Savage: An Apocalyptic Horror Novel

by Wright, Iain Rob

  “Stop him from what? You’ll get me killed for saying things like this.”

  “Dying is better than living beneath the throne of a despot.”

  “You sound crazy.”

  “Perhaps I am; but I’m not wrong.”

  “If Samuel finds out, I can’t help you.”

  “I know. Don’t worry about what happens to me, Damien. You just keep yourself safe.”

  “Some chance of that. I’ve come back onboard without doing my job for a second time.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean your buddy, Tim, is still alive. He’s out there on that pier now, and when Samuel finds out he’s probably going to kill everyone there.”

  Harry looked sick to his stomach. “How many?”

  Damien shrugged. “A handful. There’s a kid with them.”

  Harry rubbed at his forehead with the heel of his fist. For a moment it looked like he might collapse. “You can’t let him hurt a bunch of innocent people, Damien. Don’t you see that this proves what I’m saying? Only a monster would be so intent on causing death. You’ve seen his temper before. What right does he have to attack those people at the pier?”

  “Maybe you should have thought about that before you helped Tim escape. He’s the real reason those people are in danger. You still haven’t told me how you two ever got involved with one another.”

  Harry sat back down on the bed. He cleared his throat and rubbed at his temples for a moment before speaking. “One night, my headaches were pretty bad, so I went outside to get some air. I found Tim on the promenade deck, hanging over the edge and looking down at the sea.”

  “He was going to jump?”

  Harry nodded. “I asked him what was wrong and he just said “I couldn’t stop it.” “Stop what?” I asked. He looked at me and said that he “couldn’t prevent the end of the world.” My reaction was to laugh. Nobody could have stopped the end of the world, so why was this guy beating himself up about it? I told him not to blame himself; what could he possibly have done? That’s when he told me, “I could have killed the man responsible.””

  “He told you that man was Samuel Raymeady?”

  Harry shook his head. “Not at first, but I convinced him to get down from the edge and have a drink with me.”

  Damien raised any eyebrow. “You don’t drink.”

  “I did that night. I fell off the wagon so that Tim could share his story with me over a couple bottles of beer. I told him I was ten years sober but that I was making an exception to be his friend. I could tell it meant a lot to him to have someone to talk to for an evening, but it was still several days before he told me his story. When he did he told me how he’d been following Samuel Raymeady since the man was a boy. Tim told me about all the things he’d witnessed and researched over the last two decades – all of the money Black Remedy funnelled into secret medical research projects and the heavy funding they gave universities working on epidemiology – but he was too late to stop any of it. Samuel Raymeady wiped out the world without anybody ever suspecting him – anybody except for Tim and handful of kooks he called friends. Tim knew everything, but nobody important would listen. When the virus was finally released, it was too late for anyone to do anything. There was no hope.

  “The final stage of Samuel’s plan hinged on rescuing people with a Royal Navy ship. Three years ago, Black Remedy managed to tie up a contract for four new destroyers to be built. That was when the plan went into motion. Samuel needed a flagship for his new nation and Black remedy were given the excuse to build it. Captain Raymeady would be the saviour of mankind, the new messiah.”

  Damien stared at his friend in disbelief. “This is all the word of a madman. His mind is as crippled as his back. How are you so gullible?”

  “I believe him,” Harry said firmly. “And in the end, I hope that you do, too. Just open your eyes, Damien. Don’t let Samuel hurt the people on that pier. They’re innocent.”

  Damien sighed. “If Samuel is as maniacal as you say, then you know I have no way of stopping him from doing whatever he wants.”

  “I think you underestimate your own potential, Damien. I saw it the day I plucked you away from your life as a drug dealer. You’re a leader. You have courage; and people follow courage.”

  Damien couldn’t think of anything further from the truth. “I’m no leader, nor do I ever want to be one. I have one hand and a bad attitude. I’m the last person people would follow.”

  “Some leaders don’t have to lead men and women, they can lead by example. Do the right thing, Damien, and people will follow the path you leave them.”

