Ravage: An Apocalyptic Horror Novel

by Iain Rob Wright

  Annaliese had no idea, but Greg’s eagerness to count the strangers out was beginning to get on her nerves. The only thing that was clear was that the strangers down below were working together and watching each other’s back.

  Probably the only reason they’re still alive.

  “Maybe, we can run a distraction of our own,” Mike suggested, a couple feet to her left. “Try and draw the infected away from them.”

  “No way!” Shawcross objected from a few feet away. “You’ll get us killed.”

  Mike shrugged and looked to Annaliese for her opinion.

  He respects my opinion more than Shawcross’s.

  Unfortunately, she had to agree with Shawcross, however much she did not want to. “We can’t risk it,” she told Mike. “We’ll just end up bringing the infected up here.”

  He didn’t put up any argument. He just sighed and let his gaze drift back down to the struggling survivors. “Man…that sucks.”

  Annaliese watched the stranger in the long black coat enter the woods with the old woman. He reappeared a moment later without her. He seemed to exchange a few words with the man on the roof, and then climbed through a window at the side of the building. The man on the roof continued keeping the infected bunched together at the front.

  Time went by and nothing happened. Annaliese stood silently by, gazing down at the scene below. Her skin felt tight around her bones and her heart beat too fast.

  Then something began to happen.

  “The infected people are heading into the café,” she said. “Look!”

  The infected were shuffling into the café, clambering through the broken windows. After a while, the man stranded on the roof was able to head to the back of the building without any of the infected paying attention. Annaliese watched in amazement as the other man, the one in the black coat, exited the building from a side window and then raced around the back to join his colleague, who was now jumping down off the roof to join him. Within seconds, both men had disappeared into the treeline.

  “They did it,” said Mike. “Good for them!”

  “But where are they heading next?” Shawcross enquired.

  “Hopefully, they’ll make it up here,” said Alan, rubbing a hand against his moustache. “They’ll be safe with us.”

  “If they don’t end up leading all of those infected up the hill with them,” said Annaliese. “We discussed this and I’m not sure having people joining us is a good idea.”

  There was silence in the group as they digested the possibilities. The truth was that none of them could know for sure what was best. The other group of survivors could have knowledge they didn’t, medical supplies, weapons. But they could also be dangerous, insane, or infected. One thing was certain, though: if the other survivors tried to make it up the hill, no one could exactly stop them.

  “You know what this means?” said Greg.

  “What?”

  “It means that we’re surrounded. There’re infected people down there in the hundreds. There’s another few dozen trapped inside Ripley Hall. It’s pretty clear that there’s no rescue out there to be had. If there was, then what are those people down there doing running for their lives?”

  It was a grim realisation, made even grimmer when Annaliese spotted another group of survivors running out of the woods below, like ants disturbed from cracks in the mud. This new group of people, running frantically across the car park, contained the two men and the old lady from the café. They were all being chased by two infected people that came out the woods right behind them. The horde from inside the café also spotted them running and had now piled back outside. The group of survivors had nowhere to run. They had no hope.

  No hope at all.

  But then the group below seemed to have an idea. They altered the angle of their run and began heading for the base of the hill. They seemed to have a destination in mind.

  The cable cars.

  They sprinted for the station at the foot of the hill and actually seemed like they were going to make it. The only problem was that they were leaving the old woman behind. As they leapt inside two of the cable cars, sliding the doors shut, the old woman fell beneath the tide of infected people and disappeared.

  “Jesus!” said Mike. “Poor old girl.”

  Annaliese shook her head in horror as she watched the horde of infected surround the two cable cars and begin to rock them violently.

  “They’re going to get ripped apart,” Greg said. “Those cable cars won’t hold for long.”

  Annaliese glanced around. The upper cable car station was several meters in front of her, adjacent to a large cement platform. The control booth was a small shed, made from concrete and sporting a long glass window. Without telling the others what she was doing, she ran towards it.

