Hi Everyone! BTW, credit for this story's new cover art goes to facugutes on DeviantArt.
That weekend, at the Royal Woods Juvenile Detention Center, Lynn Loud Jr. was walking down a cell block toward the cafeteria room. She didn't walk head high like she usually did before she came to that place, now she walked with her head down with a broken and defeated-looking expression on her face which was nearly concealed by her long hanging brown hair which she used to hold back in a ponytail.
After a while, Lynn finally arrived at the entrance of the cafeteria room and walked through the doors. Inside there were many young inmates sitting at tables, walking around, or standing in line for food. Guards were posted around the room. As she made her way to the food line, she passed by many other inmates. Most of them were older and taller than her. She could feel their spiteful eyes upon her and could hear a few talking about her amongst themselves in mocking fashion.
After standing in line for a minute and finally receiving her grub, which looked very inedible, the young former athlete began walking around looking for a place to sit and eat her food in peace. She had no friends and none of the other inmates liked her so she would have to sit by herself. As she walked by a table where five boys were seated around, one of them decided to have some fun and stuck his leg out as she came closer to him. The former athlete failed to see this coming, tripped, and landed on the ground with her face falling into her food. The other inmates burst into cruel and hysterical laughter as they watched her pick herself up and brush as much food out of her face as she could.
"Alright, pipe down all of you or return to your cells without any lunch," one of the guards ordered. Once the laughing inmates quieted down, he turned to the victimized girl with a glare devoid of sympathy. "Take a seat and eat already."
Finally, she sat down at a small table where she could eat by herself. However, the pain from the inmates' cruel prank still lingered.
"To think she acted all high and mighty when she first came here," one inmate said to his friends.
"Now look at her," another inmate said in a mocking tone.
"I swear that Lynn girl looks more pathetic every week."
"We're turning on the television," one guard announced. "Behave or we turn it off."
He reached up and hit the power button on a TV screen attached to the wall. Instantly, the screen turned on. Everyone saw it was the local news channel.
"Katherine Mulligan live on the Royal Woods News Channel," the reporter introduced herself as she stood in front of the Royal Woods Middle School. "Here to bring you all the latest updates in the world of sports. Things have been going well for the Royal Woods Squirrels despite the rather disturbing events that occurred a few months ago. If you all remember, fans were quite disheartened when the Squirrels' top player, Lynn Loud Jr., was tried and put in Juvie for being an accomplice to child abuse."
Lynn felt the mocking eyes of the other inmates fall upon her as they listened to the news report.
"As the records of the trial stated: it all began when the Squirrels lost their first ball game. The team's captain, Lynn Loud, in a rather disgraceful show of poor sportsmanship, pinned the blame for the loss entirely on her younger brother, Lincoln Loud. She then convinced the rest of her amoral and irresponsible family to shun the boy and even outright kicking him out of the house like an animal. We've gotten several reports to confirm the rest of the family's involvement in this crime." The picture changed to an interview with one of Leni's female friends.
"My friend, Leni, was not too bright but always a nice girl," the teen sadly admitted. "But even she should've known better in this situation." Then the scene changed to an interview with Lindsay Sweetwater.
"I really shouldn't be surprised Lola played a part in this," the pageant girl said smugly. "She may have the face of an angel, but deep down she's a devil."
"After some footage of the trial was released to the public, any thoughts fans might've had about the Squirrels' former captain being innocent were dashed."
After that, footage of the trial started playing showing when Lynn threw her tantrum and destroying the defense's table after she and her family got the guilty verdict.
"We are a family, and how we treat each other is NO ONE'S BUSINESS!" Lynn bellowed in the footage. "This isn't a courtroom, it's an Anti-Me Convention!" Then the footage showed her being taken away by the two bailiffs. "You won't get away with this! My loyal fans will demand my release. And if that doesn't happen, when the Squirrels lose the championship, EVERYONE will see that I was right! The Wrath of the Softball Gods will fall upon you all! There will be chaos in the streets! The Royal Woods Squirrels are nothing without me. Royal Woods itself in nothing without me! God Bless America! God Bless MEEEEEEE!"
