Ravage: An Apocalyptic Horror Novel(75)

Shawcross frowned at her for what seemed like a full minute-and-a-half before he finally let the issue go. He turned around with a huff, speaking with his back turned to her. “There’s lots to be done, Anna, so go and join back up with the others. If Clark is with you then tell him the same thing.”

“Wait, what? I haven’t seen Clark. How long has he been gone?”

Shawcross turned back around. “I’m not sure. Everyone pretty much fell asleep once things were settled. I don’t recall seeing him for quite a while now.”

Annaliese closed the distance between them. “Well, didn’t you think to look for him?”

“That’s what I’m doing now, isn’t it? I found you and I’ll no doubt find Clark just as easily.”


Annaliese stared over at the office block. In the light of day it was grey and depressing. “How did you get out of the building? Did you come through the broken window?”

Shawcross shook his head. “We were able to unlock the front entrance from the inside. It was on a latch. We can come and go as we please now, so we’ll probably get that broken window boarded up today.”

Annaliese had a bad feeling in her tummy. Something wasn’t right. She pushed Shawcross aside and headed for the building.

“What’s wrong?” he shouted after her. But she didn’t answer him. She didn’t want to voice out loud what she was thinking, not without being sure.

I hope I’m wrong.

She made it over to the building entrance and pulled open the door. As she stepped inside she was aware that Shawcross was right behind her. Despite her dislike of the man, she was glad for the company at that moment. If she found what she expected to then she didn’t want to be alone.

To the right, at the end of the corridor, was a door she assumed led to the office they were using to store Tom and Charlotte’s bodies. It turned out that she was right. The door led to the room where they had first broken in.

The stench of dead bodies descended upon Annaliese, scraping at the inside of her nostrils. Tom and Charlotte had already started to decay.

And so had Clark.

“Oh no,” said Shawcross from behind her. “What did that silly boy do?”

Annaliese stepped into the room. Clark hung from the light fixtures by several electrical flex cords tied together. He must have pulled them from the room’s computers and made a rudimentary noose. He’d probably hanged himself shortly after she’d left him alone. He’d been there a while.

Damn it! I should have known. I knew he was unstable. This should never have been able to happen.

“I could have prevented this,” she said. “I’m the one that left him alone. It was my mistake.”

Shawcross let out a long sigh that whistled in his nose. “Suicide is a selfish act. There’s no one to blame but Clark. We can’t let it distract us from what needs to be done.”

Annaliese turned and stared at him. “Are you really this much of an * or do you have to try?”

“I’m just not willing to waste time worrying about things that can’t be changed. I suggest you do the same and give yourself a break. This wasn’t you fault.”

With that he left the room. Annaliese didn’t know if she wanted to thump the man or thank him. He had a way of dividing her opinion like that.

He’s definitely a total douchebag, but sometimes I don’t know if he’s just trying to do his best; trying to make the tough decisions. Maybe if I acted more like Shawcross, Clark would still be alive.

Mike entered the room then and placed a hand on her back. She flinched at first but then settled down and enjoyed the warmth of his contact.

“I just passed Shawcross in the hall,” he said, staring up at Clark’s swinging body. “I can’t believe it.”

She looked up at the lad’s dead, bulging face and sighed. “I know. It’s not right.”

“Should we cut him down?”

“What’s the point? There’s death everywhere. It would just be a waste of time for us to try and clean up after it.”

Mike rubbed at her back again and pulled her a little closer. “Don’t give up. You’re the only one of us with their head on straight. We’d all be lost without you.”

Annaliese huffed. “Bullshit! All I’ve done since this whole thing started is get people killed. Bradley, Kimberly, Charlotte, Clark. You’d all have been better off in the kitchen where I found you.”

Mike fixed his dark brown eyes on her and gave her a look that sat halfway between pity and sympathy. “Hey, if we were still in that kitchen, we’d all just be waiting to die. I’d rather earn my death than just let it happen.”

“Wouldn’t you rather just give up?”

He scratched at his chin thoughtfully, but kept his gaze on her. “You’re a vet, right?”

“Yeah, so what?”

“You know a lot about animals, so answer me this: what do animals do when humans invade their habitats?”

“They die out. Or end up in zoos like this one.”

“Okay, I’ll give you that some do. But what about all the other animals that don’t die out or end up in zoos?”

“I’m not following,” she said. Mike’s constant gaze was beginning to make her feel hot. She felt her cheeks throbbing and wondered when he was going to look away.