Thirteen Roses Book One: Before: An Apocalyptic Zombie Saga

by Michael Cairns

  Then Layla set off in the opposite direction from their shop and Bayleigh went with her. They quickly outdistanced the pack and ran in a wide circle, racing down an alley into the next street, along and back down another street. They emerged a few doors from the shop and ran back inside. Layla headed for the stairs but Bayleigh stopped and examined the lock.

  It needed a key. Was the door heavy enough on its own? She pushed on it experimentally and decided it would have to be a very determined zombie to push it open. She chased after her friend. Layla was at the base of the barricade and lobbed her bag over the bed. Then she hauled herself up and disappeared over the top. Bayleigh followed her and was half-kneeling on the bed, face buried in the duvet when she heard Layla scream.

  She pushed herself upright, wobbling on the edge of the bed. Her heart stopped and she gasped as though she'd been stabbed. Layla was staggering away from the barricade. A zombie had its teeth in her shoulder, shaking its head back and forth like a terrier. Layla stopped screaming to take a breath and in the moment of silence, Bayleigh heard the tearing of flesh.

  She howled and scrambled across the bed, grabbing her weapon as she went. She was about to swing but forced herself to wait.

  'Layla, throw it off.'

  Her friend either didn't hear or was in too much pain because she dropped to her knees. It turned out to be the best thing she could have done. The zombie's teeth were torn free of the wound, and for a split second, Layla was kneeling and the zombie was standing above her. Bayleigh swung and the twin blades sunk deep into its skull.

  It froze and was about to fall when she yanked on the handles and pulled the body away from Layla. Then she dropped them and ran to her friend. Through the blood, she saw naked bone and her stomach heaved. Layla looked at her, shook her head and her eyes rolled up as she hit the floor and lay still.

  Luke - Friday: 6 Days to Plague Day

  'Who is she?'

  Alex's voice, even in that stupid hissing whisper, was still too loud and Luke wondered again at his decision to bring him along. What had made him think he could be useful? Any moment now, God's soldiers would look up and spot them and the entire thing would be a bust. He turned back to his companion, finger on his lips, and glared long enough for Alex to look sheepish and nod.

  He paused on the top step. There was so much power in here. Last time he was here, he'd been in no position to enjoy it. Now, though, it was entirely different. His fingers tingled and the hair on the back of his neck stood up. He knew he was grinning but couldn't stop himself, and didn't want to.

  The sacrifice was perfectly timed. It would distract everyone. But would it be long enough for them to get down and across to the trucks? And was the formula still in there? One thing at a time.

  He scrambled down the stairs a short way before he had to turn around and face the wall, climbing down using hands and feet. His worries over his impending and potential mortality came back hard as he wobbled and grabbed at the steps. One slip and he had a hundred feet or so straight down to hard, unforgiving stone. Alex was taking his time but was at least moving and not talking.

  The chanting grew louder and he had to look down. They were walking slow circles around a large post. Good. It was a burning. That would take longer and the smoke would be more cover. He pushed on, his mind locked on taking each step carefully and slowly.

  The next time he looked down, the angle was considerably less steep and the girl was strapped to the post. They'd ripped the rest of her clothes away and he felt something stir. There was something utterly dismissive and damning about being naked in front of strangers. He remembered it happening to him and it still sent shivers down his spine. Her skin was dusky, Indian or Pakistani, so probably a Hindu or Islamist. Which would suit the soldiers of god down to the ground.

  He growled and shook his head. The sacrifice meant nothing, not if he was going to save the world. He sniggered. That sentence still sounded like a joke. Why had the Father chosen him? If this was all someone's plan to get him killed permanently, why was the Father involved? Maybe the right question was, how was the Father involved? What had they done or said to convince him?

  A number of the soldiers were walking back and forth from a huge metal cabinet set against the rough stone. Each journey brought more wood which they flung on the pile surrounding the wooden post.

