Synopsis

Len and Alex were the first defective kids to escape from their underground orphanage and find a better life on Earth’s surface among the tracliodytes at Creekside Meadows. It’s a wonderful place to live, and Len wants more orphans to experience life there. On his 13^th birthday, Len presents Alex with his idea. He likes it. So does the Creekside Meadow director Lulomen. Shortly thereafter, Len, Alex, their friends Abagail, and Zelda, and led by the resourceful Sendal begin the rescue mission for the boys and girls at the Bentonburg orphanage.

Unknown to them, Jack Tanner, the sadistic director of the Bentonburg boys’ orphanage, has stepped up his vicious attacks on young Jules and the rest of the boys who live there.

Sendal enlists the help of a small group of rebels to aid in rescuing the poor boys and girls. When one of the rebels’ hacks into the orphanage’s computer system, she discovers something horrifying. Seeing how much fun Jack Tanner is having punishing the boys, his equally sadistic wife, Marsha Knox, the director of the Bentonburg girls’ orphanage, decides to offer her girls for him to torture. He happily agrees.

These are bad people and must be stopped.

Len, his friends, and the rebels devise a plan to rescue the poor orphans. They rush to save the kids, but they must avoid patrolling soldiers as well as navigate Bentonburg’s streets at night. Meanwhile, Tanner and Knox are out of control and can’t wait to administer more pain and horror to both the boys and the girls. Len and his friend hurry as fast as they can, but will they get there in time?

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Excerpt

In one month, one of the boys, Jules, was going to turn ten years old. By law, he’d then be sent to work in the tunnels under Bentonburg for the rest of his life. Jack Tanner, Director of the Bentonburg Boys’ Home, didn’t care a lick for any of the boys, Jules especially. He’d be happy to be rid of him. With that in mind, he decided it was time to put the hammer down and remind them all who was boss.

“ALRIGHT, YOU LITTLE FREAKS!” he yelled. “DROP AND GIVE ME 50!”

Jules adjusted his glasses and looked at the boy next to him, his best friend in the whole world, Cranston, and whispered. “Man, I hate this guy.”

Cranston nodded. “Me, too.”

Nearby, the other five boys also nodded and whispered, “No kidding.”

Despite their caution, Jack Tanner overheard them.

“Shut up, you miserable good-for-nothing defectives!” He whipped the nearest boy, Lyle, on the back with his ever-present leather strap. “Shut up, all of you! No more stalling! FORGET 50! GIVE ME 100!”

Jules glanced at Cranston, and both boys rolled their eyes. Another day at the Bentonburg Boys Home had begun. Another day in the horror show that was their life.

They dropped to the floor and began their pushups. One hundred of them.

“One! Two! Three…” they counted.

About the Author

Jim is an award-winning author who lives in a small town in Minnesota. He loves to write! His stories and poems have appeared in over five hundred online and print publications. He has also authored 27 books, including poetry, flash fiction, and short story collections, novellas, and novels, all of which are available through traditional outlets and on his website.

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