Chapter 6: Welcome To Temperance
The Roadside, Temperance, South Dakota....
Brick took a few moments to drain the main vein along the side of the highway as he veered off toward the open grassland and swiftly unzipped his jeans and took hold of the enormous trouser snake that had been within. He grunted in relief as the steady stream of dark yellow urine was expelled from his formerly aching bladder. His keen eyes took in the sight of the surrounding land and the up cropping of a town a few miles out. He smirked when he noted the quiet little place not far from the road sign where he'd chosen to relieve himself and the almost faded black lettering on the formerly white square sign that read "WELCOME TO TEMPERANCE". It was interesting to see that they had made it all the way to South Dakota on their random journey and now were set to enter the apparently sleepy town of Temperance.
Brick smirked at the sign and turned his attention back to relieving himself along the highway making sure to mark his territory as he did before traveling back toward his bike, a very impressive black Harley-Davidson Classic Road King, and climbed back on.
"We heading into Temperance huh?" asked Rooster with a strange grimace on his aged face. The thick white beard and equally long white hair that lined his head made him look quite menacing and the expression didn't help any.
Brick nodded smirking at the older man.
"Seems about as good a place as any to stir up a bit of trouble." he said. "Besides it's right through to the route we need to pick up the latest shipment and get our money."
Rooster, whom had just one good eye blue in color while the other had been white and adorned via a scar across his cheek, nodded as he saw the logic behind the latest pit stop.
"Alright." he said before repositioning his bike. "We ride where you ride....as always."
Brick nodded and turned his attention back to his own bike. He revved the engine and smirked as he turned his attention toward the sleepy town in the distance. His crew followed suite anticipating what further means of trouble they could get into invading another town of unsuspecting mortals.
It was already a hot day and closer to the hour in which sundown would prove to be something of a handful for the lot of them. It was best to get indoors or at least somewhere they could unwind after being on the road since earlier that morning.
Brick and his crew weren't in the least impressed with small town living, but found them to be places of the most unsavory secrets and a short term means of acquiring cash via a ruse about looking for temporary work before the town eventually paid them to leave due to all the chaos that they brought to the place.
The sound of each of the bike's roaring along the highway filled the air as Brick lead his crew at the head of the formation into the sleepy town of Temperance, South Dakota. He had not been particularly impressed with the place. It looked to be as empty as any town he'd previously been in if not smaller than a hundred people and surprisingly clean as he and his crew made their way down the main street.
He pulled up to the local diner obtaining the collective stares of the townsfolk in short order as he powered off his bike and stood up, further intimidating them with his impressive height and physique. The rest of the gang had taken their cues from him and they all parked their bikes and ventured inside the little diner, which had been more or less the only attraction a tourist would flock to in a town with nothing much more to offer aside from the beautiful countryside scenery.
Brick was quite an imposing man with his silver cross chain and silver wolf's head ring with red rubies for eyes as he moved about the thankfully air conditioned place. It smelled of fresh food especially eggs, which were a favorite among the group as they were easy to come by. Brick sat down in booth followed by everyone else getting as close to him at the table as possible.
"Best behavior boys." he instructed them. "You too, Goldie."
She blew him a kiss and turned her attention back to her newly arrived menu as the staff moved to accommodate them.
One of the young waitresses approached them and Brick turned his attention to her.
"What's the specials here?" he asked.
She seemed to be in awe of his vest and the patches that were labeled Prez and First Claw.
"Miss?" he said taking off his sunglasses for the first time since he entered the place. "I asked you what the specials were here."
The waitress blinked for a few moments before turning her attention to what was written on her clipboard.
He got a glimpse of the name tag on her shoulder and that she was regularly called Phoebe. She seemed stunned to see anyone that looked like them in her quiet little town and vastly full of innocence. Brick found this amusing but he'd been more interested in eating due to the long ride from the early morning and the fact that his stomach was growling as loudly as his bike roared on the way over.
"Oh...the specials are two sandwiches one ham, egg and cheese." said Phoebe apparently snapping out of her trance. "And the other fish and bread.
"I'll take a burger if you got it, meat medium rare with all the trimmings." said Brick with a smirk.
The other members ordered their respective meals, which he had not heard as he'd been taking noted of the strange moonlike charm on the end of Phoebe's necklace. She wasn't his type by a long shot, but it appeared that Gearhead had taken a liking to her and smiled from his menu when she met his gaze and smile with one of her own.