  Luke's foot touched the floor and he sank gratefully down, shaking hands cradled in his lap. His breaths came in shorts bursts and he stared up to watch Alex descend. He was taking it slower and easier and had only just reached the halfway point. Maybe Alex was supposed to be the diversion. He could shout a warning to the soldiers and disappear, and they'd run up and sort him out while Luke sneaked around the outside.

  He shook his head. It wouldn't last long enough. Something else stopped him as well, the same something that made him scowl every time he looked at the naked woman strapped to the pole. Whatever it was made him want to puke, but it was insistent and enough to stay his hand.

  He waited until his useless companion joined him on the cavern floor, gave him about five seconds to catch his breath, then hauled him off in a wide circle around the outskirts. They'd gone two steps when Alex stopped short and yanked his arm free.

  'What are you doing, she's that way?'

  'And that's where she'll stay. She's the perfect diversion.'

  'She's going to die.'

  'Everyone's going to die. Thanks to you, everyone's going to die. Saving her will only ensure that happens.'

  Alex snarled and set off towards the sacrifice. Luke grabbed at him and succeeded in catching his shirt. He jerked him back and put one, very powerful hand around his throat.

  'Listen to me. Save her and we condemn every human being to death. Do you want that?'

  'I want to save her.'

  'Well, isn't that lovely. Your girlfriend and your unborn child will die. Your parents will die, though a heartless bastard like you probably doesn't care too much about t--'

  'Heartless bastard? You're the one leaving an innocent woman to die.'

  'I never claimed to be anything else. But I see the bigger picture. She's one person and we don't even know if she's innocent.'

  'Can't you tell? Don't angels have some way of checking?'

  Luke grunted and his eyes flicked to the sacrifice. Then he shook his head and tightened his grip. 'We're going to the trucks. You come with me or lose your hands again, your choice.'

  Alex stared, his upper lip curling. Luke thought he was actually going to argue before his shoulders went limp and he looked at the floor. He muttered something too low for Luke to catch but he was already turning away from the stake and the sacrifice.

  There were plenty of rough islands of rock to hide behind and they made good progress. They were within a stone's throw of the trucks when the sacrifice started screaming again. Alex grabbed his arm and hauled him round, getting up close.

  'You can take my damned hands.' He set off, racing straight across the floor of the cavern. A plume of smoke rose up to the ceiling and Luke had to question the wisdom of starting a second fire in a closed cave. He froze, eyes flicking from the trucks back to where Alex drew rapidly closer to the circle.

  She screamed again and it carried real pain. That quiet voice inside him grew louder and he drove his clenched fist into the rock. Shaking his head and clamping down on the urge to curse himself in every language he knew, Luke charged after Alex. As he ran, he sent his mind out, finding as many of the minds before him as he could.

  He didn't have to do all of them, just enough to cause chaos. He waited another second, until Alex reached them, then he unleashed. The power in the cave surged through him and he gasped. The man nearest him was terrified of spiders, and Luke stared in amazement as a creature the size of a dog appeared and dropped onto the man's shoulders.

  It was physical! He could always see them, but no one else could. The power in the cave had multiplied his powers an extraordinary amount.

  The soldier t
o his left lived in fear of being shot, and the next moment his body sprung holes and blood sprayed across the cave floor. He had little sympathy for anyone who chose to follow the pathetic men on Earth who claimed they did God's work. No one did God's work, least of all people who spent their days telling others how to run their lives.

  He switched on a few more and the cave filled with the howling of monkeys as they tore and pulled at one of his hapless subjects. One of the soldiers was driven to the floor by water streaming from above him. It appeared and ran into his face and down his body then vanished. His hands flailed ineffectually around as though he could deflect it from running down his throat and into his lungs.

  Luke broke through the circle heading for the pile of wood that burned fiercely. The flames were catching bursts of gold and blue and reflecting the power that hummed around the cave. They would be difficult to put out. Alex stood before them, hand over his eyes as he tried to get closer. Luke sneered and shoved him to one side.

