Read Thirteen Roses Book Five: Home: A Paranormal Zombie Saga for Free Online

things, growling.’
    ‘You sure you’re alright?’
    ‘Mmm.’
    Bayleigh stuck her head back into the cockpit. Krystal was examining her nails and pointedly ignoring the zombies clamouring at the doors. The sun was going down and the shadow of St Paul’s fell across the courtyard and the soldier’s truck. Bayleigh leant further in and looked up through the windscreen.  
    ‘Storm soon. You sure you’re okay?’
    Krystal patted her head. ‘I’m fine, mum, really, stop worrying about me. I won’t go out with any zombie boys until you’ve met them, alright?’
    She laughed and ducked into the back before Krystal could see her flush. Mum. Sounded weird. It made her feel old but there was something nice about it as well.  
    The seats were narrow wooden benches, not the most comfortable way to travel, but they could fit fifty people in here easily. Some would have to stand but they weren’t going that far. There were rungs set into the wall behind the driver’s seat and she climbed up and peered over the netting. She gasped and tapped on the partition.  
    ‘Krystal, come take a look.’
    Krystal scrambled through and stood below her, looking up. ‘What is it?’
    Bayleigh lifted the first gun and handed it down. Krystal hefted it in both hands and whistled. ‘Not bad.’
    ‘I’d say. There’s maybe twenty five up here, bulletproof vests and some more gas masks and, ooh, there are some nice-looking knives as well.’
    She grabbed another of the guns and stretched across the netting to bag one of the knives. She climbed down and they examined their haul. The guns were big and heavy and looked lethal in a very blunt, argumentative way. She didn’t like guns, but these would be useful.  
    The knife, on the other hand, was lovely. Enclosed in a leather sheath, it was a single-sided blade, horribly sharp and nearly as long as her forearm. She waved it experimentally side to side and Krystal shifted down the bench away from her.  
    ‘Easy now.’
    Bayleigh flashed her a grin and slide it back into the sheath. The thumps were growing quieter. Now they were both out of sight the zombies should lose interest pretty quickly. She waited until the sounds were gone before peeking back through the partition door. The zombies were ambling aimlessly about the courtyard.  
    Some were being drawn back to the horde that gathered outside the cathedral, but others had lost their focus and returned to their mindless travels. She peered at the other truck. The soldier was doubled up and when he straightened, she saw at once the change in his eyes. It was close now.  
    ‘Krystal, come get ready.’
    They sat together in the front, trying not to hold their breath as they watched a fellow human become one of the creatures they were fighting. Bayleigh longed for nothing more than to turn away, but they had to time it right. Her legs were cramping up and she knew she was tense, but she couldn’t relax.  
    The soldier slumped forward, face hitting the wheel.  
    ‘Shit, he’s not going to do it, he’s waited too—’
    The soldier sat up and grasped his gun. The door on his side creaked open, he slipped from the seat, and staggered away from the van. They heard his weak cry from where they sat before he opened fire.  
    The back row of zombies was torn apart. Every bullet smashed bone and ripped great holes in flesh. The soldier took ragged steps towards the cathedral, never pausing in his firing. The zombies were giving him their full attention now as they surged towards him. More and more of them dropped to the floor and for a second Bayleigh thought he would stay on his feet until they piled up around him.  
    One came around the side and she saw its hand grab his ear. It was a clumsy hold but the plague was already running through his veins and the ear came away in a burst of blood. The firing faltered and the other zombies closed in. One hand thrust skywards for a brief moment, then teeth closed over it and dragged it down.