Twisted Empire - Episode 19&20

 

TWISTED EMPIRE

Twisted Empire - Episode 19&20

(Her Blade, His Neck )

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No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied, or reposted in any form, or by any means without a written permission from the author.

Copyright © 2025 

by Naomi Cindy B.

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Smack!...Smack!

The disturbing sounds of Teal's gloved knuckles slamming against the freezing-cold pavilion wall filled the empty space.

She's by the rougher side of the wall, and her bended breaths filtered hotly out of her nostrils together with the warm tears that fought it's way out of her eyes, staining her lower lashes and causing them to web.

Humans are designed to make mistakes once in a while, but she overdid hers, and now she's in for another self-blame which would last for the rest of her life—just like what happened when her parents died in the forest that night.

It's all her fault—back then, and now.

If she had listened to Sergeant Kash, if she had joined him to protect the twenty other kids, maybe they'd have saved some of them instead of losing all twenty to the merciless bullets of the terrorists.

She swung another punch to the wall, and the bruises on her knuckles extended, causing her blood to stain her cotton gloves in blotches.

Even Rue—the kid that she went to save, also died in the blast.

At the end of the day, she went to the mission for nothing. If anything, she ruined the mission.

Bang!

Another punch met the wall from her fist, and her blood didn't only stain the gloves this time. It streamed in rivulets down her fingers, then it began dropping on the ground in droplets.

Right now she doesn't care about the importance of her fingers. She doesn't give a damn if ruining her fingers would seize her painting ability forever.

She just wants to punch anything punchable, so she slammed another punch to the wall, and pains stabbed her in the deep flesh as her blood exploded again.

Sweats danced on her face, and she dabbed it with her bloody glove before backing the wall, going down in a difficult squat.

Her limbs feels like there are bags of stones tied to them, they have dull aches which dragged all the way to her chest, and she wrapped her arms around her knees, drowning in self-punishment.

She sniffled, the sound choked.

She has been here for two hours, but she's not even feeling the minutes.

She's not feeling anything.

Not the turgid air or the snowflakes that's starting to pour from the darkening clouds.

She wants to be locked in here forever and never show her face to the outside world again.

--

[Main Base, Male Barracks]

News of the utter failure of the Maelstrom squad circulated fast, and right now no one is talking about anything that's not it.

Every mouth is running, and the ones that are laughing are more than the ones that are sympathizing.

"Good. Very good. Who do they think they are? Superhumans? They were all so high-shouldered, but now we know they're not that special" 

That came from a short guy in one of the rooms.

"I expected them to take down the terrorists at once, but look who came back with nine casualties..." Another guy said, laughing hard by the window.

"And Private Teal is in the enclosed pavilion? That's like the best news of the year. Fûck! I wanna go there and rape her then dump her body in an incinerator!" A stunted guy grinned.

"Me too, I mean... listening well to seniors in missions is the RULE NUMBER TWO in the rulebook. Is she blind? Did she not read it?!!" A guy shouted, laughing on the ground.

"She thinks she's a star, she thinks she can take down Usman on her own. I mean... hello?... Usman The Beast? Damn that arrogant bî+ch" 

And that was followed by a heavy laughter in that corridor.

Dark mockeries flew around, boiling in the air like lava, but the surviving males in the squad are all inside the barracks bathroom.

There are twenty of them, and they all look rough and bloodied in their combat uniforms. Everyone has scratches on their bodies though.

Everyone has wounds, but they're not that deep, and Brent looks traumatized cos he's still shivering.

"Talk to me, Rook. Is your bestie insane? Does she always have to ruin things with her know-it-all?" One of the guys said angrily.

His name is Paine.

"Don't blame her, she has always loved kids, and also—the kid—Rue shared the same name with her late mom, so try to understand her" Rook replied in defense, and Paine angrily threw a bucket at Rook's face.

Before it could get to Rook, Brent caught it and flung it to the wall.

"Stop!!" He yelled.

"Are you crazy altogether? Didn't you hear him defending that bîtch? The mission was harder than stone! The bastards were 100 percent ahead of us, but we had the opportunity to save twenty kids, and she wasted it cos a kid shared a name with her useless late mother? How is that even sweet to your ears!" Paine said, utterly pissed.

