Birth of a Savage

by Eros

Genres: African American Urban

Synopsis

The streets can turn a sweetheart into a savage. Is love, and a lot of gumption, enough to survive?

Sydney was given all the right tools to succeed in life, and she was nourished and blossoming into a kind, loving soul. The rules of life are that what you put in is what you get out—but what we are not told is that it’s a cold world, even if you have a pretty face, a nice smile, and a kind heart.

One day, she was living an ideal life with her mother in Atlanta, GA. But after experiencing a devastating loss, Sydney was uprooted from everything that she knew. Forced to be in the care of her wayward, drug addicted uncle, Sydney found herself in the hood of Tennessee.

After being sold by her pillhead uncle, Sydney escaped into the night. She immediately began stumbling around in the night and found herself in a world that began to claw, pull, and push at her from all directions. Luckily, she met another lost soul in Mario, who was on the run for his life. With Mario’s help, she quickly turned from prey to predator.

What happens to a wholesome teenager when she’s thrown to the wolves, left to survive in a city where she doesn’t have anyone? She becomes a SAVAGE!

Savages aren’t born, they are created. The beast inside takes over the mind, body, and spirit. When it’s all said and done, will Sydney rely on her killer instincts to survive?

As Sydney and Mario navigate their new life, how much danger are they in? How much can they get away with?

Release date: August 25, 2026

Publisher: Urban Books

Print pages: 288

Sample

“Ma, tell me again about the house.” Sydney came into the living room and sat on the couch Indian style across from her mother.

The dimly lit living room was illuminated by candles. Her mother, Tara, loved candles. She said candles were healing. Sydney didn’t know if that was true, but she believed her mother.

Most 16-year-olds couldn’t stand their mother, but not Sydney. The teenage beauty and her mother were best friends. Sydney could have easily been a model with her looks and body. Tara was always approached about her daughter’s looks. She wasn’t having none of that. Sydney stood a tall six feet with legs for days. Sydney’s light skin had a natural glow to it thanks to her flawless skin. She had big brown eyes and long lashes. Her thick, naturally curly hair hung down her back with soft features, and she had pouty lips that some women had to pay for. She was a beauty all right, but she was just as smart as she was pretty.

“You are so much more than a pretty face. You have a brilliant mind and there’s magic in your soul. You can do anything you set your mind to. And don’t you ever forget that.” Tara instilled that into her daughter.

Tara poured herself another glass of red wine. “It’s a mini mansion. Each room is so spacious. The pictures don’t do it justice.”

“I wish I could have seen it,” Sydney pouted.

“Chile, I was not taking you out of school to see a house you gonna live in for the rest of your life.”

“But still, Ma.”

“But still my ass. You had exams. That noggin of yours is gonna take you places you can’t begin to imagine. Watch what I tell you.” Tara winked at her daughter.

Shots rang out in the distance.

“See! This is why I gotta get you out of this neighborhood. Somebody is always shooting. Damn shame. This used to be a nice neighborhood. I can’t wait to get the hell outta here.”

Sydney didn’t see the big deal. She loved their apartment. Her mother made sure it was cozy and inviting. The walls were a burnt orange, her mother’s favorite color. Their overstuffed chocolate furniture filled the room. Black art adorned the walls. They were Tara exclusives.

Sydney admired her mother. She could do anything. Painting was one of the many ways her mother expressed her creativity. Tara worked two jobs to give Sydney a good life. During the day, she worked as a paralegal. At night, she worked the receptionist desk at the Hilton.

“Tomorrow, I’m gonna go get us some boxes so we can start packing. We close next week. This is the best investment I have ever made.”

“Didn’t you use all your savings?”

“I sure did, and I don’t regret a bit of it. My mama taught me early on: if you want something, you work hard for it. Save your money and buy what you want. From my first job, I was taught to pay myself first. I would help Mama with bills ’cause your uncle Peanut was always getting in some shit. He was more trouble than he was worth. But Mama would always say, ‘Did you pay yourself first?’ I’ve been busting my ass for this moment since I was your age. I knew what type of home I wanted. I did my research, I set a goal, and even though I dipped into my 401(k), that’s okay. We have something that’s ours. You can pass this house down to your children. This is part of our legacy. My mama didn’t have much to leave me, but what she left was priceless. Her wisdom helped me get this house for us.” Tara got choked up.

“Don’t cry, Ma. Grandmama looking down on you saying, ‘That’s my baby!’ She’s proud of you, Ma. I’m proud of you too.”

Tara wiped her tears. “I know, I know. I’m just so happy.”

“Can I go with you to the closing?”

“Oh, I want you there. I want you to see how it’s done. Rent is paid up here for two more months, but we aren’t gonna take that long to pack up. I just always paid my rent two months in advance because you never know when you need that cushion.”

“Grandma taught you that, too?”

