Ravage: An Apocalyptic Horror Novel (29 page)

Nick nodded.  “Would be dead if not for them. 
Hey, come to think of it, where
is
Cassie?”

The two women shrugged.  “I haven’t seen her since this
morning when we all woke up,” said Pauline.

“Me either,” said Eve.

Nick had a bad feeling.  “I think maybe we should go
find her.  Nobody should be on their own.”

Both women nodded.  Nick could tell they were getting
the same bad feeling that he was.  All three of them stood up and moved
away from the table.

“Hey, you two,” Nick addressed both Shawcross and
Dave.  “We’re just going to go find Cassie and then we’ll be right back,
okay?”

Both men were so busy arguing that they barely seemed to
notice.  Nick shrugged, and he and the women each crept through the window
and passed back outside.  They were careful not to step on any plates as
they headed into the park.

“You don’t think she’d try to hurt herself do you?” Eve
asked.

“I don’t know,” Nick admitted.  “But after all that has
happened, I wouldn’t blame anybody for wanting to take their own life.”

Nobody said anything for a while.  The tense silence
made it clear what they were all thinking.

Up ahead was the office building.  Annaliese had
explained that there were bodies inside one of the rooms.  It was the
unofficial morgue, and not somewhere to visit otherwise.  Beside the
offices was an open warehouse with a large truck parked outside.  Alan and
Michelle were both milling about inside.

“Hey,” Nick said to them as he entered the warehouse. 
He looked around at the various things piled up.  Like Mike had said,
there was a large stockpile of crated-up fireworks.  There were also
several cans of petrol, which seemed a little unsafe to be stored next to
commercial explosives.

Alan noticed Nick staring at the fireworks and
grinned.  His greying moustache pointed up at the corners.  “Quite
the collection, isn’t it?  And with all this petrol we might be able to
get the generator juiced back up if we need it.”

“What were all these fireworks meant for?” Eve asked,
picking up a blue and orange rocket and reading the label.

“I don’t know,” Alan said.  “Shawcross said the park
used to hold firework displays at Halloween, and New Year, et cetera.  I
guess they brought in bulk.”

“Makes sense, I guess,” said Nick.  “I hear there’s
been talk of using them as a signal if rescue arrives?”

Alan nodded.  “That’s what I’m doing now.
 Michelle and I are going to set up a crate of rockets at the edge of the
hill so we can set them off if we spot anyone in the villages.  We’ll
cover them up with some tarps I found to keep them dry.”

“Sounds good,” Nick said, then suddenly remembered what he
was supposed to be doing.  “Hey, have you two seen Cassie anywhere? 
Nobody has seen her for a while.”

A look of concern crossed Michelle’s face.  “No, I
haven’t seen her.  She’s okay, isn’t she?”

“I’m sure she is,” said Nick.  “Just need to check in
with her, that’s all.”

“Wish I could help you,” said Alan.  “But I can’t say
that I’ve seen her all day.”

“Okay, then we’ll leave you to it.”

That’s not good.  Nobody has seen her since this
morning.  Where would she have gone for so long?

On their way back out of the warehouse, Pauline made a
suggestion.  “Maybe, we’re overreacting.  She might just need some
alone time.”

Nick thought about the possibility.  Cassie had been
fragile from the beginning, and even more so after what Dash had tried to do to
her at
The Rainforest Café.
  He didn’t see her as the type of
person that would willingly seek solitude.  She would be far too nervous
to be alone.

“I don’t think she would wonder off without telling
anybody,” said Eve, echoing what Nick was thinking.  “But I’m not sure
she’d try to hurt herself, either.”

Nick stopped walking and looked at Eve.  “Really? 
What makes you so sure?”

Eve shrugged.  “I don’t know.  The way she’s been
talking the last few days, I suppose.  She told me how glad she was that
we were all safe and that she hoped rescue would arrive eventually.  She
was looking forwards, you know?”

“Then where is she?” Pauline asked.

“That’s what we need to find out,” said Nick.

They carried on walking and explored the zoo area of Ripley
Heights.  The various animals all went about their enclosures in the same
way they no doubt had before things went bad.  For them life was still the
same.  The rabbits were still just rabbits and the chickens were still
just chickens.  Life was no more complicated for them than it ever had
been.  Nick envied them.

Oh but to be a lowly badger.

Up ahead, they were coming back around to the orang-utan
enclosure.  Nick looked up at the treeline and was disappointed to see
that Lily was no longer there.  He hoped it wasn’t the last he’d see of
her.

“This is where the orang-utan was,” Nick said.

