Chapter Text
Andy sat in stunned silence after the line had been cut and any attempt at getting through to Gwen had resulted in the standard out of service message.
He groaned as he stood up and tossed his mobile onto the couch.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck, seemed to be the only thought running through his head for several minutes as he paced back and forth across the living room floor.
Eventually, he managed to snap himself out of it and made his way toward his bedroom.
He got dressed in the dark, opting for his usual uniform as if today were a normal day and he was heading out for his early morning shift to catch those dog walkers who couldn’t be bothered to pick up their pet’s shit in the park instead of, quite possibly, heading out to face the end of the world.
Most days, he hated the uniform. He always seemed to overheat when he wore it, no matter how cold it was. The hat always seemed to sit a little unevenly on his head. And, on days he had to wear the hi-viz jacket, he felt like some sort of beacon. For what, he wasn’t quite sure.
Or maybe the hi-vis jacket made him more like some sort of amateur model wearing the new most terrible trend in haute couture. He’d seen the photos in the tabloids from the fashion weeks and wouldn’t put it past some designer to stick someone in one of the jackets and call it a day.
Either way, he felt that the bright yellow made him look even paler than he already was and it certainly wasn’t a flattering look.
But today, he found the uniform comforting. It seemed fitting to wear it as it society seemed poised to crumble at any moment.
Andy hurriedly filled his car with all the essentials and a few non-essential but sentimental items, before beginning the drive toward the station.
The streets were deserted and he was grateful. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if he saw a zombie. As it was, he wasn’t the most comfortable driver. It had taken him three tries to pass the test in the first place and he’d been hesitant behind the wheel ever since failing that first time.
It was the responsibility, he thought. The idea that, if he took his eyes off the road for one second, he could hit someone, terrified him. If he took a turn a little too sharply and a little too quickly, he could end up wrapped around a telephone pole and they’d be calling his mother with the bad news once they’d extracted him. If he didn’t slow down quick enough, or the driver behind him didn’t stop, he could end up barrelling through an intersection and crashing into someone else.
Luckily, he made it to the station without any issues and, as he pulled into the parking lot, he spotted two figures standing near the station’s front doors.
He was too far away to see if they were, well, people or not so he slowed the car to a crawl and approached them carefully, ready to peel out of the parking lot, if necessary.
As he drew nearer, he saw, to his relief, that they were people so he shut the car off a few feet in front of the entrance and got out of the car.
“He’s a policeman,” he heard one of them say as he rounded the front of the car and approached them.
“My name’s Andy, Andy Davidson,” he said.
“Colchester,” one of the men said, his voice deep and his gaze sharp as he stepped forward and held out his hand.
They shook hands before Andy turned to the other man.
“My name’s Colin,” he said as he offered Andy a tight smile and they shook hands. “We didn’t know where else to go,” he told Andy, “and we thought someone here might know what to do.”
Andy swallowed as he caught sight of the hope in Colin’s eyes.
“I-well…”
“Let me guess,” Colchester cut in. “You don’t know what you’re doing?”
“No!” Andy replied hastily. “I’ve got a plan. I’m meeting a friend at Pen Y Fan and I came here to gather some guns and then-”
“Ah, I see.” Colchester paused. “So, no one in your department has been in contact? The government has no plans? The police force is being, yet again, entirely useless? No one’s going to help us?” He gestured at himself and Colin furiously. “And the millions of civilians out there like us?”
Andy bristled. “Well, I-” He paused when he realized Colchester had a point and slumped his shoulders. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly as he looked down. “I’ll help you, though. Come with me to Pen Y Fan. If you want to, that is. I’m sure Gwen wouldn’t mind and-sorry, I’m rambling. Let’s just get inside, yeah? It isn’t safe out here.”
He stepped up to the door, swiped his ID card, and entered his pin number.
The door unlocked and he stepped aside to let Colin and Colchester into the station.