Free Thirteen Roses Book Five: Home: A Paranormal Zombie Saga by Michael Cairns Page A

do it. Luke could maybe do something, but for how long? How long until the zombies got them? He shook his head at the angel, looking past his huge, dirty-white wings and alabaster skin.  
    ‘If you try to do more, you will kill yourself. You have lost too much blood. Sleep now and recuperate.’
    The angel faded. Jackson tried to argue but he had nothing in the tank and nothing in reserve. Sleep stole him away.  

    Waking was like coming down after a serious whisky bender. His sides ached and his head ached and he felt stiff. His joints were filled with broken glass, and every time he tried to move them he hissed and kissed his teeth.  
    There was a new bandage on his left hand, white and crisp and neat. He’d been making a weapon. He had to finish it. He— the strong lady was standing beside his bed. How had he not seen her the moment he woke up? Her tits weren’t that small, not really, just small compared with Harriet’s. She’d still be worth it.  
    He cracked a smile. ‘Changed your mind, ey? Don’t worry, I can manage, you might want to take your clothes off, though.’
    She sneered at him. She actually sneered. He was God’s chosen. He had been spoken to by an angel. How dare she sneer at him? He raised a hand but she grabbed it by the wrist. He stared in horror as she forced it back to the bed. Only one woman got to push him around and that would only last while she was opening her legs.  
    ‘Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve already told you what I think about that. And don’t even dream of hitting me. You’ve lost a lot of blood. Too much, possibly. You need to move around and get what you’ve got into your extremities. Wiggle you toes.’
    He was so caught out by the abrupt command, he wiggled them before his brain caught up. They were there, stinging from pins and needles. He grunted that everything was fine and she seemed satisfied. She ran him through a few other exercises and nodded at the end of each. There was something different about her today, like she was really tired or stressed out.  
    Not that he had to be bothered. Maybe it was because she wasn’t getting any. She looked like the kind of girl who was used to getting it regularly. She’d come around. Once she admitted to herself that he was the only choice, she’d come around.  
    ‘Get up.’
    He blinked as she yanked back the covers. ‘Why?’
    ‘The devices have run out.’
    A cold sank into him, like someone had just opened all the windows. The rain knocked impatiently against the window. It was still raining. ‘How long was I asleep?’
    ‘About four hours.’
    ‘I thought I was supposed to be recovering.’
    ‘You are. But getting eaten by a zombie doesn’t count as recovering.
    ‘What?’
    She sighed. ‘The devices have run out.’
    ‘Oh yeah, right.’ The world spun as he sat up and he took deep breaths. ‘Four hours. That’s almost worse than not going to sleep at all.’
    ‘No it’s not. It’s a sleep cycle and will do you the world of good. But right now you need to help decide what we do.’
    ‘Help decide?’
    ‘Yes. We’ve become self-governing. We appreciate your help bringing us here, probably more than a lot of us can say. But we’ve had a chat and we think you serve us better as a champion. You don’t need to fight and be making the big decisions as well—’
    ‘What decisions?’
    ‘The big ones, mostly. Where do we go from here? Who goes where and who stays where? You don’t need to think about those things, and—’
    ‘I need to think about everything. And you’d do well to remember who’s in charge here. I didn’t rescue you so you can go off pissing around in the countryside.’
    ‘Who said anything about the countryside? We’re staying here. But we need more food and we don’t have a device anymore, so we need to plan a little more constructively. We—’
    She was cut off by a scream. It was more of a yelp, but it got Jackson on his feet and Ella to the door. She peered out