round I can see that it’s fur lined and there are
large golden glittering letters on the back.
WAR(M)
it states.
‘Sergeant GG reporting for duty.’
I turn and Johnson is leaning in the doorway. His eyes flit to mine even though he’s talking to GG.
‘Got a telephone directory?’
‘FOR GOD’S SAKES, STOP DOING THAT!!’ For a brittle person, Carrie can make a lot of noise when she wants to.
Johnson and I head back into the lounge and find that the Ape is still steadily flicking through a hundred channels of static.
‘Nope. Not that one. Nope.’
The sound is up loud on the television and Carrie leaps up and snatches the remote out of his giant paw and hurls it across the room.
‘Get the picture, there is no picture!’ she yells at him, and I realise that she can move pretty well for someone with a sprained this and a broken that.
The television’s static continues to fizz and I hate the noise so much that I go over and pull the plug on the television.
The Ape sits back in a big leather chair with his weapon lying across his knees. He is totally unfazed by Carrie. ‘You have issues.’
GG and Billie walk through with a barely used telephone directory. GG holds it up as if it’s a relic from a bygone age.
‘It’s a little passé but we can only try.’
‘We going to find them right now?’ Carrie seems reluctant.
‘We have to,’ says GG. ‘I was a quivering mess thinking it was just me that was left.’
‘Wuss,’ the Ape says.
‘Yeah, that’s me. Mr Wuss. But you know what? We can pretend we’re calm and that we can deal with this. But my little guess is we can’t. There. I’ve said it.
It’s out there now. We should all be scared. Amen.’
Johnson looks around the room at us. We’re all still hungry, tired and shell-shocked. ‘What about looking first thing in the morning?’ he offers. ‘We can eat now, shower
and whatever, work out who’s sleeping where, then soon as it’s light we get going. Sound like a plan?’
GG holds up his hand as if he’s still in school.
‘Yes, GG?’
‘I like that plan, but I’m not sleeping alone.’
‘Me neither,’ echoes Carrie. ‘That was horrible out there.’
‘So you
were
crying,’ says Billie triumphantly. Carrie gives her the middle finger treatment.
‘OK, let’s get the mattresses and duvets and drag them all in here,’ says Johnson.
‘Orgy!’ is the Ape’s predictable response.
‘Maybe you could take first watch,’ says Johnson to the Ape. The Ape couldn’t look more delighted and grabs his weapon.
‘First shift is eight hours long,’ Carrie tells the Ape. She follows it with a cruel giggle and the Ape doesn’t quite get what she is really saying.
‘Eight hours. No problem,’ he says with a deep pride, then leaves the room.
‘What an idiot,’ Carrie mutters to herself.
I’d usually agree with her, but as infuriating as the Ape can be, she shouldn’t be making fun of him like that.
‘I’ll go relieve him in a couple of hours,’ I tell the room.
‘Already on it,’ says Johnson, and once again his eyes meet mine.
The night passed without an attack from monsters. I took over the watch from Johnson at around two in the morning and he stayed to talk for a moment.
‘We’ll be all right,’ he told me.
‘That a promise?’
‘I’ll do my best to make it one.’
Johnson and I seem to have got in sync without any real effort. I always thought he’d be unapproachable, that someone like me would never get picked up on his radar, but it’s a
pleasant surprise to find that, for now at least, he’s making sure I know we’re in this together.
I watched him walk back to the lounge where everyone was sleeping and when he opened the door I heard the Ape fart loudly in his sleep. Then someone got up and opened a window and muttered
something about too much chicken.
‘Lucas’s surname is Lopez,’ Billie says.
GG turns to L in the telephone directory. ‘It’s like a treasure hunt,’ he
large golden glittering letters on the back.
WAR(M)
it states.
‘Sergeant GG reporting for duty.’
I turn and Johnson is leaning in the doorway. His eyes flit to mine even though he’s talking to GG.
‘Got a telephone directory?’
‘FOR GOD’S SAKES, STOP DOING THAT!!’ For a brittle person, Carrie can make a lot of noise when she wants to.
Johnson and I head back into the lounge and find that the Ape is still steadily flicking through a hundred channels of static.
‘Nope. Not that one. Nope.’
The sound is up loud on the television and Carrie leaps up and snatches the remote out of his giant paw and hurls it across the room.
‘Get the picture, there is no picture!’ she yells at him, and I realise that she can move pretty well for someone with a sprained this and a broken that.
The television’s static continues to fizz and I hate the noise so much that I go over and pull the plug on the television.
The Ape sits back in a big leather chair with his weapon lying across his knees. He is totally unfazed by Carrie. ‘You have issues.’
GG and Billie walk through with a barely used telephone directory. GG holds it up as if it’s a relic from a bygone age.
‘It’s a little passé but we can only try.’
‘We going to find them right now?’ Carrie seems reluctant.
‘We have to,’ says GG. ‘I was a quivering mess thinking it was just me that was left.’
‘Wuss,’ the Ape says.
‘Yeah, that’s me. Mr Wuss. But you know what? We can pretend we’re calm and that we can deal with this. But my little guess is we can’t. There. I’ve said it.
It’s out there now. We should all be scared. Amen.’
Johnson looks around the room at us. We’re all still hungry, tired and shell-shocked. ‘What about looking first thing in the morning?’ he offers. ‘We can eat now, shower
and whatever, work out who’s sleeping where, then soon as it’s light we get going. Sound like a plan?’
GG holds up his hand as if he’s still in school.
‘Yes, GG?’
‘I like that plan, but I’m not sleeping alone.’
‘Me neither,’ echoes Carrie. ‘That was horrible out there.’
‘So you
were
crying,’ says Billie triumphantly. Carrie gives her the middle finger treatment.
‘OK, let’s get the mattresses and duvets and drag them all in here,’ says Johnson.
‘Orgy!’ is the Ape’s predictable response.
‘Maybe you could take first watch,’ says Johnson to the Ape. The Ape couldn’t look more delighted and grabs his weapon.
‘First shift is eight hours long,’ Carrie tells the Ape. She follows it with a cruel giggle and the Ape doesn’t quite get what she is really saying.
‘Eight hours. No problem,’ he says with a deep pride, then leaves the room.
‘What an idiot,’ Carrie mutters to herself.
I’d usually agree with her, but as infuriating as the Ape can be, she shouldn’t be making fun of him like that.
‘I’ll go relieve him in a couple of hours,’ I tell the room.
‘Already on it,’ says Johnson, and once again his eyes meet mine.
The night passed without an attack from monsters. I took over the watch from Johnson at around two in the morning and he stayed to talk for a moment.
‘We’ll be all right,’ he told me.
‘That a promise?’
‘I’ll do my best to make it one.’
Johnson and I seem to have got in sync without any real effort. I always thought he’d be unapproachable, that someone like me would never get picked up on his radar, but it’s a
pleasant surprise to find that, for now at least, he’s making sure I know we’re in this together.
I watched him walk back to the lounge where everyone was sleeping and when he opened the door I heard the Ape fart loudly in his sleep. Then someone got up and opened a window and muttered
something about too much chicken.
‘Lucas’s surname is Lopez,’ Billie says.
GG turns to L in the telephone directory. ‘It’s like a treasure hunt,’ he
Similar Books
