Another broad smile at Flynn, her teeth whiter than any should be in this new world, and the Queen turned around and walked off. He followed her, taking the place in by looking around where he hadn’t been able to before.
The corridor with his room on it had many similar rooms running along either side. Much like Home, but without the dingy underground feel to it.
“So what is this place?” Flynn asked.
The Queen laughed and shook her head. “You’re so young.”
Flynn didn’t reply.
“It used to be a hospital. That would be obvious if you were slightly older. I suppose you probably never visited one of these.”
“I did when I was two and broke my arm. But that was a long time ago and I can’t remember it.”
They walked the rest of the way in silence. The Queen kept the pace quick, her black leather boots slamming down against the hard floor.
Despite being repulsed by the woman, Flynn found himself staring at her arse in her tight black trousers. Every time he tried to look up, his eyes soon dropped down to it again.
Chapter 46
What must have been the hospital’s foyer opened up at the end of the corridor. Rows and rows of chairs were covered in dust from disuse. Many of them had ripped cushions, the foam padding from inside lolling out of them like yellowed tongues.
The Queen walked straight through the area and Flynn followed her. As they moved, he looked at the dead monitors on the walls. They must have been useful in the old world. Now they collected dust, much like the ones in Home’s canteen.
A small corridor led to a large set of double doors that had been wedged open. Flynn followed the Queen out of them into the bright sunlight, where he looked at the larger complex.
A huge fence ran around the outside of the place. Entire trees had been stripped and stacked next to one another much like they’d done at Home. The fence stood about four or five metres tall and looked like it could withstand anything people could throw at it.
Most of the space in front of the hospital had been turned into farmland and Flynn saw maybe twenty people working the fields.
“We only sleep in the hospital,” the Queen said as she watched Flynn take the place in. She pointed over at a large wooden barn. “We use that place to eat in and get together as a community.” A ruffle of her nose and she screwed her face up as if she had a bitter taste in her mouth. “Something about hospitals gives me the chills. Ghastly places really.”
Flynn didn’t comment. Too young to have a decent memory of them, he hadn’t had a chance to associate them with anything yet. Although that would undoubtedly change.
“People have different roles in the royal complex,” the Queen said. “You’re either a hunter, a cleaner, or a farmer. You can request to be one of them, but ultimately I decide where we need you most. And if I can offer you a little advice, I’d say you should set your heart on being a hunter.” She ran her eyes up and down his body, the tip of her tongue poking through her thin lips as she did it. “You’re such a strapping lad, I wouldn’t want to waste what you have.”
Heat rushed to Flynn’s cheeks and he looked down at the ground. She’d eat him alive given half a chance.
“Come on,” the Queen said and smacked him on the arse. “We’re in time for lunch, and everyone’s waiting to meet you.”
Once she’d pulled a few steps ahead of him, Flynn’s gaze returned to her athletic form.
Chapter 47
The closer Flynn walked to the large barn, the louder the chatter spilling out of it. There were clearly a lot of people inside. The Queen stopped ahead of him, and when he caught up to her, she forced her arm through his, linking them like a father of the bride would with his daughter. She then led them towards the barn’s wide-open front doors.
As they drew nearer, Flynn saw more and more people in the barn, although they hadn’t seen him yet. It took for him and the Queen to enter the hot space before everyone fell silent and looked over.
The tight pack of bodies and lack of ventilation added to Flynn’s nerves and he started to sweat. A hot summer day made hotter by being crammed inside. Many of the staring faces glistened with perspiration too. No doubt the barn would be great in the winter, but it felt like too much that day.
Where Flynn had expected the people in the room to throw themselves prostrate at their Queen’s entrance, they didn’t. Reverence for their leader, sure, but not blind subservience. Maybe she ruled with respect rather than fear. Although, none of that mattered because he’d experienced what the vicious cunt did to her prisoners. He’d never have anything but resentment for the horrible bitch.
“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I’d like to introduce you to your new champion.” She turned to Flynn and said, “Flynn …” She then paused, leaned close to him, and spoke so only he could hear. “What’s your surname?”
Flynn replied with similar hushed tones. “Golding.”
A cocked eyebrow and the Queen said to him, “One of life’s winners, it would seem.” She then turned to the room and announced, “Flynn Golding!”
Most of the room got to their feet and clapped. A group of people at a large table laden with food banged their metal cups against the wooden surface but didn’t stand up. Flynn looked across at them and then back at the Queen. “They had number sixteen,” she said. “Today they’re royalty.”
Now fully in the barn, Flynn inhaled the smell of cooked meat. Although the canteen at Home had an essence of meat in their broths, they mostly ate vegetarian. The rich smell made his stomach rumble.
A long table sat at the head of the room with two empty spaces at it. The large chair in the middle was vacant. A grand throne, it had a high back and red cushioning. The seat next to it also sat empty. The perfect space for a little man toy. A look down at their still-linked arms and Flynn sighed.
On either side of the empty seats sat a row of women. All of them wore royal blue. All of them—his stomach sank—except one. The broad-shouldered, hook-nosed, vicious witch looked at him and smiled. It turned his blood cold.
