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  “No, mama, silly!” Gale said, tickling him. Giggling, Bruce settled in her lap. Trying to stall her emotions, Gale massaged his scalp with her hand, humming a slow tune until he fell asleep. She smiled at his soft innocent features, hating herself for what her father was teaching him.

  “I’m trapped baby, and cuz of me so are you...” Gale whispered to him sadly, eventually crying herself to sleep. Mother and son established a post-abuse ritual of sleeping together, Bruce loved her hum song, and Gale loved him. In time, people started to speculate what was happening, forcing Jonathan to act more human for a time. By the age of thirteen, Bruce hated his father, his mind built on rage, in time he came to understand self-hatred. He hated his father like a monster for what he did to them, he hated his own inability to stop it, and eventually started to resent his mother for doing nothing.

  Bruce began to fight back physically, copying his father’s drunken motions that had been literally beat into him. One night, by way of reward, his father’s tactics switched from mocking him with laughter to rage.

  “You’re weak, worthless!... Look at you boy, you can’t do SHIT, you’re nothing, completely USELESS!” He screamed at Bruce through slurs.

  “SHUT THE FUCK UP JONATHAN!” Gale yelled back. Jonathan turned on her in a flash, ignoring Bruce’s strikes.

  “You... YOU’RE WORSE! Look at this little shit you made, you fucking cunt! You think this Thing is gonna survive?! He’s a failure on my bloodline!” Jonathan roared, before grabbing her outstretched arm meant to seize him, and broke it. Growling, Jonathan back-handed her away as she screamed in pain.

  “No!!” Bruce roared, slamming his fist into his father’s bare testicles as hard as he could, following his mother’s attempts. Jonathan keeled over groaning in pain, his bloodshot eyes widening in shock. Wordlessly, he rose, turning to Bruce before bursting into laughter.

  “That all, boy?” He growled, a twisted look of pride on his face.

  “Enough!” Gale roared like a shriek through the pain as she used all her remaining strength to force Jonathan out. Together, they barred the door with the bar meant to keep out invaders as a last resort. Gale collapsed to the floor clutching her arm in tears.

  “Fine, see how you do without me, you’re fucking expendable without ME!” Jonathan yelled before he stormed off half-nude into the night. Eyeing his mother with a sad disdain, Bruce jogged to her purse, pulling out the papers he knew she hid.

  Angrily, he tossed them into her lap. “ENOUGH’S ENOUGH....If we have to live with him, he can at least live in another section or...Something!” Bruce yelled through sadness. Gale tearfully slumped over submissively without reply.

  “Fine, I’ll do it!” Grabbing the papers out of her lap Bruce left his mother behind. Eventually, he found his father fully clothed, sobbing in a locker room with a bottle of wine. “You talk about family, about love, but you aren’t worth either. Fuck off. Don’t bother us again.” Bruce demanded, forcing the papers into his lap aggressively.

  Turning, he abruptly marched away, not giving his father the satisfaction of further tears. Briefly, he heard his father yell and cry in the distance. The next day, Jonathan didn’t return, publicly announcing his divorce and new living arrangements, pretending it off as an amicable split. No one bought it, especially Bruce’s life-long friend, Dave. Vocal kids in his class asked him about it, if what happened to his mom was true, normal stuff.

  “His mom’s just weak; everybody knows what really happens. You’re all just playing nice.” A muscular mature-looking kid in his survival class, named Damian, said like a seasoned expert. A blaring alarm announcing the opening of the vault door cut off any retort. Bruce just gave him a murderous look, tired of his holier-than-thou self-righteous bullshit.

  “Eat a dick, you walking cliché!” Dave retorted after the alarm stopped.

  “That’s enough Damian, it isn’t any of your business!” Sergeant Hanzo demanded.

  “So? Both these losers should be on Ranger duty but someone’s daddy protects them! I don’t know how he finds time; he should be too busy getting wasted for his next round with Bruce’s mom!” Damian mocked angrily.

  “THAT’S ENOUGH!” Sergeant Hanzo yelled.

  “No it isn’t! my friends got Ranger last week duty while these bitches got off easy AGAIN.” Damian yelled vengefully, walking defiantly up to the duo. Sergeant Hanzo prepped his shock baton.

