even though he’s stick thin there’s a roll to his gait that defines the term snake
hips.
Billie joins me. She’s still carrying the Ape’s weapon. ‘I almost didn’t go to detention,’ she says. I glance at her, surprised. ‘Was seriously thinking of
giving it a miss.’ The gravity behind her words is evident.
‘Well, I’m glad you did because I wouldn’t want to be going through this without you. We can be scared to death together.’ We share a smile.
‘You hungry?’
‘Starving.’ I didn’t feel much like eating until Billie brought it up, but it’s close on ten o’ clock now and I don’t think I’ve eaten anything since
lunchtime
‘Can we stop and break out some of that food?’ Billie asks Johnson.
‘Someone mention chicken?’ The Ape stops and casually lets Carrie drop to the ground with a thud.
‘What the hell?’ wails Carrie. ‘How can anyone be hungry? People have disappeared. We’ve lost our friends, our family, everyone.’ Carrie is incredulous.
The Ape shrugs. ‘So what? It’s good no one’s around.’
‘You’re sick,’ Carrie snorts. ‘Only the stupidest oaf in the world would be enjoying this. Oh hang on. That
is
you.’
I want to tell the Ape not to listen to Carrie, that she is like this with everyone, but I also can’t help but silently agree with her. The real problem is the Ape just doesn’t fit.
He never has really. Not at school and not now. The situation is already stressful enough without his oafishness adding to it. Johnson seems to know how to handle him though. At least for now.
‘We’re tired, we’re hungry, let’s find somewhere to sit and eat,’ Johnson says.
‘Oh goody, we’re having a picnic now,’ sneers Carrie.
Johnson ignores her and I go back to watching his snake hips when a toe-curling scream erupts into the night. It’s coming from a tall block of nineteen-fifties flats sitting directly
across the road from us. As ever the Ape is the first to react.
‘Weapon! Now!’ he yells at Billie, but she’s too shocked by the noise to react so he yanks it from her hand.
Johnson instinctively gets in front of Billie and me. ‘Stay behind me,’ he says and I don’t know whether to swoon or panic and sort of get stuck between the two as Billie yanks
Carrie to her feet.
‘Get up!’
‘Careful!’ Carrie moans.
The Ape holds up a giant meaty paw to tell us to be quiet as he scans the block of flats. Someone or some
thing
is racing down the stairway inside. It’s moving quickly and we see
it flashing past the lit stairwell windows that line every floor.
‘Told you. Vampire.’
‘Did you have to say that?’ Carrie whimpers.
The Ape glances at Johnson. ‘Get ready.’
‘Born ready.’ Johnson tries to sound relaxed but I see him tense and grow a little stiffer, knowing for certain that something is about to explode from the entrance door to the
flats.
The footsteps reach the bottom landing and hurtle towards the main entrance.
I glance at Billie and she looks worried and dry-mouthed. Carrie has finally shut up and I can see that despite her attitude to the Ape, she has moved herself into a favourable position behind
his giant back.
The door is flung open.
Here it comes
, I think,
here it comes
.
The Ape doesn’t hesitate and starts charging at the figure that emerges from the door. Everyone else is holding back, but his gut instinct is to take the fight to whatever is coming for
us.
‘Let’s have it!’ he yells.
But as the Ape charges into the dark we hear another scream, and this one is even louder than the first. But it’s a scream of holy terror as the figure slides to the ground, sinking to its
knees, ducking as fast as it can.
‘It’s me! GG!’
The Ape swings mightily and his homemade weapon whooshes a couple of inches above GG’s head and chops the top of his blond quiff off.
‘Ape! No!’ I yell, as I see him swinging again.
‘Stop, you silly brute!’ GG whimpers.
Incredibly the Ape
hips.
Billie joins me. She’s still carrying the Ape’s weapon. ‘I almost didn’t go to detention,’ she says. I glance at her, surprised. ‘Was seriously thinking of
giving it a miss.’ The gravity behind her words is evident.
‘Well, I’m glad you did because I wouldn’t want to be going through this without you. We can be scared to death together.’ We share a smile.
‘You hungry?’
‘Starving.’ I didn’t feel much like eating until Billie brought it up, but it’s close on ten o’ clock now and I don’t think I’ve eaten anything since
lunchtime
‘Can we stop and break out some of that food?’ Billie asks Johnson.
‘Someone mention chicken?’ The Ape stops and casually lets Carrie drop to the ground with a thud.
‘What the hell?’ wails Carrie. ‘How can anyone be hungry? People have disappeared. We’ve lost our friends, our family, everyone.’ Carrie is incredulous.
The Ape shrugs. ‘So what? It’s good no one’s around.’
‘You’re sick,’ Carrie snorts. ‘Only the stupidest oaf in the world would be enjoying this. Oh hang on. That
is
you.’
I want to tell the Ape not to listen to Carrie, that she is like this with everyone, but I also can’t help but silently agree with her. The real problem is the Ape just doesn’t fit.
He never has really. Not at school and not now. The situation is already stressful enough without his oafishness adding to it. Johnson seems to know how to handle him though. At least for now.
‘We’re tired, we’re hungry, let’s find somewhere to sit and eat,’ Johnson says.
‘Oh goody, we’re having a picnic now,’ sneers Carrie.
Johnson ignores her and I go back to watching his snake hips when a toe-curling scream erupts into the night. It’s coming from a tall block of nineteen-fifties flats sitting directly
across the road from us. As ever the Ape is the first to react.
‘Weapon! Now!’ he yells at Billie, but she’s too shocked by the noise to react so he yanks it from her hand.
Johnson instinctively gets in front of Billie and me. ‘Stay behind me,’ he says and I don’t know whether to swoon or panic and sort of get stuck between the two as Billie yanks
Carrie to her feet.
‘Get up!’
‘Careful!’ Carrie moans.
The Ape holds up a giant meaty paw to tell us to be quiet as he scans the block of flats. Someone or some
thing
is racing down the stairway inside. It’s moving quickly and we see
it flashing past the lit stairwell windows that line every floor.
‘Told you. Vampire.’
‘Did you have to say that?’ Carrie whimpers.
The Ape glances at Johnson. ‘Get ready.’
‘Born ready.’ Johnson tries to sound relaxed but I see him tense and grow a little stiffer, knowing for certain that something is about to explode from the entrance door to the
flats.
The footsteps reach the bottom landing and hurtle towards the main entrance.
I glance at Billie and she looks worried and dry-mouthed. Carrie has finally shut up and I can see that despite her attitude to the Ape, she has moved herself into a favourable position behind
his giant back.
The door is flung open.
Here it comes
, I think,
here it comes
.
The Ape doesn’t hesitate and starts charging at the figure that emerges from the door. Everyone else is holding back, but his gut instinct is to take the fight to whatever is coming for
us.
‘Let’s have it!’ he yells.
But as the Ape charges into the dark we hear another scream, and this one is even louder than the first. But it’s a scream of holy terror as the figure slides to the ground, sinking to its
knees, ducking as fast as it can.
‘It’s me! GG!’
The Ape swings mightily and his homemade weapon whooshes a couple of inches above GG’s head and chops the top of his blond quiff off.
‘Ape! No!’ I yell, as I see him swinging again.
‘Stop, you silly brute!’ GG whimpers.
Incredibly the Ape
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