  Damien had heard enough. Harry was beginning to sound more and more delusional. The days ahead were not going to be kind. Last time, Harry’s brain tumour had sent him into an almost constant state of mania. Damien had almost lost his only friend back then, but he had managed to get a second chance. This time there would be no reprieve.

  “I have to go,” Damien said. “It’s time I faced the music. If Samuel grows horns, I promise I’ll kill him.”

  FRANK

  “I was wondering when you’d grace us with your appearance,” said Frank when he saw Roman coming down the passageway. He’d received reports from petty officer Dunn shortly before dawn that Roman was back onboard, but it had taken until now for him to present himself. There was much that could be read into that.

  “Is Samuel in?” Roman asked with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. He knew very well that Samuel rarely left his chambers.

  “Samuel is always free to see you, Roman. Step inside.”

  They entered the captain’s chambers and found Samuel behind his desk as usual. Frank stood close by, hoping that Roman would bring his adopted son good news for once.

  Samuel got right to the point. “Is he dead?”

  Roman shrugged. “Who?”

  Samuel’s eyes narrowed and his lower lip trembled. “The cripple, the man who tried to blow me up. Is he dead? Was he at the pier?”

  The man who tried to blow us all up, Frank thought. I must remind Samuel that a leader says ‘we’ not ‘I’.

  “He was at the pier, yes,” said Roman. “The people there patched up his wounds and gave him a place to rest. He was up and about when I found him.”

  “But you dealt with him, I take it?”

  “No. He’s still at the pier. The people there didn’t play ball.”

  Samuel’s face creased. For a moment it looked like he might leap over his desk and throttle Roman. Frank sighed with relief when Samuel chose to remain calm. “So...the cripple is alive because of the people on this pier?”

  Roman seemed to struggle for a moment. His eyes flittered back and forth and his mouth opened and closed, searching for words. “I…I wouldn’t necessarily blame them. Tim told them a bunch of wild stories. He manipulated them into protecting him, but they didn’t know any better.”

  Sam’s expression darkened. “Tim? You use the man’s name. Did he manipulate you with his stories? Pray tell, what did he say? Was it about me? Some grand conspiracy, I’d imagine. I have heard it all before. But the people on the pier, they believe these stories about me?”

  Frank watched Roman struggle again for words. He’s trying to protect the people on the pier. Why?

  “The stories were nonsense,” Roman said. “I paid no notice, but he had longer to convince the people on the pier.”

  “Why did you not take Tim by force?” Samuel asked with venom. “You had two men with you. Two men who, might I add, did not return with you last night. Would you care to shed light on their location?”

  Roman swallowed and shifted uncomfortably. He was not his usual stoic self. There was fear in him today, but Frank doubted it was for himself. Roman was a man who cared little for self-preservation. That was why Samuel had found him so useful. A man without fear is a rare weapon. But there’s fear in him today. He’s trying to hide something.

  “Where are Fox and Birch?” Samuel asked.

  “Dead,”
said Roman.

  Frank spluttered. “Dead? How?”

  Samuel raised his hand for silence. “I’ll handle this, Frank.” He turned his charcoal eyes back to Roman. “Why are they dead? And who killed them?”

  Roman cleared his throat. “I-I killed Birch. He was out of control. Fox tried to calm him down, but got a knife in the chest for his efforts. I did everything I could to restrain Birch but he was wild. He caused everything that happened. I had to kill him just to stop him from dishonouring the fleet more than he already had.”

  Sam leapt up from his chair and sent pens skittering across the surface of his desk. His usually pale skin went bright red in an instant. Frank took a step backwards. “You killed Birch? You killed a member of the fleet?”

  “Yes. He gave me no choice.” Roman’s reckless disregard had returned to him and he looked ready for a fight. “As for the reason why, perhaps you should have warned me that Birch was a goddamn sex offender. They had a child at the pier and Birch tried to abduct her in the night. It was a right bleedin’ shambles.”