The other guys stayed silent like they're not even a part of this room. 

Abbey is sitting beside a water dispenser, and he looks nonchalant.

Theo is just there, looking bored.

"What's the assurance that if she joined Sergeant Kash, the twenty kids would be saved?" Rook said defensively again.

"Oh this jerk is calling for death!" Paine flung another bucket at Rook, but it was Theo who caught it this time.

"Stop" he told Paine in a eerie voice, and Paine rolled eyes.

"She's already serving her punishment in the pavilion, so all these talks just to spite her? Useless" Theo proceeded, and all attention spammed to him.

That's like the longest line he has ever said.

He dropped the bucket on the ground and was already walking out of the room when Rook talked...

"Thanks for saving me from the explosion sinkhole earlier" 

Theo didn't even stop or look back to reply, he slammed the door shut as he left completely.

"Let's go" Brent told Rook, and they both left the room too.

"Cankerworms!" Paine said, still angry.

Abbey jumped down from where he's sitting on, and he raised a hand.

"I know it was a tough mission, so I'm doing something to cheer us up, you can thank me later" he said.

The remaining guys stared at him with twisted expressions especially Paine.

Abbey smiled and pulled out his phone, then he went to the male barracks telegram group and posted a zoomed picture of Morgan's cummin pu§§y.

"Check telegram" he winked at all of them, and they all began checking. The glitter and lust that appeared in their eyes at the sight was insane, and they began gasping one by one.

"Whenever you're going to bed, just come to the bathroom to masturbate with the picture, it's a small gift from me. I'll give y'all another picture of a d+ck inside the pu§§y tomorrow" Abbey said proudly.

"Look at that fresh c-nt! I want it in my mouth. Who's this? Abbey who the f+ck is she?" Paine asked desperately on behalf of the guys.

"Give the picture half a million likes, then I'll post the face. She's from the female barracks" Abbey shrugged.

Paine hung his arm on Abbey's neck.

"I have a feeling we're gonna be great buddies" he said, and Abbey laughed as they exited the bathroom with the rest of the guys.

As they plied the corridor, Skye walked past them, and most of the guys looked back at him.

"Who's he? Never seen that face before?" Paine sneered.

"No idea" Abbey replied.

--

[Female Barracks]

Just like the males, the females are mocking the squad too, and in this place, Shannon and April are at the receiving end.

They're both standing in the middle of their room, and they're surrounded by ladies who're bashing them on behalf of Teal.

The room is full to the brim, even the windows are tight with crowd.

"Just pray I don't get the opportunity to enter that pavilion, I'll dig out her eyes!" Morgan said.

"She ruined everything! She muddled our first mission!! And you both have nothing to say? You're her friends!" Stormy shouted.

"I was wondering why you got returned to the barracks, Specialist April. Now I know. It's cos you're a fool" Morgan added.

"How dare you disrespect her!" Shannon lunged at Morgan, but more than five ladies pushed Shannon away.

"What are you gonna do? Wound her? But it's true... April is useless! And she had to top it with having a useless friend like Teal? Extra useless!" Stormy said.

"No, Extra useless pro max" a lady said, and laughter cracked.

April's fingers are interlocked, and she's trying to fight her anxiety as she listened to everything.

"Don't you both owe us an apology?" A cocky voice said from the top of a bunk, and they all turned their heads to see Sierra.

She's sitting like a queen on her bunk with a bottle of wifebeater in hand, and she has few bruises on her forearms from the mission.

If anyone is overjoyed about this turnaround, then it's her.

"Go on your knees, and apologize. You both should apologize on behalf of Teal" she said.

"Why would we do that? The mission didn't fail cos of Teal. The terrorists were more prepared, and we were bound to fail! Teal's only mistake was letting her empathy engulf her" Shannon spoke, and that was followed by a raw slap from Morgan.

Sierra smiled widely on her bunk, enjoying this shit more. She drank from her bottle.

"Thanks for that, baby!" Stormy laughed as Shannon held her face, looking at Morgan with pop eyes.

"What?" Morgan strolled closer.

