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

tried to work out a deal because of our old ties. However, you shoved it back in my face. Agree to my terms and I might make you the Sheriff of Fairplay.”
    Bob turned for a second and in that flash, Abraham steamrolled him. A piece of cold steel stole the moment as Abraham’s trusty hammer crippled his old friend’s cheek. By the time Bob saw the sudden movement in his peripheral vision, it was already too late to defend. The hammer crashed down a second time, bruising Bob’s spine with the force of his metal.
    Mr. Hatchet collapsed. He folded to the oily ground, stunned and dazed. “I warned you, Bob!” Abraham gripped the back of Bob’s leather collar and lifted him. After two hits from a hammer, Bob still struggled to fight. He pushed and Abraham redirected. Bob fell forward toward the mounted buzz-saw and screamed.
    Thick dots of red stained Abraham’s vision as the machine severed Bob’s right hand at the wrist. “Shit,” he cursed, tossing his old comrade to the floor.
    The sudden explosion of pain caused Bob to black out. Abraham knew when Bob woke there would be hell to pay.
    His tired eyes fluttered as he heard the screams of his granddaughter penetrate through the thick walls. Bob, the infected freaks, and his missing family were all forgotten in that jarring moment. There was only Emme’s voice rising and falling. Abraham felt a sharp tear in his humanity. It was a warm rush of unmatched courage and rage that brought him toward the sound.
    ***
    It sounded like a thousand running lawn mowers coming straight for her. Emme’s hearing aids picked up the vibrant sound of a hundred infected freaks on the prowl. The dark utterances said something, but she couldn’t understand. The high-pitched sound stung through in a static swirl that brought her off the top bunk in a hurry. For a second, the harsh sound was loud enough she thought it might kill her. Yet, it stopped after several agonizing flares. All she could picture was the infected she killed coming back for revenge. Emme continued to shriek, staring at the empty blanket where Grandpa Abraham was supposed to be sleeping.
    Her yelps woke her brother in a panic. She watched him scramble to his feet, wiping the sweat from his uneven brow. “What’s wrong?”
    Emme stood next to the bunk bed in hysteria trying to figure out if it was only a bad dream. When she knew it was real, she hesitated as she approached her brother.
    “Was it a bad dream?” Hunter couldn’t hear what his sister heard.
    Glancing at the clock on the wall, she realized it was three in the morning. Outside, the wind continued to lash the building with long showers of rain. The window thudded against the frame as the buzzing continued driving her to scream even louder.
    ***
    Running as fast as he could, Abraham tore the bedroom door open. Holding the palm of her hands over her ears on the floor stood his sweet little granddaughter.
    “The creatures are coming,” she muttered with her brother standing next her. “I swear on everything, they’re coming for us.”
    “Who’s coming?” Abraham questioned, wondering what was wrong with his granddaughter. Was she having a night terror? “What is going on, Emme?”
    Jumping up and down, she recalled her time in the barn. “A mob of infected! They found a way into the compound. Shit!”
    Emme didn’t usually sleep in her hearing aids, but she was so exhausted, she drifted off fast on the couch. Abraham carried her to the bed and didn’t want to risk waking her by taking them out.
    “Get your things. We have to go now!” Abraham had expected to find one of the mechanics standing over his granddaughter. He would have torn them part with his bare hands. This is a blessing, he thought, hoping the infected would occupy the mechanics while he planned their escape.
    Given the fact he dismembered Bob downstairs, he didn’t think the rest of the mechanics would welcome him with open arms. Truth was, Abraham was damaged enough to approach