Thirteen Roses Book Four: Alone: A Paranormal Zombie Saga (20 page)

‘What, now?’

‘No, next week, of course now.’

‘Ooh, easy, play nice. Why?’

‘Because we need to go slow and I don’t want to have to stop. You can fend them off.’

She took a deep breath, wrapped her left arm around his waist and drew her sword. Almost immediately a zombie appeared, lumbering down the pavement. Luke drew close and she fought back the urge to lean away. She did anyway, a little, and the bike wobbled.
 

‘Stay still. Just move your arm.’

‘Alright, alright.’

She swung and the bike wobbled again, but her sword bit deep into the zombie’s chest, knocking it away from them. The back of the bike didn’t stop wobbling.
 

‘Luke, bloody stop it would you.’

‘I’m trying, I’m trying.’

He sped up and the bike straightened. They spotted another zombie, this one alternating between the pavement and the road. He was, or would have been, a hipster, with silly hair and tight jeans above a pair of converse. She gripped the sword, liking this more.
 

‘Try and hit it in the head this time.’

She growled and stuck her tongue out at him. She got her feet solid on the pegs and lifted slightly off the saddle as she put all her weight behind the swing. She caught the creature in the neck and the sword went straight through. His sticky-up hair was flattened as his head struck the concrete.
 

She looked behind to see the body still standing for a moment, blood spurting from the neck, before it crumpled to the floor.

‘We got him, we got him.’

Luke chuckled then slammed on the brakes. She thumped against him. ‘What the hell?’

‘There.’

She followed his finger to a bike lying on its side across the road. He weaved between the cars and pulled up beside it. She hopped off the back and stood, bent at the waist and sucking air until the shakes subsided. A zombie was heading their way and, as Luke jumped off his bike and moved to the new one, he waved at her to deal with it.
 

She had a second to reflect on the fact that in the space of a week, she’d gone from being a scared little homeless girl with a pocket knife, to standing on the edge of the Thames, samurai sword in hand, and trusted by Lucifer to kill a zombie. It was, all things considered, a serious improvement.
 

She attacked, smiling at the feel of the hilt against her palm. Her first strike went too low and cut through the creature’s jacket-clad left arm. The arm hit the floor spraying blood and she jumped back. It lurched on, somehow unaware of the wound, so she charged back in. She thrust point-first this time, stabbing the zombie through the bottom of the mouth and driving the blade up into its skull.
 

She grinned in satisfaction as she remembered to yank the blade out before the body fell. A throaty rumble from behind told her Luke had been successful. She turned and inspected it. It was a BMW and looked exciting, the silver bodywork gleaming under the street lamps.
 

‘It’s far more powerful than your last one. You’re going to need to be very cautious at first. And you’ll need that, too.’

They looked together at the zombie stumbling towards them with thick leather gloves and a motorcycle helmet on. It was like some weird coming of age thing, where she had to kill the beast to claim her prize. Or in this case, her helmet.
 

The sword struggled a little with the leather, but her first blow still shattered its knee. It collapsed and she lined up her next blow, getting it in the gap between the shoulders and head. Her aim was sweet and the head rolled free. Luke sucked air in through his teeth and shook his head.
 

‘Big mistake.’

‘Why, it’s dead?’

‘Yeah, but you have to get the head out of the helmet now.’

He popped his visor up and flashed her a grin, before returning to his own bike. She sighed and picked up the head. It was far heavier than she’d expected and she struggled to lift it the first time. She knelt instead and looked in the bottom. All she could see was blood and the trailing remains of the spine and arteries and whatever else she’d cut through.
 

She rolled the helmet the other way up and thumped it on the top. She lifted it like she was trying to get a cake from a tin, but the head stayed stuck. She lifted the visor and shuddered at what lay within. The man had worn a beard, but it had come out in patches and was caught inside the helmet. Lifting the visor dislodged all the hair, and she held her breath as flakes of skin and reddish-brown beard floated around her.
 

She flapped her hand to clear it all out, then pushed down on the forehead of the zombie, while tipping the helmet up a bit. The thing didn’t budge. She was going to have to cut it out and there was no way she was putting it on after.
 