"You're gonna slap me back? If you do that, the fact that you're Sergeant Kash's sister-in-law won't save you cos even Sergeant Kash is getting questioned right now! So just go on your knees, or else...you and April aren't sleeping in this barracks tonight" Morgan said in all brattiness.

Shannon took April's hand.

"Then so be it... we'll sleep at the family housing with Cassie" she said and dragged April out of the room.

The ladies followed them, shouting in disapproval and throwing things like banana peels at them.

On getting outside, they met Skye on the pavement, and the guy's face scrunched with helplessness when he saw what's going on.

"Skye?" April said shockingly.

"I got released, and a lady got locked in instead of me" he replied, and April instantly ran into his arms.

Shannon gave them space, but she's rubbing her fingers on her cheek.

It still stings from Morgan's slap.

--

[Axel's Unit]

It was rounds after rounds today, and Allegra nearly died.

Axel poured all his frustrations and anger on her body, and they did it all round the clock, till she fainted beneath him.

But even after she fainted, he fuçked her back to consciousness till she fainted for the second time at 3, and that was when he stopped.

The two of them have been sleeping since then, but it was Allegra who first stirred in bed.

She opened her tired eyes to the incessant buzzing of her phone on the ground, and she fell nakedly from the bed to take the phone, screen is bright.

The base telegram group is pregnant with gists.

She stood, her br+àsts dangling as she took her time to read everything.

The moment she understood the gist, she screamed out happily, waking Axel with it.

"Told you...your loudness is ugly" Axel groaned in bed, turning.

"Axe! You need to wake and see this! Maelstrom squad failed woefully! They lost nine Privates and Teal obviously made a mistake which cost the lives of twenty kids so she's currently locked in the pavilion!" She read.

That was enough to make Axel's eyes flip open, and he sat up in bed, snatching the phone from Allegra to see things for himself.

As he read, he grinned, his lips a home of scorn.

"Can anything be more delicious than this? Nahh... absolutely nahhh" he said as his grin spread across his face.

Allegra quickly dressed up, rushing out.

She has to meet Sierra.

Now that the whore has been locked in the pavilion, it's their chance to attack.

--

[Master Sergeant's Office]

Four has never used the office since he arrived at this base, but today feels like a great day to do so.

For his own sanity, there are paintings on the walls of the office too, and they're all also drawn by the Ambrose family.

After sitting in the middle of the paintings for over thirty minutes, trying to align his thoughts and breaths, hia lashes parted ways as he opened his eyes slowly.

Sergeant Kash is sitting in front of him, and his arm is bloodily bandaged cos he got shot while trying to protect the kids alone.

"They were much, not only in the school premises but also from afar. I'm guessing they stayed on top of tall buildings and skyscrapers, and we were targeted from there. I actually was able to keep the ones in the school premises off, but the bullets that hit the kids came from hidden unseen perimeters, so even if Private Teal was with me, the kids would still die" he said.

Four said nothing.

"Also...the extra rifle I thought was in my backpack was a miscalculation cos my backpack was in the bus, and the bus already got blasted even before the shootout started. Private Teal has no fault" Sergeant Kash continued.

"Her not following your orders is punishable, so quit talking about it. I'm not letting her out of that pavilion... yet" Four replied, calm but powerful as usual.

Sergeant Kash went silent, resting back on his chair, then the flat screen on the opposite side of the wall lit up by itself.

The screen was blurry at first, but when it became clear, the back view of The Beast came to view...Usman.

That dark tattoo at the back of his head glossed, and his silver earrings are dangling like they're in a tango competition with an invisible wind.

Sergeant Kash spranged up, but Four remained seated like it's not his first time seeing this kinda scene, but his face holds both a storm and a blizzard which his soul has trapped in his underbelly.

"This bastard!" Sergeant Kash folded his fists, pained that he can't drag Usman out of the screen 

"That was unexpected, wasn't it? My terrorists surprised y'all" Usman talked in a metallic voice, and silence filled the room, just the sound of Sergeant Kash's raggy breathings.

