Read Infected Freaks Volume One: Family First for Free Online

groans left it sucking in air and spreading foul spores. Rows of warped wood herded the infected in various directions. For several seconds, with muscles tight, sweat steaming off his skin, Hunter climbed through and over a series of wooden fences. The lumber dripped with a slimy yellow fungus the boy was careful to avoid.
    Looking up, he saw Sam watching him from the balcony. This gave him courage as he weaved through the obstacles, avoiding the infected at every turn. Hunter felt smart and adept. Then, he heard something drop from the balcony. It smashed hard into the ground level, alerting the monsters in the mill. At least it was on the other end.
    The infected staggered about, almost smelling their air with their blooming, clustered faces of living mold. Hunter crouched into a small void under a warped cubby and waited. The withered feet of one of the creatures stomped in front of the space. There was nowhere to run. If he fired the rifle, the creature would die, but its friends would be on him faster than flies on dung.
    A second pair of rotten feet still wearing a pair of blood-soaked basketball shoes joined the first. The buzzing sound sliced through his brain like a piercing wail of evil. His sweaty hands tightened around the rifle as the cracking joints of their knees bent down. It was too late. They must have sensed him.
    Out of the blue, a second crash burst in the other direction. The two infected stood erect and darted toward the sound clinking and buzzing in waves. He tore out from under his hiding spot, ready to finish the mission. Yet, before he was out, he felt the presence of another infected. He fell back and avoided the creature marching toward the sound, its budding face spilling offensive spores in haste. A nasty wound on its left thigh was knotted in rotten lumps of cool puss and bright-colored flesh. Had the boy been hydrated, he might have pissed his pants. Nonetheless, after his nerves settled, he stepped out, this time more concerned with his surroundings.
    Ten yards ahead sat the dead, grass-colored fortress of hay. Already moving, he darted through the bend and slid under a broken piece of metal serving as a divider. He froze near a water trot and realized the big, nasty one stood guard near the bundles of hay. His eyes drifted up and searched for Sam, but there was no sign of the southern girl. He needed her to lure the beast away. She already used the bottle. At that moment, the big, nasty infected creature, clear as day, erupted in a buzzing sound that brought down a section of the second floor balcony.
    Sam ! He listened for any moans from the girl. The cry of the freak was followed by the immense creature stomping forward in a manic rage. The shock had almost immobilized Hunter. Once it passed, he crawled forward and climbed up the bundles of hay. He reached into his pocket and prayed his hands would be steady enough to light the fire. He had no idea how he was going to get back to the stairs.
    The heavy-rooted feet of the massive creature stumbled around, and its foul, infected face parted like the red sea as a cord of vines danced back and forth. The powerful new sound stole Hunter’s breath. He was sure the monster could smell him. I’m fucked.
    Trapped between the hay and an infected freak towering over twelve feet, Hunter had no hope. He wedged his frame between rolls of hay and the back wall, hoping to remain undiscovered. Hunter imagined the monster’s hot breath as its slow, approaching steps shook the ground. The thing reeked of decomposing excrement. Hunter squeezed his rifle and prayed. It was all he could do.
    ***
    The abysmal creature’s feeler arms stretched against the front of the pyramid of hay, searching for the boy. The terrible odor resonating from the foul thing worked to disorient the boy.
    Eyes fixed in horror, Abraham had the fright of a father watching his child get run over in the street. As he sucked in a quick breath, ready to burst, he touched Sam’s shoulder