PART 1: The Scrape That Didn’t Belong

Red Hollow Customs sat at the far edge of Briar Creek, Kentucky, where clean pavement dissolved into gravel and the town quietly stopped caring. Officially, it was a motorcycle repair shop. Unofficially, it was the stronghold of the Iron Vipers MC, Blue Ridge Chapter.

That afternoon was thick with heat and oil fumes. Five men worked without speaking, moving in sync like a machine that didn’t need commands.

At the main bench stood Marcus “Steeljaw” Reed, Sergeant-at-Arms. Tall, broad, his jaw reinforced with metal from a wreck years back, he rebuilt a carburetor with steady hands.

Nearby, Luis “Torch” Alvarez welded, sparks raining. Nolan “Ghost” Price sorted parts silently. Wyatt “Clutch” Moore swore under a touring bike. DeShawn “Brick” Turner, the youngest prospect, swept the floor.

It was calm.

Then the sound came.

Not an engine.

Not metal.

A scrape.

Plastic grinding against gravel. Stopping. Starting again.

Marcus looked up.

A small figure stood at the bay entrance.

A boy. Maybe nine or ten years old.