Ravage: An Apocalyptic Horror Novel(62)

Mike started to unbutton his bloodstained shirt, exposing a gleaming white vest beneath.

She put a hand out to stop him. “You sure that’s the best thing? Going out there in just a vest? What if one of those things bite you? Not to mention the fact that you’ll probably freeze your tits off.”

Mike started fastening the shirt back up again. “Good point. I’m just starting to freak out at the feeling of all this blood on me, you know?”


“Whose is it?” Annaliese asked. She could see it wasn’t his, but from the pained expression that flashed across his face, she was sorry for asking the question so bluntly. “Sorry,” she added.

He waved his hand. “No, it’s okay. It wasn’t anyone I was close to, just a co-worker, James Craddock. But he had two sons and a wife, you know? He was a happy guy. Deserved better than to be ripped apart like...” His words trailed off and he seemed to lose himself for a moment, staring off into space.

Annaliese placed a hand on his shoulder and was surprised by how tense his muscles were. The guy was on edge, even if he hid it well with courage and an amiable personality. “Hey, we’re going to get to bottom of this, okay? You’re doing really great. You’re my hero, in fact.”

He smiled at her and straightened up. He could have been dashing if not for the circumstances, and the fact that he was covered in blood. “Thanks,” he said, and then let out a deep sigh. He cleared his throat, ran a hand through his messy black hair, and seemed to ready himself for whatever came next. After a few moments, he smiled at Annaliese. “Let’s do this,” he said.





Chapter Eighteen

Annaliese didn’t get going right away. She and Mike took Shawcross up on his offer of finding them weapons first. The man was at the rear of the building, rooting around the staff access that ran behind the exhibits.

“Here, take this,” he said, handing Annaliese a long metal pole with a kink at the end. It was a pole used for dealing with the exhibit’s many snakes. Mike found himself a shovel and weighted it up in his hands.

“So what’s your plan?” Shawcross asked. “You know, eventually your luck is going to run out, taking all these risks?”

She glared at him. He seemed perfectly happy to let her take all those risks when they benefited him. “If nobody does anything, then we’re up shit creek with only half a paddle. I don’t want to go out there, but somebody has to. If you’re worried about me so much, why don’t you go out and close the doors?”

Shawcross gave her a thin-lipped smile. “I’m needed here. Guest welfare is still my responsibility.”

“I don’t think so,” said Mike. “I think you’re officially off-duty, mate.”

“I’m never off-duty. Ripley Hall is my building and these are my guests.”

Annaliese looked at the gathering of shell-shocked survivors. There was less than a dozen of them in total, an even mix of men and women. Their faces were starkly pale in the dim light of the reptile house.

“Fine,” she said. “Then you carry on playing host while we go and risk our necks.” She turned to Mike. “You ready?”

He nodded. The two of them headed back over to the building’s exit.

“Should we try heading out through a different door?” he asked her. “They could still be right outside where we came in.”

Annaliese thought about it. “To be honest, I don’t think we’re going to be safe coming out of any door. At least we know what to expect by heading out of this one. There’s the one that attacked us right outside and then I know there’s at least one more – a guy with a busted ankle.”

Mike hefted the shovel up and held it in front of him. “Okay, I’m ready when you are.”

“Just remember,” said Annaliese. “Don’t let them bite you.”

“Hey, I stopped getting hickeys at fifteen. Not about to start again now.”

Annaliese stepped up to the doorway and grasped the handle. She held the steel pole tightly in her right hand, reassured by its balanced weight. Shawcross and the others were stood several meters back, hushed in anticipation.

“Here goes,” she said, then eased open the door, peering outside carefully. Once she felt safe enough, she opened it wider and stepped through.

In just the last fifteen minutes, dawn had turned fully into day. The autumn sunshine painted everything with shades of orange and the moist green grass of the park’s numerous embankments seemed to glisten and sparkle. To her right, multi-coloured macaws had awoken in an aviary.

“It looks all clear,” said Mike, stepping out ahead of her and looking around. “Wonder where he went?”

“He’ll be around here somewhere. Stay alert. We need to get to the house.”

Annaliese took cover behind the concrete chameleon statue and checked up ahead. Past the trees of the lawn, Ripley Hall was silent. Its doors remained open and its lights were still on, but all was quiet.

“Come on,” she said, ushering Mike to follow.

They kept low and raced towards the lawn, cutting a path through the sycamore trees. The man that had attacked Bradley, and the woman he had killed, were still lying in the grass. Annaliese barely even noticed them now – they were just another part of the landscaping.