  “Step off Damian.” Dave threatened. “Or what? You gonna beg the drunken Knight to force me out like he did them?! No, you’ll be too busy stealing from the food stores cuz you know he’ll pardon you...You’re just a fat, disgusting pet our dear PM keeps around for his son.” Damian said mockingly, staring down at Dave. Sweating nervously, Dave stood up taller, puffing out his chest.

  “you want a fight?!” Damian demanded cockily, punching Dave away easily. Sergeant Hanzo quickly rushed over, Bruce got one good hard gut punch in right before the baton struck his back. Damian went down hard.

  “Knight, detainment, three hours!” Sergeant Hanzo yelled as he dragged Damian out.

  “Fuck you, cunthead!” Bruce yelled at the Sergeant, as he made his way to an abandoned government meeting room simply referred to as the Box.

  “See ya, Knight!” A kid called after him, drawing familiar laughter and gossip. Anger clouded whatever emotion he would’ve felt from his classmates’ constant gossip and judgment. On his way there, he had to pass his father’s office. Like many times before he overheard a deep growling voice making demands. This time the sound-proof door was mysteriously ajar. He stopped to listen.

  “King Bonerend, Holdfast 7 is...offline now too, they have no resource left...”

  “THEN FIND MORE!” The king roared.

  Bruce backed away shocked. Everyone knew Jonathan had been in negotiations with the leader of a surface dwelling group called the Mottled Faction, or Mots for short, for months but the details were sparse. All he knew was some deal assured there wasn’t conflict between the two. Classmates always insisted he knew more somehow but he didn’t. Jonathan’s announcements after each meeting always said they’d come to good terms thanks to his efforts and everyone could rest easy. To his shock, the door flew open.

  Growling, a seven foot tall entity that vaguely resembled a man with badly mottled discolored skin squeezed his way into the hall. Yellow green sunken eyes peered down at Bruce like he was an insulting ant.

  “Move meat.” Bonerend demanded. Bruce gave him a lethal look, remaining where he was. Laughing ,Bonerend turned to a haggard Jonathan, “I like this one.” He exclaimed bluntly.

  “No, you don’t!” Jonathan retorted commandingly.

  “I told you to move!” Bonerend said, backhanding Bruce away as Jonathan liked to do to his mother. “Fuck You, freak!” Bruce seethed, rising for a fight indignantly.

  Bonerend laughed, suddenly seizing his arm in an iron grip. In the distance Bruce could overhear Hanzo radioing somebody for help. Buying time Jonathan grabbed a gun from his drawer, pointing at the king. “Stand down, your grace.” Jonathan demanded with a rare authority. Other security teams showed up armed to make a point.

  “This will hurt our relationship...Prime Minister.” Bonerend seethed while still eyeing Bruce. After a moment, the king laughed as if a good joke was told, his inhumanly massive muscles bulging along. “I will return and I won’t be so courteous in my offers.” Bonerend growled before he released Bruce and left with loud stomping steps.

  Kids watched from the hallway in awe, while Jonathan was quick to hide his gun but it didn’t matter. Now people knew things weren’t so amicable at very least. Worse than that, Bruce had become directly involved. After the blaring alarm announced the holdfast door’s closure, Bruce’s mom arrived. Jonathan dragged them in his office. Onlookers stared in surprise.

  Gossip immediately began to circulate about what had happened. Meanwhile Jonathan pushed his family into chairs.

  Eyes ablaze with rage, he set into Bruce. “Do you have ANY idea wh
at you’ve done?!” Jonathan growled. Off-put by the fear emerging behind the anger, Bruce just stared angrily, proud to inconvenience his father.

  “Enough Jonathan, he stood up for himself. You’re the one buddying up with that monster!” Gale exclaimed angrily. Body contorting with stress and anger, Jonathan suddenly went lax, bursting into a bout of laughter.

  “You have no idea what I’ve had to do...” He whined angrily, tears welled up suddenly in his normally angry eyes. Disturbed, Gale grabbed Bruce and ushered him out, leaving Jonathan alone to his breakdown. By the time Bruce returned to class, which was just down the hall, everyone looked at him like a pariah. Confusion palpable on many faces, others simply pretended not to care, not wanting to be associated with him. In such a confined environment, it didn’t take long for him to hear gossip about family members becoming Rangers then never coming back.

