The BIG Horror Pack 2

by Iain Rob Wright

  Dave went to speak but Nick cut him off. “We apologise. My name is Nick Adams. A few days ago, I had a wife and a son. Now, all I have are these people. They are good people, but desperate and afraid. I promise you that you will like us. Even Dave here, once you get to know him.”

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

  “What are you doing?” the one called Shawcross 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. “You’ve saved us.”

  “Just don’t make me regret it,” she said. “I don’t make a habit of trusting people.”

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

  She nodded.

  The rest of the group got out of the cable cars and huddled up on the platform.

  “Those two are convicts!” Shawcross shouted, pointing to Jan and Rene.

  “Easy there, brother,” Jan said. “We’re cool.”

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

  “Where exactly do you expect us to go, brother?”

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

  Nick moved to the front of his group. “Jan and Rene are 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,” Shawcross said. “Criminals are not to be trusted.”

  “I’m sorry,” Anna said, much to Nick’s surprise. “No one will feel safe with criminals amongst us.”

  “I understand,” Nick said, having once felt the same way. “But what do you suggest?”

  “Lock us up,” Jan said.

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

  “I mean that if you feel criminals should be locked up, then lock us up somewhere secure. We’ll behave as long as you feed us, but please don’t turn everyone away because of mistakes I made years ago.”

  “Okay. 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 some time inside yourself?”

  “No. I’m just a pissed-off vet. And you don’t want to piss off a woman that puts her hands up backsides for a living.

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

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

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

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

  Anna nodded. “But sometimes friends can become enemies, so don’t cross us.”

  “Well, then,” Dave said. “Are you going to show us around now that it’s been decided we’re all staying?”

  Shawcross let out a sigh. “Fine. I’ll give you the tour and find somewhere for your illicit companions to stay.”

  Anna glanced apologetically towards Nick. “I wish I could say he gets nicer.”

  Nick glanced at Dave and chuckled. “It’s okay, I’m starting to get quite tolerant of assholes, long as they aren’t infected.”

  “Not many of us left,” she said.

  “No, not many at all.”

  Shawcross headed to the front of the new combined group and raised his hands in the air. “Welcome to Ripley Heights,” he said with pride.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  “I can’t believe I’m here again,” Eve said excitedly. “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 roller coaster at the edge of the park. “I think that’s the Hood.”

  “It is indeed,” Shawcross said. “They repainted it recently, but it’s the same old ride. I take it you visited here a lot as a child?”

  “Lots!” Eve gushed. Nick liked her excitement. It was the first positive emotion any of them had felt for days and it was infectious, even if it was destined to only be temporary.

  “We need to be careful,” Anna said. “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. His heart still battered against his ribs. He couldn’t believe he had survived.

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

  “They seem to lose interest when they can’t see you. I don’t think any of them followed.”

  Anna nodded. “You noticed that too, huh? How did you survive out there?”

  “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.”

  “Dave is the guy who doesn’t know when to shut his mouth?”

  Nick nodded. “That’s him. He was pretty much our saviour to begin with, but I’ve been changing my mind about him since.”

  Anna stopped. “He’s not going to be a problem, is he?”

  “No, no, of course not. At least…I don’t think so.”

  She shook her head and started walking again. “Great, what have I let myself in for?”

  “I promise he’ll behave,” Nick said, but wondered if he could even control such a thing.

  “I’ll just have to trust you then, Nick.”

  The group came to a stop in the centre of a midway games area. There were several prize huts and one of those laser-target shooting galleries with animated props. It felt strange being somewhere where fun was supposed to be had.

  “Right!” Shawcross clapped his hands. “The Big Dog restaurant and pub is just ahead. We need to start stockpiling supplies. I’d say that with the soft furnishings inside Big Dog, and the fact that it has cooking facilities, it would make an ideal place for us to situate ourselves while we ride this thing out. I believe there is also a cellar where we can accommodate our…less desirable guests.”

  Jan grimaced. “Guess I should be used to being in a cell by now.”

