Ravage: An Apocalyptic Horror Novel(74)

The smell of death hung around the enclosure, but so did the natural musk of the orang-utans. It was a strange mixture, one which she put out of her mind as she crept towards the Mangrove tree ahead.

Lily was still sitting in the same position, leaning back against the base of the tree and staring down at the ground. When Annaliese got closer, Lily turned her head and snorted, and for a second the whole thing seemed like a really bad idea. The last time humans had been in this enclosure there had been bloodshed. Annaliese wondered if Lily could distinguish the difference between her and the infected people that had attacked her mate and infant.

If not then I’ve made a horrible mistake.

Despite her fears, Annaliese kept moving forwards towards Lily. The animal eyeballed her suspiciously.

“Hey, there,” she said softly. “I’m not here to hurt you. I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

She was now within a few feet of the orang-utan and nothing had happened so far. The atmosphere was tense, but the primate seemed to tolerate her proximity.

“There you go,” she said, reaching out her hand. “It’s okay, Lily.”

Unbelievably, Annaliese found herself within a single foot of the great ape now and was beginning to bend her knees and sit down.

Letting out another billowing snort from her nostrils, Lily extended one of her long arms. Her huge fist struck Annaliese and made her cry out. But she quickly realised that the orang-utan was not seeking to hurt her. She was just being curious. Lily’s fingers caressed the fabric of Annaliese’s shirt.

“I’m usually a little cleaner than this,” she explained without knowing why. She sat down on the ground beside the animal.

Lily stared at Annaliese and hooted. It was a curious sound, but not aggressive in the least. Annaliese shuffled up next to the animal so that their shoulders were touching.

Is this actually happening? she asked herself. Amidst all the horror and bloodshed, there was still joy to found in life. There were still connections to be made between kindred spirits. Nature was still beautiful, even if man had become so terribly ugly. In that moment, she remembered why she had become a vet.

To help amazing creatures like this.

Lily’s hand moved further up Annaliese’s shirt, rough fingers probing at her face and fondling her hair. The gentleness of the gesture made her close her eyes. It wasn’t long before she felt sleepy in Lily’s protective arms.

Before Annaliese passed out, she thought she could hear an alarm going off somewhere in the distance. But she felt too safe to worry.





Chapter Twenty-Four

Annaliese awoke with an aching jaw. It quickly became apparent why, when she realised that she was lying face down on the ground. She was shivering because of the cold, but she was also very cosy beneath a soft woollen blanket. Despite its softness, the blanket smelt musky and foul. She threw it aside and looked around. The sun was beginning to rise.

She leapt to her feet in shock.

Oh, wow! I’m in the orang-utan enclosure. Did that really happen last night?

She turned a circle on the spot. A mound in the centre of the enclosure was covered with a blanket the same as the one that had been covering her. She knew that Brick’s body lay underneath it, along with the infant.

Did Lily cover us all up with the blankets?

Annaliese looked around for the female orang-utan but could see no sign of her. The mangrove tree was undisturbed. Maybe the ape had gone inside where it was warmer. It would make sense if everyone else had her blankets.

Annaliese headed for the enclosure’s bungalow and stooped down through the hatch. She re-entered the cage inside and saw that Lily was still nowhere to be seen.

The reason was right in front of her.

The wire mesh door to the cage was hanging wide open, its padlock still unclasped. She put both of her hands to her face as she realised she hadn’t relocked it after coming inside.

Shit. What have I done?

She couldn’t believe that she’d let a wild and potentially dangerous animal loose from its enclosure. It was reckless and irresponsible. But, the more she actually thought about it, the more she was glad. With things the way they were, there was no one left to take care of Lily. It was better that she was free than locked up and neglected. At least this way, the animal had a chance.

I hope you find somewhere safe, Lily.

She stepped out of the cage and headed for the bungalow’s exit. She needed to re-join the others in the office block. They could be wondering where she was.

Exiting the bungalow, she rubbed at her shoulders and fought against the cold. The park was bathed in a coppery glow as the sun continued to rise in the sky. The park was quite beautiful at this time of day, without the hustle and bustle of people ruining things.

“Anna!”

Up ahead, Shawcross was hurrying towards her. “For heaven’s sake,” he said. “What are you doing out here?”

“I went for a walk last night. Trying to clear my head.”

“Well, it was very irresponsible of you. How do we have a hope of getting through this if people start doing their own thing?”

“Sorry, I just lost track of time, I guess.” She didn’t want to tell him about where she had slept last night. He wouldn’t believe her and would more likely just get furious that she had released one of the park’s animals.

Not that I give two shits about what he thinks. I just can’t be doing with the lecture.