Infected Freaks
Interview with Author Jason Borrego
Infected Freaks Interview One; May, 23, 2014
Interviewer (Editor at The Zombie Times)
http://thezombietimes.wordpress.com/
Guest (Jason Borrego)
(Interviewer) “Walk us through the decision to write such an intense zombie series?”
(Jason Borrego) “They’re not zombies. They’re infected corpses, the humanity of the body is dead. Yet, an alien fungus has brought the husk back to life, so in essence the infected freaks are a product of the mysterious fungus that lives. This is the real evil. The fungus threads itself amongst the human tissue and brings the nightmare to life. The longer the contamination thrives the worse the effects of the infected becomes. As best the survivors can tell this nightmare wasn’t born out of a human lab. Instead all of this is related to a burning red planet called Red Dead approaching the Earth.
(Interviewer) “If not zombies then what are the walking corpses? How are they different?”
(Jason Borrego) “The infected freaks take on the staggering dead corpses of a zombie. Yet, their appearance takes on something mutant, alien, blended with fungus, mold, and dark flowery concepts. It’s a living thing thanks to the outlandish fungus. Most of their eyes are clustered in mushrooms taking away the ability of sight. However, it is not a disadvantage. Unlike most zombies, the infected have a regal sense of smell that gives them a deadly sense of direction. These things, these infested monsters do have a weakness, it’s the daylight. They hate it, and it hates them. Yet, once it’s gone, they come out to spread the spores of the infection to anything living. They seem to thrive in the crimson red illumination of RED DEAD at night.”
(Interviewer) “What is Red Dead? And has is it tied to the infected freaks?”
(Jason Borrego) “Red Dead first appeared in the night sky three years prior to the start of volume 1. This was the same night the first shots of the Civil War divided America, and sparked its next World War. Over time the world picks sides and then one year into the war each side unleashed its nuclear armament. Most of the world fell slight, and shortly after the infected freaks began to terrorize the survivors. The main character of the story, Abraham Heinz, he believes that all of the madness was born out of the toxic light of Red Dead. He blames the war, the trouble, and the infected freaks, on the approaching planet. He hates Red Dead and isn’t afraid to show it.”
(Interviewer) “So the post-apocalyptic story has a civil war twist?”
(Jason Borrego) Yes, it’s important to highlight the struggles of a family torn apart. Abraham’s family has been divided, one of his son’s serves the South, and his daughter enlisted in the North, both he hasn’t seen since the one year mark of Red Dead. We tell time by Red Dead’s arrival.
(Interviewer) Sounds like this world is a dangerous place. What’s the most important rule you’ll need to follow to stay alive?
(Jason Borrego) Abraham uses his theories about Red Dead and its connection to the infected freaks to create some ground rules. For example, if possible, stay somewhere safe during the red night. During the day, travel, and avoid dark places, the infected freaks are in the dark places during dawn to dusk. Over time, Abraham will develop new rules as he begins to understand the infected freaks.
(Interviewer) What kind of experience and or research did you call upon to help you write a survival horror book?
(Jason Borrego) Clearly there are a lot of zombie rule books and a stock piles of information. Yet as I said earlier these things aren’t zombies, I tend to break the rules and in doing so kind of write the horror to best develop the characters and plot. As far as experience goes, I served in the U.S Air Force for 6 years, and spent three different deployments in the Middle East. I experienced the gruesome horrors of war, and the essentials of survival. This has given me the insight to recall those dark moments, those times that never seem to stop haunting. It is gut wrenching decisions with no easy answers that I hope to bring to life through the continuous series. The characters at the beginning of the story will hardly be recognizable as Infected Freaks grows with each new volume.
(Interviewer) What can readers expect next from you and your novella, Infected Freaks?
(Jason Borrego) INFECTED FREAKS is a tale of survival that chronicles the struggles of gritty old Abraham Heinz, his family and the torment of a world facing extinction. The continuous series will be delivered in a volume of novella sized episodes that will make up a much larger story. Think of it as a favorite TV show or comic that will continue to build with each breathtaking volume.
(Interviewer) When can readers expect the first volume”
(Jason Borrego) Fall of 2014, the first four volumes are written and at the mercy of the editor.
(Interviewer) Leave us with a quick run down of the series?
INFECTED FREAKS is a survival horror thriller that tells the story of “Abraham Heinz,” a washed up soldier surviving in the Rocky Mountains. He is conflicted when two of his children enlist in opposite factions in America’s second Civil War. Nevertheless, when a mysterious outbreak connected to an approaching planet leaves the world in awe, he will stop at nothing to bring his family back together.
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Infected Freaks
