The single bulb in Ty's cramped room flickered on with a harsh buzz. A loud bang rattled the metal door.
"Up. Now," Rafe's voice came through, sharp and impatient.
Ty jerked awake, heart pounding. He'd barely slept—nightmares of Noah's cold eyes mixed with memories of warm summer nights on rooftops before the world ended.
He rubbed his face and stood, pulling on the stiff black clothes left for him. The fabric smelled like gunpowder and bleach.
The door opened. Rafe stood there in full gear, lion tattoo stark on his left forearm.
"You've got five minutes to piss and splash water on your face. Then we move."
Ty didn't argue. A few minutes later he was following Rafe down the dimly lit concrete corridor. The underground facility felt even more eerie in the artificial "morning."
Distant sounds of boots, clanging metal, and low voices echoed everywhere. This place never truly had peace.
As they turned a corner, Ty's eyes locked onto a heavy reinforced door unlike the others. Thick steel, multiple heavy bolts, and a glowing red lock panel.
Something about it made his stomach twist—dark, ominous, and hidden at the end of a short side hallway.
"What's behind that door?" Ty asked quietly.
Rafe didn't even slow down. "None of your business, new blood. Keep walking and keep your eyes forward. Curiosity gets people killed here."
Ty rolled his eyes but obeyed, but the image of that door burned into his mind.
I just know there's some fucked-up shit behind that door.
They arrived at a small, surprisingly well-lit room that smelled of antiseptic and ink.
A tall, broad-shouldered man in his late twenties was already setting up his equipment.
He had sharp, chiseled features, messy dark hair tied back, and intense green eyes.
A lion tattoo gleamed on his left arm, but unlike most, he also had smaller tattoos crawling up his neck and across his knuckles.
"Jax," Rafe said. "Make it quick. He's expected at training grounds soon."
Jax gave a lazy, crooked grin. "I always make it quick when it counts." His voice was smooth, almost playful.
He looked Ty up and down once, then nodded. "Sit. Arm on the table."
Rafe checked his watch. "I've got other shit to handle. Don't let him leave until it's done." He shot Ty a warning look and left.
The door clicked shut.
Jax chuckled under his breath. "Rafe's always wound tight. Relax, hun. I don't bite… unless you want me too."
Ty sat down, squinting his face in a disgusted twist.
He rested his left forearm on the padded rest.
The tattoo machine hummed to life. The first touch of the needle stung like fire, but he clenched his jaw and stayed silent.
After a few minutes of quiet buzzing, Ty decided to test the waters. "How long have you been here?"
Jax kept his eyes on the tattoo, his hand steady and surprisingly gentle for someone who looked like he could snap bones.
"Little over two years. Found this place half-dead after a raider ambush. Nade dragged me in himself. Been inking lions ever since."
Nade. I wonder why nobody knows his real name?
The name felt wrong on Ty's tongue.
"Why the lion?" Ty asked, watching the crimson and gold design take shape on his skin. "What does it even mean?"
Jax shrugged, a small smirk playing on his lips. "Fuck if I know. Nade picked it. Said it represents strength, pride, loyalty. Most of us don't ask questions. We just wear it." He wiped excess ink and continued. "You seem more sturdy from the usual pussies we bring in."
Ty stayed quiet for a moment, then asked the question burning in his chest. "How long has Rafe been here?"
Jax let out a low whistle. "Rafe? Forever, basically. He was one of the first. Completely loyal to Nade. Right-hand man. If Nade told Rafe to put a bullet in his own head, he'd do it with a smile. Don't fuck with Rafe unless you want problems."
Ty's mind raced.
Loyal to the point of blindness. Whatever Noah—Nade—had become, it definitely was not good.
The needle dug deeper, and Ty hissed through his teeth as the lion's mane took shape.
Jax glanced up, green eyes curious. "You got history with someone here or something? You keep zoning out."
"No," Ty lied quickly. "Just… trying to figure out how to survive."
"Smart answer," Jax said with a wink.
He was chill, almost friendly, but Ty could sense the danger underneath. This man was no pushover. A overwhelming presence took shape within him.
clearly he's high up on the ladder.
—
Fifteen painful minutes later, Jax wiped the finished tattoo clean and wrapped it. The lion looked fierce, almost alive under the lights.
Ty stared at it with a mix of disgust and resignation.
"Welcome to the Pride, pretty boy," Jax said, leaning back. "Try not to die on your first day."
Rafe returned right on time. He inspected the tattoo, gave a small nod, and motioned for Ty to follow.
They walked through longer corridors, passing groups of armed men and women heading to their duties.
Ty's arm throbbed under the bandage.
"What happens if someone's not good enough?" Ty asked, keeping pace.
Rafe's jaw tightened. "We use them."
Ty frowned. "What do you mean, use them?"
Rafe didn't answer. He just kept walking, boots echoing.
Eventually they reached a set of double doors that opened into a massive underground training grounds.
The space was enormous—clearly an old testing chamber repurposed. Targets lined the far walls, obstacle courses stretched across the floor, and several groups of new recruits were already running drills under the shouts of instructors.
The air smelled of sweat, blood, and gun oil.
Rafe stopped at the entrance and looked Ty dead in the eyes.
"Do your very best out there. I mean it. If you don't prove yourself today, if you're weak or useless…" Rafe's voice dropped. "Nade will feed you to the fleshbounds. That's what they do with recruits who don't make the cut. The mutated ones get hungry."
Ty felt ice slide down his spine. He remembered the unnatural shimmer of Noah's scars, the raw power in his frame. The thing his old friend had become.
Rafe clapped a hand on his shoulder—almost friendly.
"You seem like you've got potential. Don't waste it." Then he turned and left Ty standing at the edge of the training grounds with the other nervous recruits.
Ty touched the fresh lion tattoo on his arm, the sting waking him up completely.
Noah… what have you become?
He stepped forward into the chaos of shouts and bodies, determination hardening in his chest.
He would survive this.
He would or would not find answers.
And one way or another, he will get out of here.