Ravage: An Apocalyptic Horror Novel (39 page)

“I can’t believe I got that dude’s
blood on me,” Danny said to himself as he marched across the car park. 
His shift had ended at the coffee shop and he’d been heading out.  He
didn’t even know why he’d stopped to help that guy.

What else could I do?  He was flipping the fuck out.

Danny had cleaned himself up in the coffee shop’s kitchen
and then headed out the back door to the car park.  He didn’t want to get
drawn in to any of the commotion that was happening out on the station’s
platform.  There seemed to be some sort of panic going on, which was hardly
surprising given the state of the dude having the seizure.

What the hell was wrong with that guy?  Epilepsy?

Who gives a shit?  I gots to gets my party on.

Danny had been looking forward to seven-o-clock all
day.  The time where he could finally skip out of work and catch his ride
to Birmingham, where Joey would be throwing the party of the century. 
Joey was one of his best buddies and grew up in a house the size of a
supermarket.  It had tennis courts, a swimming pool, snooker tables, and
everything else his millionaire parents could think to buy.  And for the
next week, the house was in Joey’s care while his parents were on a
cruise.  It was going to be the best few days of Danny’s life.  A
whirlwind of booze, drugs, laughs, and clunge. 

Nirvana baby!

Danny picked up his pace and headed up the hill towards the
bus station.  Coming down the road, in the opposite direction, was a
police car.  Its sirens were on and its driver eyeballed Danny as he
passed.

What you looking at, pig?

Danny rounded the corner and stopped just outside the bus
station.  He wasn’t due to catch a bus; Joey would be picking him up in
his parent’s Audi.  It was a sweet ride and if it was warmer they could
have had the top down all the way up the motorway.

Oh well, can’t have everything.

Sure enough, Danny spotted Joey idling in the sleek black
Audi and quickly dashed towards him.  He slung open the door and hopped
in.

“Hey, D-Man, how’s it going?”

“Yeah, good.  Except some dude just bled all over me.”

Joey looked at him.  “For real?”

Danny shook his head.  “Don’t worry about it. 
Let’s just get this party started.”

“Hell yes!”  Joey gunned the engine and the two of them
got going.  They sped right past a row of police cars heading towards the
train station.

“You know what all these pigs are doing?” Joey asked him.

Danny shook his head and looked out of the window. 
“No.  Maybe it had something to do with the dude that collapsed on the
platform.”

“A guy collapsed?”

“Yeah, was bleeding everywhere like a stuck pig.”

“Gross.”

Danny let out a long breath as he thought about getting the
guy’s blood on him.  “Yeah, gross.”

“Well, I’ll be doing some pretty gross things with Stephanie
later tonight.  If I can get it up, that is, with all of the booze I’m
gonna drink.”

Danny smiled.  “Tonight is going to be hardcore.”

Joey bashed the car’s horn three times. 
“Hard-fuckin’-core!”

Danny sneezed.

Joey opened the electric windows on both sides.  “Dude,
I can’t be doing with getting sick.  You gonna start sneezing and shit, do
it out the window.  I can’t be driving three hours with Mr Sniffles.”

Danny wiped his nose with the back of his forearm. 
“Sorry, man.  I don’t think I’m getting sick.  I feel fine.”

Then he sneezed again. 

Stephanie had just given Joey the
shag of his life and he felt epic.  His friends were having fun all around
and it was all because of him.  He would go down as a legend for this.

The motherfucking party master.

Joey slid off his bed and got dressed while Stephanie used
the shower in the en suite.  The thought of her all wet and naked was
enough to get him aroused all over again.  But there would be time for
that later.  He had to play host; make sure his guests were having a time
they would never forget.

He checked his watch.  It was two-thirty in the
morning.  The night was still young.

He headed out onto the landing, passing by necking couples
and chatting friends.  They all gave Joey the thumbs-up as he passed
them.  Someone handed him a beer and he broke the tab merrily.  He
had never felt so good.

Except for the headache.

And a sore throat.

That git, Danny.  I knew his sneezing was gonna get
me sick.

Joey headed down the stairs, shoving people back against the
wall if they dared get in his way.  He knew it was stupid to blame his
friend for passing on a harmless bug, but it was the worst timing.  So
much planning had gone into this party that he would kick off big style if he
wasn’t able to enjoy it.

I’ll wring his bleedin’ neck.

He knew he would find Danny in the billiards room.  The
guy was a whiz with a cue and would no doubt be hustling the other guys out of
their money.

Someone was coughing nearby.  Somebody else sneezed.

Goddamn it.  Did Danny catch the lergy or something?

The billiards room was just up ahead, off from the main
lounge.  Joey headed inside and spotted Danny on a stool behind the
bar.  He was chewing on some girl’s neck.

“Danny!” Joey shouted.

Danny moved the girl aside and looked over at him. 
“Hey, dude.  How’s it going?”

Joey marched across the room.  The girl that had been
with Danny left, sporting a huge hickey on her neck.

Classy.

Danny headed behind the bar and stood in front of his
friend, who was teetering unsteadily on the stool.

