AllFreeNovel
Share Us
ROMERO
Poor preparation leads to poor results.
I was exactly the kind of asshole to rub in the fact that I had been right all along. Which wasn’t anything new because I was always right. I didn’t achieve being the King of the Badlands based off how extremely good I looked. My mind had always been my sharpest weapon.
Now that things were falling apart, those in my innermost circle were counting on me for a solution.
But this wasn’t my battle or theirs. It was our children’s.
We couldn’t hold their hands or solve all their problems for them. Our job was simply to make sure they not only survived this world but thrived in it. They were fortunate enough to have been given a solid foundation. Now was the time to begin constructing their empire upon it.
Having a mass of acolytes at their back wasn’t enough. It was an undeniable asset, sure, an irrefutable extension of our family. However, quantity meant nothing if there wasn’t any unity. There had to be respect and trust, not needing constant reassurance that the person at your side would always look out for your best interests, even when that meant making the difficult decisions liable to piss you off.
They needed to do what the original Savages had: move as one.
To do that successfully, they needed someone who would put them on the right track and ensure they stayed the course. It couldn’t be me.
My story was now revolving around them, and before things could spiral any further out of control, I was going to activate my trump card. I would bring in the one person I knew could do what needed to be done.
I’d spent years cultivating, molding, and teaching him all he would need to know. His aggression and selfishness would be what pulled this band of degenerates together and prepared them to reign over a world that would never be kind to anything with a heartbeat.
He was one of the few people I trusted to protect the legacy my queen and I had created.
With recent tragedies turning out to be a blessing in disguise, he would no longer have to do it alone.
Things couldn’t have worked out any better.
Two cunning boys that had grown into savage young men.
One was full of pain and rage.
The other had an unquenchable thirst for power and blood.
Both were of the devil’s flesh and bone, and it was time for them to step up and claim their rightful throne.
They could, and they would, bring into existence the type of Savages the Badlands had never seen before.
ONE
Wickedness with beauty is the devil's hook baited.
CHAPTER ONE
The room was stuck in a state of suffocating apprehension, the ticking of the clock not unlike the timer of a bomb. Every swish of its tiny second hand brought the beasts in the corridor a little closer. There was no way to stop what was moments away from happening.
Marcy pressed into my side, seeking comfort and protection. I understood her need to feel safe. We all craved security, even if it were just an illusion.
Claire and Dasia had joined us on our corner bunk only minutes ago, and now we all squeezed together on the bottom mattress.
“They’re going to take me,” Dasia whimpered, drawing further into herself.
“They won’t,” Marcy reassured her. “You were c
hosen at last selection.”
Keeping my doubts to myself, I purposely avoided Claire’s knowing gaze, flexing my muscles to rid them of their soreness. Had Dasia truly been selected for assimilation to the final phase of A.R.C, she would have received her branding within two days.
We were now at the end of four, and no word had been sent.
The remaining three girls assigned to our room huddled together in a similar fashion on another bunk.
Two of them were marked, making them as safe as they could be in this hellish covenant. The third trembled with fear, having foresight of what would happen to her.
As door after door was thrown open, the sound of steel slamming into stone echoed through the old asylum. Terrified screams followed each one swiftly. They got off on this, the guerillas of A.R.C. There wasn’t a need to go into every single room, yet they did it anyway for the simple fact that fear excited them.
The idea of terrifying the girls made the monthly cleansings something they eagerly looked forward to. These men were cowards given too much power, lacking balls and spines.
One last bang, and I knew our room was next.
My hollow stomach twisted into a painful knot, beads of sweat gathering on my nape. I wasn’t afraid. I’d been in this life too long for that and seen this one too many times.
I was angry, dreading the outcome for my friend. When the door of our room met with the wall, Dasia grabbed hold of my hand, her grip smashing my fingers together painfully. I gritted my teeth to keep quiet, swallowing down a whimpered protest.
Four heavy-footed men entered, all donning the A.R.C’s navy hued uniform. Light from the hall dared to creep in behind them, illuminating General Hendrix’s thick head of silver hair. His stocky form seemed to fill the open space entirely. His hands on his hips and the slight twist of his lips was telling for how much he was enjoying himself.
