Thirteen Roses Book Four: Alone: A Paranormal Zombie Saga

by Cairns, Michael

  They were… odd. There was a man in there who could only be Dave and he sounded like he was having a great time. But there was another voice that sounded strained and he couldn’t decide if she was enjoying herself or not. Then her voice grew louder and broke as she said ‘no’ and Alex slammed the door open.

  Dave was half naked, trousers around his ankles as he stood at the end of the bed. The woman lying in front of him was fully clothed. Her face was red and she was batting feebly at Dave’s hands where they latched around her throat.

  ‘Dave, stop it, you’re killing her.’

  Dave turned to stare at him and Alex froze, one hand stretched out towards him. He was snarling, lips pulled back from his teeth like a dog, and his features were twisted in a way he could only describe as inhuman. There was something inside him, pushing at his skin as it tried to get out. Alex’s stomach turned. It wasn’t Dave he was looking at, but whatever was wearing his skin. And its hands were still tight around her neck.

  Alex charged in and grabbed his arms. Dave retaliated by taking one hand away and backhanding Alex across the face. It was like being hit by a car and he flew back, slamming his back against the edge of the open door. He shouted in pain as he hit the floor, his hand twisting awkwardly beneath his body. Dave ignored him, hands once again around her neck.

  Alex clambered up the door frame and searched for a weapon. The woman wasn’t moving, her hands barely clawing at Dave’s arms. Shit, shit, shit. He grabbed one of the tacky swivel chairs and hefted it off the floor. His first blow was clumsy, bouncing off Dave’s shoulder and barely making him move. With the second swing he got Dave in the face and he released the woman, staggering back with his hands up.

  Alex put himself between them, raising the chair in defence. Dave made a sound, like car tires squealing on tarmac, then rushed Alex with eyes that burned red. He almost dumped the chair and ran, but the woman on the bed was coughing which meant she was alive. He wasn’t going to give Dave a chance to change that.

  Dave ran straight into the chair and bashed Alex back against the bed. Then he grabbed the base of it and yanked it from Alex’s hand. His heart sunk like he’d just stepped into traffic. Dave lunged and grabbed him by the face, fingers digging into his skin. He aimed a punch for Dave’s face and got him on the chin. His head snapped back but his fingers dug further into Alex’s cheek.

  He made a sound deep in his throat as his eyes began to water. Dave was going to tear his face open. He found the bar that ran under the bed with one foot and pushed himself up until he stood a full head above Dave. The pressure on his cheek got worse until he was sure his skin was tearing. Then he threw himself on top of him. They went down in a shower of limbs and Dave’s head cracked against the floor.

  Dave went limp. Alex rolled off and lay on his back, sucking in air and staring up at the ceiling. The lady’s face appeared over the edge of the bed. She looked first at Alex, who gave her a weak smile she didn’t even attempt to return. Then she looked at Dave. Her expression grew grim and she scooted sideways off the bed.

  She came around the end, arms wrapped around herself, and nudged him with her foot. He blinked and looked around. He caught sight of the woman and blushed, looked down at his naked legs and rumpled trousers and blushed even more.

  ‘Did we… What am I doing on the floor?’

  The woman stared at him and burst into tears. She booted him, but her heart wasn’t in it. Alex scrambled to his feet and put his arm around her shoulders, hustling her out of the room. The moment they got into the corridor she extricated herself from his embrace and stood away from him. Her shoulders were heaving up and down and the tears were getting worse.

  ‘Look, I think you should be with your friends, come on.’

  He led her down the hallway to the main room and pushed through the door. The moment the women saw her they flocked and he pulled himself free of the mess. He trudged back to the room, trying to figure out what the hell happened next.

  Dave had pulled his trousers up and was sitting on the bed, staring at his hands. He glanced up then back at his hands. ‘What did I do?’

  ‘You know you did something?’

  ‘She was crying. And that look…’ he trailed off. ‘We came in here to have fun. You don’t look at someone like that after you’ve shagged.’

  ‘You didn’t shag.’

