The scarred man did not answer.
A second scream followed, this one lower… more strangled. The sound twisted through Sera's nerves in a way that made her creature lean forward with interest.
"Not a zombie," Aerenyx said slowly. "Not a standard infection. The cadence is wrong. The breath is wrong. It is trying to speak or copy speech."
Alexei's jaw set. "And it is hungry."
The scarred man finally looked up to meet Sera's eyes again.
"You don't understand," he said. "CDC tried to quarantine this whole area. We kept them out. We don't let their people in. We don't let their rules in. We handle our own."
"You are not handling it," she pointed out, a slight smile on her lips.
Another impact shook the far side of the barn. The boards groaned. The chains strained. Dust drifted down in a visible cloud.
The man with the shotgun snapped, "Just turn around. This is our mess."