  “Is that absolutely necessary?” Nick pleaded. “Jan and Rene really aren’t any danger.”

  “We had a deal,” Anna said firmly.

  Jan cleared his throat. “Don’t sweat it, brother. I agreed to the terms. I’m not backing out.”

  “It may only be temporary, anyway,” Anna said. “Just while we get used to one another.”

  “Or we may keep you locked up until the police arrive,” Shawcross added.

  “Come on,” Anna said. “Let’s go inside where we can all introduce ourselves properly.”

  The group headed over to Big Dog restaurant and climbed a short flight of steps. The door was locked but it seemed like something the original group were used to. Shawcross put through the window with a metal pole and cleared away the jagged shards.

  “Hope nobody minds climbing,” he said. “Doors aren’t getting as much use these days.”

  Everyone hopped up on the window ledge and funnelled through into the restaurant. It was very similar to the Rainforest Café, but better maintained.

  “Now, I haven’t been here for a while,” Shawcross said. “The amusement park and zoo are separate to the manor house of which I am in charge but, if memory serves me, there should be a soda fountain that we can use while there’s still power. We should also gather as much water from the kitchen as we can.”

  “Now that you mention it,” Nick said, “how come you guys still have power? It went off down below.”

  “A generator,” Anna explained. “It must have kicked in without us knowing it. Shawcross said i
t can power the park for a couple of days if the grid goes off. Tell you the truth, we didn’t even know the power had gone out everywhere else.”

  Nick shrugged. “It set the alarms off down below a couple hours ago, but I’m not sure about the surrounding area.”

  Anna huffed. “So that’s what that noise was. I thought I heard an alarm just before I fell to sleep.”

  Shawcross leant against the restaurant’s bar. “Shall we get the introductions out of the way? Then we can get on to more important matters.”

  “Okay,” Nick said. “I’ve already introduced myself, but this big guy here is Jan who, like I said, has already saved my life once. He also helped me save our friend, Margaret…but she never made it. Neither did Jake, Mark, or Carl. Jan’s companion is Rene, but he doesn’t talk – don’t ask me why. This here is Pauline…” Nick continued to point around the group. “Cassie, Eve, and—”

  “Dave,” he answered for himself. “I’m the one who got us all together in the first place.”

  “Well done,” Shawcross said. “I am responsible for our own little group. You already know Anna and myself, but may I also introduce Mike, Michelle, Greg, and Alan. There were more of us at one point but…well, I’m sure you know.”

  Everybody greeted one another.

  “Should we be asking if anybody has any skills?” Eve asked. “That’s what they do in the movies, right?”

  Shawcross scratched his chin. “I suppose so. Anna would be our medic, for want of a better word.”

  “I’m a vet,” she corrected, “but I know my way around human tackle too, more or less.”

  “I’m a builder,” Alan said. “Retired.”

  “I’m an accountant,” Michelle said. “So none of you need to worry about your tax returns.”

  Everyone chuckled.

  “Anybody else do anything useful?” Shawcross asked.

  There was silence.

  “Well, it doesn’t seem that we’re in a great position to restart civilisation, so let’s just hope things improve.”

  Some hope, Nick thought as he took in his new surroundings. He wondered how long this dingy restaurant would end up being his new home. He yearned for his old one, and the family he had shared it with.

  Shawcross headed over to Jan and Rene. “The cellar is this way, gentlemen. Are you ready to settle in?”

  Jan shrugged. “After you, Warden.”

  Nick knew it was wrong as he watched Jan and Rene head for their imprisonment, but he understood where the other group was coming from. He’d felt the same way about the prisoners not long ago, and in Dash’s case his concerns had proven correct. But when it came to Jan, he felt like he owed the men.

  “I think that’s the drinks machine over there.” Cassie pointed across the room and, sure enough, there was a long vending machine with a line of draught taps.

  “Okay, great,” Anna said. “Cassie, is it? Do you want to start filling up all the cups with soft drinks and water?”

  Cassie headed off, probably glad for something to do.

  “I’ll help her,” Pauline said, heading after her.