When the Queen headed in the direction of the table, she dragged Flynn over with her.
Although Mistress looked at Flynn, he didn’t look back. Regardless of how she wanted to play it now, he wouldn’t forgive what she’d done. He couldn’t. To forgive anyone in this community would make him one of them, and that wouldn’t happen. Mistress would pay for branding him like a cow.
The community might have welcomed Flynn in, but he didn’t belong there. As hospitable as they were, he couldn’t ever forget what they did to people.
Once they’d sat down, Flynn looked over the sea of staring faces. Seeing one hundred and fifty people or more, he leaned closed to the Queen. “Is this everyone in the community?”
The Queen nodded. “Meal times are important. Wherever possible, we all eat together.”
“Even the guards on the gates?”
A cold stare came back at Flynn. “People in this area don’t fuck with this community. Even if they did manage to get past the massive wall, they wouldn’t last two minutes once inside.”
An arm came over Flynn’s right shoulder and placed a plate in front of him. It had a cooked bird on it that looked like a pigeon, although it smelled great. A smile at the woman who’d delivered his food and he turned to his host.
The Queen nodded down at his plate. “You’ll be surprised just how good those flying rats taste.”
Several bowls lined the table in front of Flynn. Roasted potatoes and salads, he reached across and took a generous helping of each. His stomach continued to rumble as he filled his plate.
Once he’d loaded up on food, Flynn looked to see no one else had started yet. He leaned back in his chair to wait, but winced at the electric pain of his brand against the back of his wooden seat. A glance at Mistress and he found her staring straight back at him. She’d pay for what she did to him.
When Flynn looked back at the Queen, he saw her assessing him with he
r cold blue eyes. “I’m so sorry,” she said, even though she didn’t look it. She clicked her fingers and looked for someone to answer her call.
A boy of about twelve years old ran over and dipped his head to his leader. The Queen pointed at Flynn. “Get him some cream for his brand, would you?”
The boy nodded again and ran off. Flynn shared another look with Mistress.
Still no one ate, so Flynn held back too, his hunger gnawing away at both his stomach and patience.
At that moment, the Queen tapped her knife against her metal cup and stood up. The hall fell silent, every sweating face turning their way.
It had been intimidating to walk into the place, but now Flynn sat at the head of the room, it felt even worse. Every face stared his way. Easily as large as Home’s canteen, the vast space didn’t look like it could hold any more people.
Easier to admire the structure instead of looking at the crowd, Flynn looked up at the bare wooden ceiling. Beams as wide as tree trunks ran through it. As well as the smell of cooked meats, Flynn also caught the whiff of the exposed wood.
“Now,” the Queen said, pulling Flynn’s attention back down to the room, “before we eat, I want to officially welcome Flynn Golding to this community. The games have proven he’s earned a spot here. He’s been through the toughest challenges and come out the other side. After today, we don’t mention the games to him. He’s not a former prisoner anymore, he’s one of us.”
A pain twisted through Flynn’s chest to think of how Rose let him win. To think of her in that horrible dungeon again.
“Resources are in short supply in this self-sufficient world, but when we find someone who meets our challenges, what do we do?”
The call came back from the room as a loud boom and Flynn flinched when the sound smashed into him. “WE MAKE SPACE!”
A broad smile and the Queen nodded. “We do, we make space. So you have a new brother now. Treat him as you would expect to be treated and this society will continue to be great.” She lowered her voice. “And it will continue to work out for you.”
The threat sent a shimmer around the room. They knew who ran this place and they all danced to the beat of her drum. Despite her smile, Flynn now saw she clearly ruled the community with zero tolerance. The facade he’d seen when first entering the barn had already been shattered.
Nods and grunts of approval swept around the barn. Just like that, Flynn had become one of them. As the Queen sat down again, Flynn focused on his food. Nothing else mattered at that moment.
Chapter 48
Flynn kept his head down for most of the meal. The Queen had been right about the pigeon; it tasted amazing.
Mistress continued to sit three people away from Flynn on his right, but he didn’t look at her anymore. He didn’t want to be put off his meal and he had nothing to say to the bitch. Although he felt her look across at him several times in his peripheral vision, he ignored her attention.
Towards the end of the meal, the boy the Queen had called over tapped Flynn on the shoulder and handed him some cream.
Flynn looked at the old tube.
“Nappy rash cream,” the Queen said.
Flynn looked at her.
“It works wonders with wounds.”
He had no reason to doubt it. After all, what harm could it do. A shrug and Flynn put the tube in his pocket for later.
Chapter 49
Most people had finished the meal when the Queen banged her metal goblet against the table.
The place fell silent.
“Time for the entertainment,” she announced. The stern look on her face sank dread through Flynn as the mood in the place twisted another notch darker.
The people were clearly used to the routine because they didn’t need any further instructions. As one, they all stood up and moved the tables to the sides of the barn.
Flynn and those at the top table remained seated.
