Thirteen Roses Book Three: Beyond: A Paranormal Zombie Saga (2 page)

She almost laughed. She wondered at the presence of teeth but not the fur and the way it hunched over, like a beast hunting. No, she wondered at them as well, but they were so far from reality she blanked them out. But those teeth in a new born mouth - teeth that belonged to a zombie - were just real enough to make her stomach turn.

‘KRYSTAL!’

She didn’t even notice the echoes this time. They didn’t matter. The creature had seen them, and in the next moment it slipped over the edge of the shelf and began scrambling down the steps.
 

Alex

His mind wanted to shut down. He recognised the feeling from when the zombie had come at him in the street. He’d held the sword and knew what to do, but seeing a real zombie attack him had switched his mind off. The same was happening now.
 

The beautiful woman was sprawled on the floor, all pretence of dignity sacrificed as her moaning grew louder. St Paul’s faded into the background. All he could see were the loose edges of the dress that hung about her like curtains, hiding her breasts and her distended stomach from view. Her hair hung the same way, long blonde locks trailing on the stone paving of the cathedral.
 

‘God, are you alright?’ he asked.

‘God’s got nothing to do with it.’ Luke murmured as Alex dropped to his knees before her. She stared through her hair at him, sweat running lines down her face.
 

‘It’s coming. I can feel it. Oh God, help me.’

Her beatific smile was gone, replaced with eyes that pleaded with him for escape. He grabbed her hand tight and she squeezed hard enough to break it.
 

‘I’m sorry, I can’t do anything. Um, breathe, deep breaths.’

She hissed between her teeth and sat back on her haunches. Her face was drawn and he thought she’d scream. She lasted a moment or two before she fell forwards again, hands thudding against the stone. He looked up at Luke but the angel was facing away, arms folded. Alex disentangled their hands and got to his feet. ‘What can we do?’

‘What? Nothing, she’s giving birth. I think you were right with the breathe advice.’

‘But she’s in pain.’

Luke laughed. ‘You’ve not much experience of this sort of thing, then? Of course she’s in pain. She’s giving birth. And it’s probably Az’s baby.’

‘What is Az?’

‘He’s a demon. Cast and created in hell and raised to the Flights when management changed how we do things.’

‘And were you… were you in charge of Hell?’

‘You know more of your religion than I thought.’

‘Come on, everyone knows about you.’

‘I was.’

‘So did Az work for you or something?’

Luke rocked his head from side to side. ‘Work for me isn’t quite the right word. That doesn’t exist as a concept outside of Earth. There is no work or payment. Az is a demon. He did what his nature demanded of him.’

She screamed, a thin sound filled with saliva, and even Luke turned to look at her. Her legs were spread apart and her fists clenched on the stone in front of her.
 

‘What will his baby be like?’

‘I don’t know. It’s happened before, once or twice, but never ended well.’

‘Yeah, well, this isn’t starting well.’

‘Birth is never easy.’

‘So you’ve had experience?’

‘More than you’d think.’
 

Alex knelt and patted her shoulder. She was boiling, her shoulders wet with sweat that soaked through her dress. ‘It’s going to be okay.’

‘It’s not. I can feel it, it’s clawing at me, God, what is it?’

She screamed and pushed her face into the stone. He stared at her back where her dress hung over her backside. He should look and check everything was alright down there. He was a scientist after all. He choked and swallowed and made his way around. One glance was all it took. Blood streamed down her legs, blessedly obscuring her vagina.
 

He staggered over to Luke. ‘Something’s wrong.’

‘Of course something’s wrong. It’s Az’s baby.’

‘How are you so calm?’

‘Because if his baby is being born, Az will be here and I need to be ready.’

‘Oh. What could he do?’

‘Well, you’ve seen him. He’s taller than me, stronger than me, and considerably more violent. I can catch him with fears if I’m quick enough, but it’ll be close.’

The woman’s screams had drawn the soldiers, but Alex only noticed them now, standing some distance away. A white robe stood, arms spread out to stop his men. Their eyes met and he strode over. It was difficult to tell in the near darkness but Alex thought his robe was completely white, or close enough. He was one of the important ones.
 