  The woman was shiny with sweat and her legs were an unhealthy pink colour. The post was tall, possibly tall enough, and Luke took a deep breath. Before being made mortal he wouldn't have thought twice about this. Now, though, it was a different story. But the fires were getting hotter.

  The soldiers of god were in disarray, the gown-wearing priests running from their fears or staring, stunned at the strange and miraculous additions to the cave. The soldiers themselves were in much the same state, though a few had turned and run the moment the first trouble started. Luke had an inkling of where they were headed, but he couldn't stop now.

  He backed up, put his head down and ran. The flames were horribly hot and seared him long before he leaped. He sailed over the wood, his enhanced strength carrying him all the way to the pole. He struck it feet first, and as he hoped, the flames had already burned through the base. It snapped and carried him and the woman over the wood on the other side.

  He landed first and grabbed the pole, taking the weight before the sacrifice struck the stone. He hauled it away from the flames. Alex appeared, mouth open and nodding.

  'That was amazing, that was just, amazing.'

  Luke grabbed the woman's bonds and ripped them off, wincing as his skin was abraded by the rough rope. He bundled her into Alex's arms and searched for the nearest priest. He was writhing on the ground, patting frantically at his body. Smoke rose from within his robes and Luke smiled grimly.

  He tore his robes off him, leaving him rolling on the ground as his skin went first pink and then blackened. He flung the robe over the sacrifice and the three of them set off across the cavern floor. The moment they got free of the circle and the chaos within, Luke stopped.

  The trucks were gone. He caught sight of the back of the last heading into the tunnel, way over the other side past the church. He focused, trying to find the minds of the men on board but they were too far.

  He swore, turning back to the maelstrom. He switched off the fears and the surviving soldiers and priests collapsed to the ground. He yanked the nearest up by his collar. 'Where are they going?'

  The man pulled a smile from somewhere, showing teeth black with mould. Luke flicked one with his finger, and it broke and fell into the man's mouth. He choked and Luke tossed him onto the floor. He reached for the next and the priest struggled, throwing him off and racing across the cavern floor.

  Luke watched him go, grinding his teeth together before moving on to the next. He pulled one of the soldiers up and slapped him round the face. The unseeing eyes snapped into focus and the soldier cringed.

  'Where are they going?'

  'What?'

  'The trucks. Where are they going?'

  'Dunno. They didn't tell us. Not for the emergency. Only the trained ones.'

  'Are any of the trained ones here?'

  He bustled the man around so he could see his companions in their various states of damage and madness. He shook his head slowly.

  'Don't think so.'

  'Don't think so? Are you sure?'

  'Yeah, I'm sure. That was the training, always protect the package.'

  With a wordless shout, Luke threw him onto the floor. He turned on Alex, teeth bared. 'See what you've done? This is your fault. We've lost them and it's your fault.'

  He shoved the sacrifice out the way as his hands settled around Alex's neck.

  'Wait, please. Hold on.'

  Luke was beyond waiting, but Alex's next words gave him pause. 'I can still manufacture the antidote. I can't guarantee how long it'll take, but it's better to have it at some point, isn't it?'

  Luke loosened his hands just enough for Alex to breathe. 'Are you sure you can do it?'

  'I just need my white board. It's got the stuff I didn't know on it. If we can get back to the lab, I can get started.'

  Luke let go completely. He wasn't convinced, not in the least. But it was the only thing they had going right now. Alex was already ignoring him, turning to help the sacrifice back to her feet. As she stood, Luke saw her face and gasped.

  'Sara?'

  She shook her head, a smile spreading over full, pale lips. 'Kali, at your service. The Father will be most pleased to see you haven't given up your humanity altogether.'

  Krystal - Thursday: Plague Day

  She hammered the button. The doors began to slide closed again. Then the arm came through, and with it, the rest of his body. She couldn't help calling it a he. Behind her, Ed's voice was soft as he breathed a name.

  'Rob.'

  'What?'

