Thirteen Roses Book Four: Alone: A Paranormal Zombie Saga (28 page)

They reached the field and stumbled into the private room. Ed waited with bowls of water and cloths and bandages ready. The most surprising thing was that water and cloths was all she needed. She slumped onto one of the beds and watched them examine Krystal. Her leg was a mess, the skin stripped from her slide along the concrete. That the slide had probably saved her life didn’t help Bayleigh feel any better.
 

It was her fault she’d fallen off. If she’d thought of something quicker and reacted better, she could have avoided it.
 

Alex and Ed set to work on her, clumsily cleaning the wound and binding it in bandage. She didn’t know any more than them whether that was the best thing to do, but at this point it was the only thing to do. She peered out of the window. The street looked peaceful. The pile of bodies was attracting more and more zombies, but the slurp and crack of their feasting didn’t reach up here.
 

Some were on all fours, mouths sunk deep into open stomachs or clamped around legs. But others were sat up, holding their chosen arm or foot like chicken legs as they gnawed the meat from the bone. In less than a week they had changed and moved on from the mindless animal behaviour. They weren’t human again, not yet, but they no longer moved like beasts. Where would they be in another week, another month?

She turned away from the window and took a deep breath. She should be exhausted, ready to sleep. But her eyes were wide open and refusing to close. She suddenly hated her new-found power. She longed to slip away and lose herself, let the night wash everything away. But she knew that when she did get to sleep it would be for a few hours at best.
 

Luke sat on the edge of her bed. ‘You saved our lives.’ He was looking at her differently. She wasn’t sure how, but it made her glow and squirm at the same time.

‘No I didn’t. I hurt Krystal really bad and you’d have got out of there without me.’

He shook his head, smiling wryly. ‘No, I don’t think so. It’s okay to save my life, really. Krystal’s already done it today as well. I’m getting quite used to it, if I’m honest.’

She blinked and tried to smile at him. ‘Why are you wearing a chef’s outfit?’

He glared. ‘Long story.’

A little while later they were sat across three beds. Ed was sullen, face hidden by his hair. Alex had told her he’d explain it when he got the chance. He was sitting beside Luke and looked taller than before she went out. He’d killed the zombies in reception, and the blood-soaked baseball bat in the corner was now his weapon of choice. That he had a weapon of choice made her sad, but she was also relieved he could defend himself. The less of them she had to worry about, the better.
 

Luke was tired and still suffering from his time in the river. He’d given them a rough outline of what happened during their ‘routine’ scouting trip. It was, he said, a good reminder that nothing was routine in the new world. He was also very pleased at what they’d found in the warehouse.
 

Krystal was asleep, snoring gently with her head tipped back to face the ceiling. Her leg was a mess but Alex was fairly confident it was nothing permanent. Luke assured them Krystal had earnt at least a week in bed.
 

The plan had changed a little. They were no longer heading to the country tomorrow. They would rest a few days while they found the right vehicle.
 

And they would search for Dave and Jackson. Bayleigh had tried to explain the Dave situation in full, with Alex chipping in when she forgot certain things, but Luke still couldn’t accept what had happened. She’d only just stopped him from storming into the ladies and giving them a mouthful of abuse.
 

Luke was confident he wasn’t dead. So he could be found. As for Jackson and the other ladies, Luke seemed less bothered about them. He said, with a wry smile on his face, that Jackson was probably doing all he could to keep them safe. They would look for him, but the priority now was to get those that were left out of the city.
 

But first, a rest. Bayleigh laid her head on the pillow and closed her eyes. Sleep was a long time coming.
     

Thirteen Roses continues in Book Five: Home

There’s a storm over London.
 

Az and Seph are hard at work as the war in Heaven draws ever closer, but it’s not about them, not yet. As the rain batters the zombie-filled streets, the seven are fighting to keep it together.
 

Actually, Dave gave up ages ago, but at least he’s got something to do now. Because he’s a father, and his children need to feed.
 

Bayleigh and Krystal are searching for transport, but might just find something else.
 

Alex is determined to be something other than a total pussy. He might just manage it, too, but whether anyone cares is another thing altogether.
 