"C'mon, Four. Did you actually expect me to use the same tactics I used on your pea-brained brother for you? If it were Axel, I'd have attacked at 12 like I promised, and I'd still kill the annoying noisy kids, but it's you we're talking about here... Four. YOU. We both know the you're a storm in human form, and if I had waited till 12 like I said, then you'd outsmart me, so I had to move faster and fool you. I deserve some accolades for that" Usman laughed, the sound haunting and titillating.

"Motherfûcker!!" Sergeant Kash yelled, throwing a document at the screen in rage.

Four's neck vein is out, again. And he's holding the table with with white knuckles and red fingers, his dried lips tightening with his jaws.

All these are happening to him on his seat, but no one would guess it's actually happening cos he looks blank and void.

Hiding his expressions and masking his true self like a chameleon is a skill he has practiced all his life.

Invisibility is like his anchor.

"Listen to me... Four DeVille. I'm back to this city with full force to give the civilians and your president sleepless nights. I took a break after destroying Axel's squad, but it was actually to wait for your coming cos I knew your father would call you next, and now that you're here...let's get started. I won't tell you my next target location, but here's a hint..." Usman spoke again, his back view still.

Sergeant Kash connected a laptop to the flat screen and made to start tracing his location...

"Give up, you won't ever be able to trace him. He's the maddest hacker existing" Four muttered from his seat, and Kash let out a sharp gasp.

"So here's the hint. My next target location is a gathering, and this time...I'm not killing children, it's time to spice things up. I'm targeting adults, and it's happening at a venetian masks masquerade ball. It's up to you to find out the exact location and the day it'll be." Usman said casually with a bored sigh.

"Also, your wife is so brave...I like her, and I'm interested in what her womb looks like" Usman laughed cruelly.

Four's grip on the table base tightened, and his knuckles turned whiter.

"See you soon, dear friend!" Usman waved the back of his hand, and the screen went off automatically.

Sergeant Kash faced Four, and the way he looks unfazed by everything made him scowl.

"This wasn't his first time of interacting with you?" He asked suspiciously.

"He started sending me video messages using morse codes since last year" Four replied, drawing his laptop closer.

"What the f+ck!" Sergeant Kash gasped.

"Go back to your suite and rest your arm, Kash." Four plainly replied. He's already tapping his laptop buttons fast.

"No sir. I'm not gonna go back to rest when Usman just dropped a hint of his next attack. What if the masquerade ball is tomorrow? We have to find where a masquerade ball is happening in this city before daybreak, and I'll be a bastard if I actually sleep" Kash replied, making a call to Cassie.

"Baby" Cassie's voice filtered in.

"Get my working laptop from the bedroom, and bring it to Master Sergeant's office" Kash replied.

Four's callused fingers moved faster on his laptop, the sounds bouncing off the walls.

He lightened a cigar in his stainless, and he began smoking hotly as he worked.

Axel is by the door, and when he finished listening to the last conversation, he left with a big smile.

The mission failed, that's all what matters, and in fact...the next one is bound to fail.

He's not the only failure here after all.

Welcome to the failure club ... Four DeVille.

--

[Family Housing, Kash's Suite]

It was only Shannon who came here, April left with Skye earlier.

Shannon is sitting on a couch, holding an icepack to her red cheek when Cassie came out, holding Kash's laptop.

"Your co-Private slapped you, and you couldn't slap back? First was Allegra on your first day here, and now this? You're not a ragdoll to be thrown around, fight back!" She said.

"They used April as leverage, they said they were gonna make her ebd up lower than she already is, and I can't risk it. April is my friend" Shannon reiki, and Cassie shook her head.

"Hopeless" she muttered, leaving the suite.

She's on her way to the Master Sergeant's office when she collided into someone, and she hasn't even raised her head when she detected who.

"Hey, Cass" the devilish voice hit her ear shell, and she made to shift back, but she was hauled forward by him.

His hand squeezed her ass hard, and she pushed him away at this point.

Axel chuckled.

"See, I was right. You have soft backside. And let me tell you something. Kash was in the mission, and it failed, meaning his salary might even get cut this month. Salary that was peanuts before, think about how it'd be if it got cut, I bet you won't even be able to buy pads" ge said simply, pushing his hands in his pockets.

"Let me have you just once. Just the tip inside you, and I swear I'll abandon Allegra and give you my full attention...and cash. Isn't it funny that your husband is Kash but doesn't have cash?" He laughed.

