Wattys Shortlist 2022 -
When she isn't looking, they call her the Princess of the Ghouls, but they haven't seen the assassination order on her secret identity: viper.
Stuck in Lake Darling, ruled by her father's gang, Vi has one objective... run awa...
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I weigh one lazy hand at the bottom of the wheel, watching the road with bored eyes and a numb ass. Thai and Scor fell asleep a while ago, but I can't get my head straight.
I keep one eye on the crack-ridden mess of tar ahead, scanning for Zero tribes or the sparsely distributed potholes that litter this stretch of the Army highway. They tried to reclaim this zone, put in good roads and everything, but the base near here fell to Zeros last year.
My attention gravitates to the rear-view mirror, where I watch as Reid's chest moves stiffly.
"Scor," I murmur, low and discreet. His blonde eyebrows bunch, gesturing me away before he tucks his face back into the crook of his shoulder.
I reach over and pinch his knee, and he jolts, eyes flying open as he waves his gun around.
I snicker, "Yo, yo," I try to calm, but he slackens in his chair then serves me a nasty curl of his lip.
"Jesus fuck, dickhead." He cusses, voice thick with sleep.
I bite my lip, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
"Should be." He whimps.
"Trent is playing nice but we gotta get straight on what we gon' do 'bout him." I say.
"Maybe I'll get him whipped on me so he won't kill you." He cracks a wry grin, rubbing his eyes.
"If you wan' warts then sure." I imagine the case of warts Mal had.
He rolls his eyes, moving on, "Bad blood about the secret boyfriend you popped, right?"
"Stabbed, but same difference," I scratch my cheek, watching the road.
"That's kind of hot. Secret boyfriend."
I wrinkle my nose, "Yeah, more like Trent was groomed at fourteen by a disgusting, twenty-eight-year-old brute."
Scorpius's face drops, "Oh, jesus fuck, that's horrible... surely you did him a favour then?" He thinks for a millisecond, "Oh. Figures this Trent bloke don' see it that way yet. You reckon he gon' try kill you?"
I nod in answer and he leans forward, adjusting his seat casually.
"Yeah right then, he starts up and I'll pop him. That bitch Blu already gives me the shīts. Ordinarily I'd vote to drop their ässes, watch 'em try play nice with the KillTagz," the killtagz are the slave tribe that runs this part of the REDZONE, "but can't do that cause the army could pick 'em."
I nod, "I reckon we talk to Thai and Elias too, don' think it's good for us to start calling shots like we're some big-dick leaders or nothing, but," My attention slips when Reid flinches in his sleep, "uh, if any of them pull the pin we gon' pop 'em before it blows. Set?"
