This is the story of how I died but don’t worry this is actually a very funny story, well in hindsight maybe.
It all happened on a pretty miserable Friday, I’d had a wild Thursday night which was becoming par for the course and I only started to rouse when this incessant series of dings kept repeating. I hadn’t recognised it but it was my phone, a call that I’d been waiting for for weeks, and I was almost too out of it to care, even though I was finally getting somewhere.
Once I finished up with the call, I had to rouse myself pretty quick and get the chick in my bed up and out. No time for the hangover threatening to actually take hold, there was business to attend to.
The rain wasn’t quite bouncing off the tarmac but not far off it, not great for motorbikes but I couldn’t go in anything else, it would be a dead giveaway and not worth the ribbing I’d get for it. It was a pretty smooth ride considering, it was only about twenty minutes but with the death grip I had on the bars and the sheer force of focus that I was using, it felt like a lot longer.
As I pulled up into the lot of the clubhouse I had to push myself into relaxing, as if I’d done this kind of journey a thousand times before. Hook was there, under the awning, a smoke between his lips, he came over, his large hand on my shoulder before I’d even stopped the bike.
‘You ready for this kid?’ His gravelly tone felt reassuring, put my mind back on task
‘Born ready’ sometimes I despised myself for doing certain things, saying things like that had to top the list.
It didn’t take long for everyone to get going, they must have felt just as bad I did but when Shortie calls you come and you look sharp, no matter what kind of pounding is going on in your head. I’d become a fully patched member just recently, the prospect badge switched out for a club logo, the Corona Killers mascot a fiery sun behind a blazing horse loud and proud in prime position on the leather vest.
‘The Gothel Ghouls want to meet, talk shipments, this is our chance to take power and extend our territory. Everyone stay on the ball, I don’t want to look weak in front of these idiots. Rider stay sharp and stay quiet.’ Marching orders, it was my first time out with them like this but I already knew not to draw any attention to myself. It didn’t take everyone long to get on our bikes and get out of there, I was at the back of the group, a sign of my place but at least I was there and not tidying up from the party the night before, luckily that job fell to someone else now.
It was a fairly quiet spot, not entirely secluded because then it was less likely to turn to violence, but enough that no one should stumble across us meeting. They were already there when we showed up, Patchy was stood casually leaning against his bike as if it were any other day but I could see the rehearsed look about it, he was anything but casual. His brother Sideburns was to his left also looking twitchy like anything that moved suddenly would set him off.
‘Looks like Sidey is getting back to his usual self’ Hook muttered to me
‘The sideburns are coming in nice eh gotta be excited about that.’ If he had been a nicer man you would think it was a shame, but as it was most of us just got a good laugh at his expense. Sideburns was hairy all over but loved his sideburns; as the name suggests; he had got drunk and made some nasty comment to a chick in a bar, who proceeded to slip him something and then shave him top to toe.
A look from upfront stopped me from saying anything else, it was time for Patchy and Shortie to discuss the particulars, which meant we were in for a bit of standing around and hoping that nothing kicked off, I looked as if I was barely paying attention, but I was cataloguing everything I could, any detail that I thought might be important. Just as they were getting into a discussion about the suppliers, we heard an engine coming closer.
‘Hook, Rider, go check that out.’ Shortie’s command was out before Patchy could even open his mouth. I was pissed that I was having to go, I’d be out of hearing range but hopefully, they wouldn’t talk any of the more important points until the unknown was taken care of. We walked toward the through road and heard the engine slowing down, a little city car pulled up, a couple not too far off my age, looking like they had no idea where they are. Hook got closer and tapped on the window, he had put on his approachable face, ‘Hey you folks lost?’.
‘Yeah we got a bit turned around out here, could you put us back in the direction of the main street?’ The guy was trying to act totally cool like nothing about this situation was phasing him, we could both see right through it.
‘Sure you just turn the car around take a left at the end, along two blocks and make a right, you should…’
‘Eugene?’ Her voice was simultaneously the most amazing and the worst thing I had ever heard “Eugene is that you?’
Hook looked up at me with a confused look that I was trying my best to emulate, ‘Nah I think you’re mistaking my friend Rider here for someone else.’
‘No I’d know Eugene Fitzherbert anywhere, we went to school together,’ She then looked me straight in the eye, ‘It’s Max, remember, we had quite a few classes together.’ How could I forget, I’d had a crush on this girl practically all through school and she looked even better now. ‘I take it the cop thing didn’t work out?’ Unfortunately, she’d also just landed me in a heap of trouble.
Twenty guys, unbelievable firepower and one target, there’s nothing that will unite two different sides quicker than a very hated common enemy.
Flynn Rider was officially retired and Eugene made it out with only a few scrapes and two wasted years.
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For this years A to Z challenge I am doing retellings based on Disney characters.
This post was inspired by Eugene Fitzherbert from Tangled. You can find out more about my challenge here.
A to Z Challenge 2019
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Great tale! I really felt the tension there.
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