"You're disgusting" Cassie told him, rushing off.

"My my...look at that arse." Axel laughed as he watched her disappear down the lane.

--

[DeVille White Castle, Daybreak]

The telephone has been ringing since dawn, but neither Yulia nor Pedro were up to pick.

Pedro must have been tired from the base business, so he he has been dozing since last night, and Yulia kept him company in bed.

They both left a NO DISTURBING warning for the butlers, so the butlers just left the ringing telephone.

None of the couple came out till past 10 am,...it was Yulia who came out first.

"My Lady, the telephone won't stop wailing" an old butler said, and Yulia descended the tower stairs, draping her red nightie over her skin.

She picked the ringing telephone, and a slight wideness reached her eyes when she saw it's the president.

"Hello, Mr. President sir" she picked.

"Lady Yulia? Where the hell have you and your husband been since last night! Why have you been out of reach!! I was preparing for my son's upcoming birthday when the news of the attack reached me yesterday! 70 less privileged kids died plus one healthy kid! What were the new squad doing! The country is in disarray and the citizens are in fear!" The president yelled.

"Attack?" Yulia's brows furrowed, and she signalled to a butler who turned on the TV.

The news was the first thing that came on, and Yulia's eyes wouldn't stop widening.

Pedro came downstairs at the same time, and his eyes came wider than hers when he saw the news.

He took the telephone from Yulia.

"Hello President" His shoulders hunched in respect.

"Give me a brief explanation, Pedro. You said the new squad was capable, so why did Usman have the upper hand again?" The president queried.

As Pedro answered him, Yulia went to the base group chat. She and Pedro are the major admins, so she has access, and when she saw what's going on, she gasped.

Teal in the pavilion?

She faced the butlers.

"Call the airfield, get a chopper ready to fly us to the base. I and Pedro" she ordered.

"We have to go see the president first" Pedro said, hanging up from the call.

"I don't care, I just have to get get to the base today!" Yulia snapped impatiently.

--

[Military Base, 7pm~ Enclosed Pavilion]

The snowflakes in Teal's hair right now would fill a jar, and her hands are trembling with the cold, but she didn't even try to keep it warm by blowing to it from her mouth or shoving it under her uniform.

She just sat there, backing the wall with her knees propped up and her arms wrapped around her legs.

She has been here since yesterday. Thanks to the open roof, she was alerted of the crack of dawn and the embrace of the night.

And thanks to the moon in the sky, there's a little light inside with her.

It's all her fault.

Twenty damn kids plus Rue.

The pavilion door opened, and more chill-inducing air swooshed in, hitting her in the face.

Someone entered with a flashlight, and judging by the cocky steps, she knew it's Sierra.

"Oh...the arrogant slût is helpless?" She said, squatting in front of her with swelled cheeks as a result of her big smile.

There's a bow and arrow on her shoulder, the tip shinning.

Teal continued sitting there, giving up completely.

Can Sierra just thrash her? She'd feel better.

She badly wants Sierra to beat the crap out of her, maybe that'd ease her guilt.

"Luckily for me,I have an extra remote. I have an extra of everything in this base cos I'm Sierra DeVille anyways, so I'm the hidden authority. Allegra wanted to come with me,but I decided to do it alone...cos I even want you gone more than she does, and you know someone else who wants you gone? Axel. I guess he's on his way here right now" Sierra said, balancing her elbows on her laps.

"But we'll have to leave this place before he comes. I want your torture to come from me alone. That's how greedy I am to see you suffer" she continued, then she shoved Teal up by the belt of her trousers.

"Follow me" she ordered, and Teal didn't argue.

Her legs dragged on the ground as she followed Sierra out of the pavilion.

--

[Main Base]

"The General is back!"

"He came back with his wife!"

The new gossip rode throughout the base like harmattan fire, and Privates trooped out of their barracks to have a look.

The barracks lights are all on, so Yulia's furious face is obvious.

Her chin-length hair swirled dynamically as she made her way to Four's office with Pedro.

She tore the door open, and she met Kash and Four inside the office, both still working tirelessly on their laptops.

