Ravage: An Apocalyptic Horror Novel(41)

He hurried around the next wall, peering inside each window as he passed. After looking into the kitchen, and then into the manager’s office, he found the window that led to the staffroom.

There was no sign of Margaret.

Damn it.

He tapped on the glass lightly. “Margaret! Margaret, are you in there?”

She appeared from her hiding place behind the room’s sofa and Nick sighed relief. She trotted up to the window and seemed glad to see him.

“They’re inside,” she said to him through the glass. “I can hear them.”

“I know. Just open the window and I’ll get you out of here.”

The old lady was white as a sheet, but she did as she was told. She fiddled with the window latch and managed to get her gnarled fingertips beneath the window frame. She slid it upwards.

Nick put his arms out to her. “Come on, let’s get you out of here.”

It was clearly a struggle for Margaret to get herself up and over the window ledge but, given the gravity of the situation, she managed to bundle herself over into his waiting arms. He set her down on the ground and examined her. She seemed okay.

Jan continued to heckle the infected from the rooftop. The coast was still clear.

Nick grabbed Margaret’s arm and hurried her around to the back of the building. It was still clear of infected, although he could hear them banging on the fire escape from inside the kitchen. Not wanting to stick around, he headed for the woods at the base of the hill and slid between the trees.

When they were sufficiently away from the café and the car park, Nick brought them both to a stop to catch their breath.

Jan was still shouting and cajoling from the rooftops and keeping the danger contained to the front of the restaurant. Nick wasn’t sure he would’ve gotten Margaret out without the prisoner’s help, but after what Jan may have done to Cassie last night, he still considered just leaving him there to meet his fate. It would have been wrong, though. Jan had helped rescue Margaret. They owed him now.

He placed a hand on Margaret’s shoulder. “I need to find a way to get Jan off the roof in one piece. Can you wait here?”

“Of course, just make sure you come back in one piece.”

Nick patted her shoulder gently and then headed back through the trees. The building came back into view quickly. He could still see Jan standing on top of the roof, waving his meaty arms above his head and hollering at the baying mob below. Jan probably didn’t even know that Nick and Margaret had gotten clear.

With the alarm still wailing, Nick could think of no subtle way to get the other man’s attention, so he just put two fingers in his mouth and wolf-whistled. Luckily, Jan heard it and turned around.

Nick crouched in the bushes and waved. Jan gave him a thumbs-up, along with a questioning look. Nick gave a thumbs-up back to let him know that Margaret was safe.

Now we just have to find a way to get you down from there.

Jan shrugged and peered around the roof. The expression on his face was an obvious, now what? Nick had to admit to himself that he had no clue. Getting the man off the roof safely was not going to be easy.

He crept forward out of the bushes and headed back to the rear of the building. He thought about climbing onto the roof and joining Jan up there, but there was no way he could make it up on his own. The only way he could help Jan get down was if he distracted the mob of infected people the same way Jan had for him.

But how do I do that and not die?

He headed around the side of the building, back to the open staffroom window. He checked to see that no infected people had found their way inside and then climbed through.

The only weapon inside was an abandoned umbrella propped up beside a dusty television. It was not even worth taking. He would have to remain unarmed.

Great! Maybe I can box my way out of this.

The alarm was muffled from inside the staffroom and Nick could just about make out the shuffling of infected people in the corridor beyond. It was apparent that if he opened the door, he would be face-to-face with a whole bunch of them.

So what the hell do I do?

Suddenly, he had an idea.

He looked up at the suspended ceiling.

Maybe if I can get up there…


Nick hopped up on the sofa and balanced on the backrest. From there he was able to reach up and push against one of the ceiling tiles. It was made of fragile fibreboard and was light enough to push aside with just one hand. The tiles would not be strong enough to hold his weight, but the metal railings holding them in place might be.

Either that or I’ll fall to my death.

He leapt up and grabbed at one of the rails. It bent beneath his weight but held firm after a couple of inches. Kicking at the wall for leverage, he managed to clamber his way up into the ceiling space. Fortunately, the staffroom and offices were made from cheap partition walls and the space above allowed unrestricted access from one end of the building to the other.

It was a struggle to move along the railings, and the exertion quickly made him huff and puff, but he kept going. Inch by inch, he shuffled through the crawlspace.

After several feet, he pulled aside a tile and peeked through the gap. In the corridor below were half a dozen infected people. They milled about like birds searching for insects, all twitchy movements and sudden flinches. They barely even resembled human beings any more.

Maybe they really have become monsters.

Nick carefully replaced the ceiling tile and continued on along the railings. He had to keep his face pointed downwards, chin to his chest, as age-old insulation and dust swirled around him; disturbed, most likely, for the first time in years.