Ravage: An Apocalyptic Horror Novel(83)

“Of course. I’m just being prepared. Now, how bout’s we go take a look in those fridges?”

Nick glanced over at the refrigerator units and nodded. “Sounds good.”

Inside, he was beginning to feel claustrophobic.





Chapter Twenty-Eight

Annaliese didn’t know what to make of the newcomers. Two of them were prisoners and one of them was a complete arsehole, but Nick seemed to be on the level, and the women in the group seemed to trust him. Still, she had a bad feeling that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

She hadn’t objected to Nick and Dave heading into the kitchen alone, but now she wondered if it had been such a good idea. She decided it would probably be wise if she went and joined them.

Keep any eye on them.

Before heading off, she glanced at Eve, Michelle, Greg, and Alan. They were all standing around aimlessly. They needed something to do.

“Maybe you lot can gather up the furniture and make some sort of living space. It might be worth us having a barricade as well, just in case, you know?”


The four of them nodded and got to work. Annaliese headed behind the bar and entered through the kitchen door. Nick and Dave were at the far end with their head in the fridges.

“Found anything?” she asked them.

Both of them spun around. Nick answered, “There’s not much we can use. Just some condensed milk and big jars of mayonnaise. Most of the food here is probably frozen.”

Annaliese headed deeper into the room and pulled open a metal door against the far wall. She thought about the last time she had opened a freezer unit, and shuddered.

Hopefully this one won’t be full of sick people.

Inside was plenty of food to keep them going. Mostly burger patties, fries, and frozen hotdogs, but also boxes of artificial cheese and other odds and ends.

“Well,” said Nick. “It’s not Michelin star, but it will do.”

Annaliese closed the door again and turned around. “Best leaving it where it is for now. We’ll have to make a list of it all and plan out rations.”

“I agree,” said Dave. “You’re a clever girl, you. I can tell.”

“Thanks,” she said. “Must have been all those years at university.”

“So, what’s next on the to-do list?” Nick asked her.

“We’ll have to check with Shawcross. No doubt he’ll have an opinion on what to do next, but to be honest there’s not a lot we can do other than wait. When everyone is feeling up to it, we should start making a perimeter around the park, in case any infected people arrive.”

Nick nodded. “Yeah, I like the sound of having fences between us and them. We should maybe look around for stuff to keep us warm as well. If the power goes off, it’s going to get cold.”

“Good point. I’m not sure we’re going to come across any blankets, though.”

“Let’s get to it, then,” said Dave. “No point hanging around.”

The three of them exited the kitchen and re-entered the restaurant. Michelle, Alan, Greg, and Eve were moving the tables and chairs up against the windows and doors. They had also turned some sideways, creating private berths for people to lie down in. All in all, it was a job well done.

Over at the far side, Cassie and Pauline were diligently filling up plastic cups with cola and placing them on the floor in rows. With a bit of luck, the machine would keep spitting out liquids for a while. People seemed a lot less tense when they were busy.

“Our guests are secure and comfortable downstairs,” said Shawcross, who was marching towards them with Mike by his side. “Fortunately, the key to the cellar was still in the lock. You’ll also be glad to know that there are several barrels of both soft drinks and beer down there. We will need to bring those up, of course. Can’t leave them with the prisoners, lest they have themselves a party.”

“Jan and Renee aren’t like that,” Nick protested.

Annaliese was glad that the prisoners were secure, but she did wish that Shawcross would show a little more tactfulness in how he spoke about them. They were obviously well respected by Nick, and the man bristled every time his companion’s morals were called in to question.

Guess the big bearded guy really did save his life.

“We were planning to check out the perimeter,” Annaliese told Shawcross. “See if we can reinforce our position.”

Mike laughed. “We sound like bloody soldiers.”

“Sooner we accept that we are, the better,” said Dave. “I’m ready to go and check things out. Anybody want to join me?”

Annaliese didn’t want the man to wander off alone, but she didn’t want to be stuck with him either. “Mike,” she said. “Could you get Greg and Michelle and go with him? I think more heads would be better.”

He nodded. “Sure thing. I’ll get them now.”

“I will start making an inventory of what we have,” said Shawcross.

“Excellent,” Annaliese said. It was a job she was hoping he would volunteer for. It would keep him busy and out of the way. She turned to Nick. “Should you and I go look for bedding material?”

“Sounds good to me,” he said. “Let me just check in with Eve and the others, so they know what’s happening.”