By the time the people had cleared a large space in the middle, two guards walked in with what appeared to be a prisoner each. One man and one woman, fortunately not Rose. Everyone watched the entrance.
The Queen stood up, her tone as sombre as her glare. “You all know Jason.”
No one spoke as the male prisoner dropped his head to stare at the ground.
“I allowed him the presence of my company on many occasions. I trusted him and gave him one of the highest positions in this community.”
At that moment, Flynn felt a lot of the people in the room look at him.
Jason looked to be about Flynn’s age. Twenty-five, maybe thirty. A good ten years younger than the Queen at least.
“But he violated my trust,” the Queen said, her hand shaking as she pulled her long black hair behind her right ear. “He fell in love.”
The female prisoner, a young and beautiful woman barely in her twenties, shook and cried, flinching away from the Queen’s accusation.
“Now they must both pay.”
Flynn’s full stomach clamped around his undigested meal as he watched Jason and his love get dragged into the middle of the cleared space. Both of them stared down, awaiting what would undoubtedly be a brutal punishment.
Although Flynn didn’t look at Mistress, he noticed her nod in his peripheral vision in response to the Queen signalling at her. She got to her feet, walked around the table, and up to the prisoners in the middle of the barn.
Mistress’ leather apron flapped with every step she took forward. She drew a knife from her belt while she walked. A scimitar, it caught the dull light in the room and sparkled. If a weapon could grin, the shiny curved blade carried mirth up to Jason and his love.
Near silence fell on the room as Mistress approached Jason first. She raised the sharp tip of her blade to his eye. She then rested the short sword against his throat. Flynn saw Jason gulp at the applied pressure.
But Mistress stopped there. Instead of cutting him, she said, “Strip.”
Jason froze, but when Mistress said, “Don’t make me ask again,” he slowly peeled his clothes off.
Mistress looked at the woman next to Jason. “And you, princess.”
The woman shook worse than ever, but she took her clothes off all the same, sobbing as she did it.
Despite the tense atmosphere balling nausea in Flynn’s guts, he couldn’t look away from the beautiful young woman as she got naked. No wonder Jason had been tempted by her.
When the two prisoners were done, the Queen got to her feet. “Now, I wouldn’t want anyone to say I’m not fair. I don’t mind people falling in love, that happens. But, Jason, sweetie, you betrayed me. She looked down at his flaccid cock and raised an eyebrow. “Just couldn’t keep it in your trousers, could you?”
Some of the crowd laughed, but nowhere near as much as the female guards beside the Queen and Flynn.
At that moment, another guard walked in with a chicken. The stupid creature twisted and tried to flap its wings, but the guard had a tight grip on it.
“The first one to catch the chicken,” the Queen said, “gets to avoid becoming a number in the prison and taking us one step closer to twenty.”
Once the guard had walked into the space in the middle of the barn, the crowd closed in, forming a tight circle around him and the two naked prisoners. Mistress returned to the top table.
“Three,” the Queen called out and Flynn gulped. It suddenly felt much hotter in the barn.
“Two.”
The prisoners looked at one another, the girl crying harder than ever.
“One.”
The guard threw the chicken into the air and the crowd erupted into cheers.
Both Jason and his love ran around, hunched over as they tried to catch the fast bird. The crowd laughed at the absurdity of their nakedness, and when they crashed into one another—their heads connecting with a deep tonk—a deafening cheer damn near shook the walls of the place.
Because the guards and the Queen stood up to watch the prisoners, Flynn did the same. It wouldn’t end well
to openly challenge the woman on his left, so he played along. For now at least.
A few seconds later another loud roar crashed through the place. Flynn flinched from the volume of it while he watched Jason lift the chicken, his cock flapping around as he rose the dumb bird above his head.
“No,” the girl said, her face buckling with her tears. “No, I can’t go through the games. No, please.”
A stony expression sat on the Queen’s face as she stared at the girl. She spoke in a monotone. “Take her away.”
If people made a noise around him at that moment, Flynn didn’t notice. He could only hear the girl’s screams as the guards dragged her out of there.
Chapter 50
They’d taken the girl from the barn, but Jason remained in the middle, the chicken still twisting and flapping against his tight grip.
Where Flynn would have expected a speech from the Queen, she said nothing. She didn’t need to. It would seem Mistress knew her thoughts at that moment.
Mistress held her scimitar out in front of her as she moved back around the long table and walked down to Jason.
Sweat ran down Jason’s pale face. He looked at Mistress and then her grinning weapon.
The community seemed to enjoy ceremony, certainly from what Flynn had seen so far. So it caught him completely off guard when Mistress grabbed Jason’s manhood so hard he screamed, and cut it clean off with one swipe of her sword. No words, no preamble, just swift justice.
Jason yelled out, and what seemed like all the men in the room dragged a breath in through clenched teeth.
Mistress held the floppy appendage up at the Queen before she tossed it over her shoulder with a shrug and drove the tip of her blade through Jason’s right eye.
It all happened so quickly Flynn’s head spun.
Silence swept through the barn as Jason fell dead to the ground.
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