  Rumours take a dark turn, pinning the disappearances on Jonathan following the King’s public attack. Bruce didn’t mind, however speculation turned in time with the steadily increasing Ranger conscriptions.

  “Ever since Bruce attacked that growling thing more people get sent out... I haven’t heard from my brother in months.” A preppy girl whined to a friend just loud enough for Bruce to overhear. Her friend glanced judgmentally his way, scoffing.

  “Damian’s right, this definitely has something to do with golden boy.”

  Bruce eyes her coldly. “How do you figure? People have been promoted to Ranger for years, no one heard back before and it wasn’t my fault then either! The Rangers are probably off building a town or some shit far from all you bitches!” Bruce seethed.

  The conversation kept returning to him day after day. After a while, he gives up giving them looks or telling them off, thoroughly used to being judged, thanks to his father. One night he returned to his mother with a sad look. Knowing why he’s sad she has him sit beside her and massages his head while humming her song like when he was young.

  Her face is filled with sadness and guilt. “Why mom?!” Bruce demanded sadly.

  “I often wonder if all this is on me... I know the rough life you’ve had is... I’m so sorry, baby...” Gale cried softly.

  “I still blame you even though it was all him...” Bruce admitted sadly.

  Shocked, Gale considered her words before continuing, “I always thought if I took the abuse you would get less...but now I wonder just what life I’ve doomed you to... I wish you knew your father the way he was before....I wish I was stronger... I’m sorry baby.”

  Bruce looked at her, crying himself, frustrated that he can’t shake his agreement and soothe her. They remained together for the night forlorn. Next week Bruce’s only acquaintance Dave got promoted to Ranger duty. Classmates cheered and congratulated him as is cultural policy but both friends shared a final nervous goodbye. Per Holdfast law, only a Ranger’s family could see them one last time before they’re sent off, to distance those leaving from the burden of attachments. Bruce never saw his only friend again. Yet classmates still doubted him, thanks to his name, no sympathy was given for his worry. Everyone knows the rumour that no one ever returned from Ranger duty.

  Chapter 2 – Tragic Man

  Seven years later, Bruce exceled in all educational fields thanks to more one on one training, which was only available due to nearly empty classes. Nine of the twenty original students remain. The rest were all Rangers off on a heroic quest to expand humanity into the new world... or so his father always said. King Bonerend returned every few months to demand negotiation only to leave angry.

  He made a point of provoking Bruce any time he found him to get a reaction out of Jonathan. Bruce only found his father’s thinly veiled groveling, supposedly for his sake, pathetic. Especially because he always refused to explain what the proclaimed king wanted with Bruce, or why it was so terrible to have to renegotiate again. Rather abruptly, Sergeant Hanzo pulled him from class. Expecting animosity Bruce is instead faced by his mother with a strange fearful look on her face.

  Jonathan stands beside her armed. “I’m sorry son.” He says sadly.

  Conflicted Bruce is cut off by the baring of the main door alarm. Minutes later the thumping of reverberating footsteps announced the arrival of King Bonerend. Bruce eyed his mother, trying to ask why she was there with his eyes, receiving only a sad look.

  Smiling eerily at Bruce, he pointed slowly. “I’ll have you, boy.” He stated threateningly.

  Unnerved, Jonathan tried to redirect attention. “King Bonerend, surely as the leader of the Mottled faction, you have better things to do than maintain this schedule?” Jonathan inquired carefully.

  “There’s nothing better than asserting power, boy.” Bonerend said chillingly. “You humans arrogantly think the planet yours but you destroyed the planet and abandoned everything to die. We survived. We laid claim to your ruins. You have nothing more than the meager existence I’ve allowed... but now your usefulness by your own previous admission is at an end. So you WILL submit entirely.” Bonerend exclaimed with amazing menace, his growling voice made Jonathan step back.

  As Jonathan began to argue, Bonerend moves with surprising speed, and grabbed Gale by the throat in one meaty hand, before lifting her off the ground and slammed her hard into the wall. Immediately Jonathan opened fire into Bonerend’s arm. Enraged, he’s forced to release Gale. Bruce rushed to his gasping mother, horrified. Before he could do anything, Bonerend kicked him in the side so hard, he was sent sliding across the slick aluminum floor. Jonathan’s side arm clicked empty. All they can do is watch as Bonerend beat Gale with measured restraint, stopping only to force Jonathan and Bruce away roughly.

