Ravage: An Apocalyptic Horror Novel(45)

Nick was yanked backwards and thrown violently to the floor of the cable car. He shook his head, dazed and confused. “What the hell?”

Jan and Dash were standing over him.

I knew I couldn’t trust them. Now I’m going to pay for it.

Jan smashed Dash in the ribs with his fist, like a heavyweight boxer, knocking the wind out of the smaller man and doubling him over. Then he shoved Dash backwards, right through the open doorway.

Hundreds of feet in the air.

Nick leapt to his feet as Dash’s screams faded towards the ground below. The sound of him hitting the treetops and smashing through the branches was sickening. It wasn’t even clear if the snapping sounds were from tree limbs or Dash’s bones.

“What the hell did you just do?” Nick cried out.

“Saved your life,” said Jan calmly. “Dash was just about to send you on your merry way, before I decided that he was the one who ought to go. Just ask Cassie.”

Nick stared at Cassie, who was sitting nervously on the cabin’s bench. She nodded to him. “He’s telling the truth. Dash gave Jan a wink behind your back. He was about to push you out until Jan pulled you out of the way.”

“What? But why? Why would he want to kill me?”

Jan huffed, as if the answer were obvious. “Because he tried to take liberties with Cassie last night and you weren’t going to let it go. In fact, he was planning to get rid of Dave, too – Carl as well, if need be, but that kind of resolved itself when Kathryn reappeared.”

Nick sat down on the bench beside Cassie, feeling unsafe to be anywhere near the open door after what had just happened. “I don’t understand,” he said. “Weren’t you his friend?”

“Dash? That gangbanging piece of shit?” Jan shook his head. “No way. I just got stuck with him when the prison guards were killed and our transport was sprung.” He pointed at Renee who was silent as always. “Renee’s not a problem, but Dash was a degenerate. I seen him do some real nasty shit the last forty-eight hours. Me and Renee were already looking to ditch him when we ran into you and Eve in the woods.”

Nick looked at Cassie and frowned. “So, Jan didn’t, you know…hurt you?”

She shook her head solemnly. “No. Carl and I were fooling around in the kitchen. He was on top of me when something hit him from behind. It was Dash. He came at me and tore off my shirt. Then Jan came and stopped him.”

Jan shrugged. “Renee saw Dash get up in the night and go into the kitchen. He shook me awake. We knew he’d be up to no good, so I went after him. Turns out I was right. I caught him red-handed and told him to go back to the restaurant before I beat the hell out of him. Usually he’s not the type of guy to back down, but I think he understood I wasn’t playing around. Then you turned up, brother, and got the wrong idea.”

Nick looked at Cassie. “Why didn’t you tell me at the time?”

“Jan told me he would deal with Dash, but I had to keep quiet, otherwise Dash would hurt more people.”

“If everyone found out about it, Dash would have kicked-off. He’s a loose cannon. When I got back after my conversation with you, he wanted to know what was up and why you had got involved. I told him that you wanted answers. Dash wasn’t happy being told what he could and couldn’t do, so he told me he was going to take you out, along with Dave and Carl, then hole up with all the women at the restaurant.”

“You told him you’d help,” Nick surmised, flabbergasted by what he was hearing.

Jan nodded. “I did, yeah, but I planned to take him out first, or at least try to ditch him. Then the alarm woke everyone up and things kind of took on a life of their own. It wasn’t until we stated climbing this hill that an opportunity presented itself. Dash gave me a wink, letting me know he was about to take you out. So I took him out first. You can thank me later.”

“I’ll thank you now,” said Nick. “I owe you.”

“Don’t sweat it.”

“No,” said Nick. “I judged you wrong. I treated you like a criminal and that was unfair.”

“Not really. I am a criminal. In fact I was a pretty rotten piece of shit for a long time. Even my own son, Damien, didn’t want to know me after a while. He headed up north to set up a furniture business with a guy he met in a pub. Not seen him in years. I think losing the respect of my son was what made me want to sort myself out - and that’s exactly what I did. One day I’ll find my boy and make things better. Tell him I’m proud of him for finding his own way and not ending up like his old man.” For a second, Jan seemed to get teary, but he scratched at his beard, blinked, and then seemed okay again. “No, brother, I can honestly say that after eight years inside, my intentions have been pure for at least the last five. I’m not the same man I was when they put me inside. But that’s a story for a different day.”

“Well, I hope one day you get to tell me all about it,” said Nick, standing up and moving over to the open door again. He kept safely to one side and peered out at the tree canopy below. It was so thick now that it was like a bed of leaves beneath them. Whatever fate had befallen Dash had been obscured by the thick foliage, and that was probably for the best. Nick had seen enough death for one morning.

The cable car reached the final third of its ascent and he squinted up at the approaching summit and the concrete platform that topped it. It was hard to be sure, but he thought he could see someone standing there, ready to receive them. That person must have been the one who had started the cable cars.