Thirteen Roses Book Four: Alone: A Paranormal Zombie Saga

by Cairns, Michael

  ‘It’s that or Jackson came back out the tunnel after I left, made it up to the ward with no one noticing, killed the woman and got back downstairs, covered in blood, again with no one noticing.’

  Ed raised a hand. ‘Unless…’ They waited for him to speak. ‘Unless one of the other ladies did it.’

  ‘Why do you think that?’

  Alex nodded. Bayleigh was good with him, always giving him her attention and not ignoring what he said. And in this instance, Alex thought he might have a point.

  ‘I heard two of them talking.’

  Alex and Bayleigh leant closer at the same time and Ed gave them an uneasy look. ‘It wasn’t much, I just heard one saying they needed to take someone out of action while they got out. But I don’t know who they were taking out of action or anything really.’

  Alex put his hand to his brow and massaged it. His head hurt. ‘Let me just check. The words they used were ‘take someone out of action.’

  ‘Well not exactly. They said something like ‘she’s gonna do it because she likes sex.’ His cheeks went red and he looked at the floor. ‘Didn’t want to mention it because of, you know…’

  Alex patted him on the shoulder, a gesture for all occasions it appeared, and made eye contact with Bayleigh. Ed hadn’t known about the open blouse. So now there were three suspects, and he hadn’t the first idea what to do with any of them.

  Jackson

  He slipped through the darkness, God’s messenger following his calling. That he was on his way to speak to a demon was making him less comfortable than he would have liked. But he couldn’t deny they both had the same goal in mind. Saving the ladies and bringing life back to God’s Earth. That was the only thing worth focusing on and he hadn’t seen much of it from Luke.

  Luke was all about getting safe. Getting himself safe and anyone who wanted to come along. It was like rescuing the hostages had fulfilled his duty and now he just wanted the quiet life. But what was he going to do, impregnate every one of them? They needed variety. He wasn’t a scientist like Alex, but even he knew if all the kids came from the same father, the next generation would be screwed up.

  So what was Luke going to do? Take them out to the country and keep them there until they were old and dried up? Jackson sneered in the darkness. The conflict within was lessening with every step he took. They needed to repopulate and there was no other way to do it than use every man here and every woman. If Luke had his way, Earth was doomed.

  He wasn’t working with the demon. He was just keeping up to date, keeping their footsteps aligned so they reached the same destination. He sneered again, this time at his own words, words that sounded fancy but meant nothing. He’d never used those kind of words before. It was probably his bible reading. He’d finished it this morning and felt considerably wiser than he had. There were passages he recognised, things Mam had read to him, but there was plenty he didn’t.

  The old testament was brutal. It made him realise his methods were justified. What he was doing was way nicer than half the stuff the people who came before did. He was a saint compared to some of that stuff.

  He emerged into the cavern and paused. The lights were dim, only a couple of torches still alight, which suited him just fine. He crept around the wall until the shadows joined it to the cathedral then sneaked around it until he reached the entrance.

  Jackson peered in. The church was silent and empty, the only light cast by the torches that sent flickers through the stained glass. He slipped through the door and down one side of the pews, staying deep in the shadows. He drew level with the machine and paused. A huge cross hung above the altar and, though he knew he wouldn’t answer, he sat at the end of the pew and prayed.

  He prayed and prayed and waited and prayed a bit more. He heard nothing, but God trusted him. He knew that. He shifted and stood, knees cracking.

  ‘No one answering?’

  He jumped and looked sideways at Az. How had the hell did he do that? ‘Didn’t see you there.’

  ‘People often say that. Normally it’s just after they’ve murdered someone. Murdered anyone recently, Jackson?’

  He shook his head. He shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t be talking to Az. He was a demon, the incarnation of evil on Earth. But he didn’t know how to do God’s work without help, and God wasn’t speaking to him.

  ‘Yeah, he must be busy.’ Jackson said.

  ‘Hmm?’

  ‘God. He must be busy.’

