Turning my back, I hastily begin to make long strides toward the clubhouse before the loud and alarming sound of rapid gunfire has me turning around to grab my baby girl. Racing toward her, I scoop her into my arms and lay on the ground, shielding her little body with mine. “Everybody get down! Now!” Harmony’s cries and screams underneath me can be felt as she wiggles out of fear attempting to go somewhere, anywhere away from here. The endless assault on my clubhouse and family that resides inside seems to go on for an eternity and as this club's president I am helpless. “Bane!” I holler out as I glance up and see him lying protectively over the other two boys. I watch him speak something to them and as he cautiously raises his body up, they scoot theirs backward, down further into the bank of the stock pond. We’re in sync with one another and I know what’s coming next, and it’s for the best. “Uncle Bane is gonna come get you and you’re to go with him and stay with the boys until we come back to get you. Do you hear me?” Harmony nods and as I finally see her little face, it’s stained with dirt-traced tears. “I need you to be my strong girl, my Outlaw.” She nods again and I squeeze her tight once more. Bane stands, racing to me where I hand my daughter to him and he takes her over to where the boys are.
Once we feel they’re hidden, we begin to run in a slouching position toward the clubhouse with our guns drawn as we scan the area. The gunshots have stopped and as we get closer, I hear the screeching tires as rubber burns against the pavement. I barely catch a glimpse of the small black car as it speeds off. Nobody is running out from inside the clubhouse and this frightens me even more. I can only hope Aurora hasn’t made it yet.
As we push our way into the bullet riddled door, there’s nothing but blood and bodies everywhere. “Aurora!”
“Harlow!” Bane calls out seconds after me.
Aurora
Moments before...
Shots come out of nowhere. I had just found Harlow and we were making our way toward the fishing pond when all hell breaks loose. I feel the pain of a bullet as it breaks the flesh of my skin. Then, someone rams into me from the side and lands atop of me. I can feel the blood flow freely from me as my eyes begin to dim. I know that I’m dying, I can feel my lungs as they fill with my life force. Bubbles of blood begin to form on my lips as I attempt to call out and check on my friend. She’s deathly still, as her body lies on top of me. Harlow tried to save me, but I fear she has sustained some life-threatening injuries of her own in the process.
My mind shifts to my daughter first, all the things I’m going to miss out on, the things I’ll never teach her and experience beside her. I want to fight, I want to hold on, but can feel my body losing this battle. This can’t be the end of my story, the tragic way my old man will lose me is heartbreaking. I hear Rogue shout out my name as he skids next to where I limplessly lay. My limbs have become heavy, my eyes are trying to close, only I know that once they do, they’ll never see life again. I feel Harlow’s weight removed from me as strong arms band around me and a hand begins to rub soothingly over my head, fingers moving my blood-stained strands away to clear my face.
“Aurora, don't leave me, please, baby.” I wish I could concede to his begging, but I know there’s no saving me now. Each breath is a struggle, my lungs are filling and the lack of oxygen is stealing my future away from me.
“Love you, love our girl, love...baby.”
Rogue
Anger pelts me. Overriding me as I hold my dying wife in my arms. When the last breath leaves her, my body begins to tremble in outrage. Someone just stole my everything from me, from Harmony, from a future we have planned. Rora was doing nothing more than simply living her life, she never caused harm to anyone. No enemies. She was perfect, loving, full of life and spread joy wherever she went and lit up everyone’s life she ever met.
“No!” I bellow out, my voice echoing around me as tears break free, flowing down my cheeks. I don’t wipe them away, I don’t try to hide them, instead, I let them fuel me and encourage the retribution that will happen.
Chapter Five
Rogue
My emotions these last few days have taken me on a ride I never signed up for, ever. Learning that Rora was pregnant and had literally just found out mere hours before her life was stolen from her and us leaves me questioning if my own life is even worth living anymore sometimes. Our family would’ve been and should still be growing, but now that is all history and hard to accept. But, when those thoughts seep into the darkest corners of my mind, I look at my daughter and remember exactly why I have no choice. Telling Harmony about the loss of her mother was the hardest thing I’ve ever faced. I had no answers to all of her questions. I can’t explain why someone chose to steal her mother away from her when it should’ve been me. At the end of the day, nothing about this makes any sense.
Harlow is still in the hospital recovering from her injuries. She lost the baby and they had to remove her reproductive organs. The gravity of this news was so unbearable that she has been temporarily placed in a medically induced coma; leaving Bane to make funeral arrangements for their now deceased son. Bane is beside himself, overcome with the surmounting responsibilities now resting upon his defeated shoulders. He’s yo-yoing between anger and grieving the loss of his unborn child and any future children they could’ve had.
The club is nothing more than what’s left of our men walking around like zombies. They all know this could’ve been their old ladies; their children mourning the loss of mothers. There’s also an urgency to find our mole, our betrayer, but that’s been on the backburner while I plan my old lady’s final rest. But one thing I do know is that Marx hasn’t been seen or heard from since that tragic day. Seeing as he was Aurora’s detail at the time, my mind has wondered if he too met his fate that day. Naturally, he’s the first one I want to both question and possibly strangle as he had one job; and that was to protect my wife with his own life. However, before I allow unwanted thoughts to plague and cloud my mind, I must focus on laying my sweet Rora to her final resting spot. Our plots were chosen years ago, most of the decisions have been previously made, leaving me with some sort of peace that I desperately cling to throughout this unwanted journey filled with travesty. Harmony isn’t sleeping, she’s waking up reliving that day over and over again. The screams that leave her small lungs each night have me unraveling at the seams.
I’m not sure how much more either one of us can take until we finally snap. My daughter hardly eats, she’s scared to close her eyes, she doesn’t play with her toys nor pay attention to her friends when they come by. I can’t leave her side without her having a complete melt-down. She’s scared that if I’m out of her sight for any period of time, I won’t be returning to her.
The fact that the fear she has is possible, worries me for her and what will happen to her if I’m no longer walking this earth. She’s become a shell of the little girl who once was so full of life and laughter. What frightens me the most is the sunken cheeks, the dark circles forming under her eyes… a child on the cusp of turning six-years-old shouldn’t carry the burdened look of an older woman.