So many inmates in the Cafeteria burst into hysterical laughter at the hilariously pathetic spectacle on the TV.
"How can a star athlete be so pathetic?!" one inmate asked with a chuckle.
"I used to be a poor sport when I was young, but never like this," another inmate said.
While everyone was laughing, Lynn was staring at the TV screen with a mixture of shock and shame written all over her face. For a second, she didn't recognize the girl in the footage as herself. Maybe it was because her recent realizations had improved her moral compass so much that she couldn't believe that she could ever had been capable of such despicable and selfish behavior. However, seeing this footage reminded her of the arrogant, apathetic, selfish, delusional, spoiled and ignorant little brat everyone knew her as. Not only had she lost her appetite, she also felt like she was going to throw up.
Over at the Royal Woods Reformatory, inmates of different ages, including the eight Loud sisters, were hanging around in a rec room watching the same news report. Several inmates were laughing and shooting mocking grins at the eight sisters who were watching in embarrassment.
At the Royal Woods Mental Institution, patients were sitting in the recreation room also watching the news channel. Many patients were laughing hysterically while Lynn Sr. and Rita Loud were both hanging their heads in shame and embarrassment.
At St. Linda's, many children, including Lincoln, were gathered around a television set watching the news. After witnessing the footage of Lynn's tantrum at the trial, many of them had looks of disgust and some averted their eyes unable to watch the disgraceful scene any longer. Lincoln watched with a look of sadness and pity on his face.
"The incarnation of Cain is even more pathetic than I thought," one of the kids remarked.
"Her arrogant and blasphemous personality is painful," another kid said.
"At least Abel is safe and sound here with us," Katelyn said giving Lincoln a friendly pat on the back.
Lincoln did not approve of the nicknames they had given him and Lynn. He did not believe his sister deserved such terminology.
Back at juvie, Lynn couldn't take it any longer and buried her face in her hands in complete and utter shame. Just when she felt like she might be able to put her shameful actions behind her, she gets them thrown back in her face.
Later at St. Linda's, children and Sisters of the Cloth were all cheering as Father George and Sister Elizabeth walked down a hall escorting a preteen boy with black hair with them. Lincoln and his three new closest friends popped out of the crowd to say something to him in person.
"Congratulations buddy," Jim said.
"Wish you lots of happiness with your new family," Katelyn added.
"Take care kiddo," Caroline said.
"Keep in touch," Lincoln concluded.
The black-haired boy waved goodbye to everyone as he walked out the front doors with the Father and the Sister. Outside sat a black SUV which the three hopped in. Father George sat in the driver's seat, Sister Elizabeth sat in the front passenger seat, and the boy sat in the backseat. They drove off after everyone put their seatbelts on. Everyone else watched and waved as the car disappeared from view.
"Don't worry, Lincoln," Caroline said reassuringly. "There's a warm home and a loving family waiting for all of us eventually."
"Right," Lincoln agreed with a hopeful expression.
The black-haired preteen sat patiently with excitement in his eyes. Finally after many years of waiting and praying he would get a new family and a new home.
"How much longer, Sister?" he couldn't hold in his questions any longer.
"We're here," Elizabeth answered in her sweet and friendly tone.
The boy was both surprised and confused that they had arrived at what looked like some sort of club. The sign on the building read The Blue Flamingo. He shrugged it off, he was going to meet his new family so it didn't matter where they met. After parking, the three got out of the vehicle and walked through the front entrance of the building. Inside were many people of different nationalities comingling and lots of tough-looking men wearing suits standing around certain areas like security guards. Then a man of Indian descent approached the three accompanied by two thuggish looking bodyguards. Nervous, the boy hid behind Elizabeth.
"Happy to see you again, Miss Liz," the Indian gentleman greeted the Sister. "I take it you brought what my master wants?"
"Indeed I have," Elizabeth answered calmly as she stepped aside to reveal the boy who had hid behind her. "He's healthy and shows good physical prowess. I'm sure your master will be very pleased to have him as a new addition to his labor force."
"Labor force?" the boy said confused and nervous.
The Indian gentleman's two bodyguards started approaching the boy. With his instincts kicking in, the boy attempted to make a run for it but was caught by the two men.