“Where is she now?” Eve asked excitedly.

“Looks like she’s gone.  Sorry.”

“That sucks.”

Pauline sighed.  “Isn’t Cassie our main concern right
now?”

Nick nodded.  “Yes, of course.”

Suddenly, Mike came speeding around the corner, right
towards them.

Instantly, Nick assumed the worst.  “You’ve found
Cassie, haven’t you?”

Mike nodded.  “Yeah, she’s at the restaurant.  I
came to come and get you.”

“At the restaurant?”  Pauline frowned.  “But we
just came from there.”

“She was in the cellar,” Mike explained.

Nick sighed.  He suddenly felt very weak.  “How
did she kill herself?”

Mike frowned in confusion.  “Kill herself?  She’s
not dead.”

“Then why have you come to get us?”

“Because she’s broken Jan and Renee out.  Your prisoner
friends have escaped.”

Chapter Thirty-One

“Cassie, what are you doing?” 
Nick had climbed through the window back into the restaurant and was surprised
to find Cassie with Renee and Jan.  All three of them were brandishing
knives.  Standing opposite, and also armed, were Dave and Shawcross. 
Mike, Eve, and Pauline decided to stay outside, not wanting to make a tense
situation even worse.

Cassie stared at Nick.  She was shaking like a leaf,
but seemed firm in her actions.  “We can’t keep Jan and Renee locked up
like animals anymore.  They deserve better.  Jan saved me.  He
saved you, too, Nick.  I’d feel safer with them both free.”

Nick nodded.  “I agree.  I never thought they
needed to be locked up in the first place.”

“Well, it’s not your decision,” said Shawcross.  “You
made a deal when we let you stay.”

“Bullshit,” Jan spat.  “We showed you good faith. 
We could have forced you to take us in, but we trusted in you being good
people.  But enough is enough.  Me and Renee aren’t staying locked up
a moment longer.  It’s been weeks.”

Shawcross shrugged his shoulders.  “Then you’ll have to
leave.”

Jan shook his head.  Renee stood unwaveringly beside
him.  “Leave?  Are you crazy?  There
is
no leaving
here.  We’re all stuck.”

“You’re not a part of this group,” said Shawcross.

“Yes, they are,” Cassie argued.

“Just put the knives down, Jan,” Dave said.  “This
isn’t how we do things.”

“Really,” said Jan.  “Is that what you were thinking
when you were trying to bash Kathryn’s skull in?  Seemed like you were
pretty willing to use force then.”

“If you’d let me then Carl would probably still be alive.”

Nick stepped forward, his hands out in front of him. 
“Come on, everyone.  Let’s just calm down. We’ve been together a long time
now.  We can discuss this calmly like adults.”

Shawcross shook his head.  “We discussed it
already.  The prisoners stay locked up or they leave.”

“I think the jury is still out on that one,” said
Dave.  “You know I think we should let them out.”

“Who cares what you think?” Shawcross spat.

Dave turned sideways, no longer pointing his knife at Jan
and Renee, but at Shawcross.  “You know something?  I’ve had about
enough of your attitude, you pompous sod.  I don’t know why I’m even arguing
with you.”  Dave turned back to look at Jan and Renee.  “You two are
free to join the rest of us.  Lower your knife, Jan, and relax. 
We’re done taking orders from this dickhead.”

Shawcross’s face went bright red and twisted in a furious
scowl.  He pointed his finger in Dave’s smug face.  “How dare
you!  I am in charge here.  I am the manager of Ripley Hall.”

Dave turned his back on Shawcross and walked away,
laughing.  “You ain’t shit, mate.  Just a sad no mark who thinks he’s
important.”

“Do not speak to me that way.  You have no right! 
No right!”

Nick watched in detached bewilderment as Shawcross raised
his knife in the air and rushed at Dave.  Dave had his back turned and
didn’t see the danger.

“Look out,” Nick screamed.

Dave acknowledged the warning just in time.  He
half-turned and managed to sidestep the attack by a hair’s breadth.

Shawcross raised the knife again, prepared for a second
attempt.  This time Nick managed to unglue himself from the spot and do
something.  He leapt forward and caught Shawcross on the point of the chin
with a swinging haymaker.  The smaller man went twirling to the floor, his
elbow bumping a table on the way down and spilling two pints of lemonade all
over him.

Nick shook his fist and tried to ward off the crunching
agony in his knuckles.  It was the first time he had given someone a smack
like that and he was surprised by how much it hurt.