Sergeant Kash stood with respectful salutations for the two, but they didn't even look at him.

"Where's Teal?" Yulia questioned.

"Pavilion" Four replied monotonously without looking up.

"It's not her fault that the mission didn't go as planned, so release her or I go crazy here!" Yulia snarled.

"I'll release her whenever I fuckin want, don't lose your voice over it. I have the remote, so nothing is gon eat her over there" he replied, the light from the laptop screen showcasing the redness in his vile eyes.

"Sierra has an extra remote" Pedro replied, and that was when Four looked up from his laptop.

"What did you just say?"

--

[Past 9pm]

Sierra didn't stop taking Teal on the unplanned journey till they arrived at the last acre of land at the back forest of the base.

It took them an hour by foot.

There's a rooted signboard there which has MILITARY ZONE END written on it in black.

Sierra plunged Teal down on the acre, and the snowflakes on the ground responded to the drop with a powdery sound.

"We're out of the military zone, now i can actually ruin your essence" Sierra said, unmounting her arrow and bow.

Teal lay on the ground with bloodied hands and heavy cheat. The blood from her gloves has dried up, so the cotton material is gummed to her bruises now.

She has no plans to fight back. 

In fact, she can't wait for what Sierra is gon' do.

"Yunno when you appeared in the barracks that day, and I told you not to share a bunk with April, i actually liked you...but you fucked up by touching Allegra and being arrogant. And the worse of it all, you're betrothed to Four? Oh please... that's just ridiculous" Sierra said, setting her arrow in her bow.

"I heard you're a painter, and I have to ruin your hands to punish you, but I'll start from your legs" she said, aiming like a huntress.

She released the arrow, and it flew to Teal's leg, stabbing it hard.

Teal tried keeping in the zap of pains, but she couldn't do it, so she groaned out to the night, crawling on her elbows as her blood stained the snow.

"This arrow is poisoned, and yunno what? If you don't get the antidote within twenty four hours, your legs will rot. And you actually won't get it cos you'll stay here for 24 hours till you die" Sierra smiled again, setting another arrow in the bow.

"I would have loved to fight you to weigh our fighting abilities before I kill you, but what's the use? I'm stronger than any lady alive—you inclusive. So I'll just save myself the stress" she said, releasing the second arrow to that same leg.

"Aurhhh!!" Teal's painful growl bloomed from her throat again, soaring through the leaves and touching the moonlight as her blood soaked the snow more.

She continued crawling on the snow, the blood drawing a trail with the leaves and her bloodstained boots.

Her eyes aren't watery—they're dry,  but her chest is still heavy.

She was wrong. This pain from Sierra didn't ease her guilt at all.

Fact still remains that,...20 kids died cos of her.

"And here goes the third" Sierra said, aiming for her right hand this time.

"Here we go!" She sang, but someone pushed her suddenly from behind, and when she released it, the arrow entered the soft ground instead.

She whipped around with a shocked gasp to see the two people she wasn't expecting to see.

Four—her half-brother, and Yulia—her stepmom.

Four rushed to where Teal is laying on the snow. He easily cupped up her head, but her eyes are shut.

She passed out already.

"Ambrose!" He called her by her surname, but her neck lost balance as her unconsciousness deepened.

"F!ck, f+ck.....f+uckk" he muttered, steam riding off his mouth in waves.

"I was only trying to end her since she ruined everything anyways. She should just die!" Sierra shot, and her eyes turned on their own immediately.

It's like a bulldozer hit her, and her eyes almost fell off her skull as she staggered sidewards.

But it wasn't a bulldozer that hit her...

It was Yulia.

Yulia actually punched her in the face.

Sierra gasped with bleeding nostrils, and she stumbled back from the angry woman whose eyes are red-rimmed like Four's.

"You have no right to touch me, Yulia! You're a lowly thief who stole the General away from my mom!" She yelled at her face, and another bulldozer hit her.

Yulia powerfully grabbed her head and yanked it face-first to a oak tree, banging it to the trunk.

A gush of blood squirted Sierra's face, entering her mouth. She could taste the bitter tang of blood on her tongue as her mouth opened with a witchy scream.

"Ahh!!!...General!!!"

TBC.

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