"Help me, Sister!" the frightened boy desperately pleaded as tears ran down his cheeks.
Neither the nun nor the father made a move to help and just stood by and watched. Elizabeth watched with a cold, satisfied smile devoid of empathy while George watched with a remorseful frown as the poor child was taken away kicking and crying for help.
"Make sure your master remembers how this goes," Elizabeth said to the Indian gentleman. "We don't part with our products until we have the cash in hand."
"Thank you, Miss Liz. You are a wonderful woman of business," he replied taking a bow before leaving.
"I'd better head off to the little girl's room and change into something comfortable," Liz said to George. "Want to look nice for when we meet the new recruit to our organization."
George watched with a disturbed expression as she walked away to find the lady's room.
Over an hour later, the black SUV drove to a little factory on the outskirts of Royal Woods and parked in a parking lot by the building's entrance. The name on the building read 'Royal Woods Sawmill'. George stepped out of the car and opened the passenger door for Liz. The woman was no longer dressed in the nun outfit she usually wore. Now she was wearing a long black sleeveless dress which showed off her bare shoulders, long black gloves, and black high heels. She also wore her hair in a ponytail that hung in the back. In the parking lot, they were approached by Randall who had been waiting for them.
"Are they here, Randall?" Liz asked.
"They're waiting just inside," the creepy-looking man replied.
Randall led the two through the entrance door and into the factory. Inside there were tons of machines making all sorts of noises as well as workers tending to those machines. Waiting for them were two men dressed in professional-looking suits. One man was balding and looked to be in his thirties and the other had neatly combed blonde hair and looked to be in his twenties.
"Ah, you're here, Miss Liz," the balding man greeted the arrivals. "Wonderful. This is Johnny, the guy I mentioned who would be a great asset to our organization," he introduced the blonde man. "Johnny, this is Miss Liz, the woman who runs this whole operation."
"Nice to meet you," Johnny greeted Liz.
"The pleasure's all mine," Liz replied in a friendly-sounding tone. "Mac here has said good things about you. I'm sure you'll live up to what he says. How about we take a walk while discussing the details of your employment."
The five people walked around the mill passing various machines and workers while Liz explained everything.
"So you people run an orphanage?" Johnny asked.
"Actually, while it appears to the public that Father George is in charge of St. Linda's, I'm the one who runs everything," Liz explained. "The Father here is actually an ex-con on the run. I brought him in to act as the figurehead for the orphanage in exchange for money and protection from the law." George looked down with a shameful expression on his face.
"And what about this creepy-looking guy?" Johnny asked referring to Randall.
"Have you ever heard of the Eastside Slasher?" Liz asked.
"Yeah, some psycho went around ripping people to shreds," Johnny replied. "I heard they never caught or found out who he was."
"Well, here he is," Liz said referring to Randall.
Johnny was surprised and in complete shock. The infamous serial killer known as the Eastside Slasher was standing right before him with a sinister and proud grin on his face. He was not expecting to work with someone like this when he applied.
"Randall's particular skills caught my attention, so I tracked him down and offered him a place in this organization," Liz explained. "He serves as my top enforcer, making sure business runs smoothly as well as taking care of any problems."
"Not only do I get to do what I like, but I'm also getting paid for it," Randall boasted.
After regaining his composure, Johnny continued his questioning. "So what do orphanage people want with a sawmill and a psychotic killer?"
"Well, you see we also own this sawmill," Liz explained. "We're going to need it in order to make enough lumber to build more orphanages like St. Linda's all across the state and eventually the country."
"So you really like kids, huh?"
"Oh no, I hate children. But they do have their uses. You see, I have friends and partners of high social class and great wealth in several foreign countries who have uses for children and will pay through the nose for them. They need people to help with mining salt and other valuable minerals as well as other important services. Now adult workers are preferable but they don't last forever. But if you start these workers at a young age they will last much longer than if you start them as adults, and as they grow they will get better and better at what they do."
"So let me get this straight," Johnny said. "The orphanage you run is actually a front so you can collect orphan children and sell them into slavery?" Liz responded with just a casual smile. "Isn't that a little… inhuman?"
"Some people call it a crime, I call it a successful business."