  'He's Rob. He's having troubles with his wife.'

  'Yeah, not anymore.'

  She lashed out, her heavy boot catching 'Rob' in the kneecap. It shattered and he dropped onto one knee. From the broken one came the smell of rotting meat and she covered her mouth and took a step backwards. He tried to rise but managed only a sort of stumbling fall further into the lift. She sidestepped and he tumbled past her. She heard Ed shout but was far too busy slamming her finger into the button.

  The doors began to slide closed and she span around, hand going for her back pocket. The zombie called Rob lay atop Ed and was wriggling like it meant to do something disgusting to him. But the growl was in no way flirtatious and in every way terrifying, and Ed screamed. He had one hand beneath Rob's chin and pushed the zombie's head up so its teeth clicked shut on air again and again.

  Krystal stared, frozen for a second. She didn't think she could bear to touch it. But in the end, she did. She wrapped her arms around its throat and hauled it up and off Ed. The moment it was clear she let go. For a brief time it stood, wobbling back and forth, its lazy eyes tracking between the two of them. They stared back, panting and sweating. The doors pinged behind them and began to reopen, and Krystal reached for the button.

  At the same moment, Rob made his decision and dived at Ed. Krystal threw herself at it and crashed into its waist. Its knee collapsed and she drove it to the floor. Now she found herself astride the zombie, one of its arms trapped between her legs. Caught between freaking out and feeling somewhat in control, she yanked the knife from her pocket.

  She glanced at Ed as she fiddled with the blade and saw his eyes widen as he looked past her. She resisted the urge to turn, and put all her attention on getting the blade free of the knife. The zombie struggled but its knee hampered it and it kicked feebly. How strong was it? She couldn't weigh more than eight stone.

  The blade popped out and she drove it straight down into Rob's ear. It caught against something and half closed, cutting into her finger. 'Shit, dammit.' The zombie's struggles grew suddenly more intense and she grabbed hold, barely keeping the knife. She rode it, hands dug into its shoulders to stay on as it wriggled like a fish on a ship's deck.

  It slowed a little and she reopened the knife. She lined up this time, which was a little like she imagined catching fish with a spear would be. She slammed the knife down again. It went in cleanly this time, straight through his ear and into his brain. Rob, who was having troubles with his wife, stiffened an
d froze, and she let out a long breath. And noticed the silence.

  Ed was still staring, wide-eyed and shaking. This time she turned and looked the other way. The lift doors were open and there they were, staring in. She scrambled off Rob and fetched up beside Ed against the back of the lift. Then she remembered her knife. Not that it mattered now, they were dead.

  She grabbed Ed's hand and squeezed it. 'It's been nice, you know, just for a little while.'

  He opened his mouth to reply then the first zombie moved. It lurched into the lift, bent down and sunk its teeth into Rob's dead face. Krystal shrieked. She couldn't help it. Steaming blood gushed out onto the lift floor and the tiny space filled with the smell of a dog carcass left out in the sun. She'd seen a few in her time, hidden away in one of the alleyways of Soho.

  She clapped her hand over her mouth and watched in horror as the zombie lifted its head, a flap of Rob's skin hanging from its mouth. The other zombies were pushing to get to the body and one grabbed its foot and began to pull. Zombie number one, the face eater, turned and snarled at the puller, and they glared at one another, teeth bared.

  'Ed, we need to get the body out of the lift.'

  'How the hell do we do that?'

  They were speaking through gritted teeth as though to open their mouths fully would somehow expose them to the zombies. Krystal slipped further down the wall, put her boot against Rob's shoulder and pushed. The body slid the tiniest distance, but it encouraged the puller to try again, and this time he succeeded in getting the lower leg out of the lift.

  'Yes, that's it.'

  She pushed herself away from the wall until her foot touched it again. Another nudge and the puller got the legs completely out. Zombie number one, who up to this point had been happy to be dragged along with it, face buried up to its nose in face flesh, rose up and growled at her, then took a swipe.