‘Who are you?’

‘My name’s Alex. What’s yours?’

He resisted calling him a murderer right out the gate. It was tempting but probably wouldn’t be much help in getting them out of here.
 

‘I am Etienne. Why is she out?’

‘I’m sorry?’

‘She is a test subject. She should still be in the sacred rooms.’

‘A test subject? So you aren’t content with killing most of the human race? You’ve decided to keep some of them for testing.’

‘What we have or haven’t done is far beyond your intellect and understanding. I would advise you keep your judgment to yourself.’

‘Screw what you advise. You’re a fucking scum bag.’

‘You are in the house of the Lord, mind your tongue.’

He said it like he was reciting bad movie dialogue and Alex stepped towards him, clenching his fists. ‘This isn’t the Father’s house, any more than you’re his soldiers, so—’

‘Alex, you haven’t found religion, have you?’ Luke put his hand on his arm and pushed him gently to one side. His next words were addressed to the man in the robe. ‘You will answer for what you have done. But for now, I suggest you let this woman give birth in peace.’

‘Birth? But she hasn’t been exposed, how is she—?’

He walked around them and stared at the woman, finally seeing the huge belly and the blood pooling around her knees. ‘What happened?’

Luke patted him on the shoulder and the sound of guns being raised was horribly loud. Alex tapped Luke on the shoulder. ‘Easy now, they’ve got guns.’

‘You think?’ He nodded at the bloody tear in his sleeve where the bullet had caught him. He turned to the robe. ‘She’s giving birth to the child of a demon. How does that fit into your plans?’

Etienne walked around behind her and his face went as white as his robes. ‘In the name of the Lord, was is it?’

The woman screamed louder this time and the sound ended with an exhalation as though it was her last. Alex rushed around behind her and saw something bloody drop to the stone. The woman fell onto her side, weeping, blood still streaming from her. Alex stared at the thing lying on the concrete. It was red. Was it the blood or something else? He couldn’t get close enough to check.
 

He took the easy way out and went to her, kneeling and cradling her head on his lap. He watched as her eyes dimmed.
 

‘Where is it, where’s my child?’

‘I, ah, I…’

He was saved by saying more by a sound like an explosion that made the huge tent ripple and snap. Wind blasted through his hair and the soldiers rocked on their feet. Luke spun and stared over Alex’s head into the darkness that lay beyond the woman. Alex didn’t see what emerged from there, but judging by the look on Luke’s face, he could guess.
 

The robe’s words confirmed it. ‘What is this? Begone, beast, begone from the house of the Lord.’

Alex watched Az emerge from the shadows. He was huge, far larger than he remembered from their meeting with the Father. His hair was longer also, long shaggy locks of burnt-red fur cascading across his muscled body. His feet clicked on the floor and Alex twisted further to see his cloven hooves.
 

Az laughed, sounding like a pipe emptying. ‘Begone? Does anyone really use that language anymore? Come on fella, it’s the 21st century, catch up.’

Etienne shook, backing away as Az strode past the woman and the bundle of blood on the floor that was his child. He growled and flicked his head and Etienne gasped, jumping away. Az chuckled and looked around, apparently noticing Luke for the first time. He spread his arms wide.
 

‘Luke. Well, this is unexpected. You got your claws in quick enough.’

‘I was here for another reason. We happened upon her just as we were leaving. What are you doing, Az? Why did you betray me?’

‘That’s all you can think of to ask, while my firstborn lies on the floor of the greatest church in England.’

‘I’ve got a lot of questions.’

‘And they can all wait. I have something to attend to.’

He turned his shoulder to Luke and knelt beside the child. He was close enough for Alex to smell the mix of human sweat and animal musk that made him dizzy. A huge tongue snaked clear of Az’s mouth and licked his baby. As he cleaned it, Alex stared, growing sicker by the minute.
 

It was human, though its face was already far more advanced than a new born. But red fur covered it and a tiny pair of horns stood proud on its head. It was a mutant, strange and twisted and frightening. Az put his hands beneath it, oddly gentle, and lifted it.
 