Luke still can’t make up his mind. He wants to care, but it hurts way too much, and every time he does, he thinks about Bayleigh. So right now, he’s focusing on getting the ladies out of the city.

And Jackson? Well, Jackson’s becoming the weapon of God. And maybe taking part in a little S&M on the way.
 

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The Spirit Room, (The Planets, book one) Superhero/Sci-Fi.
 

‘The Avengers meets Magician, The Assembly trilogy is superhero conflict on a global scale…’

An ancient cadre of magicians

A select team of extraordinary warriors

An unseen foe

As two ancient forces battle for control, reality as we know it is being torn apart. Caught somewhere in the middle, and tasked with ridding the world of the insidious alien intelligence are The Planets. Neptune hails from Rio, the gay daughter of strict catholic parents. Mars, from Ireland, still missing the sister he lost years ago. Uri grew up on the streets of New York, and Venus… well, no one knows and she isn’t telling. Imbued with extraordinary powers, these highly trained individuals take the fight across the globe. With startling and unnerving revelations at every turn, the depth of deception is only now becoming clear…’

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Chapter One: Mars

He was called Connor, before they named him Mars. He felt odd about the titles and wondered what was wrong with choosing your own. Apparently it was all about balance. Ten planets, ten agents, all with their own place, their own expertise. No prizes for guessing what his was. Of course, he could have ended up as Pluto, or Uranus, so he should be grateful.

His thoughts scattered as the wind buffeted him against the chopper’s open door. Below, the lights of London beckoned as the adrenaline began to pump. He grinned, nodding as the dulcet tones of Slayer blasted through the suit comms. The helicopter slowed as it flew out over the Thames, dropping lower until he could make out the people walking down Embankment.

He glanced back at the cockpit, where Luna gave him the thumbs up and a smile. He nodded, then turned back to the open door, facemask sliding up and sealing. The water waited, dark and choppy and he swallowed. It was a long way down; time to go. He cranked the volume until the music roared and grinned again, the vertigo fading as his anticipation of the night ahead grew. He unwrapped his hand from the strap and jumped.

Connor was confused and sick when they found him. Sick with fear of the world around him. Sick with the belief that something else was going on and he didn't know what it was. He didn't share it with anyone, or talk about it. He was too scared the doctors would look at him the way they looked at his sister Sarah when she'd shaved her head and begun talking about sub-programming of the reality field. But he couldn’t deny what was happening.
 

He watched his mother grow old, again and again. He’d catch sight of her out the corner of his eye and her face would look like a crumpled, yellowing map, like she’d aged decades in seconds. He shared his wild brown hair with her and seeing it turn grey and fall out made his stomach turn.
 

It happened more than once, enough that he kept his slate-brown eyes closed around the people he loved. That’s why he had run away. That and Sarah. They’d called her mad when she ranted about ‘parallel events across alternate realities’ and they’d locked her up. He’d believed them. He didn’t now, of course. Sarah had been entirely sane, there just hadn't been anyone to tell her that before the pills and blank walls and knowledge made death the only option.

He'd been close to that when they found him, his strong features gaunt and lined. He was living in a squat, reality crumbling around him as he saw what people were going to do before they did it. When he was a teenager, he found he knew what a girl was going to say before he asked her out. It saved on the heartbreak, but he'd been lonely. As he grew older, so the power got stronger. By the time The Assembly appeared he could see a person’s entire life stretched flat like a sheet. Making friends with someone whose death you could predict was a difficult thing to do. As was falling in love.

The lights rushed to meet him as he snapped back to the job at hand. His on-board nano tech fed him all the necessary info but he liked to be 'live' before he landed. The smart suit tightened for impact then released anti-shockers as the Thames swallowed him up. He surfaced near Wapping, dumped the air-tank and travelled rapidly inland to a small house off the high street. Approaching the door, he checked for signs of life inside and, as Luna had assured him, found none. He pushed the door open and stepped in, read out providing both infra-red and daylight-vis. His suit disengaged the helmet and gloves as he prowled. He reached the second floor and there he was, just as promised. The God before him, if God was the right term, was a Shamanic totem made physical. His power came from thousands of years of worship and sacrifice. Why he chose to appear as a squat French man was beyond Mars.