The Path to Hell... (TCoR)

Chapter 5
Standing outside the Chosen's clubhouse, Iva felt like a lost child as over a dozen bikers bustled around her, hurriedly preparing their rides for the impending raid on the Granado Cartel. Safe from view behind their barbed-wired walls, members openly carried various assortments of weapons and destructive equipment back and forth as they scrambled to be ready on time. It went against every fibre of her being, as both a police officer and a moral citizen, to simply stand by and watch the war preparations continue. Not that she would have been able to do anything even if she wanted to, of course.

A few metres to her right, her brother was making a few final checks to his own vehicle. However, due to no ordinary motorbike being able to support his massive bulk, he rode a custom three-wheeled buggy-like contraption which was as primitive yet intimidating as Orc's name suggested.

"How are you feeling, Iva?" Weasel asked as he skulked up to her side, smiling his usual mischievous smile. "Lost? Confused? Wondering where you went wrong? Don't worry, none of this is your fault. War was always inevitable. Just be thankful you're on the winning side..."

Iva gave him a glare as stony as the concrete beneath their feet. "You do realise that whoever survives this conflict will recieve life sentences once the police get involved, right? There are no winners in this."

Weasel only shrugged in response. "We'll see. Perhaps thinning the herd might benefit both sides."

Iva may have imagined it, but she thought she caught him glance knowingly at her brother as he said that last part. But before she could call him out on it, Orc's booming voice filled the clubhouse courtyard.

"ALRIGHT BOYS LISTEN UP!!! WE GOTS SOME CARTEL BOYS TO SMASH, AND I AIN'T GONNA STOP UNTIL EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM ARE DEAD!!! I AIN'T ALLOWING ANYBODY WIMPING OUT ON THIS, SO GET YA GUNS AND CHOPPAS READY!!! WE'RE LEAVING!!!"

There was a loud chorus of roars and cheers from the Chosen as they mounted their bikes and assembled beside their President. As she wondered what to do, Iva saw her brother waving her over to him with a single meaty hand.

"You're coming with," he ordered, patting the space behind his seat. The small storage space was hardly up to code, but with little choice in the matter she reluctantly squeezed in between the various containers. It wasn't like she was going to wait behind as her brother ran loose anyway. At least now she would be able to make some calls without getting interrupted, though the background noise would no-doubt be awful.

"Alright lads! Let's get going!" Orc roared, as two Chosen recruits slid open the chainlink fence to the outside world. With one last ear-splitting cheer, the Malal's Chosen Motorcycle Club roared out of their fortress of solitude and onto the cracked roads of Windpath's slums once again.



Twenty adrenaline-filled minutes of riding later, a horribly nauseous Iva felt her Scroll vibrating in her coat, and after fumbling with her earphones for several moments finally managed to get into a state to hear the incoming call over the deafening sound of a dozen roaring engines.

''"Detective? Where are you? What's happening?" ''

"Inspector Silva? I'm sorry, I was just about to call. Is something wrong?"

''"I've been getting reports that the MCMC have left their clubhouse. Are you with them? Where are they going?" ''

Iva looked around at the scenary constantly flicking past her as Orc shot down a delapidated countryside road. "I'm kind of wondering that myself. We're heading...eastbound, I think. My brother's leading the Chosen in a rather confusing route, probably to avoid being followed." Then, in an urgent voice. "Inspector, listen to me! Orc's on the warpath! He's riding to destroy the Cartel for attacking me and I think they're..."

"Hold up! You were attacked?! This is serious news detective!"

"I know! That's why I need you to mobilise the taskforce - and I mean everyone! I tried my best to stop this outcome, but all we can do now is try to contain the carnage before it bleeds out onto the streets! At this rate, the whole city could be engulfed in a massive turf war!"

Iva had to practically shout over the noise, but from his sigh of regret Iva knew the Inspector had heard her plea. "Understood, detective. I'll notify them now. We need to nip this in the bud before it gets out of hand. Good work so far, Miss Ravenwood. Stay safe, you hear me?"

"Crystal, sir."

She hurriedly ended the call, anxious that one of the members riding nearby might have seen her. Thankfully, it seemed nobody was bothered enough to pay attention to her as they focussed on not overturning their large choppers on the thin country lane.

Suddenly, Iva felt the bike beneath her jerk forward and to the left, almost sending her sprawling out of her seat. By sitting backwards she hadn't realised that they had been approaching some kind of abandoned park, and had been surprised when Orc had abruptly turned to the side in order to park. Upon looking up, Iva could see why.

The two roads circling the park were blocked off by dark vans, guarded by heavily armed men and women dressed in sharp black suits and dark shades. In stark comparison to the personalised items of the Chosen, each adorned with personal momentoes and trophies, the suits were bland and rigidly uniform in their dress, reflecting the traditional order of the Diavolo Clan. And while each of the Chosen carried their favoured melee weapon and the occasional pistol, the people opposite them were equipped with state-of-the-art military-grade automatic rifles, all of which where pointed in their direction.

Iva took all this in from her exposed position atop Orc's bike as she contemplated the living hell she had just found herself in.

"Well...shit."

(TBC)