Ravage: An Apocalyptic Horror Novel(50)

Annaliese was rooted to the spot for a second, not understanding what was happening, but survival instinct quickly took over and she leapt behind the reception desk, placing a barrier between her and the charging woman.

Bradley screamed out from his chair. “She’s like that guy outside. She’s crazy.”

Annaliese could make no sense of it, but she knew Bradley was right. The maid leapt over the desk and reached out to grab a hold of her. Without even thinking about it, Annaliese picked up the keyboard from the desk’s computer station and smashed it over the woman’s head. Several keys came loose and a bloody wound opened up on the back of the woman’s skull but, as Annaliese was now getting used to, the blow seemed to have no effect at all.

It’s like fighting a brick wall.

Time to try a different tactic.

She grabbed a handful of the maid’s tabard and pulled her across the desk, beaching the woman on her belly. Then she yanked the keyboard on its cord, releasing some slack. She quickly wound it around the woman’s neck and pulled the wire as tight as she could. Then she stepped away.

The maid tumbled from the desk and tried to straighten up, but she was held back by the tangled wire around her throat. The more she pulled, the tighter the bonds became, and she was unable to move more than a foot from the desk.

Annaliese grabbed the back of Bradley’s chair and started rolling him across the foyer. “What the hell is going on here?” she said. “Where the hell is everyone? And why are people acting like maniacs?”


Several more bodies appeared in the entrance of the function suites. Annaliese could tell right away that the strangers were all dangerous – all like the man outside on the lawn. They snarled and hissed like cobras ready to strike.

Guess that answers my question about where everybody is.

The mob was a mixture of both staff and guests. A waiter was amongst them, his crisp white shirt stained dark with blood and other fluids. Most of the rest of the group were young revellers, no doubt having come to Ripley Hall for a good time at their company’s expense. Somehow they had gotten more than they had bargained for. They were all now covered in blood and hanging chunks of their own flesh, and the flesh of others.

All at once, like a demonic choir, the mob screeched at the top of their lungs. Annaliese became immediately aware of more people behind her, at the top of the stairs. She peeked over her shoulder and saw that they, too, were covered in blood and snarling.

Bradley was weeping and cradling his head in his hands. “We are so screwed.”

They were rushed from both sides; one mob of crazy people coming from the function suites; another from atop the staircase. Annaliese grabbed Bradley’s chair and raced him across the tiles towards the only place she had left to run – the grand dining room. She hurried through the archway on her left.

The cavernous dining room was empty. Its huge mahogany tables and ornate chairs lay crooked and disturbed as if some great battle had been waged there. Blood coated everything. Annaliese almost slipped in a puddle of it as she sprinted across the room. If not for Bradley’s chair offering a handhold, she may have gone down on her face.

The mob was coming up fast behind her. They screeched and wailed inhumanely as they leapt over chairs in their pursuit of her. If not for their wild lack of coordination, Annaliese would already have been captured.

And that’s still exactly what will happen if I don’t find somewhere fast.

Ripley Hall’s kitchens were up ahead, accessed via a pair of swinging oak doors. Annaliese raced towards them desperately, but the effort of pushing Bradley in his chair was gradually slowing her down. The mad rush of bodies behind her was gaining.

They’re going to eat me alive. I’m going to die without ever having a clue why.

Suddenly the doors ahead of her opened.

A face popped out from the gap, leaning out from inside the kitchen.

“Come on,” said the stranger; a woman. “Quickly! They’re right behind you.”

Annaliese summoned a final burst of strength and leant forward against Bradley’s chair. She managed to pick up speed, but her attackers gained distance on her with every step.

I’m not going to make it. These psychopaths are going to kill me.

I’m not going to make it.

Annaliese hit the kitchen doors at speed, using Bradley as an unwilling battering ram. The doors spilled open and the chair she was pushing tipped over onto the floor. Bradley went sprawling onto the tiles and let out a moan. Annaliese’s legs gave out and she went tumbling to her knees right beside him. The next thing she was aware of was people scurrying around behind her, shouting at one another and pushing around heavy objects.

“Come on,” said one of the strangers. “Get the table back up against the doors.”

“I’m doing it, I’m doing it,” said another.

“Damn, they’re at the door. They’re going to get in.”

“No, no. We’re fine. Just keep pushing.”

Together, the group of strangers managed to get the kitchen doors reclosed and barricaded them with a heavy wooden table and one of the room’s industrial fridges. The bloodthirsty mob outside beat their fists against the oak doors, but the ancient wood held firm, designed to stand the test of time.

Annaliese peeled herself off the tiles and crawled over to Bradley who was lying on his side and wheezing. His skin had become alabaster-pale and his finger stumps continued bleeding onto the floor.