Ravage: An Apocalyptic Horror Novel(80)

“We apologise,” he said. “My name is Nick Adams. I was a phone salesman a few days ago. I had a wife and a son and a mortgage. Now, all I have are the people I’m with, and my faith in human nature. We’re all desperate and afraid, but I promise you that we’re good people. Even Dave here, once you get to know him.”

The woman studied Dave and then took a long, appraising look at Nick. Eventually, she said, “My name is Annaliese. You can call me Anna.”

“What are you doing?” the ginger man shouted.

“Making the best of a bad situation,” she replied. “They’re here now. We can’t exactly send them back down the hill, can we?”

“Thank you,” Nick said.

“Just don’t make me regret saving your arses,” she told him. “I don’t make a habit of trusting people.”

“Me either, but I’m glad you’ve made an exception. Is it okay if we all get out now?”

She nodded.

Everyone got out of the cable cars and formed a huddle on the platform. As soon as they did, the ginger man spotted Jan and Renee.

“Those two are convicts!” he shouted.

“Easy there, brother,” Jan said. “Me and Renee are cool.”

“Like hell you are! You need to leave.”

“Where exactly do you expect us to go?”

“I don’t care, but you’re not staying here.”

Nick stood in front of Jan and Renee and shook his head. “They’re good people. They were sprung loose when things got crazy and they’ve more than proven their courage since they joined up with us. In fact, Jan has already risked his life for other people and saved my life personally.”

“None of that means anything to us,” said the ginger man. “Criminals are not to be trusted.”

“Come on,” Nick pleaded. “Have some mercy.” He stared at Annaliese, hoping that she would continue to show compassion.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I won’t feel safe with a couple of criminals amongst us.”

Nick couldn’t believe it. “Then what are you suggesting?”

“Lock us up,” Jan interrupted.

Annaliese frowned. “What do you mean, lock you up?”

“I mean, that if you feel criminals should be locked up, then put Renee and me somewhere secure and we’ll stay there and behave, as long as you feed us. But please don’t turn everyone away because of mistakes I made years ago.”

Annaliese seemed to consider things. “Okay,” she eventually said. “We’ll find some place to put you. But if you try anything, we’ll put you down like dogs.”

Jan raised an eyebrow. “Damn, lady. You sure you’ve never spent time inside, yourself?”

She shook her head. “Nope. I’m just a pissed-off vet with no more f*cks left to give.”

“Then I think we understand one another,” said Nick.

“This is a bad idea,” said the ginger man. “They could all be criminals for all we know.”

“Perhaps,” she admitted. “But, right now, we’re all trying to stay alive against the same threat. I think it’s in our best interests to trust one another.”

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” said Jan.

She nodded. “But sometimes friends become enemies, too, so don’t cross me.”

“Well, then,” Dave said, obviously feeling confident to start speaking again. “Are you going to show us around? Now that it’s been decided we’re staying.”

The ginger man sighed. “Fine. I’ll give you all a tour and find somewhere for your illicit companions to stay.”

Annaliese shrugged her shoulders apologetically towards Nick. “This friendly soul is Shawcross, by the way.”

Shawcross raised an eyebrow at them all. “I wish I could say the pleasure was all mine. Welcome to Ripley Heights.”





Chapter Twenty-Seven

Eve was turning on the spot and taking the whole place in. “I can’t believe I’m here again,” she said. “God, the memories…” She pointed at a nearby carousel that had dragons instead of horses. “That’s the Magic Circle. My sister and I used to go on that all the time. And look, there,” she pointed at a rollercoaster at the edge of the park. “I think that’s The Hood, if I remember correctly.”

“You do,” said Shawcross. “It’s been repainted recently, but it’s the same old ride. I take it you visited here as a child?”

“Lots of times,” Eve gushed. Nick liked her excitement. It was the first positive emotion any of them had felt for days and it was infectious.

“We need to be careful,” said Annaliese. “We’re pretty sure the zoo is safe, but we haven’t explored the amusement park yet.”

“Thank you again for helping us,” Nick said. “We were doomed otherwise.”

“I just hope you haven’t brought all those infected up the hill with you.”

“I don’t think so. They seem to lose interest when they can’t see you.”

Annaliese nodded. “You noticed that too, huh? So how did you survive the last couple days?”

“Dave picked us up in his bus. We drove around for a while and then ran out of petrol in the nearby woods. I think luck has more to do with it than anything else.”