  “Is that the truth?” asked Frank, taken aback and feeling quite sick to his stomach. “That is…unfortunate.” The men and women of this fleet devolve by the day. Samuel’s already had to deal with a dozen rapes, thefts, and beatings, and more and more happen each day. Sometimes I think people left their humanity back on land.

  Roman glanced at Frank. “Yeah, no shit. When the people on the pier caught Birch, they were damn near ready to lynch all three of us. Rather than beg forgiveness, the moron tried to stab the little girl right in front of everybody. I had no choice but to put him down. Fox ended up being collateral damage when he tried to help me take Birch down. In the end I had to get out of there while I could. Things went bad, but the people on the pier were just defending themselves. It was Birch’s fault that things went so wrong. The cripple’s stories ended up holding so much weight because Birch played the role of the bad guy so effectively.”

  Frank had a feeling that wasn’t the entire truth – he’s hiding something – but Samuel didn’t challenge what had been said to him. In fact, he seemed to have calmed down completely. Some of the crimson seeped away from his cheeks and he stood up straight and loose, instead of hunched forward and confrontational. He placed his fingertips together in front of his face and let out a sigh. “If what you say is true, then I am at fault for not knowing my men better. These people on the pier, are they good people?”

  Roman answered without pause, “Yes. From what I saw they were all good people. They stick together and they look after one another. One of them must be pretty handy, because the cripple was patched up and walking again after I left him half-dead.”

  “But they protected him when you asked to take him into custody? This terrible man who tried to take hundreds of innocent lives? “

  Roman nodded.

  “And in doing so,” Samuel continued. “Two members of the fleet were murdered and the mighty Roman was sent back to me with his tail between his legs.”

  Roman shifted on the spot. “Yes, but-”

  “Then the people on the pier are my enemies, and they must be dealt with accordingly.” Samuel turned to Frank. “Frank, tell the gunnery sergeant to fire on the pier.”

  Frank spluttered. “Sorry, Samuel? You want us to fire on them?”

  “You heard me. Fire on them. If what Roman says is true, then they’re harbouring a terrorist. That makes them as guilty as he is.”

  “Wait a second,” Roman said. “You don’t need to do this. I’ll meet with them again, explain the consequences if they don’t hand Tim over.”

  Samuel grimaced at the sound of the man’s name being spoken once more. Frank winced too because he knew the reaction it would illicit. Samuel glared at Roman. “I would be very careful how you conduct yourself, Roman. You have failed me again, and if it is not the fault of these other survivors, then it is yours. Should I fire on them, or should I fire on you?”

  “Me,” Roman said without pause. “Punish me, not a bunch of innocent men and women. They’re just trying to survive.”

  “Well, they’re doing a pretty bad job of it, because I’m about to destroy them. Frank, I won’t ask you again. Give the order, and take this man out of my sight before my mood worsens further.”

  Frank wavered. He knew his son was quick to temper, but there seemed to be zero doubt in Samuel’s command. He wanted the pier destroyed. “I…Samuel, I think-”

  Samuel gave him a look so harsh that it almost made Frank want to weep. It was a look no man wanted to receive from his son – adopted or otherwise. “Do not even think about arguing, Frank. I am the captain of this ship and I have given my command. Now see it done.”

  Frank nodded.

  Roman was standing in front of Sam’s desk and staring in disbelief, but Frank could see that his initial shock was rapidly giving way to anger. Frank grabbed Roman and took him away before he did anything stupid. Outside, in the corridor, he had to restrain the younger man from rushing back inside and confronting Samuel. “Let go of me,” he shouted. “He can’t do this. It’s wrong.”

  “It’s war,” Frank told him resignedly. It wasn’t the first act of wanton aggression he’d witnessed in his lifetime. His younger days in the army had been filled with a callous disregard for human life. I just hoped Samuel would be better than that.

  Roman looked at Frank like he was an idiot. “War? What war?”

  “The war of survival. In a harsh world, harsh methods are needed. If people doubt Samuel’s temerity, there’ll be chaos. Trust me, I served enough years as a soldier to understand that. I saw weak-willed captains shot in the back by their own men a dozen times over. In times of peace, mercy rules, but in times of war, mercy weakens.”