  Mike was the only one who followed her. All of the others stood, staring down the hill in astonishment at what they were seeing.

  “What are you doing?” Mike asked, entering the station behind her. There were two dormant cable cars, the opposite numbers to the ones at the bottom of the hill. There was also a small console set into a steel podium at the far side of the platform. She hurried over to it.

  “The park still has power,” she said to Mike. “If we switch on the cable cars then those people will climb to the top of the hill.”

  “To safety,” said Mike.

  “Exactly.” Annaliese eyed a small silver key that was inserted into the console. Next to it was a green, circular button that said START.

  “You said it would be a bad idea to let people up here.”

  Annaliese nodded. “I did say that, didn’t I?”

  She turned the key and the cable motors came to life. The carriages began to rattle on their moorings.

  “You sure about this?” Mike asked her. “These people could be dangerous. They could bring the monsters up here with them.”

  Annaliese looked Mike in the eyes. “If we leave them down there to die, then we become the monsters.”

  She pressed the green button on the console that said START.

  PART THREE: DEATH

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Nick craned his neck, trying to get the best look possible at the figure atop the hill. Ominously, the silhouetted stranger stood rooted to the spot, staring down at them as they got closer and closer.

  “What do you see?” Jan asked him.

  “Not sure. There’s someone waiting at the top for us, but I can’t make them out. The sun is in my eyes.”

  “I hope they’re friendly,” Cassie said, staring down at her feet as she sat on the cable car’s bench.

  “Me too. But, given what we’ve been through, they can’t be any less friendly than we’re used to. They saved us by turning on the cables.”

  The car continued to climb. The one with Dave and the others inside was right behind. Nick suddenly started to feel like a fish on a hook. If the people on the hill meant harm, then there was nothing they could do to escape. They were being reeled in; five hundred feet above the ground and about to encounter a group of strangers in a world that had become very unfamiliar, very dangerous.

  “We’re almost there,” Jan said. He was wrenching his large hands nervously.

  Nick didn’t say anything. He was too tense. In the world that existed only a few days ago, meeting a stranger was no big deal. Now it was monumental.

  The cable car levelled out at the top of the hill and entered the upper station. There was a man and woman standing there on the platform, anticipating their approach. They seemed cautious.

  Nick’s cable car rounded the apex and began heading back on itself. For a moment, it felt like their hosts were going to send them all the way back down again, but then he realised that they were just waiting for Dave’s cable car to ascend onto the platform, too. When both cars were in the station, the motors stopped abruptly.

  “Stay where you are,” said the woman on the platform. Nick saw that she was rugged, yet attractive; probably in her thirties. She w
ore a thick shirt and wellington boots, and was appraising them from behind some sort of control column.

  He put his hands in the air and stood in the open doorway of the cable car. “We’re not dangerous.”

  “Nor are we,” said the man who stood beside the woman. “Unless we have to be.”

  Nick knew the man wasn’t making a threat. He was just being cautious and making it clear that the newcomers were expected to play nice.

  And I intend to play nice. I just want to find somewhere safe and think about my son and wife.

  The door to the other cable car opened. Dave stepped out.

  “Hey,” said the woman on the platform. “Stay where you are.”

  Dave carried on approaching, despite the order not to. He waved a hand and laughed heartily. “Don’t be afraid, sweetheart. We’re grateful for your rescue. My name is Dave and-”

  “I said stay where you are!”

  Dave took the hint this time and stayed still. He placed his hands out in front of him. “Alright, luv, whatever you say.”

  The woman placed her hands on her hips. “I’m nobody’s luv. And you haven’t been rescued, yet. That will be decided in the next thirty seconds.”

  Dave is going to ruin this for us all, Nick thought as he watched the woman bristle and take offence.

  Several other people appeared on the platform and Nick counted that their hosts numbered at least six. All of the strangers carried makeshift weapons.

