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

the front of it instead of going in. On the far side was another tent, much smaller and dark grey in colour.
    The man stopped at the front and cleared his throat.  
    ‘Commander, I have the black man.’
    Jackson blinked, not quite believing what he heard. From within the tent a jovial voice requested he be sent in. The man stepped to the side and weathered Jackson’s glare as he stalked past and into the tent.  
    Within sat a man in a pure white robe, smile lifting his cheeks where they emerged from his gas mask. ‘Welcome, please sit down’
    Jackson stared at him for a moment. The guy was white bread in every way. He’d never done a day’s work in his life and he’d never had to try for anything. His hands would be soft. He stepped up to the desk and stuck his hand out. The man looked at it like it was going to bite him, then took it, shaking with a predictably weak wrist.  
    Jackson sneered and sat. ‘You’re very confident, letting me in here all alone.’
    Another smile. ‘I am protected by the Lord.’
    ‘Funny, that’s what your man outside said. So how come you’re wearing a gas mask?’
    The robe frowned, just a little, and it was Jackson’s turn to smile. ‘Tell you what. How about we count up all the people in here who ain’t wearing gas masks and get them to take charge. Because if you were really protected by the Lord, you wouldn’t need it. Tell you what, why don’t you take it off right now and we’ll see just how much God loves you.’
    He sat forward as he spoke, putting his hands on the desk. The man backed away, pushing his chair until it caught on a stone and almost tipped over. Jackson sat back down, grinning, showing teeth. ‘Yeah, what I thought. Think you might need some help here. I’ve been chosen and if you’re really lucky, I’ll let you help me.’
    The man settled himself, patting his legs and smoothing his robes down. ‘We will, of course, welcome any help you can offer. But as to you taking charge, I really cannot allow that. You have no idea of the bigger picture here and I fear you aren’t the sort to understand even were I to explain it.’
    Jackson nearly hit him. Arrogant bastard. Instead he rocked back on his chair and raised an eyebrow. ‘Why don’t you explain it? Tell me your big plans and we’ll see whether I can handle them.’
    The man stood and walked past Jackson to the entrance. He muttered something to the man outside and came back in. When he sat, his brow was furrowed and his eyes were burning. He leant forward and placed his arms on the desk. ‘My name is Etienne. We have been planning this for a very long time.’
    ‘Looks like it. Where d’you get the plague?’
    Etienne’s face lit up. ‘Now that is the most remarkable thing of all. It came to us, fully formed and perfect for our plan only weeks ago. We were preparing to use something else, something far less effective. But this was perfect.’
    ‘Where’d it come from?’
    ‘We stole it from the government. They would have used it to make war and spread fear. Now there is no war, no fear. There is no hunger, no famine, no misery. There is only us.’
    He leaned back, folding his hands over his stomach. It wasn’t, Jackson noticed, in the least bit fat. The robes concealed it, but this guy was tough, big shoulders and strong forearms where they peeked free of his sleeves. Was the hand shake just a front?  
    ‘So you’ve stopped all fear and pain. Well done. What next?’
    ‘In the tent outside… well, you’ve already seen it I believe. In that tent are the brightest and most beautiful of God’s children. They have been… harvested and brought into the fold. We are waiting now for the plague to clear, to dissipate enough for us to relinquish our gas masks. Once that happens we can begin to repopulate the world.’
    ‘The world? So you’ve done this other places too?’
    ‘Everywhere God holds sway and even the places where they do not yet know him. It had to be everywhere or