Dave grinned at Nick and patted him on the back.  “Way
to go, slugger.  I owe you one, mate.”

“Don’t mention it.  This is all a big mess,
though.  We have to live together.  We can’t go around thrusting
knives at one another and throwing punches.  I already have enough wounds,
thank you.”

Dave looked persecuted.  “Hey, don’t tell
me
. 
It was that bloody muppet that tried to get all stabby.”

“What the hell is going on in here?”  It was
Annaliese.  She was climbing through the window.  As soon as she was
inside, her eyes fell upon Shawcross, lying on the floor, and then moved over
to Jan and Renee, who were both clutching knives.

“It’s okay,” Nick said, still rubbing his fist.

“Like hell it is.  What happened to Shawcross?”

“I punched him.”

Annaliese stared hard at him.  Eventually she
said.  “It’s about time somebody did, but you better have had a good
reason for doing it.”

“Look, I know this looks bad.  There was a standoff
over whether or not to let Jan and Renee free…”

“I know,” Annaliese said.  “Mike filled me in.” 
She glared at Cassie.  “Wasn’t very diplomatic the way you went about
things, darlin’.  We can do without troublemakers.”

Cassie stared down at the floor sheepishly.

“She was just doing what she thought was right,” said
Jan.  “Trying to help me.  I made a promise to protect her the day
all this started.  She probably feels she owes me.”

Annaliese sighed.  “I’m sure she did just do what she
thought was right.  The problem with that, though, is that people have
differing opinions on what’s right and what’s wrong
.
”

“We tried to talk it out,” said Dave.  “But that loon
came at me with a knife.”

Annaliese looked at Nick for verification.  He shrugged
at her.  “It’s true.  Shawcross was the one who got violent.  He
could have really hurt someone.”

“Well,” she said.  “I doubt he would have done so
unprovoked, but what’s done is done.”

“So what do you want to do?” Nick asked her.  “Can we
let Jan and Renee out?”

“Looks like the decision’s already been made.  I don’t
trust either of them, I’m not going to lie, but I trust you, Nick.  If you
think they should be free, then so be it.  Just don’t make me regret it.”

“You won’t,” said Jan.  “I promise.”

Annaliese looked at Jan and rolled her eyes.  Then,
without saying anything else, she exited the building through the window she
came in by.

Shawcross stirred on the floor, moaning.

“What should we do with him?” Nick asked.

“Lock him in the cellar,” said Dave.

“No,” Jan objected.  “Nobody else is being locked
up.  I think it’s time for a fresh start.  An equal one.  No
more prisoners.”

“But he tried to stab me,” Dave cried out.

“And he got his clock cleaned for it,” said Jan.  “He
might have learned his lesson.  If not, then he only gets this one
chance.”

Dave huffed.  “Fine, you just keep him the hell away
from me.”

“I’ll personally guarantee it,” said Jan.  “I
appreciate you going to bat for me, brother.”

Dave nodded.  “You’re welcome.  Just be sure to
make yourself useful.”

Eve climbed in through the window at that point.  She
headed over to Nick and placed a hand on his arm.  “Anna just told me
things were all sorted in here now.”

Nick sniffed.  “Yeah, kind of…sort of…mostly.  My
hand is swollen from punching Shawcross, who tried to murder Dave, but other
than that, everything is hunky dory.”

Shawcross continued moaning on the floor.  He started
to drag himself up. 

Eve looked down at Nick’s injured hand and winced. 
“Wow, you must really have hit him hard.”

“Yeah, I suppose so.  It’s fine, I’m sure; just
bruised.  Hopefully Shawcross will be okay, too.”

Eve grinned at him as though he was a misbehaving, yet
amusing child.  “Come on, let’s go back to the kitchen and bath it in some
cold water.”

Nick felt the fuss was unnecessary, but it seemed important
to Eve so he went with her.  They headed behind the bar and went into the
kitchen.  The room was now filled with pots and pans full of water,
intended to sustain them once the water stopped coming from the taps. 
Even now, it came only in tiny trickles.  There had been a lot of
discussion recently about using some of the water to wash with, but Shawcross
and Dave had not been able to agree on the issue.  Perhaps, now that Shawcross
had been brought down a peg or two, Dave would start making decisions for the
group unopposed.  The thought sent a shiver down Nick’s spine.

Not sure I can figure the guy out.  Having him as
dictator may not be such a good idea.

“Over here,” Eve said.  She stopped next to one of the
kitchen sinks.  “It’s not ice-cold, but it should be cool enough to stop
some of the swelling.”

“You’re quite the nurse,” he said.

