Xandr “Glaive” Harris Jr., the Roach-Slayer's Arc

Chapter 1 of 2

Xandr stood at the edge of the Coven Hive and stared into the wasteland beyond. His hands were raw from days of building, but the work had just begun. Two barricades weren't enough—he needed a complete defense system that covered every weak point. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and walked the perimeter, studying each gap in the settlement's outer ring. The mutants always found the weak spots. They tested the defenses every few nights, probing for entry points. He couldn't let them through again. Not after what happened last time. His mind mapped out the locations where concrete and steel would have to go. Heavy blockades with razor wire coiled across the top. Something the mutants couldn't climb or tear through. Something that would hold when the attacks came in waves. This city would stand, and he would make sure of it. One fortification at a time, he would build a wall that nothing could breach. The Roach-Slayer would keep his people safe, no matter how long it took or how much his body protested. By noon, he had marked three more sites for the concrete barriers. Each one would block a main road the mutants used during their raids. He hauled scrap metal and coils of razor wire to the first location. The sun beat down on his shoulders as he worked. His muscles burned, but he kept moving. The blockade took shape slowly—concrete slabs wedged together, wire twisted across the top in sharp spirals. When he finished, he stepped back and tested it with his weight. It held firm. The mutants would hit this barrier and turn back, or die trying. The second task waited for him at the training grounds. He needed to know if the settlement's weapons could actually stop the roaches when they came. He set up an obstacle course with targets shaped like giant insects. Hydraulic dummies lurched and moved on tracks, mimicking the jerky movements of mutant roaches. He fired round after round, testing each gun's stopping power. Some shots bounced off the thick chitin plating. Others punched through and dropped the targets hard. He made notes on which weapons worked and which ones failed. When the defenses were complete, every fighter in the Hive would know exactly how to kill these things. The dream was simple—turn this settlement into a fortress that could end the mutant threat forever. Today was one more step toward that goal. As the sun dropped low, Xandr walked toward the old Burger King at the settlement's center. The building had been stripped of everything except its shell. Now it bristled with metal plates and observation posts. He climbed the stairs to the roof and looked out over the Hive. From here, he could see every barricade, every defensive position, every gap that still needed filling. This would be his command center when the mutants came. He would coordinate every defense from this spot, direct every fighter, call every shot. The Burger King would become the heart of the operation—the place where he would finally end the threat for good. He gripped the railing and watched the shadows grow longer. The work would take months, maybe longer. But when he was done, the mutants would break against his walls like water against stone.