Infected Freaks (Book 2): The Echo of Decay by Jason Borrego

truth.” He adjusted his leather jacket and found a seat on a torn bar stool. Bob was nervous as he got back up right away. Abraham watched him pick up a loose extension cord and wrap it on a rusty nail. “So what were you planning on doing with the black girl?”
    “Sam? I’m taking her to Denver.” Abraham saw a glimmer of Bob killing innocent people in Russia. The truth of Bob’s brutal crimes would never rest in Abraham’s mind.
    “Would you be interested in a trade?”
    Abraham ran his hands through his hair. “What do you mean?” He knew what Bob meant. He saw the way Bob looked at Sam, the way his men were pissed when he cut him down. Bob took whatever he wanted during the Winter War. Why would he be any different during the apocalypse?
    “You know what I mean. I could help you get back your family. And in return you could leave the girl behind. You’re going to need help against the men in yellow. It would be like old times. And the rest of the prisoners at the Red Tower could populate this town.”
    So you can have more than one slave. “Are you mad?” Abraham touched one of his sore ribs. “Were you ever a good man? Or did the countless battles distort your humanity?”
    “Probably not,” Bob said, appearing to think back. He sorted through a tool box and the metal clank of each device echoed across the tense space. “We wouldn’t treat her bad. She would be one of us.” He almost sounded sincere. “And the rest of the prisoners at the Red Tower would have a second chance at life. This town could be a place of refuge.”
    Fueled by a persuasive mix of agony and worry, Abraham’s mind stormed in uncertainty. His blood circulated as he looked across the various work benches for something he might use to disable his old acquaintance. Abraham’s strength was indeed temporary and he would have to be quick. “So that’s why you sent her to the school?”
    “It’s not like that,” Bob contended. “Scott and Sam will return soon, and as I said, you all can leave with a little fuel.” The sound of Bob’s scuffled footsteps echoed across the space. His pitted face was flush and flooded in anger.
    “A little fuel now, huh?” Abraham questioned, reading the lie written on Bob’s smug face.
    “Sam’s brother owes me a lot of money. We could break that debt and call it even if you’d leave her behind.” Bob’s fingers danced back and ran across the surface of a mounted buzz-saw. He flipped the switch and listened to the whine of the powerful engine. The grinding gears reminded Abraham of the infected creatures. It also reminded him that Bob’s garage had plenty of electricity from the makeshift wind mills on the roof. It was in that moment, he saw Bob pick up a crowbar and show his ugly teeth. “We need a good woman. She could be our queen, the queen of the mountains. This place will be all that is left after Denver tears itself apart.”
    “Sam has already been through too much. Keep your fuel. We’ll find our own way in the morning.” Abraham paced farther back into the dim garage. With each passing moment, the gloomy layers of doubt burned away. He knew a battle was coming. Bob had too much pride to let him leave in peace.
    “It doesn’t work that way.” Bob gasped, coming to a stop. The truth of his intentions spilled out on the rage of emotion scrunching his features. “I will have the girl.”
    The panic Abraham felt left him winded. “You’ve got to be kidding me. She’s not property.”
    “Keep your voice down.”
    Abraham looked at the loud saw humming and then rolled his eyes. His injuries were great, and his chances of escape slim. Yet, he knew if he didn’t act fast, he would lose everything. Sure, he understood it would have been easier to trade the girl and save his family. However, he was an honorable man. He would rather die.
    “What the hell, Bob?”
    “This is a dangerous world. You were a fool to think I’d let you leave without some sort of payment. I