“I used to look after my little brother sometimes.  He
was always getting into scrapes.”

Nick saw a glint of sadness that appeared briefly in Eve’s
eyes.  He hadn’t known she’d had a little brother.  In fact, he’d
never really asked her much at all about who she was or what she had
lost.  There were certain questions that everybody in the group seemed to
avoid asking each other.  The less they all thought about their old lives,
the better.

He dipped his swollen fist beneath the water and used his
other hand to pull Eve into a hug.  He gave her a quick squeeze and kissed
the top of her head.  “I’m sorry,” he said.  “I haven’t checked in
with you much the last few days.  Are you doing okay?”

Eve hugged him back.  Then she broke away so that she
could look him in the eyes.  “I think we’re all doing about the
same.  Personally, I’m just feeling a little shell-shocked, like this is
all just a dream or something.  I mean, I can’t really be stuck up on a
hill with a bunch of strangers, while monsters devour the earth, can I? 
That’s not real, is it?”

Nick looked down at his hand in the water and moved it around,
creating soft swirls on the surface.  “I guess the difference between
nightmares and reality has become pretty thin recently.”

“You’re telling me.  I keep expecting to wake up.”

“Me too.  Every morning I wake up wishing that my wife
is beside me.  Then I remember everything that’s happened and I realise
that I’ll never see her again.  It takes everything I have just to face
another day.”

“I know what you mean.  I don’t know if I can keep
doing it anymore.  Not sure how much longer I can keep it up.”

“By getting up every morning and just getting on with it,”
Nick said to her.  He clenched his fist in the water and winced at the
ensuing pain.  “All of us left here are survivors.  We’re all strong
in our own ways.  We just have to concentrate on doing what we can with
whatever the day brings us.  You stuck by me at the beginning.  I
don’t know if I would ever have made it this far without you.  For that
I’m grateful.  I should have told you sooner.  If you ever find that
things are getting too much, then you come find me, because I owe you my
life.  I’m here for you, so just ask.”

Eve moved closer to him and looked up into his eyes. 
“Things are getting too much for me,” she whispered.  “I need you to be
here for me now.”  She went to place her lips against his.

Nick moved away.  He placed his hands out between
them.  “Eve, I’m married.”

Eve frowned in confusion.  “You
were
married
.
”

The comment hurt Nick, even if it was technically
true.  To him, marriage wasn’t something that ended a few weeks after your
spouse’s death.  James and Deana were still in his heart, and while they
were there, he was still committed to them.

Tears had appeared in Eve’s eyes and she struggled to look
at him.  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.  “That was a really shitty thing
to say.”

Nick shook it off.  He didn’t want to let such a silly
little thing come between them.  “It’s okay.  No harm done.”

Eve made herself look at him.  “It’s just…It’s just
that I’m so frightened and I feel…I feel so alone.”

Nick held her close.  “You’re not alone, Eve.”

“I don’t want to lose you, Nick.  You’re the only
person that makes me feel safe.  The only person I have any sort of bond
with.  I just want to hold onto that, because it’s the only thing that
makes me feel like I still have anything human in my life.”

“I understand.  But you don’t have to be with me in
that
way just to keep me close.  We started this thing together.  We’re
friends and I care about you more than anyone here.  When I dragged you
out of that broom closet you became my responsibility, so don’t worry about me
going anywhere.  I’ll always have your back.”  Eve’s face scrunched
up and she started sobbing.  Nick held her tightly in both arms. 
“I’ll keep you safe,” he said.  “Don’t be afraid anymore, okay? 
Things are going to be alright, I promise.”

“You can’t promise that,” she said.

“Maybe not, but I’d rather live in a world where we can
still make promises to one another, than one where we’re all too afraid
to.  I promise to keep you safe, no matter how impossible the odds, okay?”

Eve sobbed and then said, “Okay.”

After a while Eve managed to get a hold of herself. 
She looked up at him again with clammy cheeks and watery eyes.  Nick
thought she looked beautiful – human and innocent.  It was at that point
that he decided in his heart he would keep his promise to protect her.  He
needed to be responsible for her and keep her safe.  He had failed Deana
and he had failed James, but he would not fail Eve.  He
could
not.

I need to do something right.

Setting himself a mission and giving himself a
responsibility made Nick feel stronger.  It gave him back the purpose he
had lost when he stopped being a father and a husband.  It was the part of
him that had been missing.  Now that it was back, he felt complete again.

He kissed the top of Eve’s head.  “Come on.  I
think it’s about time we all had a little fun.”