Twisted World: A Broken World Novel by Kate L. Mary Read Free Book Online Page A

but it didn’t seem to take much effort to pull them into the ring. They got closer to where we sat and the stench of death became overwhelming. I had to focus on breathing out of my mouth so my stomach didn’t jump up and spill its contents all over the red carpet at my feet.
    The men pulled the zombies to opposite corners of the ring, clicking their chains into place before heading out, being sure to keep a safe distance from the claws of the dead. The creatures went crazy as all around them more cheers rang through the air, and the clink of metal against metal was so loud it felt like it was echoing through my head.
    Dragon grinned, his eyes sweeping across the throng of people gathered around the ring as he turned in a circle one final time. “Are you ready?” The walls seemed to vibrate with the roar of the crowd. “Do you want to meet our fighter?” More cheers pulsed through the air. “Bring him out!”
    Dragon pointed to my left and a man stepped through the door the zombies had just come out of. He kept his head down as he made his way through the throng of people, and I found myself standing so I could get a better look at him. The crowd was too thick, though, and no matter how I twisted nothing was visible except the top of the fighter’s head.
    I shifted from foot to foot, waiting for the man to come into view. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he stepped into the ring and took his place at Dragon’s side. Still, though, I couldn’t get a good look at him because both men had their backs to me.
    “Donaghy!” The crowd went wild when Dragon announced the fighter’s name.
    The man still didn’t lift his head. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, and the muscles in his arms flexed. Almost every inch of them were covered in tattoos. Dark black lines crisscrossed one another, circling his forearms and biceps as they moved up and curled around his shoulders and back. From there the lines moved down, stopping just above his waist. The design was so intricate that it was nothing short of a work of art. I couldn’t imagine that he’d gotten it in DC—not based on the rumors I’d heard about the living conditions in the prison settlement.
    Dragon’s arms were still raised when he turned to face me, and his mouth was stretched wide with a smile that made him look like he was on the verge of going insane.
    The fighter turned too, and I was finally able to get a good look at the convict. He was younger than I’d thought he would be, only twenty-five at the most. His dark hair had either been cut close to his head or was just growing back after being shaved. I’d heard stories about problems with lice in the DC prison system, so it was possible they’d resorted to shaving the heads of all the prisoners.
    Donaghy’s eyes stayed on the floor and his square jaw twitched as Dragon talked, highlighting the fighter’s victories in DC before joining the release program. Since then, he’d excelled in both the Baltimore and Dayton settlements.
    The room went nuts, and finally the fighter pulled his eyes away from the ground. They were ice blue and colder than December when they scanned the crowd. He didn’t smile, and he didn’t look proud of his accomplishments in the ring. At his side, his hands were still clenched into fists, and every time he tightened his jaw, the scar that cut across his chin puckered.
    Seeing it made me sit back in my chair.
    Dad had a scar in the exact same place. I was so used to it that most of the time I didn’t even notice it, but with Donaghy in front of me, it felt like I’d been slapped across the face. It was harsh and unexpected, and enough to make my head spin.
    “Are you ready?” Dragon called as he walked backwards, moving toward the door.
    I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the image of my father as all around me the crowd once again cheered. Donaghy barely blinked.
    Dragon was still grinning when he ducked through the open door, shutting it