  ‘I figured that much out.’

  His voice was still monotone, only rising slightly towards the end of his sentence. It was as though he was trying to pretend an emotion that wasn’t there. Alex put his hands on his hips and stared at him. ‘Do you honestly not remember what you just did?’

  Dave shook his head, looking entirely calm. ‘Nope, not a clue.’

  ‘You strangled her. If I hadn’t come in when I did, she’d be dead.’

  Dave nodded. ‘That’s bad.’

  ‘Yeah, just a bit. What happened?’

  ‘I don’t remember. She approached me and was flirting really heavy so I just went along with it. We came in here and then…’ He shrugged and raised his hands. ‘No idea.’

  Alex paced back and forth across the room. ‘I’m not sure they’re going to believe that.’

  ‘So?’

  ‘Are you aware of what’s just happened? Half of them have left, just buggered off to who knows where. The ones that are left need to feel safe and you’ve just strangled one half to death. That’s not a good start.’

  He didn’t mention the murder. He’d discuss it with Bayleigh because he was now sure it was Dave. But what was to be gained? Should they lock him up somewhere? Why? What was the point? What did justice look like in the new world? He had a horrible feeling it wouldn’t look like a nice jail cell and rehabilitation. It was more likely to involve something a little more old-fashioned.

  What bugged him was not knowing whether he was protecting Dave for Luke’s sake or because he truly believed that getting him in a room and letting everyone attack him wasn’t going to help. He’d never thought much about his morals, but with everything that had happened, they felt paper thin and irrelevant.

  He stopped pacing and looked at Dave. ‘Why did you do it?’

  ‘I don’t know. I didn’t know I was doing it.’

  ‘So no motive. That makes you the best killer, you know?’

  ‘I don’t want to kill anyone.’

  ‘Can I suggest avoiding one to one contact with anyone in the next, oh, seventy years or so then?’

  ‘Why did it happen? What’s wrong with me?’

  ‘What happened in St Paul’s? You buggered off and left Krystal on her own and when you came back you were different.’

  He watched Dave’s face carefully and saw the telltale signs. He was lying when he answered.

  ‘Nothing. I mean, nothing I know about.’

  His upturned eyes, so guileless, so lacking in any emotion, nearly sold it. But not quite. What had he done in St Paul’s? And how the hell was he and Bay supposed to figure it out? He was back with the same problem again. How could he get the truth from him? Torture? He almost smiled, only it wasn’t funny.

  ‘C’mon, Dave, what happened?’

  ‘Nothing. I mean it, I don’t even remember what happened. I was so scared about getting down from the dome I just don’t remember anything until I saw everyone coming through the cavern.’

  Alex hissed and turned away. He cracked the door and put his ear to the gap. There were angry voices again and he took a deep breath. By the time Luke got back there’d be no one here. He pushed through the door and paused.

  ‘Stay here. Don’t leave and don’t come out. Do you understand?’

  Dave nodded, no less bothered by Alex’s commanding tones than he had by the accusation earlier. Alex wandered slowly down the corridor and paused when he saw Bayleigh come around the corner. He almost shouted for her to stop, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to see her alone yet. He didn’t know what he was going to say.

  So he waited and let her go in to the main room first,
then walked to the door and paused. And listened.

  Luke

  Something was broken. It could be his rib but he thought there was something else as well, something that had woken him. He’d been enjoying sleep, dreaming of Sara and a time when he didn’t have to worry about being woken up, because he never really slept. He’d been good at pretending, lying down and closing his eyes and drifting. Many of them did it. It was another way to feel a little more human, a little more real.

  But this was real sleep, when he lost himself entirely and the world went away. And now he was awake. Krystal screamed horribly near his ear and the remnants of sleep fled as he sat up. His chest burned and he doubled straight over, waiting for it to ease. It did, a little, enough for him to stand and turn. Krystal stood with her sword in hand, facing the curtains.