“What’s up?” Danny asked him.

Joey examined his buddy.  He looked like hell.  His
eyes were swollen and red.  His nose was dripping snot.  Even his
lips seemed sore.

Great, what the hell has he passed onto me?

“You don’t look good, man.”

Joey laughed.  “I’m sound, mate.  I’ve done so
much coke tonight that I could shake off a stab wound like it was a mosquito
bite.”

“Well, you passed whatever you have to me, you dirty little
shit.  I can’t be doing with feeling rough, man.”

Danny leant forward on his stool and almost fell off
it.  He put his hand on Joey’s shoulder.  “I have the cure,
dude.  Don’t you worry.”  He held up a small baggie of white powder.

Joey snatched the baggie and grinned.  “Don’t go
thinking this means I’ve forgiven you.”

He tipped the baggie upside down and emptied the powder onto
the bar.  Immediately, others in the billiards room drew in closer.

Coke parasites.  Flash a bit of powder and they come
out of the woodwork like lice.

Joey was pleased to find that there was enough in the bag
for half-a-dozen lines.  Enough to share and still get a buzz on. 
When he accidently sneezed on the powder and reduced the amount by one line, he
was pretty pissed off.  The anger only lasted a moment, though, as he and
five others took a hit.

All of them got more than they bargained for.

Gaz was exhausted.  The coke
he’d done at Joey’s had worn off and now he felt like shit.  In fact,
everyone at the party was generally feeling like shit.  When he’d finally
left, people had been puking all over the place or lying on the floor with a
bad case of the sniffles.

Gaz had a headache and a sharp pain in his chest.  His
vision was also a little blurry.  The thing he wanted now more than
anything else in the world was his bed.  But getting there might not be so
easy.

At the back door to his house, Gaz checked the time on his
phone: 06:00.  The sun was just rising.  He used his key to unlock
the door and gently clasped the handle to go inside.  When he stepped
through into the kitchen, his mother was there waiting for him.

“Where the hell have you been?” she demanded.

He rolled his eyes and let the door close behind him. 
“At a friend’s.”

“All night long?  Doing what?”

“Nothing.  Just watching movies.”

She stood in front of him and stared into his eyes. 
“You’ve been doing drugs, haven’t you?”

“Mom, just give it a rest.  What’s your problem?”

“My problem,” her voice began to break into sobs, “is that
my fifteen year old son is out all night doing God knows what.  I can’t
cope with you anymore.  You’re going to have to go live with your dad.”

Gaz went to the fridge and pulled out a pint of milk. 
“I’d rather live on the street.”

“Then do that, then.  You can’t stay here if you’re not
going to do what I tell you.”

Gaz swigged the milk and enjoyed the way it felt against his
sore throat.  It did nothing for his aching stomach, though.

“Look, mom, I-”

“I don’t want to hear it,” she said, covering her mouth and
starting to cry.  “Just go to bed.”

Gaz nodded.  He was too tired to argue with her. 
She never gave up with the nagging.

Annoying cow.

Gaz left his mother crying in the kitchen and headed
upstairs.  He took the milk with him.  If he didn’t get at least
twelve hours sleep then he was going to be absolutely lagging.  The only
way to get through the down effects of coke and booze was to sleep through them
and that was exactly what he intended to do.

He stomped up the stairs feeling heavier and heavier as he
ascended.  For a moment, he wondered if he could even make it to the
top.  He had to heave and push himself just to keep his knees working.

The light on the landing was switched on and the first door
on the left was ajar; a black rectangle of shadow between the door and the
frame.  A small white face peered out at Gaz.

“Jordan, what are you doing up?”

Gaz’s little brother had a sleepy glaze over his eyes but
seemed happy to see him.  “Where have you been?”

“Not you, too,” Gaz said.  “Why is everybody so
interested in my life?”

“Sorry.”

Gaz gave his brother a pat on the head.  “I’ve just
been at Joey’s.  I’m going to bed now.  You should get another couple
hours as well or you’ll be tired at school.”

Jordan nodded his head dreamily.  “Okay.”

Gaz patted his little brother on the head again and headed
to his own room.  Before he got there, Jordan called out to him.

“Hey, can I have the rest of that milk, Gaz?  I’m
thirsty.”

Gaz turned around.  He took one short swig and then
handed the rest of the milk over.  “Sure thing, bro.  Drink it and
then go back to bed.  Have a good day at school.”

“I will,” said Jordan, swigging from the milk and gasping. 
“See you later.”

But he never would see his brother again.

Jordan wanted to go home.  He
felt sick in his tummy and his eyes were itchy.  He wanted to lie on the
sofa with mommy and watch cartoons, but the teacher wouldn’t believe him when
he said he was sick.  It was because he was always fibbing and trying to
go home.  He hated school and missed his mommy.  Today, though, he
wasn’t lying.  He really was poorly.

It was the last break of the day and there was only English
class to sit through before he could go home.  He didn’t mind English – it
was much better than Math.  Maybe, if he wasn’t feeling better later,
mommy would let him have tomorrow off.

