Thirteen Roses Book Four: Alone: A Paranormal Zombie Saga (3 page)

He didn’t get close enough for them to grab him before he swung. The bar went straight through the first one’s face, shattering its teeth and spraying them across the yard where they blended into the dusty stone. It was set upon and he paced around the circle until he found more willing sacrifices. The next one he bashed in the top of the head and his bar sunk in deep and got stuck. He hauled the zombie into the zone and dumped the body on the ground, then busied himself wiggling the bar to and fro until it came free with a sound like duct tape being torn off skin.
 

It still wasn’t enough. He wasn’t fighting, he was executing and there was no release in that. The bodies were good. Two less zombies to fight. But he needed release. He ran around the circle until he found a space in the line and dashed through it. He could imagine the other guys watching him, swearing and shouting at him what the hell was he doing.

They wouldn’t understand. They weren’t driven. Yeah, they wanted to stay alive, but they weren’t here for God. They weren’t here to save the world, so how could they know his pain? How could they understand how much it hurt being shut up in that damned hospital? They couldn’t, and by the time he returned, his frustration would be gone.
 

He thumbed the safety off his gun as the first zombie came for him. The bar shattered its kneecaps and it fell face first. He ran around and took long strides towards the van. Two more got in his way and he swung. His first blow went in via the temple and emerged from its ear, throwing brain fragments across the floor. His return blow brought the sharp part of the bar into the other creature’s head. His swing was weaker and the crowbar stuck in the thing’s skull and hauled it around.
 

It stumbled and lost its footing as it landed within the device field. It thrashed about on the floor, arms and legs going like pistons before it stopped and lay still. He extricated the bar and kicked the body. Interesting that it could still fit for a moment even after he’d speared its brain.
 

He tossed it out of the field. It struck the floor and was set upon in moments. This was better. He was sweating, feeling it. He stepped out, then back into the field, and watched them as they ran at him and stopped. This was much better. He grinned and showed them his back. He peered in the back of the van at his captive zombie. It wouldn’t be any fun with the device in the van.
 

He climbed into the front and gunned the engine, then pulled out of the yard. He’d ditch the device back in the hospital. That’d make Luke happy and keep him off his back. Then he could come back to the van. These things didn’t register pain, but he would change that.
 

Bayleigh

She wanted to dislike them. They were so entirely easy to hate. Perfect skin and hair, nice smiles and great bodies. Things she’d never have noticed in a million years before she was forced to live in a tiny space with a hundred of them. That wasn’t true. She’d have noticed, but in the same way she noticed shoes and hair styles. Nice and all, but not worth thinking about. Now she couldn’t help noticing.
 

Sophie had these little dimples when she smiled that made her look sweet and made Bayleigh’s toes curl. It was like she knew she had them and used them at just the right time. But despite all that, she found herself liking them. Which was why she was here in the centre of the ward. The room was long and thin with desks and nurses’ stations running down the middle. There were a few comfier chairs here, and enough space for them to get together and chat. As per usual, she was right in the middle.

Without exception, the girls were all twenty three or younger. They were, for the most part, virgins, and painfully, scarily religious. They all attended church group and made the church a large part of their lives. And almost to a woman, were refusing to believe what Bayleigh found herself saying over and over.
 

‘It can’t be true. Why would they lie to us?’

Bayleigh sighed and resisted the urge to put her head in her hands. ‘Everything has sugar in it. They say ‘no added sugar’, but that just means they haven’t ladled extra spoonfuls in. Everything’s got sugar in.’

Sophie hissed and turned away, raising her hand as if to block the truth out. Sugar wasn’t the only problem. Apparently, she couldn’t believe there were homeless people in the city like Krystal, who wasn’t being fed by her local church. She also refused, point-blank, to believe that porn could be bought over the counter in shops in Soho.
 

Sophie came from Kent. She’d attended a church meeting two weeks ago, the same as usual, and been introduced by her Vicar to a lovely man called Andre. Andre had come from a far larger church and wanted to speak to some of the younger members of the congregation about their lives out in the sticks. She’d been happy to talk to him and, at her Vicar’s urging, been honest and open. She hadn’t found it strange when he asked about her parent’s health and history of heart disease. And she hadn’t found it odd when he held her hand. Her Vicar often did that.
 

