[Commissioned Work] The Scarred Bearer - Ch. 1 - Teaser
Author's note: The following story is a commissioned work by someone who wished to have a storyline written in the universe of The Human Bearer, featuring a character of their choosing. Therefore, The Scarred Bearer is the story of 21-year-old Edwin Vega, who hopes for a better life by applying to become a bearer for a high-profile Xeno. It will be available for subscribers in the Silver and Superfan tiers and it will be a multi-chapter story.
~
“Vega. Edwin Vega.”
He pulled the pods out of
his ears and turned his head toward the sound. A woman dressed in a sharp
charcoal suit was staring at him as if he were some insect. He pushed himself
up, overly conscious of how his combat boots most likely left unsightly marks
on the polished tiles, as he walked over to the bitchy lady in charge.
She stood in front of a
door barring the entrance. Great, this had to be the time when he was told to
fuck off. He prepared to argue since he didn’t want to return to his gang’s
hideout, tail between his legs, like a kicked mutt. Sure, his brothers wouldn’t
put him down, but they’d tease the hell out of him until they got bored or
Miguel, their de facto leader, told them to shut the fuck up.
After throwing him a
cursory look, the woman stepped out of the way, much to his surprise. She even
gestured for him to step inside while her bitch resting face never moved a
muscle.
Edwin only nodded in
acquiescence and followed her. The room they entered after crossing another
long corridor was white and unfriendly. Even the floor was white. The only
thing contrasting with the medical feel of the place was a large mahogany desk
behind which three old men dressed in black and wearing stern grimaces on their
wizened faces sat.
“Edwin Vega. Twenty-one
years old,” the woman recited. “Father, unemployed. Mother, unemployed.
Occupation: gang member.”
Edwin winced at having
his resume presented like that.
One of the old men waved
impatiently. “Undress him.”
Edwin shrugged off her
touch. “I can do it myself,” he said in a rough voice.
She seemed to get the
message and took a step back.
Undressing for weirdos
wasn’t his idea of fun. Still, seeing how Xenos were only interested in one
thing regarding human bearers, it was most likely the standard procedure to get
naked for inspection. He removed his leather jacket and jeans. He didn’t care
what they thought about his lack of underwear. Once completely naked, he stood
proudly, his legs apart, his hands in front to keep at least a bit of modesty.
“Sexual history?” another
old man asked.
“No notable encounters,”
the lady in the suit replied.
“Untouched?” the guy who
seemed to preside over that committee asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Front and back,” the
lady said in the same icy tone. “A virgin.”
Edwin felt his cheeks
getting hot. What the fuck was their problem? Yeah, he didn’t fuck, but that
was no one’s business. How the hell did they know that? As far as he knew,
those snakemen put their bearers into a heavy sleep and cut their bellies to
put their eggs inside to hatch, patching them back up after. It was like a
medical procedure. Sex wasn’t supposed to have anything to do with it.
The three men seemed
eager to consult between themselves while covering the mikes in front of them
so they could conspire without being heard. They appeared pretty excited over
the possibility that Edwin hadn’t fucked anyone. And that he hadn’t been fucked
by anyone.
It wasn’t like he didn’t
want that kind of thing. Only that it made him ill to his stomach each time he
got close to anyone, the memories of his childhood flooding his mind and
overtaking everything. The sound of the headboard hitting the wall while dirty,
ugly words were exchanged, his mom at the receiving end of all the insults born
from the gutter of the human mind. And the noises she kept on making… it made
his skin crawl. There was nowhere for him to hide from it. Not until he had
found a way, which meant running from home and finding a different family.
“That changes things, of
course,” the old man in charge said with a wolfish grin. “A request was placed
recently for someone just like that.”
~
end of excerpt
~
The first chapter of the story is available on my SubscribeStar, for subscribers in the Silver and Superfan tiers.