His friend, James, was nearby, playing games on his mobile
phone.  James’s dad worked in a phone shop so James always had the latest
ones that were out. 

“Can I have a go, please?” he asked.

James smiled and handed the phone right over.  James
was a good friend.

“You still feeling poorly?”

Jordan tapped at the touchscreen and nodded. 
“Yeah.  I want to go home, but the teacher won’t let me.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay.”  Jordan started a puzzle game with
fruits.  The flashing colours hurt his eyes slightly but he didn’t
mind.  He wanted to play.

“What lesson do you have next?” James asked.

Jordan didn’t reply.  He was too engrossed with the
flashing fruit.  Usually he found games like this boring, but somehow the
movement held him captive.  His hearing went dull.

“Hey, Jordan, did you hear me?”

Jordan was busy.  He moved the fruit about, matching
colours and winning points.  Time seemed to slip away as a headache took
over the small spaces inside his skull.

The movement.  I like the movement.  I like
things that move.

When the lesson bell sounded, Jordan didn’t hear it. 
Neither did he hear James ask for his phone back.  When the other boy
snatched at the phone, to take back what was his, Jordan was surprised by the
rage that filled him.  He leapt at James and managed to catch his finger
between his teeth.  James pulled his hand back and immediately started
crying.

I’ll kill you…

What…what am I doing?

Jordan put his hand out in desperation as his friend ran off
to tell the teacher.  He didn’t know what had happened.  He had just
felt so…mad.  Something inside of him had made him bite his friend and now
that it had happened he felt dizzy.  His headache had suddenly gone,
leaving behind an all over numbness.  His vision had gone a funny colour,
too, and it was hard to catch a breath.  Most of all, though, Jordan just
felt scared.

He curled up on the floor and started to cry.  He
didn’t know what was happening to him as he waited for the teacher to come and
tell him off for biting James.  He just wanted his mommy to make it all
better.

But she never would.

Treadwell examined the bank of
television monitors displaying news feeds from all four corners of the
Earth.  The explosion of the
Spirit of Kirkpatrick
in the middle of
the Mediterranean Sea was an unforeseen complication.  The spread of the nano-virus
throughout mainland Europe had been vastly hindered by the ship’s failure to
reach land – but the Easter-Virus had managed to get out anyway.  Its
eventual spread would be unstoppable.  The ominous news reports flashing
on the television screens made this clear.

It will be unstoppable.

Most of the news station were reporting early occurrences of
the virus, but they were yet to understand the full ramifications of what it
could do.  They had no idea what the Easter-Virus was designed for – what
it was
engineered
for.  The self-replicating nano-delivery system
was working perfectly, making sure that every single victim got a massive and
immediate dose.  Symptoms would occur in less than one hour in most
cases.  Full presentation of symptoms would take up to a full twenty-four
hours, though.  That was when the virus would become truly
unstoppable.  That was when patients would start to actively hunt down
anyone healthy and deliberately infect them.  The virus would become less
infectious in itself at that stage, but its carriers would become far, far more
deadly.  Even killing them would not stop them – the nano-virus was
programmed to maintain a clumsy, yet effective control over the carrier’s motor
functions even after death.

It is a true marvel.  Man’s greatest inventions.

Treadwell smiled and rubbed at the coarse black stubble on
his chin.  The death toll had not even started yet, but once it did it
would rise and rise until the world population dwindled.  Then New Dynasty
could begin its real work.  Rebuilding the world as a utopia.  A
world without famine, war, greed, and laziness.  It would be a productive
world full of marvels, instead of the corporate mess the current one was. 
Gluttonous companies like Black Remedy, TBD PharmaTech, and Christoil would
have no place in the new world.  Their death grip on the international
economy and its Governments was about to come to an end.  New Dynasty were
poised to take over.

But before that could happen there would be a period of
slumber.  Beneath the Earth, the members of New Dynasty would lie in wait
while the virus did its work above.  Soon every nation on Earth would be
cleansed, while the future leaders of the new world lay safely in bunkers that
had been three decades in the making.

In less than one year the world’s population would total
just ninety thousand – and all of those people would eventually rise from their
bunkers like phoenix from the ashes.  Treadwell felt honoured to be
amongst that small number.

His legacy of software engineering, along with his
unrivalled fortune and his willingness to share it with the needy, had bought
him a place in the Scottish bunker, buried deep beneath the Highlands.  He
commanded the five thousand personnel that would go on to represent the British
Republic.  When the virus was confirmed in America, Africa, and Asia,
members of the Dynasty in those countries would also go into hiding.  In
just the last ten minutes, Treadwell had received word that their American
payload had been released in Texas inside a convention centre.  Soon the
greatest nation on Earth would begin to fall.  Soon, everywhere else would
fall, too.  New nations would rise, led by the Dynastic Council.

A true democracy.

Treadwell watched the television screens for another twenty
minutes before getting up.  There was a lot of work to be done, lots of
preparations to be made.  He had a part to play in the greatest event in
human history.  Mankind was about to enter a new dynasty.

The old one was about to die.

TO
BE CONTINUED…