  Smiling menacingly Bonerend stared each of them down. Students watched in horror, becoming part of a slowly growing crowd.

  “I will return. You will SUBMIT.” Bonerend raged through measures growls, laughing as he headed for the exit.

  With no consideration, driven purely by rage, Bruce charged Bonerend. Bonerend filled the role Jonathan did his whole growing up with far less restraint. He savagely beat Bruce breathless, stopping just short of busting bones.

  “I won’t break you... not yet anyway.” Bonerend seethed as he left, this time unchallenged. Sergeant Hanzo had Damien help him get Bruce and Gale to medical where they remained for three days. On the third day Jonathan visited his son.

  “I’m sorry Bruce...” He practically whispered. Alcohol seeped from his breath to Bruce’s nose.

  “Why Dad, why the Hell would you have Mom there and not show up with a real fucking gun? WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU THINK WAS GONNA HAPPEN?” Bruce demanded, wincing due to his tender bruises. “You don’t...you don’t get it...” Jonathan began quietly.

  “GET WHAT, fuckhead?!” Bruce exclaimed angrily. Impulsively, Jonathan hit him repeatedly as he screamed.

  “THAT WASN’T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN YOU DISRESPECTFUL SHIT!”

  “Oh I’m sorry, he promised to be good, didn’t he? ... and you believed him. You drunk brainless fucking retard.” Bruce seethed sarcastically, stretching out his aggravated and injured arms. Exasperated, Jonathan took one last look at his enraged and injured family and abruptly left. Running from responsibility as always. Bruce thought to himself, unsurprised.

  “Hey mom we should get outta here...”

  “And go where exactly?” Gale asked, wincing. Modern medicine vastly sped their healing, but a beating like what they’d sustained required more time.

  “Anywhere. This shithole is already lost as far as I’m concerned since that bastard's considered it his likely this whole damn time. We either bail and leave dear old dad to his ‘politics’ or remain for more beatings with no protection...” Bruce reminisced coldly, wincing at how badly he’d been outclassed. “How do we know there’s anywhere safe to go?” Gale enquired nervously. Bruce turned to her with a dead serious look, indicating his old injuries and a fresh mark from Jonathan’s fist.

  “I’m not sitting around to collect wounds from both those assholes and I’m
not leaving you behind at their mercy!” Bruce exclaimed seriously.

  “Bonerend could come back any time and you know that! He went from months to weeks... For all we know, he could’ve come back already!” Gale warned fearfully.

  “Which is exactly why we take the chance and go now. Let’s go” Bruce commanded, seizing her by the hand before running for the exit.

  Their previously wired safety monitors issued warning alerts far behind them. Citizens watched half-interestedly as they ran, waiting for more violence. Instead all they heard was the blaring of the alarm announcing the holdfast door opening. Half-dragging his mother along, Bruce ran into the blinding sun for the first time. Overwhelmed, Bruce keeps running, desperate to distance them from the holdfast. “Honey I can’t keep going!” Gale warned breathlessly, pain evident in her voice.

  Just ahead the husk of a building cast a shadow towards them like a lifeline. As they got closer to its shade Bruce’s heart stopped. Directly in front of him, just turning to face him is King Bonerend, backed by four minions. Menacing laughter preceded the shake of dust beneath his warped massive feet as he drew closer. Initially all Bruce could see is a group of hulking silhouettes, vaguely resembling men. Heading their advance was one a head taller, who speaks in a familiar voice.

  “Knight finally bows to king, submitting his prizes as Rangers.” Bonerend growled chillingly before laughing to himself. His eyes finally starting to adjust, Bruce halted his mother with his outstretched arm glaring vengefully.

  “We are neither prizes or Rangers, merely wanderers you will ignore.” Bruce said pointedly. Coming dangerously close with deliberate massive steps, Bonerend laughed

  “Obstinance is not easily ignored from the mouths of mere meat.” Bonerend retorted, flaunting his pretentious superiority. Moments later, he stood steps away from the Knights, blocking any route of escape. “Such is why I’ve come to break you today, boy. Though I may show some restraint for saving me the trip through your disgusting metal meat-den.” Bonerend stated as if handing out a pittance for which they should show gratitude.