Kingdom of tears

Chapter One

"Give me the money, or you'll regret it!" It wasn't the first time that Zillah had to threaten someone to get her pay. She was currently holding a knife to a guy's throat who wouldn't pay her.

"I'm telling you, I don't have it!" the guy pleaded. He attempted to twist but the knife just dug deeper into his throat.
"Why did you make the deal then?" Zillah countered.

"Because I needed that car. I'm being hunted and I've got to get out of the kingdom."

Zillah pressed the knife harder against his skin, a small trickle of blood rolled down his neck. "Well that's too bad. You should've thought about paying me."

"I'll get you the money!" he finally yelled as Zillah was about to drag the knife across his throat. "Please, just loosen the blade and I'll get it for you."

"That's what I thought," Zillah sneered.
The man trifled through his pockets and pulled out a wad of crinkled cash, placing it into Zillah's hand. She flipped through the bills and frowned. "You're short twenty bucks."

The man, with wide eyes, pulled a hundred out of his pocket and gave it to her. "Keep the change."

He ran to the car and took off towards the kingdom's walls. Zillah rolled her gray eyes. She had made a deal with him that if she broke into a dealership, hotwired a car, and brought it to him, he'd pay her 1,000 dollars in return. She knew he'll think twice next time he decides to not live up to his end of a bargain.

Zillah made her way down the street and took a turn down an alleyway. She walked a little further down until she got to a little hut made of old, yellowing sheets and several broken brooms. It was all held together with industrial strength zip ties. It wasn't fancy, but it was all she really needed. It was hidden from the guards, kept the rain out, and she could cook in it without suffocating from the smoke or catching anything on fire.

She had been living in it for the past three years, after Ryker and Salem died. Before that she had been living with Beatrix and her family, but there was absolutely no way she'd ever go back there. So she found the alley that was out of the guard's patrol range and set up camp.

She sat down on the torn up carpet and put the money inside her lockbox. She hated having to threaten people, but it was the only way to ensure she got what was owed to her. Thankfully, no one was stupid enough to not pay her while a knife was against their throat.

Zillah sighed. She wished her parents were there. She reached up and clasped the tarnished gold locket around her neck that had her parents' picture in it. She had added her siblings once they had died. Murdered, she thought. They were murdered. All of them.

She rolled over and covered her face with her black and white stuffed panda, Pam. It was one of the few things salvaged from her old life. Back when everything was safe, and she didn't have to fear for her life.

Some nights she never got any sleep. This seemed to be one of those nights. She laid there for hours and thought about King Favian and all the horrible things he had done. Keeping slaves and invading other kingdoms. He would take the innocent people and lock them in the dungeons. As for any people who spoke against the horrible things he did, torturing, if you were lucky.

Zillah knew she had to stop him. But how? She was collecting money for equipment, nearly 7,000 dollars so far, but the money and tools would be worthless without anybody to help her invade the castle. Friends. The hardest part of this entire operation. She was going to have to make actual friends. A person, an ally which she could trust.

It's not like she didn't want any friends, she just wasn't the best at making them. Or picking them apparently. Her mind flashed back to Beatrix. I have to do this. She didn't have to do anything! Especially, kill her siblings!

With that thought she finally managed to close her eyes, the darkness of sleep pulling her away. By one miracle or another, she eventually fell asleep.