She couldn’t remember anything after the meeting until she woke up in St Paul’s. Her story was a carbon copy of the other womens’, only the details changed. She was unusual because she’d taken the news of a demon and two angels being here on Earth considerably better than most of the others. It turned out the others weren’t quite as literal in their translation of the bible.
 

Bayleigh had a sneaking suspicion the girls had been chosen more for their breeding suitability than their religious leanings. Not that it mattered now. But Sophie was just unbelievably nice and Bayleigh needed a bit of that. She kept catching herself at the window, staring at the zombies. She lost hours studying them as they lurched about in their unhurried way.
 

They were so apathetic, so… meaningless. She’d spent her whole life working every second, except for the rare evenings when dad was peaceful and she could slump on the sofa and watch TV. Now there was a whole world of people whose only aim in life was to do nothing except eat. Watching them was oddly restful, yet deeply frustrating.
 

She thought she might be going a little bit crazy. She woke up most nights, bathed in sweat and struggled to get back to sleep. She wasn’t the only one. Ed was finding it tough and Krystal was fronting but it was obvious she was struggling too. The last four days of down time had forced everyone to realise that this was life now and things weren’t changing.
 

She thought she was dealing with it well. Considering she had the extra worry of when the weird effects from the spell were going to wear off, she was doing bloody great. She’d only slept four hours last night and woke feeling great. It was early afternoon, she’d had one slice of bread, and wasn’t the least bit hungry. Luke had tried to talk to her about the spell but she’d blown it off and found a way to change the subject. She felt amazing. The comedown had to come soon, but right now, she felt amazing. At least, she had until she’d started talking about the dietary habits of those crazy non-Christian types Sophie had such a hard time believing existed.
 

‘So what now?’

Bayleigh blinked as her reverie was disturbed. ‘Sorry, what?’

Sophie’s forehead was marred by the tiniest lines as she frowned. Bayleigh could almost hear her thinking ‘say pardon, not what,’ but she hid her smile.
 

‘What are we going to do now?’

‘Good question. Luke’s talking about finding somewhere outside London, somewhere remote so there’s less zombies.’

‘Well yes, that makes sense, but I didn’t mean that. I mean about the soldiers. They did kidnap us, after all.’

‘And kidnap’s really the biggest crime they’ve committed.’

‘That’s a good point. They’ve killed most of the human race and we’re just going to run away to the country.’

‘What good will it do us going back in there? They’ve got guns. They don’t have you guys so they can’t do anything bad in that way. What else would we do?’

‘They deserve justice.’

‘Oh, of course. So I’ll just call up the police and get them on that then.’ She stopped short of adding that she couldn’t because they were all dead. She wasn’t entirely convinced Sophie really believed that yet. She wasn’t the only one of the ladies who stayed away from the windows. She’d taken to calling them the ladies now, just because it was convenient, but it still made her nose wrinkle.
 

Sophie was blushing and Bayleigh shook her head. ‘Sorry, didn’t mean to be rude. I’m just as frustrated as you. Seriously, what do you think we should do?’

‘Well, there are a hundred and seven of us, yes? And I only saw about forty soldiers in that big cave, so we outnumber them. Couldn’t we go in there and do a citizen’s arrest?’

Bayleigh snorted and bobbed her head. ‘Sounds perfect. Let’s go.’

Sophie was half out of her seat and clapping her hands together, before she realised Bayleigh was joking. She went redder and Bayleigh felt absurdly guilty. It was like shooting fish in a barrel, only one without any water in.
 

‘I see. I’m sorry I suggested anything.’

‘Sophie, I’m sorry, don’t be pissed.’ There was the frown again. ‘To be honest, as long as they’re leaving us alone, I’d rather not rock the boat. They can’t really do anything and…’

She trailed off but couldn’t ignore Sophie’s pointed look. ‘I don’t know whether anyone’s mentioned this, but there are places like St Paul’s all over the world, you know, with hostages in. All of those girls will have been… you know.’

She really hoped Sophie would know and she could see by the further wrinkling of her perfect brow that she did. Not having to explain was a small mercy, but she’d take it.
 