“You know it!” Tara laughed.

Sydney stood up to go into the kitchen. “I’ll get the popcorn. It’s your turn to pick the movie.”

Once a week they had movie night. Tara cherished these moments with her daughter. She knew she was getting older and there may be a time that Sydney would rather be with her friends than her.

Tara beamed with pride as she sat at the table with her greatest accomplishment looking on and signed the papers to become a homeowner. Sydney looked on, capturing every moment in her memory. That night, they went out to an expensive restaurant to celebrate.

“Ma, it’s nice in here.”

“Get used to it. You will be eating at the finest restaurants when you get older. This is the life I want for you,” Tara spoke about how she envisioned their new life. “Do you remember how your aunt Sandy from work kept telling me to post my artwork on Facebook Marketplace?”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“Well, I did! Well, Sandy did. She put up three different paintings. One for three hundred and fifty dollars, one for five fifty, and the huge one for nine fifty. And can you believe they all sold?”

“Ma, are you serious?”

“Yeah, baby girl! People really like my stuff. So, I think now that we have a home, I’m going to relax a li’l bit and enjoy it.”

“Huh?” Sydney had a mouth full of food.

“I’m going to quit my night job and put more energy into my painting. It’s always been a hobby, but now I know I can make a li’l money. I guess Mama was right again. She always quoted that Scripture that said your gift will make room for you. I never thought painting was my gift until now.”

“Ma, that’s wassup! You can have an art studio in the house.”

“See, I love how your mind works. I didn’t even think of that.”

“Good looking out, Aunt Sandy.” Sydney liked Sandy. She was a little younger than her mother, but she kept her mother on her toes, dragging her to concerts and girls’ night. Her mother didn’t let a lot of people in her personal space, but Sandy had been true blue for years. That’s why Tara told Sydney she could call her aunt.

“Yes, let’s toast to Sandy.”

Tara raised her glass of wine. Sydney raised her glass of lemonade. They laughed and talked the night away. Mother and daughter had the time of their lives planning for the future. Tara made sure she instilled greatness into Sydney. She reminded her every day that she was destined to do great things.

They shut the restaurant down. On the way home, one of Tara’s favorite songs came on the radio. She turned the volume all the way up and they sang at the top of their lungs along with Cheryl Lynn’s “Got to Be Real.”

“Whew, it’s been a long day, and I can’t wait to soak in a hot bath. The perfect ending to a perfect day.” Tara was so happy.

“Ma, can we please go to the house tomorrow?” Sydney begged.

“Yes! I’m so ready for you to see it.”

They pulled up on the block, and Tara parked in front of their apartment. Sydney headed on up the stairs to the door.

“Wassup, Sydney!” one of the goons of the block shouted out. They were sitting on the steps next door. Three of them sat out, passing a blunt.

“Wassup.” Sydney nodded. She looked back at her mother, who was getting some shopping bags out of the trunk.

The key was in the door, and just as Sydney turned it in the lock, a car came down the block and shots rang out. Naturally, Sydney ducked. She looked back and locked eyes with her mother. She would never forget the way fear gripped her face before she slumped to the ground.

The guys next door ran down the stairs, returning fire as the car sped away. Sydney was screaming at the top of her lungs as she ran to her mother. She cradled her in her arms. There were no last moments of “I love you.” Her mother was already dead.

First responders had to pry a hysterical Sydney away from her mother. She had to be sedated to calm her down. Police attempted to interview her, but Sydney couldn’t speak. Sydney didn’t understand where her mother was. She just wanted to go home. Her mother was dead. But where was she?

Sydney screamed the question over and over again. The more she fought, the more drugs they shot her up with. Time seemed to stand still, and each day ran into one another. Finally, they told her she could go home. They gave her a bag with her clothes in it. Seeing the bloodstained dress sent Sydney into a frenzy. She opted for scrubs instead.

A disheveled Sydney moved slowly down the corridor. Her body felt heavy as she moved closer to the entrance. She was hoping Sandy would be there to greet her, but they said her uncle would be picking her up.

“Let’s go, Sydney. We got to get on the road,” her uncle Peanut greeted her.

Uncle Peanut was tall and skinny. His clothes didn’t seem to fit well. He was a handsome man, but there was something dark about him. Sydney knew her uncle had issues with drugs. Her mother didn’t talk about it much. She loved her brother, but he wasn’t a big part of their lives.

Although he had a smile on his face, his tone sounded irritated. He helped her get into her mother’s car.

“Where are we going?”

“Home.”

Sydney was still so groggy. She laid her head back and closed her eyes. “Home,” she mumbled to herself as she drifted off to sleep.

Sydney woke up as the car hit a bump. She rubbed her eyes and glared out the window. Nothing looked familiar. “Where are we?”

“Tennessee.”

“Tennessee?” Sydney sat up in her seat. “You said we were going home!”