  ‘He’s always busy, but if you listen hard, you can still hear him. His answers are in the world around you. You can hear him speak in the trees and in the wind, in the roar of the sea and the silence of the mountains.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Nah, I’m just shitting you. He’s a lazy bastard and no mistake.’

  Jackson’s hands tightened into fists and his lip curled. He shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t be listening to this thing talk about God like that. ‘Respect your betters.’

  Az chuckled a deep rumble that came from his gut. ‘If I have any betters, I’ve yet to meet them. Don’t get me wrong, he’s got plenty more power than me and a touch more experience, too, but I’m down here having a ball, and he’s trying to manage a realm in revolt.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Oh nothing, don’t let it worry you. He’s busy, let’s leave it at that. Now, what can I do for you?’

  ‘How do you know I came here for you?’

  ‘Why else would you come?’

  Jackson felt the devices crammed in his pocket and kept his mouth closed. The demon leant closer and Jackson shifted on the pew, but glared back at him. He’d never met anyone he had to look up to, but Az towered above him even when they were sitting. Jackson stood and leant against the stone pillar that met the end of the pews.

  ‘I don’t know what to do. The ladies, some of the ladies, want to leave Luke.’

  Az clapped his hands together, fierce smile spreading across his savage face. He waved for Jackson to continue. ‘They wanted to come back here, but I’m not delivering them into the hands of anyone, not you or the soldiers. But then…’

  His fists were clenched so tight his wrists ached. ‘But then, without the soldiers, who’s going to fuck them? I can’t do it all by myself, the next generation’ll be mutants.’

  Az nodded, deep lines forming on his forehead over a mouth pursed in thought. ‘I’m glad you’ve thought about this. What have you suggested to them?’

  ‘I’ve said I’ll take them somewhere else. We’ll find somewhere safe and away from everyone.’

  ‘And then you’ll have your fun.’

  Jackson snarled, cheeks heating up as he shook his head. ‘That’s what I just said. I can’t, not if we’re going to repopulate.’

  ‘That does leave you in a quandary, doesn’t it.’

  Az leant back, steepling his fingers and resting one massive leg on the other as he stared up at the cross. ‘This, you know, is the biggest joke of all.’ He nodded at the cross. ‘This whole son of god thing. You know who the real son of god is?’

  Jackson growled. Az went on as though he hadn’t. ‘Lucifer. He’s the real son, but Christians didn’t like the idea of a wayward son, so they invented some other rubbish to make them feel better. Same with lots of the others too. People stealing other people’s heads and such. All a crock.’

  Jackson stalked away across the cathedral, not caring whether Az was watching. He knelt beside the machine, found the hanging plugs and plugged in his devices. Moments later they buzzed and he pulled them out and shoved them in his pocket.

  Az still stared up at the cross, eyebrows together as he frowned. Jackson was halfway up the aisle when Az spoke. ‘I’ll bring them to you.’

  Jackson paused, one foot half raised. He set it down and stared up at the dome. It was beautiful, even in miniature. Nothing close to the majesty of God, but still. He’d never thought about beautiful before. Beautiful was a fine pair of tits on the woman kneeling in front of you. Beautiful was cash in la
rge amounts. God was teaching him all the time. Just because he didn’t speak to him out loud didn’t mean he wasn’t learning.

  Jackson turned back to the demon. He acted all tough but there was truth, hidden in his words and behind his sneer. He stomped back to the front pew and lowered himself onto it.

  ‘Who will you bring?’

  ‘I’ll bring soldiers. Not all of them, just those I can rely on not to blab to Etienne and the others. They can take turns, it won’t take long. We can do it in secret.’ Az nodded and brought his eyes around to stare at Jackson. ‘Can you do that? Can you be secret?’

  ‘I’m here, aren’t I?’

  ‘And does anyone know you’re here?’

  ‘They think I’m charging the devices.’

  ‘Okay, then.’ Az paused, his eyes fixed on Jackson’s. ‘Tell me, how is Dave doing?’

  ‘Alright. Dunno. He’s quiet.’

