Chapter 2: Race Night
Friday night was race night, it was also fight night but what gave them adrenaline jolts was the race. A 3km race across the city, everything goes. After moving drugs or any other illicit items and committing more felonies the entire week the race was their way to recuperate, catch up and raise across to their fallen comrades. Their family was started by a bunch of outlaw bikers and they seemed to not forget their roots on Fridays. The race was illegal of course in case the police showed up it was God for them all but everyone on their own and in case they got caught speaking to the cops it was a shot in ones foot. You’d be banished forever if you were lucky to have their ruthless Don Knox Hale in good spirits. But on a bad day, getting caught and talking to cops turned you into a corpse.
All the members of the iron serpents could be identified by a snake tattoo winding down their fore arms. They were enjoying a bonfire on one of the streets, resting on their bikes with alcohol, cigarettes and girls on their laps waiting for their leader to arrive and the race to begin.
You could feel the anticipation in the air when a black SUV slowly approached with full lights. There was a pin drop, the fire kept razing the tires, the music stopped and all eyes were on the car. The trigger happy of the bunch had their fingers on the triggers just in case it wasn’t the company they were expecting. But it was. The car stopped and Jackson or Jax as they all called him was the first one to alight. He was the right hand man of the Don, the second hugest ranking member of the family with whom their friendship was built on a foundation of trust and loyalty. He opened the back left door and When his boots hit the ground, the atmosphere turned jubilant. The bikers performed dangerous stunts circling their leader, the smell of gasoline and burning rubber hit the air and Knox stood on the bonnet of the vehicle with a cowboy hut hiding his face but the serpent’s on his arms visible. In a black sleeveless leather jacket, black tight pants and black shiny boots a red helmet in his left hand. He raised his right hand to signal a stop to the celebrations.
“This is our city. This is our time. We run this town. Tonight it’s race night!”
The members interrupted with cheers and a cacophony. They were surrounding him and at the forefront were pretty girls from all over the city, they were drawn to him like eve to the serpent and each of them was hoping to be lucky enough to end up in his bed later that night.
“It’s been a minute since I raced” he paused dramatically, the stakes were always high whenever he was involved and he was known to live his life on the edge, danger was his middle name and death was his closest friend…After Jax maybe or before no one was sure about it.
They all broke in a chant, “We want Knox! We want Knox! We want Knox!”
“And you get Knox tonight” he put on his helmet and jumped on the bike that Jax was holding on standby.
As usual before the race he showed off his skill, some stunts none of them were crazy enough to try and only him could do. At the end of it Knox jumped over the blazing fire leaving them with their mouths wide open, their eyes almost popping out of their sockets. He was on the starting line and those who were bold enough joined him the rest were supposed to cheer. It was a race that was going to change all their lives.
Eleanor
After five minutes of being driven in the trunk of a Toyota, the car stopped and from far I heard my captor arguing with some people.
“What do you mean the road is closed? Are you the police or something. Get your crazy asses out of the way!”
Having survived off instinct alone for the past three days I decided on one last attempt to free myself. With the little energy left I hit the door of the trunk with my knees and it miraculously flew open. A wave of fresh air hit my nostrils but I didn’t have time to take it all in. I rolled out and fell on the tarmac with a thud pursing my lips to avoid another sound from escaping. He was still busy arguing which gave me room to escape. With my hands still tied behind my back and my sling purse under my armpit I ran like hell. I took the next exit avoiding the main road to the dark alleys where I managed to free my hands and the first thing I looked for was the chain stiffed under my bra.
“Yes!”
It was still there. I almost did a little celebratory dance while staggering away leaning on the wall for support, the drug was beginning to work as it was intended and my senses were weakening the more I crawled in the dark with no particular direction in mind as long as I got as far away from him as possible. When I got back on my feet again I was on the road, it was dead quiet, closed shops, street lights made my eyes ache, my head was swirling and like a vampire afraid of the sun I staggered to the next dark alley that was in front of me.
“Stop!” I heard him shout from behind the echoes of his rumbling voice filling the air. There was no way in hell I was letting him catch me again.
Did I say hell?
On the main road at the end of the alley a set of moving headlights splashed on my face from a distance, I could hear a roaring engine approaching but I had lost control of my feet.
Knox Hale
A few meters away from the finish drunk girl just showed up from one of the alleys and she was staggering on the road trying to avoid the light but not the sound. I tried my level best to swerve and avoid hitting her but it was too late she went to the very side I didn’t want her to go, my brakes couldn’t save her too as the tires screeched on the tarmac. The front wheel missed her but the back one hit her in the air she dropped behind me with a thud while I slid on the tarmac the bike sparking a flame. I could smell blood, burning rubber and gasoline as I finally stopped on a street lamp and quickly ran back to check on her.
“Bring the car. She needs a hospital!” I ordered the next guy who arrived to check on me.
Her face was covered in blood and she didn’t have pulse but her grip was tight on her purse. Even in the brink of death or in death itself she still left me stunned me in someway.