Read Thirteen Roses Book Three: Beyond: A Paranormal Zombie Saga for Free Online

another couple of the lanterns guttered out and the cavern plunged into something close to darkness. The second was that Ed caught his foot on something and went flying, dragging Krystal along with him.  
    Her hands stopped her fall but it jarred all the way up to her shoulders and she cried out, swearing as she rolled over. Bayleigh fell to her knees beside her and spun around. The growl was horribly close and the smell of rot and iron washed over her. Then the creature struck.  
    It came like it had been fired from a cannon. A ball of fur so hot she broke into a sweat, struck her in the chest and knocked her flying. It hit the stone, hoofs clattering as it struggled to right itself and come back. Its teeth flashed in the fire light just before it leapt. She caught it by the arms as it crashed into her and smashed her onto her arse.  
    She screamed and tried to throw it away but its arms bent back so its face came closer and closer. Bayleigh appeared behind it, lips so flat they disappeared and eyes wild as she grabbed it by the shoulders. She looked ready to puke as she tore the creature away. Its feet kicked and lashed against the stone, one hoof catching Krystal in the leg.  
    It felt like she’d been kicked by a horse and she shouted in pain, grabbing the wounded leg and bending over it.  
    ‘Help me, Christ.’
    She looked up and grimaced. Bayleigh still clung to the creature as it twisted and squirmed in her grasp, feet kicking above the ground. It would have been comical if its face hadn’t been so terrible. It gnashed its teeth and twisted, breaking free of Bayleigh’s hand. She held the other shoulder for a moment before dropping it entirely.  
    The beast landed on both feet and bounced, coming straight at Krystal. She raised her feet and booted it in the face as it came at her. Its tiny nose cracked and split apart and her stomach turned over as blood sprayed from it onto her legs. It landed on its hooves and stood still for a moment, going cross eyed as it tried to look at its nose.  
    Krystal lashed out, kicking it as hard as she could in the face. Something gave way as it flew back. It struck Bayleigh where she stood frozen, staring at it, and knocked her backwards. The impact stopped the creature and it swayed on its feet. Krystal clambered up and took a step closer.  
    It was suddenly pathetic, this tiny being flailing its arms before its ruined face. She swallowed and tried to focus on its claws and the teeth that were obscured by the torn flesh. It was a zombie, baby or not. She swung her foot and smashed the creature in the side of the head.  
    Its temple caved in. The toe of her boot drove straight through it and emerged from its forehead covered in the grey sludge of its brain.   It stiffened and dropped and Krystal joined it, falling onto her arse with a sob. She couldn’t take her eyes off the rotting matter stuck to the toe of her boot so she kicked and waved it around, sending tiny specks of brain flying off into the darkness.  
    Bayleigh crept closer, staring at the corpse with her lips pressed hard together.  
    ‘It was a baby.’
    Krystal nodded. ‘Yeah. Where’s Ed?’
    ‘I’m here, I’m alright. Think I got knocked out for a moment.’ Ed emerged from the dark, blood smeared down his face from a gash in his forehead. Bayleigh rushed to him and pulled a tissue from her pocket. She pressed it against his head and muttered soothing words. Krystal smiled as her thoughts were drawn away from the corpse lying on the floor.  
    Ed sat with a bump beside her, moaning and shaking his head slowly. ‘God, what happened?’
    Krystal nodded at the tiny body. ‘We were attacked by the zombie devil child.’
    ‘Oh. Nasty.’
    ‘Yeah. But hey, it’s dead and we’re not.’
    Bayleigh sat opposite them, a look of bemusement on her face. ‘How do you do that?’
    ‘Do what?’
    ‘Be so calm. That thing is…’ She shuddered and turned away, squeezing her eyes closed. Krystal patted