The Broken Hearts Club

Chapter 4: The Belly of the Beast

The air was musty and thick in the back of the 18-wheeler. I was seated on an uncomfortable wooden bench, taking in my surroundings. I just joined a gang! I told myself over and over again. I couldn't believe it. Do I really want to be a criminal, a thief, a killer? I could never picture myself as a person who kills people, but I was now surrounded by people like that. This is what I wanted, right? I want somewhere where I can belong and people don't judge me. This was true, I just never had imagined it would be with a gang of killers and thieves.

The woman who was the leader was seated next to me, deep in thought. " Where are we going?" I questioned, curious about what lies ahead for me. " To our base. We'll bring you to the boss and he'll decide whether or not you can live and join our gang." She replied nonchalantly. I gulped, " I thought you were the leader, and I thought I could just join. Not go through an approval process. "

She looked at me like she was about to strike me down with one blow. " Keep talking and having an attitude like that and we'll kill you without another thought. And no, I'm not the leader. I'm just a leader of this squadron, but lucky for you the boss trusts me more than most. So, I'll try to persuade him to let you join. Although, I've got to warn you once the boss approves you, you have to go through something else."

I opened my mouth to ask what it was, but she shut me up with a wave of her hand. We sat in silence for a few moments, but I just had to ask " Who are you, or what should I call you?" She looked at me and replied, " I can't tell you my actual name, but my codename is Steel Shot. We can't use our real names because they have to remain a secret." Codenames? I questioned in my head. This reminds me of a bad spy movie. Not wanting to pry and risk myself getting killed, I decided to stay quiet for the remainder of the trip.

 Several hours passed, which consisted of me contemplating what I had just done with my life. I was terrified at the thought that I would end up dying after all at the hand of their leader, and this time no crazy idea would be able to save me. Then, the truck stopped. Steel Shot got up from the bench and opened up the back of the truck. Bright light came flooding in. " We're here boys." She spoke with a monotone voice.

All of the men got out of the truck in a hurry, not wanting to anger their leader. " You know what to do. Unload the crates and take them inside. Hurry up idiots!" I came forward to her, now knowing to never get on her bad side. When I stepped out it was bright, the sun filling up the sky, but that was the only thing nice in my current environment. The base loomed over me, looking similar to a giant warehouse with a metal roof and big walls. The place was surrounded by vehicles like the one I had been riding in. Everywhere, there were people doing something, all of them dressed identically in dark clothing. There were no skyscrapers or subways and cars, one thing was for sure. We weren't in the city.

Seeing the confused look on my face, Steel Shot spoke up " We drove out of the city, can't have our base where the police can find it." She looked at me with a gaze that translated to follow me, so I did. I trailed behind her into the base. I had no idea where she was taking me, but everywhere we went looked more and more intimidating than the last. In one room, a group of people were talking quietly in very close proximity, each one of them giving me a weird look as I went by. In another, people were shooting huge guns at targets that looked like fake human heads. Then, we walked through a third room, but this time we stopped. The floor was covered in several mats, and on those mats were people engaging in combat.

A crowd surrounded one mat, all of them shouting. I walked over to see what all commotion was about. " Get him Razor!" One of them cried. " Kick his ass Aero!" Yelled another. Two men were on top of each other, throwing punches and kicking. The appearance of one of the fighters wasn't surprising. He had muscles, his biceps almost as big as my face, and his movements reminded me of a big bear. But the appearance of the other fighter was extremely surprising. He wasn't scrawny, but he wasn't buff. He moved like a bullet, quickly and agile. How he was able to take the strength of the other brute was unknown to me. Although, neither one of them had the upper hand, they were at a standstill. A punch to the face, followed by a kick to the shin. It was a never ending dance of violence. Until, the smaller guy stepped back for a minute, a thinking expression on his face. 

Suddenly, he ran at the brute with everything in him, and delivered a blow with all of his strength to the brute's jaw. Sending him to the ground, and ending the fight. A portion of the audience erupted with cheer, some looking angry like they had lost a bet, and others with their mouths open looking bewildered. I wanted to stay and congratulate the winner, but a very agitated looking Steel Shot appeared behind me.