Clash(1)

"We got a problem…?" Vail asked, his voice dancing delicately between the lines of jest and seriousness.

"I think we're good…. What do you say, boys…?" Ezekiel responded, rubbing his palms against the hoods of their roaring cars.

The officers exchanged uneasy glances, their eyes darting between each other and the gang of bikers encircling them. "…yeah…yeah…no problem at all," one finally stammered. In unison, they holstered their guns and, with palpable tension, retreated to their respective cars. The sound of engines starting filled the air as they hastily drove away, their cars fading into the distance.

Sawyer let out a deep sigh of relief, feeling as though his life had just been narrowly spared. Ezekiel rushed over to him. Placing a firm right hand on Sawyer's shoulder, he asked, "You good, bro?" his voice tinged with worry.

"…yeah…who were those cops?" he asked, trying to steady his breath, still rattled from the sight of guns aimed at him.

"They work for a rival MC," Ezekiel explained, his voice edged with frustration. "They're under their payroll. They typically hand us over to the rival MC. They're crooked cops."

"…why come after me though?? I'm not even officially a member of the Mac…" Sawyer wondered aloud.

"…About that… The biker that the other guys were chasing got away. He must've described you to his chapter president as a member and not just a bystander," Ezekiel explained, his tone grim.

"Screw riding around the city at night for fun… we should ride on this rival MC," Sawyer fumed, his rage palpable. He slipped his gloves back on, dropped his visor, and with a sharp turn of his key, his bike roared to life. He soon became a blur in the distance.

Vail stood next to Ezekiel, their contrasting ages and heights being shown on display. "That text you sent last night…think we'll have to do it?" Vail asked curiously, his voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper.

"No, I think he's in this now," Ezekiel responded, matching Vail's hushed tone. With a determined nod, he too mounted his bike, the rest of the gang following suit, their engines turned over, the sound filling the once fading silent air as they sped away.

Sawyer rushed off his bike and stormed into his house, anger radiating from his every step. He furiously made his way to the bathroom, his breaths coming in quick, shallow bursts. Staring at his reflection in the mirror for a tense ten seconds, the mounting rage finally erupted within him. With a yell, he smashed the mirror, shards flying in all directions.

He began pacing back and forth, his nerves raw and his mind racing. His thoughts spiraled, each one stoking the fires burning within him. 'Why… why the hell did I ever doubt myself!!!' he screamed internally, his fists clenching so tightly his knuckles turned white. He pump-faked a few punches into the air, the frustration coursing through him seeking any outlet.

He angrily slumped onto the couch, resting his head on his two balled-up fists. Time seemed to slip away like a silent film, the day dissolving into night as darkness settled around him.

'To think… this is the last time I'm doubting my judgment… never again,' Sawyer vowed to himself.

A sudden knock at the door snapped him out of his trance-like state. He rose and peered through the peephole, his heart pounding until he confirmed it wasn't the cops from earlier. Opening the door, a few members of the brotherhood stood at his door.

"You serious about getting payback?" Vail asked curiously, a slight smile playing upon his face as he studied Sawyer's demeanor.

"Yes," Sawyer responded without hesitation. M The brotherhood members parted, giving him a clear path as he walked out the door. He headed toward his bike, clad in his light gear: a silver helmet gleaming under the porch light, a black hoodie concealing his frame, black four-inch shorts, black gloves, and a pair of regular black skating shoes.

He flipped down his tinted visor, its darkness rendering it almost useless against the night, the gesture stood only to make him even more menacing. "I need you to lead the way, please," he said respectfully, his tone firm yet deferential toward Vail.

Vail cracked a smirk before swinging his leg over his bike and firing up the engine. "To the 'Hellhounds'!" he commanded. The rest of the bikers, including Sawyer, followed suit.

Among the fifteen riders, Sawyer moved with intensity, his passion palpable, it mirrored even in the aggressive purr of his bike. They punished forward, heeding no traffic laws as each of them was focused on the mission ahead them, weaving through the city streets with reckless abandon. To them, the world outside their mission seemed to blur and fade, every turn and throttle twist bringing them closer to their goal.

They each pulled up quickly, a sense of urgency hung heavy in the air as they reached behind their waistbands. The higher-ranking members deftly retrieved Glock 19s, sleek and deadly in their grasp, while others brandished large knives, some dulled from use, others honed to a razor's edge. Ezekiel, unholstered his gun from the front of his waistband and hurried over to Sawyer, a faint crease of worry etched into his brow.

"You sure about this?" Ezekiel asked, his tone tinged with concern. Sawyer's gaze swept over the rival gang's bikes, then shifted to the club they had gathered at, their laughter and revelry serving as a stark reminder to what was done with him, what could've been had his group not arrived. Once again, fury coursed through his veins.

"Yes," Sawyer responded with unwavering seriousness, his conviction clear as he locked eyes with Ezekiel. Ezekiel hesitated for a moment, his gaze shifting before he reached behind his waistband, retrieving a large, identical knife like the others.

"You need something to at least protect yourself… it'll be dangerous in there. Be careful of the shots going both ways. Just as possible it is for another enemy to shoot you, it's also possible for a teammate to hit you," Ezekiel cautioned.

Before Sawyer could walk away, Ezekiel added one last thing, his tone light but tinged with underlying seriousness. "And remember, since this isn't yours, I expect you to come back alive and give that knife back to me," he said, cracking a light smile and chuckle.

"You guys ready?" Vail called out as they approached the imposing black double doors of the bar. Sawyer and Ezekiel exchanged a brief glance before turning back to face Vail, nodding in perfect synchronization. A burlier member of the gang, his dark brown, scruffy build topped with spiky short hair, clad head to toe in black attire, kicked the door open with a heavy force. With a resounding thud, the doors swung open, revealing a den of bikers within, engulfed in a haze of smoke that practically obscured the room from view.

Despite the thick smoke clouding the air, Ezekiel's gang reacted swiftly. Gunshots rang out, bullets whizzing past Sawyer with an unprecedented speed, forcing him to seek cover against the dark grey walls outside the bar. Inside, Vail, Ezekiel, and a handful of other members exchanged gunfire with the rival MC.

The battle raged on unabated, the symphony of gunfire and the cries of the wounded creating a nightmarish cacophony. Death loomed in the air, an ever-present specter as the two MCs clashed. Only the occasional pause for reloading broke the relentless rhythm gunfire.

'The sounds of people dying feel almost unreal to me, like I was living within the nightmare of someone else. But this is what I wanted, right… Nothing I could do anyway could stop this, this was inevitably going to happen sooner or later,' Sawyer's thoughts echoed in his mind, a bitter realization settling over him amidst the chaos of the battle.Despite the thick smoke clouding the air, Ezekiel's gang reacted swiftly. Gunshots rang out, bullets whizzing past Sawyer with an unprecedented speed, forcing him to seek cover against the dark grey walls outside the bar. Inside, Vail, Ezekiel, and a handful of other members exchanged gunfire with the rival MC.

The battle raged on unabated, the symphony of gunfire and the cries of the wounded creating a nightmarish cacophony. Death loomed in the air, an ever-present specter as the two MCs clashed. Only the occasional pause for reloading broke the relentless rhythm gunfire.

'The sounds of people dying feel almost unreal to me, like I was living within the nightmare of someone else. But this is what I wanted, right… Nothing I could do anyway could stop this, this was inevitably going to happen sooner or later,' Sawyer's thoughts echoed in his mind, a bitter realization settling over him amidst the chaos of the battle.