  About the same size as our group.

  A ginger-haired man approached the woman in wellington boots and seemed furious with her. “What the hell have you done, Anna?” he shouted. “We have no idea who these people are.”

  “We’re not dangerous,” Nick assured them.

  “Be quiet!” ordered the ginger man.

  “There’s no need for rudeness,” Dave said.

  The ginger man stepped forwards, getting up close to Dave. There was a brief stare-off between them. “I don’t think you’re in any position to discuss etiquette with me, sir. You have arrived on my property and I will decide how things proceed from here.”

  “You own this place?” Dave asked, seemingly impressed.

  “I am Mr Shawcross, the manager of Ripley Hall.”

  Dave huffed. “You’re just an employee. You don’t own this place any more than I do.”

  Jan leaned close to Nick. “What is he doing? He’s going to get us all kicked right back down this hill.”

  Nick stepped out of the cable car and took a few steps forward. “Look,” he said. “My companion is being a little rude, but I promise you that we will respect whatever you say. We just want to find somewhere safe. Things have gotten really bad down below. Everywhere is in chaos.”

  The woman in wellingtons stared at him. “You’ve seen the towns? Is there any order left at all?”

  “None. People are infected with some disease and there’s nothing but chaos everywhere. That’s not the worst of it, though. The dead-”

  “Are walking,” the woman finished. “We know. We’ve had our fair share of encounters.”

  Nick deflated. He hadn’t wanted to hear that. “So it’s not safe here, either?”

  The woman shrugged. “It’s…secure, for now.”

  “Great,” said Dave, rubbing his hands together. “Then we’re lucky to have found you.”

  The woman glowered at Dave and took a few, measured breaths. “You seem to have a problem controlling your mouth, sweetheart! Now, I want you to take a long look at what you’re facing. All of my people have weapons and know how to use them. None of your people have anything except a bad attitude. I’m going to give you one last chance to make a good impression on me, or we’re going to send you back down that hill before you have chance to open your mouths again.”

  Dave’s face scrunched up in a scowl. He went to speak, but Nick cut him off.

  “We apologise,” he said. “My name is Nick Adams. I was a phone salesman a few days ago. I had a wife and a son and a mortgage. Now, all I have are the people I’m with, and my faith in human nature. We’re all desperate and afraid, but I promise you that we’re good people. Even Dave here, once you get to know him.”

  The woman studied Dave and then took a long, appraising look at Nick. Eventually, she said, “My name is Annaliese. You can call me Anna.”

  “What are you doing?” the ginger man shouted.

  “Making the best of a bad situation,” she replied. “They’re here now. We can’t exactly send them back down the hill, can we?”

  “Thank you,” Nick said.

  “Just don’t make me regret saving your arses,” she told him. “I don’t make a habit of trusting people.”

  “Me either, but I’m glad you’ve made an exception. Is it okay if we all get out now?”

  She nodded.

  Everyone got out of the cable cars and formed a huddle on the platform. As soon as they did, the ginger man spotted Jan and Renee.

  “Those two are convicts!” he shouted.

  “Easy there, brother,” Jan said. “Me and Renee are cool.”

  “Like hell you are! You need to leave.”

  “Where exactly do you expect us to go?”

  “I don’t care, but you’re not staying here.”

  Nick stood in front of Jan and Renee and shook his head. “They’re good people. They were sprung loose when things got crazy and they’ve more than proven their courage since they joined up with us. In fact, Jan has already risked his life for other people and saved my life personally.”

  “None of that means anything to us,” said the ginger man. “Criminals are not to be trusted.”

  “Come on,” Nick pleaded. “Have some mercy.” He stared at Annaliese, hoping that she would continue to show compassion.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I won’t feel safe with a couple of criminals amongst us.”

  Nick couldn’t believe it. “Then what are you suggesting?”

  “Lock us up,” Jan interrupted.

  Annaliese frowned. “What do you mean, lock you up?”

