One man, wearing biker gear and tearing up the streets leaving a trail of smoke, sped along the deserted highway.
He was a lone wolf, choosing not to be in a clan but to ride on his own. He bore no colours, just a simple leather jacket with embroidered flames crawling up its back. A red bandana covered his face, deep dark brown eyes piercing the road before him in a concentrated manner. For now he would ride until nightfall; by then he would have set up camp in a location where he felt secure enough to sleep.
Amongst the roars of his bike only birds settling for bed could be heard singing joyfully in the trees. The sky was golden, with a few clouds coloured yellow by the setting sun.
A bend in the road before him caused him to lean his bike to the right and avert his gaze. Something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He noticed a small group of people with one person standing between them. This person was being pushed around; not uncommon in these areas.
The man on the bike did not think twice as he prepared to continue roaring on by.
Something wasn't right though, for as he passed he saw that the person in the middle had extraordinarily long hair for a male. This caused him to think that the person was a female. To his own discomfort, he found himself feeling guilty that he merely sped by. Abruptly the breaks on his bike squealed as he pulled on the break lever. His bike came to a stop quickly, but did not hold still as he twisted the handle on his handlebars. Now the bike twisted in spot, a full 180 degrees and then shot forward, the engine once again roaring loudly.
The group of people he had seen came within distance quickly, his bike reaching a speed of over one hundred and twenty miles per hour. It would be only seconds before he would reach the group harassing the lady. Skidding to a halt, he turned his bike off and waited for them to notice him.
Most of the people in the group turned to watch the man on the bike approach, smirks and snarls plastered about their facial features. Only two remained to keep hold of their would-be prisoner. The rest of them walked forward a few feet and stood in a line, daring the man to step forward.
No one was prepared when the man on the bike quickly pulled out a handgun from his vest, aiming it directly at a man on the far left of the gang. He let several rounds fly freely from the handgun. One bullet lodged itself into the man's kneecap. He fell over with a groan, one of his mates falling too a moment later. The rest were carrying no firearms, and rushed forward brandishing an assortment of weapons. Four men rushed forward; two with bats, one with a chain and the other with a broken bottle.
The biker suddenly reached up and over his shoulder, pulling a long but thin metallic object forth from leather strapping. He brandished this new weapon with ease, manipulating the pole between several fingers, sending it twirling about with expertise.
Reaching forward with his free hand, his palm faced the sky and his fingers bent inwards. He spoke for the first time, his voice deep and loud.
"Bring it." was all he said. That was all it took to drive them towards him but wilder yet.
The thug with the chain raised his hand over his head and brought it down, cracking the chain like a whip. His attack was thwarted by the metallic object coming down upon the chain as the biker stepped to the side. The chain wrapped itself about the pole the biker brandished. He pulled upwards and stepped back quickly, wrenching the chain free from the man's grip. Now defenceless, the would-be assailant ran off without a weapon, fear taking over him.
Because of one simple motion, the group that had been harassing the lady ran off. The two who had held her were dragging away the men who'd been shot in the knees. Only the woman and the lone biker remained. He made a move to step forward, and the woman quickly stepped back and away from him. The red bandana hid his face well; she was unable to tell if he merely wanted her to himself.
Seeing the woman's fear him, he turned away from her, placing his weapon back in the strapping that hung across his chest and back. He wasn't interested in her name or where she was came from. She was wearing torn clothing; obviously an outcast or lone traveler.
The bike roared to life and he was about to speed away when he heard the woman shout. Instinctively he turned around, hand rising to his back, his fingers curling around the metal pole. Instead of another would-be attacker, the woman stopped in her tracks, having run to get his attention.
"Take me w-with you..." she mumbled, her voice barely audible over the bikes roar. Her hair was messy, but underneath the matted mess was what looked to be a cute face. She was a girl of maybe twenty years old.
"I travel alone," he said, turning away from her again.
"Wait!" she cried out, this time running all of the way to him in order to grab his arm. He turned to face her and she let go immediately, shying away and looking at the ground.
"I need to get out of this area. It's not safe for a woman like me," she said quietly. There was a brief moment of silence before either of them spoke again.
"I will take you to the next city, about five hours away from here." His voice came out deep, but not as intimidating as when he'd spoken to the men who had surrounded her moments ago.
"Thank you!" she said gratefully, stepping towards the bike. She swung her leg over the seat and sat directly behind him, her arms at her sides waiting for instruction.
"Put your arms around me. We will be going fast, to make ground for the time we've lost." he said, abruptly speeding up to a quick pace of a hundred miles per hour once he felt her arms about his waist. At first she was timid, but when the bike pulled forward she held tightly, pressing her entire smaller body against his back.
*****
Several hours later the sun had fallen behind the mountains surrounding the road. They took a turn off the highway and ventured deep within the trees. When they came across a small clearing with what seemed like enough space to provide a fire and tent, they chose to stay for the night. A single light from his bike shone brightly upon their makeshift camping grounds.
The nameless biker placed his bike amongst the trees, completely hidden except for its light that lit up their entire camp area. Once he had made a fire large enough to keep them warm and provide light, he turned off the bike to let it rest for the night.
