Ravage: An Apocalyptic Horror Novel(21)

Nick shook his head. “I don’t know. Just keep moving. If we stop now, we’ll never get going again.”

The little girl continued smashing her skull against the glass and the cracks in the glass began to spread outwards in thick cobwebs. At the sides of the bus, more infected people began bashing at the other windows as they, too, clung on tightly. It was only a matter of time before they all smashed their way inside.

“Step on it,” Nick said.

“But I can’t see where I’m going.”

The little girl struck her skull against the glass again and the windscreen finally gave way. It fell out in a single cracked sheet and landed in the aisle. The girl came tumbling in after it, but as the bus picked up speed the other bodies on the side of the bus slipped free. Some fell beneath the wheels, becoming morbid speed bumps. Nick lost his balance as the floor lurched beneath him.

The little girl thrashed on the floor at the front of the bus. She was attempting to claw her way up onto her feet.

“What do I do?” Dave cried.

“Just keep driving,” Nick said. “And step on it.”

The bus sped up, Dave now able to see through the missing windscreen.

Nick braced himself as the little girl rose to her feet and faced him. As soon as she was up she launched an immediate attack, barrelling into him with so much force that it felt like her bones were made of bricks. Staggering backwards, Nick’s ankle clipped the bolted-down leg of one of the passenger benches. He went stumbling into the aisle and landed beside the teenager in the padded yellow coat. The lad was startled but quickly reached down to help Nick back to his feet. As he did so the young girl pounced, sinking her sharp little teeth into his hand. He cried out in agony and pushed her away.

The little girl fell backwards but immediately came at them again. Nick tried desperately to get back to his feet, but she bundled into him, knocking him sideways onto one of the benches. The teenaged boy got involved again and grabbed the girl around her waist before she could leap on top of Nick. He began wrestling with her from behind, even as blood dripped from his wounded hand.

“What should I do?” he cried out in the high-pitched tone of panic. He was struggling to restrain the little girl, despite her diminutive size. “She’s gonna take another chunk out of me in a minute.”

Nick looked around for inspiration and quickly found it. “Pauline!” he shouted. The woman was already staring in his direction, a terrified expression contorting her face. He clicked his fingers at her. “Pauline, throw me your scarf.”

For a split second she looked at him as if she didn’t understand, but then she reached down and picked up the colourful piece of material from the bench beside her and balled it up. She threw it in Nick’s direction.

It fell a foot short and landed on the grubby floor.

Nick huffed and quickly reached to pick it up. Once the scarf was in his hand he turned to the teenaged boy, who was still struggling to restrain the thrashing girl in his arms.

“Hold her as still as you can,” Nick said as he unfurled the scarf and pulled it out wide.

The teenager nodded, but the beads of sweat on his forehead made it clear he was beginning to tire. “Whatever you’re doing, mate, you better do it quick.”

Nick thrust the scarf over the girl’s mangled face and quickly began wrapping it around her head, trying to cover her bleeding eyes and ruined mouth. After wrapping it as tightly as he could, he then tied a double knot at the back with the frayed ends of the scarf.

The little girl stopped thrashing.

The teenager stared at Nick with astonishment. “She’s stopped fighting me.”


Nick shrugged. It was bizarre, but it was as if the little girl had shut down. Her attack mode had been switched off. His intention had only been to disorientate her, but it seemed the result was even better.

Nick waved a hand in front of the girl’s face, trying to tempt a reaction. There was none. After thinking for a few moments, he came up with a suggestion. “Try letting her go.”

The teenager balked. “What? No way.”

“It’s okay. I’m ready to grab her again if she tries anything. Go on, just let go of her, slowly.”

The teenager didn’t seem happy about it, but he obliged anyway. He slowly pulled his arms away from the little girl.

She stood there motionless. Everyone on the bus seemed to let out a collective sigh of relief. Nick took the moment to examine the child. Her hands hung limply at her sides, fingernails caked in blood. One of those fingers pointed outward at an unnatural angle that suggested a break or dislocation. She was also missing a shoe; dirt and stones were imbedded in her bare foot.

Looking at the girl, one thing in particular was clear to Nick. She needed help they could not provide her.

“How we looking, Dave?” he shouted over to the front of the bus.”

“I got us back onto the main road, but there are pile-ups everywhere. It’s like the whole country started trying to get somewhere in a hurry but forgot how to drive. I can’t say how long until we get into difficulty again.”

“Is it safe to stop for a second?”

“Safer than it was earlier.”

Nick looked at the little girl with sadness. “Okay,” he said. “Stop the bus. We’re dropping off a passenger.”

The bus began slowing down. Nick took a hold of the little girl’s arm and began pulling her towards the front of the bus.