Krystal stood and shook her head. ‘No way. Not gonna happen. We’ll get one from a shop, it’ll be fine.’

Luke shook his head emphatically. ‘Not a chance. That bike’s very powerful. You aren’t getting on it without a helmet.’

‘Well aren’t you the father figure now?’

He ignored her and drew his sword. ‘Hurry up.’

She sniffed but turned back to the helmet. She didn’t want to cut it out but she wasn’t sure what else she could do. She tipped the helmet over and, standing as far away as possible, dug her sword in and scooped out its brain. That she didn’t puke was testament either to her constitution, or the fact that the last few days had been utterly insane and this wasn’t at the top of the crazy list.
 

It came out in great chunks, red and grey mingling with something black she was sure was the source of the foul stench. A zombie had spotted the blood and came bumbling over. She kicked the helmet off to one side and went with it while the creature fell to its knees to scrape the brain into its mouth. Luke took its head off before she could lose her no puking record and she turned back to the helmet.
 

She pushed on the face through the visor hole until the bones cracked. She kept shoving, and the face imploded inwards until it looked like a prop from a horror movie. The smell got worse and she tried to hold her breath. She stuck her hand inside the empty skull and pulled out fragments of broken bone until the face was dumped on the floor.
 

With the integrity of the skull knackered, it was easy to break out the rest of it and soon the helmet was empty. She raised it aloft with a triumphant smile and pulled it over her head. It was too large, wobbling on her neck. And it stank.
 

‘We use this till we get back to hospital, then you’re finding me another.’ Krystal did her best to make it an order and he nodded slightly as he gestured to her bike. It was only once she was astride, the tips of her toes barely brushing the ground, that it occurred to her this could be very dangerous and stupid. She gunned the bike and grinned.
 

She let out the clutch and squeaked as the bike flew forward. She clung to the handle bars, keeping the throttle open as she headed straight for a car. She leant and scraped past it, her scabbard banging off the door. She bounced straight up the kerb and snatched at the handlebars as the railings drew horribly close.
 

She veered off just in time and straightened up, bombing down the pavement. She didn’t dare look behind to see whether Luke was keeping up. Her only focus was on changing gear without stalling or killing herself. They reached the Imax in no time at all and she pulled onto the bridge.
 

She broke out laughing at what lay before them. It was like something out of an alien invasion movie. Hundreds of long-haired men and women, clad in leather and denim, sat in a huge circle. It was the metallers they’d avoided on the way out, which in itself wasn’t too bad. They could avoid them just as easily. What was freakish was the person stood in the centre of the circle.
 

He was a zombie, his face coming apart and dribbling blood onto his t-shirt. His hands were held up before him as if to protect himself, but he didn’t have the co-ordination to manage it. One of the zombies lurched up from its sitting position, staggered towards the one in the centre and swung at it. Its clawed hand caught him in the side of the head and knocked him down.
 

A chorus of growls went up. They sounded like growls from a drunk bear, dribbling and falling from their mouths. The puncher sat back down and the circle was silent. Eventually the zombie in the centre rose to his feet, hands held above his head. This time, she realised, they weren’t there to protect it. They were raised in triumph. And the grunts from the others were shouts of approval.
 

She turned to Luke, raising her visor with a sigh of relief as the smell of the river battled the stench inside the helmet. ‘They’re playing a game.’

‘I’m sorry?’

She nodded. ‘They’re playing a game. The one in the middle has to see how long he can take the beatings for. I’ve seen it before. Only when I watched it, you might get everyone else’s change if you lasted long enough.’

They gave one another sickened glances and turned their bikes around. At the bottom of the bridge, where they had only just come on, another crowd of metallers stood, staring straight at them.
 

‘They aren’t playing a game.’ Luke said.

‘Nah, I don’t think so.’

With a roar of growls and gibbers, the zombies charged.
 

Alex

He turned to Bayleigh and shook his head. He didn’t know what else to do. The ladies were heading back up the steps into the ward, subdued now they’d sent a man out to his death. Bayleigh ignored him and stepped straight through the door as it hissed open. Alex went with her, acutely aware of the lack of weapon in his hand.
 

