Live Free or Die Complete Series Boxed Set: Age Of Madness - A Kurtherian Gambit Series Hayley Lawson (ebook reader play store .TXT) 📖

Massimo didn’t hold back. He gave his son a hug, then told him off. “You know it’s rude to keep people waiting,” Massimo repeated, since he didn’t really know what else to say. He didn’t want it to seem like he was happy that he was back, because then his son would think twice about becoming a wolf full time. Massimo wanted Leandro to make his own choice.

Ryder left the two men talking and went over to the others.

“George, come back,” General Murray yelled down the tunnel where George had fled. He really didn’t want to, but there was no other way to get George to move any faster. The fan muffled the sound a bit.

“Why are you bringing him?” Shane asked, annoyed.

Because it’s the right thing to do! “Afana said he would kill us if we don’t fix the cameras on Level Six and bring him back,” General Murray told him, shrugging his shoulders.

“He won’t have to if we don’t get out of here soon,” Shane bitched, and General Murray knew he was right.

“I’ll get him,” Martin offered, and sprinted down the tunnel.

“NO!” Murray said, panicked, but it was too late. His son was already running down the tunnel.

General Murray ran after his son, but his son had youth on his side and was fast. He reached George in no time.

“It’s okay, Dad,” Martin shouted. Hush, son! Murray placed his fingers to his lips. He didn’t want anyone to know they were down there. The tunnel they were down was another sleeping area, with row upon row of beds. Anyone could jump out at any given time—it didn’t matter if they had the disease or not. The residents didn’t take too warmly to generals being down here in their sleeping area at the best of times.

General Murray ran toward his son. Martin shook his head at his dad.

“Watch out!” General Murray saw hands reaching out for his son from a gap between the bunks.

George came to a sudden halt, and Martin bumped into him, but luckily the pair didn’t fall.

More hands came out from between the bunks from both directions. They couldn’t move forward or backward. The pair was trapped.

Murray sped up and could hear Shane behind him. Murray cursed himself for not having any bullets in his gun. He wouldn’t make that mistake again.

Martin was fighting off the grasping hands as the red-eyed nightmares filled the path between the beds.

“Duck,” Shane shouted, and Murray did just that. A wrench flew over his head and cracked into a head, then clinked as it landed on the floor. More of George’s tools flew over Murray’s head, hitting the others. George looked more pissed at losing his tools than that they were trying to eat him alive.

Murray grabbed a wrench once he realized that Shane had thrown all the weapons, and began beating the crap out of everyone.

Everyone except Shane killed the attackers with George’s tools; even George took a few down. Martin finished them off. Shane had his machete. One swipe from that and they were headless.

Once again there was a bloody mess of brains and guts on the floor.

“Martin, are you injured?” Murray asked his son.

“No, I’m fine. It’s not my blood.”

“Are you sure? There were hands coming for you. I was sure one of them got you,” Murray couldn’t keep the panic from his voice.

“I’m sure.”

“Are you two done with the family reunion, because I’d like to the get the fuck out of here,” Shane complained.

Shane was speaking wise words. Murray looked at the floor beside one of the bunks, and Decso was there. Somehow the king of gossip was alive. He placed his finger on his lips and slid away. That sneaky little bugger is going to outlive all of us.

“Martin, load your gun. George, keep hold of your wrench. Like Shane said, let’s get the fuck out of here.”

Massimo waited until Ryder was out of earshot to speak to Leandro. “What happened to you?”

“It was the same as last night, but worse. I couldn’t change back. I didn’t know if I was ever going to turn back. Before I would just lie down and change within a minute, but now…” Leandro looked down at his watch. It wasn’t there.

It had come off when he’d changed, but he knew from the height of the sun that he’d been in the woods for a lot longer than a few minutes.

Massimo pulled his sleeve over his watch, hiding it from Leandro. He’d been gone for over an hour.

“Pops, I didn’t think I could turn back,” he repeated.

“Would that be a bad thing?”

“That’s the thing… I don’t really know anymore,” Leandro admitted.

“Fluffy, are you coming?” Carter yelled.

Massimo placed his arm around Leandro. “Come on. Let’s join the others. Either Leandro or Fluffy is fine with me.” Massimo smiled.

“Please don’t call me Fluffy,” Leandro begged.

“Sorry, it’s stuck now,” Massimo told him, and he quickly headed over to the gang before Leandro could plead with him anymore.

“Pops!”

Carter came over and clapped him on the arm. “Nice to see that you decided to come back. I do miss the Fluffy version of you though.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

The gang gingerly headed into Darkwell, where they found bodies on the ground. The Mad had been here and had not survived.

They found no one alive. Everyone had their weapons ready and looked into the buildings as they passed. Darkwell was like a rundown version of Pinewood. There were buildings with glassless windows lining the sides of the road, which looked like they might crumble at any time. After years—maybe hundreds of years—here, their wooden frames had been able to withstand the worst that could be thrown at them. Maybe the people of Darkwell were the same.

A shadow above caught Ryder’s eye, and she looked up. There were live people on the roofs above them, and they were pointing their guns at Ryder and her friends.

Ryder heard a click