‘Oh. That’s terrible.’ She put a hand to her nose, eyes sparkling wet, and Bayleigh took her hand.
 

‘Yeah, it is. It’s evil, though I’d never have used that word before this week.’

Sophie shook her head and pressed her lips together. Finally she spoke. ‘So we’re the lucky ones?’

‘Yeah, in a way.’

‘Ahem.’

They looked up to see another of the ladies hovering nearby. She was really young, not much older than Krystal, but shaped very differently. She was one of those whose hips swung when she walked and whose breasts pushed against her t-shirt. They were all prettier than her, and she could handle that, but when they were more shapely as well, it was just too much.
 

She beckoned her over. ‘Hey, it’s fine. Sorry, I don’t know your name yet?’

‘I’m Harriet. Lovely to meet you.’

She shook hands like they were meeting over a nice cup of tea and a scone. She settled herself smoothly on another chair. She probably jogged and only ate celery. Bayleigh thought she could find something close to dislike for this one.
 

‘I’m sorry to bother you.’ - Was that a glare from Harriet at Sophie? - ‘But there was something I wanted to ask. The gentleman who is leading you—’

‘Not sure I’d say leading. He knows more than us, but we’re working together for the most part.’

‘But you know who I mean?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Who is he?’

‘I’m sorry?’ Sophie would be happier with that.

‘Who is he? He’s isn’t normal, is he? I saw him run in the cavern, when he caught that girl. He isn’t normal. I only ask because I heard someone say something about an angel and of course that isn’t true, but the thing above the cathedral was definitely a demon. I’ve seen them in books.’

The hardest part was getting used to someone who looked so much older than Krystal yet sounded about ten years younger. She’d seen demons in books. That was good, then. Bayleigh smiled. ‘If you’re sure that was a demon, why can’t Luke be an angel?’

 
‘Because angels are beautiful, transcendent beings that remind us of our own mortality. He’s good looking in a traditional sort of a way, but he’s not beautiful.’

‘So it’s about looks then?’

‘Not just beautiful outside. There’s something inside him that isn’t right as well. Oh no, I’ve said that wrong. Not something wrong, just, he isn’t pure.’

Bayleigh chuckled and nodded. ‘I’m with you on that. Although in a way he is, because he’s got even less experience at being human than you.’

Both of the ladies wrinkled their perfect brows and she nodded. ‘Yeah, he’s an angel. Only the Father made him human when he sent him to Earth. In our terms, he’s about four weeks old.’

‘I’m sorry, but who’s the Father?’

‘Oh, you know, god. Only, with a small g.’

Harriet looked like she was about to keel over. She nodded a few times, stopped and then nodded some more.

‘I’m not going to become distracted by what is clearly a lack of understanding on your part. No offence. We have different beliefs, clearly—’

‘Clearly.’

‘Yes. So if Luke was an angel, which one was he?’

‘He still is, just not physically. Well, not completely. And I think you’ll have heard of him. What name does Luke sound a bit like?’

They both shook their heads and she sighed. ‘He’s Lucifer. I think people called him Morningstar as well, which is a pretty cool name, let’s be honest.’

Harriet went white. ‘The Deceiver.’

‘That one’s not quite so cool.’

The lady stood and stepped back, her chair scraping as it slid over the lino floor. ‘I knew it. I said I could feel it.’

Her eyes left Bayleigh’s and she looked across the room, nodding frantically. Bayleigh craned her neck and saw a group of ten or twelve ladies gathered by the door. At Harriet’s nodding, they slipped out of the room. Bayleigh turned to talk to her but she was already racing after them.
 

‘That was weird.’

Sophie nodded absent-mindedly. ‘Is he really Lucifer?’

‘He is, though he’s changed.’

‘Changed?’

‘Yeah, he’s nice now. Well, not nice, but not evil either. I don’t know, I don’t remember much about the bible.’

Sophie cleared her throat and Bayleigh realised she was about to get the full story. Then she realised she didn’t want to know. She knew Luke. What she knew about Lucifer could fit on the back of a postage stamp, the words Bad Guy taking up most of the space. But Luke wasn’t, at least not to her. How would it help her now knowing the evil stuff he’d done before?