  The wind was blowing them, which meant they were open. Why had she opened the windows? The stupidity of that thought brought him fully awake just as the curtains parted and the first zombie tumbled into the room. It actually fell, climbing over the window sill and toppling head first to the carpet. It would have been funny had he not caught a glimpse of what lay outside.

  He nodded as Krystal thrust her sword straight through the back of its head and withdrew it just as quickly. One down. He shook himself, scooped his sword off the floor and drew it, dumping the scabbard on the sofa. The next one came through the same way and Krystal chopped the top of its head off before it had a chance to fall on the floor.

  Luke joined her, stabbing the next one through the face as it appeared. ‘What happened to the window?’

  ‘They broke it. They threw something at it and broke it.’

  He saw the fear on her face and couldn’t disagree with it. They were learning.

  ‘And there’s a leader, some woman telling them what to do.’

  ‘A zombie?’

  ‘Of course a bloody zombie.’

  He didn’t have a chance to reply because three of them came through the window at the same time. One toppled onto the floor but he focused on one that swung its leg over the sill. He drove his sword straight down through its forehead and grinned as its face split apart. An eyeball fell into the gap and onto the floor.

  Krystal dealt with the third and they turned together to the one on the floor. It stiffened as they hit it at the same time, destroying its face in the bargain. The window was empty for a moment and he took a deep breath.

  ‘They’re learning, but they aren’t exactly smart.’

  ‘That’s not making me feel any better. How’s your shoulder?’

  He rolled it and winced. ‘I’m trying to ignore it right now. Lucky I can fight with my left.’

  ‘Oh yeah. That’s a good trick.’

  He flashed her a grin and stepped closer to the window. The curtain pushed in and another zombie appeared in the gap. He felt his shoulder this time, despite thrusting with the other hand, and the bite of the blade was inordinately satisfying. They could do this all night, there was nothing to worry about.

  ‘Did you hear that?’ She asked.

  ‘What?’

  ‘Listen.’

  He stepped away from the window and heard it. A crack like a stone hitting glass. Suddenly there was a cascade of cracks and he heard one window shatter followed by another.

  ‘Shit, we need a new plan.’ Krystal backed away from the window, glancing over her shoulder. He nodded and ran past her, waving for her to follow. They ran into the tiny hallway between the lounge and the dining room and saw through the doorway the front window smashed and zombies already appearing in the gap.

  He shoved Krystal up the stairs and raced after her until they reached the square of landing at the top. He was about to dive into the smallest room when Krystal stopped him.

  ‘Don’t go in there.’

  He raised his eyebrows and she shook her head. She paled and kept shaking it. He shrugged and raced into another. Through the curtains he saw the crowds of zombies gathered around three windows downstairs. They were coming in faster now they weren’t there to stop them.

  ‘There.’

  Krystal pointed to a zombie stood on the garden table pointing at the house. She looked like an extra in a bad B movie, exhorting her troops with huge waves of her arms.

  ‘Can’t you do anything to her?’

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘I don’t know. What about your scary thing, you know, ‘greatest fear’ thing?’

  Her impression of him was just close enough to make him smile. Then he heard feet on the stairs and ran out to the landing. They were coming, climbing the stairs on hands and knees. Ignoring Krystal’s squeak of protest he headed into the smallest bedroom and saw the cot. He knew instinctively what he’d find in there, but he didn’t need to look in it. He just needed to use it.

  He slammed it into the door frame as he dragged it out. He lined it up with the stairs and shoved as hard as he could. Krystal groaned and he turned away, not wanting to see what fell out of it. What mattered was the thumps and growls as the zombie nearest them was driven back down the stairs.

  The cot was lodged at the bottom of the stairs, dug into the wall on one side. He’d bought them a little time, but already one of the zombies was attempting to climb over it. Krystal was still pale, pointing down the stairs with a shaking finger.

  ‘There was…’

  ‘It doesn’t matter. It was a zombie. They’re all zombies. There’s no cure.’

  ‘Are you sure?’