  ‘But nothing weird happening?’

  ‘Nah.’

  ‘Mmm.’

  ‘How will you know where I’ve gone?’

  ‘I’ll find you, don’t worry about that. But Jackson, stay in the city, yeah? Don’t go gallivanting around the countryside. I don’t like the country.’

  Jackson nodded and rose from the pew. There was a burning in his gut and he didn’t know whether it was nerves at the reality before him or a loathing for the creature sat on the bench. Was he betraying God? God had created demons, hadn’t he? Az was his creature, just the same as the rest. He shook his head and didn’t look back until he left the cathedral.

  He slipped back into the ward and replaced the devices. It was quieter than when he left. He would get the other devices and get it done, but he wanted to speak with Harriet and check they were still coming with him. He grabbed the other two devices, shoved them in his pocket and went in search of her.

  He spotted her figure long before he saw her face and paused for a moment. She’d be his. She had child-bearing hips and tits he couldn’t wait to sink his teeth into. It was as though she heard him thinking, because she turned from the two ladies she was chatting with to stare at him. She might have seen him flush as she swayed over, but he didn’t care. If it had just been the two of them, he’d have got his dick out there and then and showed her what she was missing.

  ‘Jackson. Where have you been?’

  ‘Charging the devices, getting ready to leave. Are you ready?’

  She bit her lip in a way that made him stiffen, and nodded. ‘We are. Where are we going?’

  ‘That’s what we gonna talk about. We’ll stay in London. There’s food here and everything else we need. How many of you are there?’

  ‘There are forty two of us who want to go.’ She glanced around, eyes narrowed. ‘Forty two true believers out of a hundred. I struggle to believe the church allow that many to be so lax in their worship.’

  ‘They don’t understand.’ He stepped closer to her, feeling her breath on his neck. She didn’t step away and he raised enough lip to show her some teeth. ‘They aren’t true believers, because they don’t understand the majesty of God. They don’t know he’s there, they only think he is. Until they know, they’ll never believe.’

  She nodded vehemently, hands clasped together. ‘I think we’ve chosen the right person to go into partnership with.’

  He let the partnership comment pass. It was fine, if she wanted to think that. She’d soon learn who the boss was. She was a believer but she didn’t see her place in the plan. None of them did, because none of them saw the big picture.

  ‘We need a safe house for fifty people, somewhere close enough to the hospital supplies in case we need them. I’m going to charge the other devices. When I get back I want you to be ready and have found a place. Understand?’

  Her face creased slightly but smoothed just as quickly. Perhaps she was just beginning to see who was in charge here. She nodded. ‘We’ll be ready.’

  ‘Good.’ For a moment he thought about kissing her, but he wouldn’t stop at that. He settled for an arm on her shoulder. She didn’t flinch away and he took that as a good sign. He stomped out the room and jogged down to reception. He’d got even fitter in the last week than he’d been before. The constant moving and fighting and running had toned the bits he might not have bothered with, and the last four days of sleep had got him rested.

  He plucked the device from the drawer, shoved it in his pocket with the other two, and turned to go. Bayleigh and Alex stepped out from where they’d been hiding and stood in front of the stairs.

  ‘Hi, Jackson. Tell me, exactly, what you’ve been doing for the last two hours.’

  Luke

  The piece of metal hit him like a truck. He was utterly unprepared, which was the only thing that saved his life. The human body can withstand a massive impact, so long as it’s relaxed enough, and he was as relaxed as he could be, considering the circumstances. He flew like he hadn’t in the three weeks since he’d come to Earth, and hit the concrete shoulder first. Something gave way, like his ankle had in the cavern, then he rolled, gravel spitting up against his visor as his helmet bashed against the floor.

  He slid the last few feet and shredded the skin off his hands. He lay still as warmth flooded in. He tried to lift his head, but nothing worked. Even his hands, wet with blood, refused to move. He rolled onto his side, getting there through a series of puppy-weak pushes with his good arm. The pain in his shoulder flared like someone had stabbed him and he blacked out.

