The Story of Blood and Roses

"I'm still warming up. We'll see what this demon is worth during the race. This is just a trailer." The excitement slithered through my veins as I saw the bright lights ahead.

Headlights.

The bunch had stopped moving.

We were the last to reach, but lucky enough to see the irritated looks on everyone's face. Anthony's head was hidden behind that tinted helmet of his. His posture screamed 'smug'. He was sure of that he would end up victorious. He was a competitive man who would never go down without a fight. His superiority complex would be the end of him if it was not for his hard-headed intent on winning every single fucking time.

It was later when I felt Sean shifting off the bike that I realized that Ethan was at the crown of the crowd. His bike was parked at an odd angle and the other bikes stood behind him. He played with an odd looking piece of cloth in his hand while leaning against that bike of his.

I silently parked the bike at the end of the messy formation.

Ethan took a few moments before he started to speak in that booming voice of his.

"Hello, bitches!" The collective snickering broke out from the crowd. "We're all gathered here today to beat some biker ass and race towards the cash." The hollering ensued. "But there are fucking rules!"

"No one deviates from the designated route."

"No one hurts any civilian."

"No one hurts another participant during the race."

"You go as fast as you can."

"May the odds be ever in your favor!" Whispers broke out and people laughed at the enthusiastic little ending. They took their positions, as did I. I felt the weight of the event pressing down on me. This was a serious matter. It was like one of those rituals that held deeper meaning that no outsider could understand. I was an outsider. I'd eventually get the hang of it, I tried to soothe myself.

This was a bonding session, of sorts; each testing their loyalty to the other. Competition brought out the truth behind every mask. It was a tactic to comb through all the members of the mob and prune out the rotten ones. Pride, I decided, was the key factor. It was a matter of pride, too. As an outsider, I had no other reading into the matter.

What sounded like a loud 'go,' echoed through the air, followed by the growl of engines being pushed to their limits.

I felt Sean squirm behind me as I brought the demon to life and whizzed past a few of the contenders. Adrenaline pumped as the distance between the final destination and we decreased. I realized that it was time to test the limit of the little demon that purred in satisfaction between my legs. Gripping the handle tighter, I accelerated it until I felt like I was flying. I could hear Sean squealing behind me. The poor kid was holding on to me for dear life, but I didn't let that deter me. I pressed harder and harder until everything became just a blur. The roaring turned to shrieks. The sirens sang in my ears as I saw glimpses of bikes falling back. Nothing was fast enough. Nothing except that one bike that sped right beside me, often overtaking me and speeding away for moments. The flash of bronze was all it took. Everything became sharper at that moment. Harder and harder, the demon broke through all limits, giving Anthony a hard time.

I saw his face constantly moving from me to the road. I saw the woman behind him clutching on to him, his helmet on her head. His head was air blown, an explosion of bronze swiveling with the winds around him. I took up too much time concentrating on that, I realized.

Adrenaline pumped harder, constricting everything within me to push harder. Anthony won out, speeding away, not far, but enough for me to know that we were losing. I doubted that Sean would be able to find the cash before her.

She was a gold digger, right? Who was better in sniffing out shit worth something than her? I thought a bit bitterly. Yes, it was pride. My pride hurt knowing that I wasn't winning and they were.

That wouldn't do.