"Don't worry Johnny, you'll get used to it," Mac assured his friend.
They soon came to a stop after walking up some stairs where two guards were waiting. Off to the side was a conveyor belt which carried large chunks of wood and dropped them down a slide into a machine with multiple buzz saws at the end which sliced them into smaller and thinner pieces of wood.
"Mac, how about we show our new recruit what kind of work he'll be doing," Liz suggested. "Do you have the payment from the last transaction?"
"Here it is, Miss Liz," Mac said handing her a receipt. "8,000 dollars in cash from that sheik for that girl we sold to him. She'll make a fine concubine when she grows up."
"8,000?" Liz said displeased. "The price we agreed upon was 10,000."
"I'm sorry, ma'am," Mac apologized. "But that was the exact amount he paid."
"I don't think so," Liz disagreed. "I contacted the sheik earlier and he assured me he paid every cent. This leads me to assume that someone is guilty of embezzlement."
The atmosphere in the area suddenly became chilly. There was one important rule in the organization that everyone had to follow: do not fail or betray the organization in any way, and Liz was greatly known for dishing out harsh punishments to anyone who broke this rule.
"I assure you Miss Liz, I had nothing to do with it," Mac nervously assured his boss.
Liz's eyes looked down and noticed there was a shiny golden watch around Mac's left wrist she had never seen before.
"That's a really nice watch you have there, Mac," the woman complimented the timepiece suspiciously. "Is it new? It must've been expensive."
Mac started sweating anxiously as his boss commented his new watch.
"May I see it?" Liz asked holding out her hand.
"Sure," Mac nervously complied.
"Yep, this must've cost at least 2,000 dollars or more," Liz said examining the timepiece as everyone else, with the exception of Randall and the guards, watched nervously. "Anyway, I think we can find a place in our organization, Johnny," she changed the subject causing everyone to let out a sigh of relief.
"Great, what is my first task on the job?" the new recruit asked eagerly.
"I'm going to need you to help my men throw Mac into the wood shredder," she casually answered surprising almost everyone.
"What?!" both Mac and Johnny exclaimed at the same time.
"If you want to apart of this business, and I promise you do, then you must show your loyalty by disposing of this embezzler," Liz said in a chilling sinister tone.
"No Miss Liz! I'm loyal to you! I'll never do it again!" Mac pleaded.
"I know," she replied coldly.
The guards started approaching the scared Mac who attempted to flee for his life. Unfortunately, he didn't get far and the guards retrained his arms.
"Johnny, my friend, help me!" Mac desperately begged his friend.
Johnny stood trembling where he stood trying to figure out what to do. Should he help his friend and make a run for it or should he do what his new boss wants and save his own life. He looked around at everyone watching. Liz had an expression of villainous expectation, George looked just as nervous as himself, and Randall wore a sadistic and psychotic grin on his face as he pulled the right side of his coat open to reveal a holstered gun on his belt. It was at that moment, the new recruit made his decision. He grabbed his helpless friend's ankles and lifted him off his feet.
"Johnny, what are you doing?!" Mac cried in shock. "No! No!"
Then the three men dropped the poor man onto the conveyer belt. Before he could get a chance to struggle, he slid down the slide and into the buzz saws waiting for him. The sounds of agonizing screaming and shredding echoed throughout the entire room. Johnny watched in horror as the friend he was forced to murder was sliced to pieces. Randall held out his cellphone and was recording the grisly scene with a sadistic chuckle. Liz watched with ruthless satisfaction. George averted his eyes, this wasn't the first time he'd seen an execution like this but he still never got used to it. One guard watched with a malicious grin while the other looked like he was ready to hurl. After the messy deed was done, Johnny nervously turned to his new employer with sweat running down his forehead.
"Congratulations Johnny, you're in," Liz congratulated him in a friendly-sounding tone. "Your predecessor said a lot of good things about you so I expect you to do a much better job than he did."
"Because if you don't, I'll do my job on you," Randall said threateningly.
Johnny took a huge gulp as he felt like he was about to wet his pants. He was starting to regret his employment choice.
Now the TRUE monsters have shown their true colors. Things are now getting serious.