  “And what are we going to be doing?” Dave asked, somewhat irritably. He probably wanted to be the one giving orders.

  Anna sighed. “I don’t know, Dave. What would you like to do?”

  “Nick and I can go take a butchers at the kitchen? See what food we can rustle up.”

  She stared at him blankly. “So go do it then.”

  Nick and Dave headed through a door at the back of the restaurant and entered the kitchen. They found it in woeful condition, grime on the floor and grease on the walls.

  “Glad I never ate here,” Nick said.

  “Nothing wrong with it,” Dave argued. “Dirtier the kitchen, better it is. Bit of grease never hurt anyone.”

  “Think we’ll have to disagree there.”

  Dave laughed and grabbed a long bread knife from a wall hook and let out a whistle. “Think I just found my weapon of choice. You should grab something too, Nick.”

  “I’m more interested in settling in with the new group right now. I don’t think arming ourselves to the teeth is going to put them at ease.”

  “Arming ourselves is exactly what we need to do. That ginger tosser and the mouthy vet are going to be on our balls about every little thing if we let them. This place doesn’t belong to them, so why are they acting as if it does?”

  “Because they were here first and we would be dead if they hadn’t brought us up. They seem like nice people.”

  “Yeah, maybe. I just don’t fancy being defenceless if they decide to lock us up with the convicts. What the hell happened to Dash, by the way? I saw him fall out the goddamn cable car. Can’t say I was sad to see him go.”

  “It’s a long story,” was all Nick was willing to say about it. “Now’s not the time.”

  “Well, like I said, I want to be ready if these new people start trying to strong-arm us. We’re outnumbered now they’ve locked up Jan and Rene.”

  “They’re just being sensible until they know us better.”

  Dave huffed. “You sure about that? It’s every man for himself now and I see a return to tribalism.”

  “Tribalism?”

  “Yeah. People are going to start looking out for their own. The strong will take what the weak have.”

  “I think we should all just stick together. It’s only been a couple days and you’re already trying to go Lord of the Flies. If we don’t help one another we may as well feed ourselves to the people at the bottom of the hill.”

  “Those monsters are the reason I’m right about us turning on each other. What are we going to do if there’s a falling out or a disagreement, or frustration when we all begin to starve? Nobody can go anywhere, so the only option left is to fight for your point of view. We’re all going to be stuck on this hill together and there’s no longer the option for civil disagreement.”

  Nick sighed. “You don’t have a lot of faith in people, do you?”

  “When you’ve been a bus driver for twenty years, the one thing you start to know well is people.”

  “Let’s just play things by ear for now, okay?”

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

  “Sounds good.”

  Inside the pit of his stomach, Nick felt more than just hunger.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Anna didn’t know what to make of the newcomers. Two of them were criminals and one of them was a complete arsehole. Nick, at least, seemed to be on the level and the women in his group seemed to trust him.

  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 joined them.

  Before heading off, she glanced at Eve, Michelle, Greg, and Alan. They were all standing around aimlessly and needed something to do. Anna didn’t know how she had fallen into the role of order-giver but they seemed like they needed her permission to act.

  “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.”

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

  “Found anything?” she asked them.

  Both of them spun around.

  Nick answered, “Most of the food here is frozen, which suits our needs well.”

  Anna headed deeper into the kitchen and pulled open a metal door against the far wall. She thought about the last time she’d opened a freezer unit, and shuddered.

  Inside was plenty of food to keep them going: mostly burger patties and fries.

  “It’s not Michelin star,” she said, “but it’ll do. Best leave it where it is for now. We’ll have to make a list of it all and plan out rations.”

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

  “Thanks,” she muttered. “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 sit tight. 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.”

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

  Over at the far side of the room, Cassie and Pauline were diligently filling up plastic cups with soft drinks 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,” Shawcross said, marching towards them with Mike by his side. “You’ll also be glad to know that there are several barrels of 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 Rene aren’t like that,” Nick protested.

  Anna was glad 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.

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

  Mike laughed. “We sound like soldiers.”