  He came back seconds later, blinking furiously. The warmth still lapped at him and he couldn’t breathe. He tried to take his helmet off but his bad shoulder refused to budge, so he flipped the visor up with one hand and sucked in air. Smoke flooded his lungs and he burst out coughing, rolling onto his front. Saliva dripped onto the tarmac as his hacking got worse and worse. Tears streamed down his face.

  Forehead pressed into the ground, he pushed himself to his knees. He stared across the tarmac and saw flames and pieces of debris before he scrunched his eyes shut against the smoke. Hands grabbed him and he tried to shake the zombie off. It was going to bite him. He was going to die because of a damned explosion, He couldn’t die here, not like this, it—

  ‘Stop it, bloody stop it and get up. Come on.’

  Krystal’s voice, low and rough and coarse, was like a choir, and he stopped struggling, head still resting on the concrete. But she was still pulling at him. Why was she pulling at him? He needed sleep, not movement.

  ‘Get up get up get up.’ She thumped him on the back and he roused himself enough to understand that they needed to move, quickly. She put a hand beneath his right shoulder and he screamed, blushing at the sound.

  ‘Other side, other side.’ He didn’t sound like himself. He sounded like he’d been smoking forty a day for a few hundred years, but she understood. She grabbed his left arm and shoulder and heaved, and he tried his best to join in. He gained his feet and together they weaved a few steps until the smoke thinned. Her hands went away and he swayed, opening his eyes fully.

  They were beside a car and Krystal opened the passenger door. She half turned back when a figure lunged from the car, hands clutching at her. She tripped over herself, into him, and they tumbled to the concrete. The zombie lurched straight past and took a moment to turn and face them.

  Krystal awkwardly drew her sword, elbow digging into his stomach, and held it before her. The zombie came at them and she shifted, grinding his ankle into the floor where she sat on it. He suppressed the groan of pain, focusing on the creature.

  It fell on them, but Krystal had the sword ready and it entered its mouth. The zombie kept coming and the blade erupted from the back of its head. Blood streamed down the blade and over Krystal’s hands as the zombie’s head oozed down it and thumped into her lap.

  They were still for a second before Krystal shouted and shoved the zombie off, flailing at it until she could stand. Luke watched her, half-amused and half sickened by the dead creature. Krystal got control of herself and grabb
ed her sword. She put her foot on the zombie’s face and yanked the blade free, then wiped it on the creature’s clothing.

  She tossed the sword in the open car door and returned to him. She hauled him upright and shoved him in the car. She slammed the door, raced around to the other side, and climbed in.

  They sat for a moment, side by side, staring at the chaos in front of them. Then in unison they jumped and twisted in their seats to explore the back. There was nothing there and they turned back, letting out long breaths.

  He still struggled to breathe and another pain made itself known, like someone was jabbing him in the chest with pins. He felt it gingerly and found a rib that sent sharp shards of pain through his body. He’d broken a rib. Probably. His observations had never gone as far as exploring wounds. He’d never had wounds.

  He tried to ignore it, focusing instead on the wreckage before them. They faced the petrol station they had used before they went to the warehouse. Where the station had been was now a raging fire and the vague skeleton of the shop. The street around them was covered in pieces of blackened and twisted metal and in some places, the smoke was still too thick to see through.

  The afternoon sunlight was strong and burned through the smoke, casting random, shifting shadows on the floor. He shifted in his seat and almost cried out as his shoulder turned. He slumped back and contented himself with turning his head to look at Krystal.

  ‘It blew up.’ It was as inane a comment as he could have made and he blushed. She nodded, eyes wide as she stared into the smoke.

  ‘Yeah. Wow.’

  They sat in silence as Luke tried to organise his thoughts. There were things they needed to do. He had to work out how they were getting home, but every time he tried, he took a breath and the pain swamped him. After a few minutes, Krystal turned in her seat to look at him. Her nose was bloody and her face was covered in dust and dirt. He probably looked the same.

  ‘We need to get back to the hospital. Can you ride?’