  “I mean, that if you feel criminals should be locked up, then put Renee and me somewhere secure and we’ll stay there and behave, as long as you feed us. But please don’t turn everyone away because of mistakes I made years ago.”

  Annaliese seemed to consider things. “Okay,” she eventually said. “We’ll find some place to put you. But if you try anything, we’ll put you down like dogs.”

  Jan raised an eyebrow. “Damn, lady. You sure you’ve never spent time inside, yourself?”

  She shook her head. “Nope. I’m just a pissed-off vet with no more fucks left to give.”

  “Then I think we understand one another,” said Nick.

  “This is a bad idea,” said the ginger man. “They could all be criminals for all we know.”

  “Perhaps,” she admitted. “But, right now, we’re all trying to stay alive against the same threat. I think it’s in our best interests to trust one another.”

  “The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” said Jan.

  She nodded. “But sometimes friends become enemies, too, so don’t cross me.”

  “Well, then,” Dave said, obviously feeling confident to start speaking again. “Are you going to show us around? Now that it’s been decided we’re staying.”

  The ginger man sighed. “Fine. I’ll give you all a tour and find somewhere for your illicit companions to stay.”

  Annaliese shrugged her shoulders apologetically towards Nick. “This friendly soul is Shawcross, by the way.”

  Shawcross raised an eyebrow at them all. “I wish I could say the pleasure was all mine. Welcome to Ripley Heights.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Eve was turning on the spot and taking the whole place in. “I can’t believe I’m here again,” she said. “God, the memories…” She pointed at a nearby carousel that had dragons instead of horses. “That’s the Magic Circle. My sister and I used to go on that all the time. And look, there,” she point
ed at a rollercoaster at the edge of the park. “I think that’s The Hood, if I remember correctly.”

  “You do,” said Shawcross. “It’s been repainted recently, but it’s the same old ride. I take it you visited here as a child?”

  “Lots of times,” Eve gushed. Nick liked her excitement. It was the first positive emotion any of them had felt for days and it was infectious.

  “We need to be careful,” said Annaliese. “We’re pretty sure the zoo is safe, but we haven’t explored the amusement park yet.”

  “Thank you again for helping us,” Nick said. “We were doomed otherwise.”

  “I just hope you haven’t brought all those infected up the hill with you.”

  “I don’t think so. They seem to lose interest when they can’t see you.”

  Annaliese nodded. “You noticed that too, huh? So how did you survive the last couple days?”

  “Dave picked us up in his bus. We drove around for a while and then ran out of petrol in the nearby woods. I think luck has more to do with it than anything else.”

  “Dave, the guy that doesn’t know when to shut his mouth?”

  Nick nodded. “That’s him. He was pretty much our saviour to begin with, but I’ve been beginning to change my mind about him since.”

  Annaliese stopped and looked at him. “He’s not going to be a problem, is he?”

  “No, no, of course not. At least…I don’t think so.”

  She shook her head and started walking again. “Great, what have I let myself in for?”

  “I promise he’ll behave,” Nick said, but wondered if he could even control such a thing.

  Annaliese smiled and folded her arms like a stern, yet fair teacher. “I’ll just have to trust you then, Nick.”

  He smiled at her. The group came to a stop up ahead. They were standing in a midway games area. There were several prize huts, like basketball, hook a duck, and an Arabian Derby skeet ball booth. There was also one of those laser-target shooting gallery with animated props. It was strange being at a place of fun in such dire circumstances.

  “Right,” said Shawcross, clapping his hands together and getting everyone’s attention. “The Big Dog restaurant and pub is just up ahead. We need to start stockpiling supplies and looking for anything of use. I’d say that with the soft furnishings inside Big Dog, and the fact that it has cooking facilities, it would make an ideal place for us to situate ourselves while we ride this thing out. I believe there is also a cellar where we can accommodate our…less desirable guests.”