Fractured Minds (Rebels of Sandland 3)

As I neared the end of the road, I saw an underpass looming up ahead. There was no other way to get out the other end, only high walls on either side. If I wanted to keep going, that was where I was going to have to go. Turning and leaving wasn’t an option at this point, but when I saw shadows moving in the darkness of the underpass, I felt the nerves kick in.

Someone was waiting in there.

More than one person.

And like a lamb to the slaughter, I was joining them.

I put my phone in my back pocket, hoping the light from the screen hadn’t notified them of my approach.

Keep your head down, Finn. Walk past and be on your way. They don’t know you. Stay quiet and this will all be over soon.

I heard the banging of metal on metal. A rhythmic, menacing beat. Then the sound of gruff male voices and barking of a dog; a mean, vicious bark. That dog was defending its territory and it saw me as the enemy.

There were fluorescent lights at the end of the underpass that flickered on and off, and when the shadows began to move and I finally stepped out into the murky light of the street, I felt my legs fill with lead and my heart thump in my chest.

There, in front of me, stood five men, all dressed in black with black bandanas covering the lower part of their face. Each one holding some kind of pipe or bat, and every one of them looking like they were about to take me out.

A Rottweiler stood to the side of them, snarling at me and baring his teeth. I had no chance. Five against one? Even Brandon couldn’t win with those odds.

They moved as a unit, like a shadow army, taking a step closer to me. They had swagger and an air of intimidation that had me rooted to the spot. I knew their names, but I didn’t know which one was which, only that they were the reason I hated this place.

The Soldiers of Anarchy.

They didn’t stand for anything. Didn’t do anything other than cause fear and mayhem in the town they were brought up in. A town that had chewed them up, spat them out, and now, they were getting payback.

I’d heard some people argue that they kept the peace on the streets, but that was bullshit. They created the problems they professed to ‘clean up.’ They were the virus, not the cure.

I stayed still, trying to gauge how this was going to play out. Going any further would mean pushing past them, and I wasn’t about to cause any kind of confrontation.

I looked at them and they glared back at me. I could feel my fingers getting twitchy, ready to reach for my knife. If they were going to mug me and try to steal my phone, I wouldn’t go down without a fight. I might not be a brawler like Brandon, but I had some skills.

The one in the middle pulled down his bandana and his snarl turned to a smile as he looked at the men either side of him. Then he took a step forward to make himself stand out from the others.

So, this was their leader?

Adam Noble.

The main soldier and the meanest one, by all accounts. Nicknamed the psycho by anyone who knew him because he had no morals. He didn’t care about anyone or anything, much like the rest of them, but his reputation was the worst. Last time I’d heard his name mentioned in a conversation was because he’d bitten a guy’s ear off for looking at him the wrong way. And that was just for starters. Uncle Tony would fit in really well with this crew.

“Well, well, well…” he said, pointing his bat in my direction and giving me a manic grin. “To what do we owe the pleasure, Mr Knowles?”

How the fuck did they know who I was?

“Oh, don’t look so surprised. We know you. We know all about you. Looks like you’ve wandered down the wrong street though, mate. You’re not welcome here.” He tapped the bat against his leg and gave me a look of warning, narrowing his eyes as if to say, ‘take that step, I dare you. I’m in the mood to wash these streets with your blood tonight’.

“I just want to get past. I don’t want any trouble.” I kept my face neutral and my hands in my pockets, so they couldn’t see me shaking.

“No, you’re not the one who causes trouble, are you?” Noble smirked. “You leave that to your man, Mathers. So, what are you doing here? In case you didn’t notice, I’m giving you the chance to fuck off. Take it.” He meant it too, and nodded his head to tell me to run.

“I have something I need to do first,” I said, holding my nerves and tr

ying to stay calm.

Breathe in, breathe out. They won’t hurt you. They don’t want a war on their hands, and that’s exactly what they’ll get if shit goes down tonight. On second thoughts, a war would probably be exactly what they wanted. It’d give them something to occupy their time. Basically, I was fucked.

“You have no business here in Brinton. Not without our say so, anyway. Get… The fuck… Out.” His grin turned menacing, and he started to move towards me, they all did. Instinctively, I backed up, but I tried one last time to make them see sense.

“I can’t do that. I have to see someone. Someone here, in Brinton.”