  He hesitated. He and Alex had pretended they could find one but the creatures they were killing didn’t have a disease. They were a disease and their bodies were far beyond saving. There was no going back for them. He clenched his jaw and nodded. ‘There’s no cure. Their brains are gone.’

  ‘So how come they’re learning?’

  She was far too sharp. ‘I don’t know. It’s bizarre and illogical and very annoying.’

  ‘Annoying. Not scary or horrible, just annoying?’

  He flashed her a smile and checked down the stairs. The zombie was still struggling to get over the cot.

  ‘How are we getting out of here?’

  ‘You’re just full of questions. How do you think we should get out of here?’ He felt bad as soon as he snapped at her, but it was too late to take it back. Besides, four hundred years ago he’d have been willing the zombies to win, so maybe he shouldn’t feel so bad.

  He shook his head. That didn’t work. It should have worked but it didn’t and he felt just as bad. He had so much to blame the Father for, though he wasn’t sure blame was the right word anymore. He needed more things to hit. He should apologise.

  ‘We could get out on the roof.’ Krystal interrupted his thoughts.

  ‘And that would help how?’

  ‘I don’t know. But we aren’t going out the front door.’

  ‘Are you sure? Where are the bikes?’

  ‘Up by the petrol station.’

  ‘How far is it?’

  ‘Five minutes maybe, if we run. Can you run?’

  He grunted and nodded. He could run. His rib was feeling better. Maybe he’d just needed to move around and get it back in place. His powers here included a certain degree of unnatural healing, because there was no way his shoulder should be this much better.

  ‘So maybe we do go out the front door.’ He said.

  ‘How? And, can I just say, you’re mad and stupid.’

  ‘You may. I’ll save it for later when I need to remind you about the wisdom of climbing on to the roof of St Paul’s.’ She dug him in the ribs and he grinned. ‘We’re going to burn the place down. The zombies won’t like that and we can get out while they panic.’

  ‘I don’t think zombies panic. And didn’t Bayleigh try this with the shop?’

  Luke frowned. She had and he’d laughed at her at the time. But he didn’t have anything better, and neither did Krystal.

  ‘Only one way to find out.’ He headed into the main room, yanked the sheets off the bed, and piled the
m up atop the mattress. He pulled his ruck sack off his back and dug out the lighter. It took a minute or two to get the sheets burning properly but soon the bedroom was filling with smoke. Krystal burst out coughing and he pulled her out to the landing.

  ‘Keep low. It all rises, just stay on the floor.’

  She crouched on all fours, facing down the stairs to the zombie that had mounted the cot.

  ‘You can deal with him while I light the other room.’ She scrambled down the stairs while he went into the second bedroom and repeated the process. Smoke was billowing out into the hallway when he emerged. Krystal was sat on the stairs, the zombie absent from the cot. There were more the other side, but they had seen the smoke and no longer seemed desperate to get upstairs.

  Luke joined her, squeezed together above the cot, and put his hand on her shoulder. ‘Ready?’

  ‘Course not. What’s the plan?’

  ‘We kick the cot down the stairs, run past them and out the front door, get to the bikes and get away.’

  ‘My helmet’s in the lounge.’

  ‘We’ll find you another one. Let’s go.’

  He slammed his booted foot into the cot, and it stayed right where it was. It just needed a few more kicks. He tried again and again but the cot was being driven deeper into the plaster on the side of the stairs.

  ‘Luke, is this gonna work?’

  He glanced behind them as flames lashed out of the bedrooms to blacken the ceiling. The smoke was making its way down the stairs and he could feel the heat. ‘Cover your face.’

  ‘With what?’

  ‘Your t-shirt maybe?’

  ‘I’m not taking my t-shirt off in front of them.’

  ‘Really?’

  He gave her a look and she shook her head, lips pressed obstinately together. Then she coughed and glared at him. She settled for pulling her t-shirt up over her nose, exposing her skinny stomach. He followed suit and returned to kicking the cot. It was still stuck in the wall but the rail at his end finally cracked and broke in. He grabbed the side rails, yanked them inwards, and the cot collapsed on itself.