“We are! My home.”

“What about my home? Where’s all my stuff? Where’s my mother? We have to have a funeral.”

“Wasn’t no damn funeral,” Peanut huffed.

“What are you talking about?”

“Look, didn’t nobody tell you to lose your shit and go batshit crazy. You were in that behavioral health place for a month! What the hell was I supposed to do? Wait for you to get better and let my sister lie and rot and stink up the place? Hell no! I handled business. I had Tara cremated. Everything in the townhouse was packed up and put in storage.”

“Cremated? My mother didn’t want to be cremated!” Sydney cried.

“She didn’t want to get shot in the head either, but shit happens.”

Sydney couldn’t believe her ears. Her tears were so hot they burned her face. Her mother was gone. Her home was gone, and she was stuck with this madman.

“How could you?” Sydney cried.

Her uncle turned to her like she was the crazy one. “How could I? How could I what? Come save the damn day? I could have left ya ass in that place. But I said, ‘Nah, that’s my niece. I’ll take her home with me.’ And this is the thanks I get? I can’t stand teenagers!”

Sydney slumped in the seat. This could not be happening. This was just a nightmare, and she was gonna wake up soon. Sydney said a silent prayer, closed her eyes, and begged for sleep to come.

With her body still feeling heavy due to all the medication in her system, Sydney contemplated jumping out of the car. As much as she wanted to, she didn’t think she had enough energy to run.

Before long, they pulled up to a shotgun house that had definitely seen better days.

Peanut looked over at her. “What, you just gonna sit here? Shit, I got to piss!” He opened the door and got out, leaving her in the car looking crazy.

Sydney sighed as she made herself get out of the car. Before she got out, she looked around the car. It no longer smelled like her mother’s car. Her mother was meticulous and kept her car in pristine condition. Cigarette smoke and fast-food garbage filled the air.

Disgusted, Sydney got out of the car and entered the house.

“Oh, you finally decided to grace us with your presence?” Peanut was chugging a beer.

The slurping sounds made Sydney turn her nose up at him. Beer ran down his face. She wondered when he would wipe his damn mouth. Sydney looked around at her new dwellings. The walls were a dingy grayish light brown color. The house had the smell of stank mildew. She was scared to open her mouth and taste the air. It was that funky. She sat down in the chair closest to the door. The furniture was old and worn. The only thing halfway decent in the living room was a flat-screen TV that seemed out of place in such a raggedy place.

“Let me show you the place.”

Sydney just sat there. He had to be kidding, right?

“Get ya ass up, I don’t have all day.”

He wasn’t kidding. Sydney got up. Peanut showed her the two bedrooms and the bathroom. The room he assigned her to did look like it had a new bedding.

“My bitch got you some new bedding. You can thank her later. Her name is Michelle. You slept most of the ride. You hungry?”

“Sure,” was all Sydney could muster.

“Michelle will be here soon. I’m tired from all that driving.” Peanut headed toward his room and spun around quickly. “You don’t have a habit, right?”

“Huh?”

“Do you smoke? Pop pills? Get high?”

“No!” Sydney was offended by the asinine question.

“Good! ’Cause if my shit ever comes up missing, it’s your ass!” Peanut went into his room and slammed the door.

Sydney went back to her designated space. It seemed to be the most pleasant space in the house. She was thankful that his bitch, as he called her, thought enough to buy new bedding. Sydney sat on the bed, realizing she didn’t have her phone. She was far away from home and she was stuck! She cried herself to sleep.

The smell of deliciousness woke her up. Sydney knew it! This had all been a nightmare. She rubbed her eyes and jumped up. She followed the smell into the kitchen.

“Ma? Ma?” Sydney anxiously called out.

“Oh, hey, sweetie.” A woman she had never seen before smiled at her.

“You’re not my mother.” The disappointment was evident.

“No, baby, I’m not. I’m sorry to hear about her passing. I’m Michelle. Your uncle Peanut’s girl.”

Sydney looked around for him. She noticed his bedroom door was open.

“Oh, he’s not here. He probably won’t be back for a few hours.” Michelle dipped a spoon into the pot. “Here, taste this.” She damn near shoved the spoon in Sydney’s mouth.

Sydney jumped, but the flavor instantly calmed her down.

“How does it taste? Does it need anything?”

She shook her head. “It’s delicious.” She wasn’t just saying that, either. It really was.

“Oh, thank you, sweetie. Dinner will be ready soon.”

Sydney sat in the chair closest to the door again. She still wanted to run. But run where? Instead of running, she watched Michelle set up trays for them to eat. The girl actually fixed both of their plates and drinks and brought a tray to her.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, sweetie. You’re so polite. My kids don’t say shit.”

“You have kids?”

