Page 54 of Deviants
She opened her mouth to answer, snapping it shut when we turned a random corner.
What the hell?
There was a chain link fence in front of us, caging a small area in like an animal pen. Inside with chains around their necks were seven people.
None of them reacted to our sudden presence. They all continued staring aimlessly with gaunt expressions on their faces. I didn’t blame them. They had to be well aware of what was going to happen to them.
These were outliers. This is what they had to fear most: being snatched up and never seen again. Their families and friends wouldn’t bother looking for them after a day or so. Everyone knew the ways of the Badlands.
There were animals, too. A few goats and a few chickens were inside the pen with them.
“I don’t understand why people do this…it’s sick. Everyone struggles; we don’t all start eating human beings because of it. I…I need a sec.”
She bolted, disappearing around the side of a trailer. The acolytes followed after her, leaving me with Bryce.
“Well, what am I supposed to do about that?” Placing my hands on my hips, I debated for a minute or so and then went after her.
“Her reaction isn’t completely unfounded,” Bryce offered up quietly.
“I know that, but I don’t deal with things like this,” I huffed. She wouldn’t like my response if she asked for it. The cannibals were just another way of having a safety net for some people. They resorted to human meat because it was either that or starvation. Or, they were born into it.
I didn’t condone it. It was a rock bottom place to be, but I couldn’t stand and point a finger when I wanted to kill people for fun and they killed them for nourishment. Yes, it was fucked up, but this was the Badlands, the wonderland of hell.
I couldn’t find her, but I did find the missing links of our fucked up entourage.
I heard their low voices and found them behind a green trailer. Their conversation ceased when they all saw me.
Cobra was leaning against a picnic table, Grimm stood beside a man I barely looked at, and Dhal was standing way too close to Romero. If she got any closer, her tits would be smashing into his arms.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I went right up to him, shoving her away from his side. Unprepared for my assault, she stumbled backward, landing on her ass.
Romero instantly wrapped an arm around me and pulled me flush with his chest. “Cali, I don’t have time for your jealous shit. We were having a private conversation.”
“Wow, things men shouldn’t say for dummies,” Arlen quipped with heavy sarcasm, walking around the corner like she hadn’t just stormed off.
“Grimm get her the fuck away from me,” Romero bit out.
With no objections, Grimm made a sound in his throat and moved towards her.
“Don’t fuckin touch me,” she growled at him.
“Move your ass.” He ignored her demand, roughly grabbing her arm and forcing her to walk away.
Dhal gracefully stood up and gave me a pitiful look, dusting her jeans off. “Look, Calista, you have nothing to be jealous of or worry––”
“He’s full of shit. I’m not jealous of you,” I scoffed. She fucking wished she could have that delightful honor. “And I’m not worried, either. It’s a matter of respect. You should get some before you become a casualty. You’re here because he thinks you can play midwife. You need to get your head out of your ass and stop pining for a man you can’t have.”
She swallowed but wisely kept her mouth shut. Pregnancy wouldn’t stop me from choking the shit out of her. I didn’t say the last part to be catty; she looked at my man like he hung the stars and moon. Sadly for her, I was the stars and moon, so she was shit out of luck.
Cobra made a cat fight sound, laughing when I flipped him off. “Come on, Dhal, let’s leave them to ‘talk’.” He winked at me on the last word.
By now, everyone knew how Romero and I handled our issues.
We argued, he sometimes degraded me, I called him a few derogatory names, and then we fucked like rabid rabbits and got on with our lives. Our love story was one of dysfunctional perfection.
I was stronger than all the men I knew, except for him. His cold, jaded eyes and Judas touch were my kryptonite, but that didn’t exclude him from pissing me the hell off.
“Aprivatefucking conversation? Why are you still leaving me out of things? Goddamnit, you get on my nerves!”