‘Bay, come on, come inside.’

‘Where’s he gone?’

‘No idea. But we can’t follow him.’

‘Can’t or won’t?’

He gritted his teeth and looked at the sky. ‘Look, if he’s running, he might survive. If we were just running, we might as well. But if we’re trying to follow him, we’re screwed.’

She didn’t turn around, just stared down the street. The zombies were closing in and Alex took her arm. She shook it off, scowling at him. ‘We should have done something.’

‘Like what?’

She groaned and put her hands over her face. He tried to soften his voice. ‘Look, Bay, he survived the first night and we know he can fight now. At least we know that. Trust me, I saw him down here with the zombies. He’s… he’s pretty terrifying. I don’t think you need to worry about him. Really.’

Still no response. ‘Bay, please, they’re coming.’

Finally she shook her head and looked back at him. He gestured urgently to the zombies, now only metres away, and she nodded reluctantly. He took her arm and she shook her head, smiling. Then she was gone. He blinked and she was back through the door. By the time he dashed through after her, she was at the stairs.
 

The zombies came in after, at least one wearing boots that clicked across the floor. He took the stairs two at a time, puffing when he reached the top. Bayleigh was already halfway down the corridor to the ward. He glanced back. There were ten or so zombies staring at him, clutching at the air with their withered fingers, and he shuddered. She’d drawn them in here, staying out there that long. Not that she seemed bothered. When had she got so fast?

He raced off down the side corridor and in through the door of the ward, slamming it behind him. They wouldn’t have seen where he went. How good was their sense of smell? He wasn’t sure they went for anything except blood. It didn’t matter, the devices would keep them safe. He charged into the private room and slumped on the bed.
 

Ed was sat in the next one along, staring at him with wide eyes, book face down beside him. ‘What happened?’

Alex shook his head, getting his breath back whilst deciding how he was going to tell Ed. Bayleigh came sauntering into the silence and sat across from them.

‘What happened to you?’ Alex asked.

‘I got fast.’

‘Just a bit.’

‘It’s the spell. I can’t do anything else.’ She screwed up her face like she’d been expecting to turn lead into gold. ‘But I’m fast, really fast, and it doesn’t tire me out.’

Ed’s mouth was wide open and he shook his head. ‘Show me.’

Bayleigh raised an eyebrow and Alex held his breath. She moved and he tried to watch her. He saw her blur as she went near Ed but then he lost her. When the blurring stopped, she was back in her place with Ed’s book in her hand.
 

‘Oh my god, that’s amazing.’ Ed beamed. ‘You’re like a superhero.’

‘I’m really not. If I was, Dave wouldn’t be out there.’

‘What do you mean?’

Bayleigh met Alex’s gaze and gave him a beseeching look. He sighed and rubbed his head. ‘We think Dave might have hurt one of the ladies—’

‘He did the murder, didn’t he?’

‘I don’t know. Yeah, I think maybe he did. But we don’t have any proof.’

‘So why’s he outside?’

‘The ladies drove him out.’

‘The ladies? Why didn’t you stop them?’

Alex tried to keep his voice calm. ‘In case you hadn’t noticed, there are rather more of them than us.’

‘But you’re in charge, aren’t you?’

Alex tipped his head back, rubbing his neck as he stared at ceiling. ‘I don’t think anyone’s in charge, except maybe that demon and the angel back in St Paul’s. Everyone wants to think they’re in charge, but they aren’t.’

‘Oh.’ Ed’s face dropped and Alex stared at him. He’d chatted to him once or two in the last few days, but not enough, probably. He seemed to be taking everything in his stride, but Alex didn’t really have a clue.
 

‘I don’t think we need to worry.’ He said. ‘They were just panicking because someone got hurt. I understand it really.’

‘Yeah, it makes sense.’ Bayleigh said. ‘They just needed to deal with it in a more reasonable way.’

‘So where’s Dave now?’

Bayleigh stomped to the window and peered out. ‘He’s out there.’ Alex said. ‘And he can run and fight.’ The words sounded weak even to him. ‘Bay, I think we need to text Luke.’