“Mm-hmm, I have four. They can’t stand Peanut. Girl, one time they jumped him when he tried to correct my youngest daughter. That’s why I come over here all the time. He can’t come to my house. My kids will kick his ass,” Michelle chuckled. Sydney found herself giggling too.

Michelle was short, about five two, 250 pounds. She had big boobs, big thighs, and a wide butt. She was cute as hell. Sydney couldn’t figure out why on earth she was with her uncle.

Sydney ate the concoction put in front of her. It looked like goulash. Whatever it was, it was delicious. “You’re a great cook.”

“Aw, aren’t you the sweetest. Thank you! That was my dream. I wanted my own soul food restaurant, but life happened. So I’m a CNA at the nursing home up the street. Don’t get me wrong, I love taking care of my old babies, as I call them, but I wish I had my restaurant. Your uncle said one day we’re gonna open up one.” She took a bite of her food with a sense of pride.

Sydney found out Michelle had her first kid at 12. Her kids were 21, 19, 18, and 15. Three boys and one girl. The 15-year-old was the girl and lived with her father.

Michelle told Sydney to just stay out of Peanut’s way. She said he went off on binges for days at a time. When he returned, he slept most of the time. Sydney didn’t know if she should be horrified or thankful that he wouldn’t be around much. Michelle did most of the talking. Sydney ate her food and listened. Matter of fact, she ate two platefuls.

“Now, you’re a very pretty girl. Your uncle has all types of characters in and out of here. Be careful. Some of these men creep me out, but this is not my house, so there’s nothing I can do.”

After dinner, Sydney went to wash dishes.

“You wash dishes, too? Oh, my God, you are the perfect child! I wish my kids would wash a dish. Sweetie, you’ve had a long day. I’ve got this. I went to the store ’cause if I left it to your uncle, you would starve. And I picked you up a few things since Peanut said all your stuff was packed up. I wasn’t sure of your size. He said you were a little bigger than my daughter. So I picked up leggings and tees. I got personal hygiene stuff, too. Oh, I grabbed some books, too. Peanut said you like to read.” Michelle got the bags out of the chair and handed them to her.

“Thank you.” Sydney happily took the bags into her room. She prepared to take a shower and get out of the hospital scrubs. To her surprise, the bathroom was clean. Probably Michelle’s doing.

The hot shower did her wonders. She snuggled in her bed. The crisp sheets welcomed her into a dream state.

The sounds of moans crept through the thin walls and woke Sydney up.

“Oh, shit! Yes, daddy! Fuck me! Fuck this fat pussy!”

Sydney made a face, realizing, oh, so sweet Michelle has a potty mouth. Well, she guessed she answered her question that she didn’t have the nerve to ask. This had to be the reason she was with him.

The sexcapade seemed to go on forever. Sydney pulled each end of the pillow over her ears. So much for a good night’s sleep.

Sydney had been in the house for days by herself. She was glad her uncle was gone, but she was a little disappointed Michelle didn’t bother to check up on her. At least she had food to eat. The hours seem to creep by. When her mother was alive, she stayed busy. Lying around watching TV didn’t interest her.

The stench of stale alcohol disturbed her sleep first. Damn, she was no longer alone, and it was obvious. Sydney opened her eyes to a really big dude who looked like he was raised in the Congo sitting next to her. Everything on him seemed extra large. His head, his eyes, his arms, his hands. The creepy smirk on his face revealed his true intentions. He was saying something, but Sydney wasn’t paying attention. She was scanning the room to make her exit.

Peanut had returned and he had company. Three extra men were in the house with her. Michelle was nowhere in sight.

Sydney started to get up, but Congo man quickly pulled her back down. The next sequence of events seemed to happen in a domino effect. Sydney could hear her uncle telling her not to be rude when she snatched her arm back from Congo man. She was met with a backhanded slap that made her see stars.

Before she knew it, she was fighting with all her might to no avail. Congo man was on top of her. He ripped at her clothes like a madman. His callous hands scraped against her smooth skin. He cupped her breasts and licked at her nipples.

Sydney fought. She cried out to her uncle for help. Congo man hovered over her, but she could see the skinny guy giving Peanut drugs. Sydney realized she had been sold to the highest bidder. Her body betrayed her and her pussy tingled from the sensation. Congo man’s fingers rubbed on her clit in a fast motion. It was hard for Sydney to tell her brain that it didn’t feel good. She was a virgin, and her clit pulsated against his finger.

With tears in her eyes, she cried to call out for help, but nothing came out. She could feel the burning from Congo man entering her, stretching her virgin pussy open, causing her to wince in pain. There was no longer any pleasure as Congo man shoved his oversized dick into the young pussy. He could tell from the tightness that Sydney was a virgin, and he loved it. It made him even more brutal.

“Hurry up, nigga! I want a turn!” the guy in the kitchen with the drugs hollered.

“This my pussy!” Congo man growled.

Sydney lay there . . .