  Roman was shaking his head. He didn’t buy it. “So a bunch of innocent people have to die, just so Samuel can be seen to have a big pair of balls? This is wrong. I’m going to stop it.”

  “Like you stopped Birch and Fox?”

  Roman paused in the midst of his anger and stared at Frank. “What did you say?”

  Frank folded his arms and huffed. “I don’t buy the lynch mob story. Birch might have been a thug, but he could handle himself. Fox was as amiable as they come. I can see the people on the pier attacking Birch, but I don’t see Fox getting involved the way you tell it. I think there’s more to it than you’re letting on.”

  “You’re talking bollocks.”

  “Perhaps, but I’ve spent enough time around Samuel to learn how to read people well enough. If I can see through your lies, then I guarantee he will, too. If I was you, Roman, I would lie low and let the situation sort itself out.”

  “I can’t just let him fire on those people. They’re innocent. I have to stop it.”

  “You can’t and you won’t. You don’t give the orders around here, Samuel does, and the men aboard this boat love him. You act against him and you’ll be killed. You can’t do anything to help those people, so just focus on the next group we find that might be worth saving.”

  Roman shook his head, but the defiance had not yet left him. He held onto it like a loved one. “You give that order to fire, Frank, and you’re as guilty as Samuel. I hope that dead little girl fucking haunts you in your dreams.” Roman shook his head one last time and then walked away, shoving aside a startled engineer who had the misfortune to be standing in his way.

  Frank shook his head and sighed. Why is everybody so eager to rule from their pulpits? My son is doing his very best, but survival of the human race is no easy task. It’s a war for our very existence and harsh decisions must be made. Only great men can make the tough decisions. Samuel is a great man and people resent him for it, but they do not see that he is still a young man. He needs guidance…whether he asks for it or not.

  Roman is right. I cannot be party to this. Samuel will thank me in the end.

  Frank sighed, took a deep breath, and then went to give the firing orders to the Kirkland’s gunnery sergeant. When he got there
, he made sure to tell the man to ‘miss’.

  HUGO

  Hugo’s stomach was in knots. He’d been waiting on the aft deck of the Kirkland in the rain for almost three hours now, waiting for someone to take him to see the captain. The entire time, his daughters had been alone, back on the yacht with only Houdini to look after them. It was the first time he’d left them in almost a year, but the frigate was not a place for young girls and he preferred not to bring them along. It turned out to be a good judgement call.

  Hugo was disgusted by what he saw aboard the Kirkland. The civilians were dirty and unwashed, while the officers were arrogant and rude. They’d dismissed Hugo more than once and were less than helpful when he told them he wanted to report a crime. One or two of the officers had straight-out laughed at him. At least the officers were clean, though. The crew and civilians seemed to take no notice of their hygiene as they ran about completing their tasks. Their clothing was soiled and their hair was lank and greasy. It appeared that running a frigate was endless, sweaty work. I am fortunate to have my own yacht. The rules of hygiene still very much apply on the éternuer.

  Hugo’s hair and face were drenched, but he could not tell if it was from the light rain or the spray brought up by the Kirkland’s imposing prow. He was beginning to shiver. An officer strolled by and Hugo reached out to grab him. “I need to see Mr Raymeady.”

  The man curled his lip up at Hugo and said, “The captain is busy. If you would like to have a message sent to him, then you can write a note and give it to one of the stewards when they do their rounds. He may then summon you if he wishes.”

  Hugo sniffed at that. The stewards were meant to meet with the boats of the fleet once a day, but it was lucky if you saw them once a month. Their little Kodiak speedboat was more often filled with giggling women than messages from the fleet. Young men are as irresponsible today as they ever were.

  The officer shrugged free of Hugo’s grasp and marched away. Hugo was so frustrated that he was close to tears. A terrible crime had been committed, yet nobody wished to hear about it. It made him worry for his daughters; it was not good to raise them in a world where crime was not taken seriously. The fleet had always made him feel safe, but today that feeling of security was ebbing away, one rude dismissal at a time.