Read Thirteen Roses Book One: Before: An Apocalyptic Zombie Saga for Free Online Page A

cheek bones pressing through the skin, beneath her red-ringed, cold-blue eyes.
    They were striking. She'd been told that before. It was why she kept them trained on the ground as much as possible. That was the problem with sleeping out, of course. When people saw the eyes they got ideas. And some of her friends had disappeared recently. The vans were out, looking for girls. She knew where they went.  
    She shivered and wrapped her towel around herself. Her lips barely showed against her skin, thin and chapped and pressed hard together. Krystal flung on her clothes, grabbed her bag from her locker and headed out front. Mrs Ely wasn't in. Probably out getting breakfast. She thought about staying for it and her stomach growled. Maybe she would. Fresh air first, though.  
    She stepped out the door, keeping one foot in so it didn't security-lock and stared up at the sun. Third clear sky in a row and warm enough at eight in the morning to not need her jacket. Her lips curled up at the edges and she felt a twinge at the unusual movement.  
    'Thought you hadn't left yet. Can we talk?'
    She jumped and put her hands up. Her foot slid free of the door and she swore and turned on the speaker. The long haired boy stared at her between his curtains and blushed.  
    'Sorry, didn't mean to, but you know, you were nice to me.'
    'Yeah, my mistake.'
    Krystal looked back up at the sky and shook her head. Would it hurt? Not as much as he did, in all likelihood. 'Yeah, we can talk. Soon as you make sure Mrs Ely gives us some breakfast.'
    'Yeah, sure, of course, thanks.'
    He nodded like a labrador and she groaned inwardly. What was he, twelve, thirteen? They stood in awkward silence while they waited for Mrs Ely to return. What was she supposed to say? 'Hey. So, you got raped last night. Come here often?'
    Not a moment too soon, Mrs Ely bustled down the pavement and waved at them both. 'Out early today.'
    'Yeah, not supposed to be. Any chance of breakfast, please?'
    She cast a glare at the boy who had the good grace to look sheepish, but the warden waved them through the door and she sat gratefully in the large room that counted as a dining space. Ten minutes later she clung to her polystyrene cup of tea with both hands, drinking in the smell like the elixir of life. The boy ate nothing.  
    She found out he was called Ed and this was his first summer on the streets. Tough start. Though not as bad as what he'd had at home from the sounds of it. Still, he sounded pretty posh, so can't have been all bad.  
    'You said you wanted to talk.'
    'Um, yeah. So, last night...'
    Krystal put her cup on the table, leaned back and folded her arms. He wanted to talk about that. God, she'd given him a hug, that was all. She wasn't some bloody agony aunt.  
    'Look, I'm sorry about last night, but talking to me about it ain't gonna help.'
    'He punched you.'
    It wasn't a question. 'Yeah.'
    'Was it the first time?'
    'For me? Yeah.'
    'For others?'
    'Nah.'
    'He shouldn't be doing that.'
    'What, punching me? That's what you're worried about?'
    'Of course not. He shouldn't have...done what he did to me either, but punching girls, that's just wrong.'
    ' That's wrong?'
    She tried to keep the incredulity out of her voice. He was serious, he was actually serious. Of all the things Dawid was guilty of, Ed was most worried about him hitting girls. And he hadn't seen the half of it. The bastard broke someone's jaw the other week, punched her so hard she swallowed two of her teeth. Krystal'd got off lightly and she knew it.  
    He was staring at her, all earnest and young, and she groaned and nodded. 'Yeah, it's wrong. Punching girls and not saying please and not covering your mouth when you sneeze, it's all wrong, what's the point?'
    'I'm going to kill him.'

Krystal Part Two

    'I'm going to kill him.'
    She thought she was going to laugh; that was the most sensible response. But there was something in his serious little face that choked it off. She settled for opening her