It was just as well, Brick wouldn't have been so kind to a girl so clueless in the first place. He had a reputation of sorts that garnered him the secondary nickname of "Loveless" as he seemed to have an aversion to it in any sort of form.
Brick didn't mind it, to him it simply meant more freedom to do what he wanted when he wanted it. The occasional late night hook up notwithstanding. He leaned back against the cool red leather booth chair and caught the end of Rooster ordering himself a mug of coffee. It seemed the old man had still been out of sorts since the early morning ride and needed something of a boost to get going again.
While it seemed to go without say, Brick admired his father's old friend. He had half inspired him in his youth to seek his adventures out in the world and thus was the main reason Brick decided to head out of the confines of the pack and his father's dominate rule. Of course being the Alpha's son did have it's perks, he was seen as the de facto leader by his own peers and they seemed to take to his guidance like a duck to water.
Ironclad kept an eye on the bikes from his view of them at the table. He remained the imposing figure of silence he'd been when they were at home and Brick appreciated him enough to allow him his space. Something the Alpha never did when it came to barking orders and relentless patrols.
He was a gruff as they come, a mighty black beard covered his leathered cheeks and his almost eagle like eyes were always focused making him ready to strike at a moment's notice if things ever go by the wayside.
Taz and Goldie were busy making out, she had climbed into his lap while he gripped her well formed ass in front of everyone, it seemed they were more interested in devouring each other's respective tongues than the food being served, much to the chagrin of the patrons whom had taken to staring and commenting in whispers about how scandalous the scene had been.
Doc seemed to focus more on the menu and making a few notes of health choices as he looked over the group watching them. There were more than a few cases of "Heart Attacks waiting to happen" looking back at him in the form of the overweight men gorging on fats and red meats before them.
Riffraff seemed to be in awe of the other waitresses that moved about with the food in their hands. Whether his interest was in them or the food remained to be seen. His thin rat like appearance and ghastly pencil thin mustache and faustian goatee had been off putting as it was but the layer of grime on his skin from his lack of bathing had been even worse.
Gunner and Rooster began their usual banter about the good ol' days when riding with Fitz Kenneally and all the trouble they got up to in their respective youths.
Brick was amused by the tales of the two old men whom had been with him since his childhood.
It wasn't long before the waitress, Phoebe brought his food along with the food the others ordered and Rooster's coffee. He had examined his burger sniffing it carefully and inspecting the meat before sloppily wolfing it down as he glared at the staring townsfolk and wandering tourists whom had stopped by for a quick bite to eat as well.
He smirked as he began chewing with his mouth open choosing to forgo his manners on purpose just to make the people even more uncomfortable. It wasn't a bad burger or a bad lunch to say the least but he'd had better.
Still, he was quite interested in exploring the town a bit before they headed back onto the highway.
"Welcome To Temperance" indeed.
Chapter 7: An Obnoxious New ArrivalThe Roadside, Temperance, South Dakota... Layla Quinn had a long day and wasn't in the least looking forward to what was awaiting her when she returned home to the two-bedroom yellow house in the middle of the woods that she shared with her father and his annoying slobbery rottweiler. She barely managed to get through the final stretch of class before her mind went completely blank in terms of having mental burnout from being overwhelmed and decidedly stressed due to her day. Lunch was the only positive thing about it and even then they had to talk about their respective upcoming classes. When the school bell rang it was a bittersweet experience as she knew that the day was only going to begin all over again and she'd have to part from her friends who had their stuff to do as far as after-school work and chores are done.With her mind now on the subject of work, Layla looked at her watch and sighed knowing that if she had not hurried she'd mi
Chapter 8: First SightEarl's Diner, Temperance, South Dakota... The moment Layla Quinn looked up from wiping down the front counter, she couldn't help but roll her eyes at the sight at the opposite end of the diner where she had taken note of the owners of the various motorcycles that were parked outside. It didn't take much to convince her that they were a group that had been nothing but trouble from the looks of them, even the blonde who had a fondness for exhibition with her boyfriend looked to be of the trouble-making sort. Of all the ruffians clad in black leather that she took note of, none had stood out more than the apparent ring leader who seemed to be the most laid back of them all as he turned up his brown glass bottle of beer as his dark eyes seemed to peer into her very being as she stood at the front counter unsure how best to proceed as she returned his gaze. It was an odd thing, she had forgotten what she was supposed to be doing and couldn't seem to take he
