Ravage: An Apocalyptic Horror Novel(124)

“Nope. We don’t need many staff on during the week. Just me and the manager at the moment. He’s in the back.”

Chris nodded. “Okay, just wondering. Thanks.” He took the hot beverages and headed back to where he’d left Marsh standing. His partner was still in the same position, but he was slouched like a bag of potatoes, letting all his weight hang downwards.

“Marsh!”

His partner did not reply.

“Hey, Marsh. Get your head in the game, man.”

Still no reply. Chris huffed and stepped around in front of him. He didn’t expect to see what he did.

“You’re bleeding.”

Marsh snapped out of his daze and looked at Chris. His nose was leaking blood all the way down onto the tip of his chin. “W…what you talking about?”

“Your nose! Here…” Chris pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and held it to his partner’s nose. The blood was coming thick and fast.

Marsh crumpled at the knees. Chris tried to hold him up but was only able to ease him to the ground slowly. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Marsh wasn’t responding. His body was rigid and he was going into some sort of seizure. Chris placed his hands gently behind his partner’s head and cried out for assistance. A moment later, the barista from the coffee shop and several nearby commuters had come to help.

Chris shouted at them as they stood around gawping. “Call an ambulance.”

One of the passengers took out their phone and begun dialling. The coffee shop employee dropped down onto his knees beside Chris and went to grab a hold of Marsh’s flailing body.

Chris shot out his hand. “No! Don’t restrict him. Just let the seizure end on its own.”

The young barista stared down at Chris’s hand clamped around his wrist. The stained handkerchief was scrunched between his fingers and blood had smeared all over his forearm. “Dude! You got blood on me.”

Chris withdrew his hand. “I’m sorry. Go get yourself cleaned up.”

The barista hurried back into the coffee shop, while Chris held onto his partner. Marsh’s seizure was coming to an end, but blood continued leaking from his nose. It had also began to seep from the edges of his eye sockets. The gathered spectators held their mouths and gasped.

It was then that Chris had a realisation. He has it. He’s caught the virus we’ve been sent here to look for. Shit, Marsh, what the hell have you been up to?

Then he had another, more frightening thought. He’s infectious. I need to close this whole place down. God knows how many people he’s passed this onto already.

Chris let go of Marsh, letting his body slump to the ground. He shot to his feet and pulled out his radio. It crackled as he spoke into it. The panic in his voice was obvious. “Dispatch. This is Detective Cox. The virus has spread.”





BEANS


“I can’t believe I got that dude’s blood on me,” Danny said to himself as he marched across the car park. His shift had ended at the coffee shop and he’d been heading out. He didn’t even know why he’d stopped to help that guy.

What else could I do? He was flipping the f*ck out.

Danny had cleaned himself up in the coffee shop’s kitchen and then headed out the back door to the car park. He didn’t want to get drawn in to any of the commotion that was happening out on the station’s platform. There seemed to be some sort of panic going on, which was hardly surprising given the state of the dude having the seizure.

What the hell was wrong with that guy? Epilepsy?

Who gives a shit? I gots to gets my party on.

Danny had been looking forward to seven-o-clock all day. The time where he could finally skip out of work and catch his ride to Birmingham, where Joey would be throwing the party of the century. Joey was one of his best buddies and grew up in a house the size of a supermarket. It had tennis courts, a swimming pool, snooker tables, and everything else his millionaire parents could think to buy. And for the next week, the house was in Joey’s care while his parents were on a cruise. It was going to be the best few days of Danny’s life. A whirlwind of booze, drugs, laughs, and clunge.

Nirvana baby!

Danny picked up his pace and headed up the hill towards the bus station. Coming down the road, in the opposite direction, was a police car. Its sirens were on and its driver eyeballed Danny as he passed.

What you looking at, pig?

Danny rounded the corner and stopped just outside the bus station. He wasn’t due to catch a bus; Joey would be picking him up in his parent’s Audi. It was a sweet ride and if it was warmer they could have had the top down all the way up the motorway.

Oh well, can’t have everything.

Sure enough, Danny spotted Joey idling in the sleek black Audi and quickly dashed towards him. He slung open the door and hopped in.

“Hey, D-Man, how’s it going?”

“Yeah, good. Except some dude just bled all over me.”

Joey looked at him. “For real?”

Danny shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. Let’s just get this party started.”

“Hell yes!” Joey gunned the engine and the two of them got going. They sped right past a row of police cars heading towards the train station.

“You know what all these pigs are doing?” Joey asked him.