cap time i think:p

Well if there is a small population perhaps most of it is easily evacuated and the infection spreads there from Rage victims from farther south? But forgive my ignorance are these regions south of Scotland or southern Scotland?
 
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JSmith

Banned
A disease than only can spread by normal(ish) walking people, rather than actual zombies than do not need to even breathe to cross rivers, who has an incubation period so fast than you cannot spread it by plane or train, and whose spreaders are facing armed opposition all the way, needs far more than a month to cover a thousand kilometers.
But in this case it didnt. I still say that this timeframe is a basic and critical element to the story. Change it too much and its just another end of the world zombie apocalypse story.
 
Well if there is a small population perhaps most of it is easily evacuated and the infection spreads there from Rage victims from farther south? But forgive my ignorance are these regions south of Scotland or southeren Scotland?

These regions are south of Scotland, they're in the north of England not too far from the border. Ive only driven through the area once or twice but its mostly just fields and trees and lakes with a few towns and rest stops. The map below is of Southern Scotland/Northern and central England


north-england.jpg
 
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JSmith

Banned
These regions are south of Scotland, they're in the north of England not too far from the border. Ive only driven through the area once or twice but its mostly just fields and trees and lakes with a few towns and rest stops.
Ah so the infection would have to go through there to get to Scotland to satisfy the "mainland Britian being destroyed" aspect of the canon.
 
Ah so the infection would have to go through there to get to Scotland to satisfy the "mainland Britian being destroyed" aspect of the canon.

The infection can parhaps spread up through the stalled lanes of traffic on the motorways as refugees evacuate from England into Scotland, thats the only thing i can come up with so far.
 

JSmith

Banned
The clogged traffic lanes is a great idea.Also maybe it happened in part due to something involving some evacuation boats or barges that were attacked by some infected in the water? The infected left on those conveyances then wash up in these areas and/or southern,middle or northern Scotland? Perhaps the infection spread south into these areas from Scotland?
 
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JSmith

Banned
We also see an example of wildlife spreading the virus as the crow feasting on a Rage victim causes a drop of infected blood to drop into Franks eye and infects him. Maybe wildlife,besides the infected chimps, somehow help pass along the virus in various ways. Not saying other wildlife were actually infected as the virus was apparently limited to primates and as per the military man in 28 Weeks Later " didnt go cross species".
 
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JSmith

Banned
There may have also been a few cases of people who were immune to the virus,like Alice and Andy, that became infected but were not symptomatic who then went to non-infected areas and subsequently infected others through passage of saliva or blood.


No reason why it cant be a combination of all of these or even more.

All of these reasons also allow for a much quicker spread of the virus besides people just running around spreading it on foot.
 
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