Chapter 9: Uncanny HeroicsThe Back Alley, Earl's Diner, Temperance, South Dakota... Grey eyes met those of terrified blue only briefly as Brick found himself quickly approaching the scene where Layla Quinn found herself held at knifepoint following her decision to get some much-needed air outside the nearby diner after attempting to sort through feelings that seemed to spring upon her out of the clear blue sky shortly after coming into contact with Brick for the very first time. The fury that filled the newly arrived werewolf had been so intense that his grey eyes shifted into a glowing red as he rushed over toward the distressed Layla catching the knife-wielding psychopath off guard and ramming him via his neck into the dumpster and proceeded to pound the already thin frail man into the ground with raging fists. He had not recalled much aside from the blood oozing from the bastard who had dared to attempt a robbery, and the sheer terror that was filed across the face of the youn
Chapter 10: A Sea Of Confusing ThoughtsThe Quinn Residence, Backwoods, Temperance, South Dakota... Finally making it home after the long day she had and the events of the diner, Layla had not been surprised to see that Jarrett left the house a complete mess for her to have to spend hours cleaning despite everything she'd already had to do at work and school before she even got to finish her homework. She sighed as she stepped inside the stuffy old yellow house and began her long-labored task of cleaning it before her father returned from his rare job appearances. He had let the rottweiler out into the backyard and tied him up to his dog house, a small favor if ever there was from him. He knew that Layla had a lot to clean and that she and his dog had not been best friends. His desire to see the house cleaned trumped his need to make his daughter feel uncomfortable about bringing anyone over while he'd been away. For once Layla was glad of it after everything that happened wi
Chapter 11: Making Something Out Of NothingThe Local Bar and Grill, Temperance, South Dakota... Brick Kenneally sat alone at the bar while his fellow gang members enjoyed their respective drinks and time with the ladies who had taken a liking to them. His mysterious grey eyes were intently focused on the dark brown liquid that swirled about in the fat round glass he clasped so tightly in his right hand. A thick layer of white smoke filled the place due to the constant addition of various cigarettes that had been lit all around him. The neon glow of the signs did little to combat the semi-darkness that filled the place and the soft echo of the music from the nearby jukebox played in the background mostly ignored by all aside from those closest to it in a range that could hear the song. Everywhere there was chatter and people hugged one another kissing and so forth. Brick continued to stare down into the bottom of his glass as he thought back to the afternoon in the alley behind
Chapter 12: A Dreamer's HeartThe Backwoods, The Quinn Residence, Temperance, South Dakota... Alone in the house, as night began to overtake the last lights of the afternoon sun, Layla Quinn found herself in her bedroom with many a textbook and notebook spread along her bed as she lay back against the pillows with her pencil having dropped from her grasp and onto the nearby floor following her dozing off after finally completing the last of her homework. She'd finally finished her English essay when sleep caught up to her and remained so for several hours as the day gave way to night and there was still no sign of Jarrett coming home despite the house being cleaned from top to bottom. Layla found herself awakening after being startled by her dream as once more she found herself back at the diner with the older man clad in a biker cut, she seemed to have memorized all of his patches and then some as he pressed her up against the nearby wall their tongue's warring as if both of th
Chapter 13: The Price Of A CollarThe Sheriff's Office, Temperance, South Dakota... Folded fingers moved through the loops of Brick's jeans as he awaited the arrival of the county Sheriff following up on the events of the previous night when he brought in the junkie who had attacked the young waitress from the diner. Brick leaned against the nearby wooden wall, his cut against the grain, and his heavy black boots dug at the heels into the hardwood floor as he waited for the sheriff to make an appearance following a previous call to an emergency. He had not been as patient as most who had visited the office and was more than anxious about being there due to his checkered past of sorts, but he needed to make sure the junkie would be held accountable after what he'd done to the young waitress. Sheriff Marian Tillman seemed to have seen better days as he approached the station with a grim expression filed across his dazed and frown-driven face. He was a lawman of average size with
Chapter 14: The Pros And Cons Of An Unconventional RelationshipForest Lake High School, Temperance, South Dakota... Layla was fortunate that her father had not returned from the previous night out and that she didn't have to worry about having to clean up the house after his insistence upon making it a mess every chance he got. She'd gone to school and suffered through the most mundane aspects of her day before finally getting to have a break via lunch. Casey had been busy with cheerleading practice once again and couldn't join them, but everyone seemed to understand that her life had been pulled in different directions ever since they made it to high school. As they sat and chatted about events from the past and what was to come with the new school year due to the one they were in was only a few months away from coming to an end, Layla seemed more or less preoccupied and her friends had immediately taken notice. "Something on your mind Layla?" asked Derrick already going