He smiled down at it, tongue disappearing for the moment. Then his smile changed, the corners of his mouth turning down until his long low incisors poked free. His forehead creased and his head shook.
 

Alex looked at the woman and moaned. Her eyes were open and staring and very dead. He rested her head gently on the floor before scampering away and getting to his feet.
 

He stared at the creature in Az’s arms. He couldn’t use the word baby. His breath caught in his throat and he joined Az in shaking his head. The baby was changing, its eyes sinking into its head and its face becoming pale and cracking as the plague took hold.
 

The baby twisted and sunk newly yellow teeth into Az’s arm. The demon howled, a sound dragged from the depths of hell and just as frightening. He threw his child from his arms and it landed on the stone, twisting and scrabbling to its feet. Alex scrambled backwards, landing on his arse but only feeling the hurt in an abstract way.
 

He couldn’t take his eyes off it, but he also couldn’t ignore the look on Az’s face. The cocky pride that had been there only moments ago was gone, replaced by… what? He was broken, his features crumbling, his mouth wobbling. Seeing a demon cradle its newborn child was strange, but seeing one close to tears was far stranger.
 

Alex glanced at Luke and saw something similar there. Az betrayed him but he clearly hadn’t forgotten their friendship. It wasn’t difficult to feel for him, though. Az’s face was expressive, every line carrying the pain of his newly-dead child. Alex swallowed the lump in his throat.
 

‘ABOMINATION. KILL IT!’

Etienne’s cry shook him from the moment and he scrambled away as gunfire rattled through the cathedral. Fragments of stone leapt from the ground and struck him. He rolled over and covered his face, shoving himself with his feet across the floor. Luke hit the ground beside him.
 

‘Shit, they’re bloody shooting at us.’ Luke gasped

‘For an angel you have a remarkable grasp of the basics in life.’

‘Very funny. I’m the one with a bullet in my arm.’

‘Oh god, I’d forgotten. Are you alright?’

‘Actually, it’s strangely numb, so I can’t feel anything right now.’

‘That’s not good.’

‘Oh.’

The creature was on the move, scrambling across the floor like a dog with short legs, its claws scratching and slipping. The bullets flew around it but as yet it was untouched. Then it got its balance and shot away from its dead mother. It hurtled across the chamber and leapt at one of the soldiers, landing on his face and knocking him to the ground.

Blood burst from the wound and the gas mask fell aside as it jumped off and scrabbled into the darkness.

‘Where the hell’s it going?’

Luke shook his head. ‘No idea, but away from us so that’s a plus. We should leave.’

‘Now?’

‘Exactly now. Come on.’

They scrambled to their feet. Az was nowhere to be seen and all that remained was the creature’s mother, face down with her dress covering her and the pool of blood beginning to dry. The blood gleamed beneath the dim lighting and was accompanied by the faintest scent of rot. He blinked, rubbed his eyes, and followed Luke across the cathedral.
 

Jackson

He was dreaming. He knew he was dreaming because Mam was there, holding his hand. She’d never held his hand, even when she walked him to school.
 

Now they were walking to church. She’d never taken him to church either. She had her own church at home. She always knew what to say, far better than any preacher or vicar. Mam was the only person he knew to heckle at church. Now, though, her dry, warm fingers were wrapped around his and her stumpy legs matched his as they strolled through Leyton.
 

The church was huge, far larger than he remembered, and had a dome on top. It was, he realised, the dome of St Paul’s, and that made perfect sense right now. The sun was dropping behind it and as they walked into the shadow cast by the huge tower, the temperature dropped and he shivered.
 

They entered and were presented with a sea of faces, every one of them children. They stared at him and for a moment he could no longer feel Mam’s hand. He clutched at it and it came back, but his heart beat fast in his chest. The children were still staring and in a moment he was no longer a child.
 

He towered above Mam and as he looked down on the faces, he felt the hate in their eyes. He ran a shaking hand through his beard and swallowed. They took a step forward.
 

‘Mam?’

‘Yes, honey.’

She’d never called him honey.
 

‘Don’t let them hurt me.’

‘It ain’t up to me. It’s up to God, you know that, honey.’