GangLouds, Chapter 1: A Family Business

>It has been one hell of journey for the two siblings, but they've made it. They stole a sport-bag full of junk, ran away from their owners and sold it back to the concurrence. All that in less than a week, yet not without difficulty.
>Lincoln and Lynn were standing at the top of a hill, admiring the city they now lived in, the evening breeze blowing on their hair. Lincoln then pulled out a bottle of vodka out of his jacket that he bought up earlier on to celebrate their first successful "deal".

>"Now what?" asked Lincoln placing the bottle to his lips
>"Now? Now, we're in the business, bro!" sneered Lynn, placing a hand on his brother's shoulders
>"Looks like we are..." calmly stated Lincoln, a light smile on his face "Though I don't feel too much like working any more for the Damned MC."
>"What do you mean?"
>"Don't get me wrong, Luna's friends are cool. But I want more than just being an associate to a biker club filled with middle-aged metheads&Gulf war vets"
>"You mean you want to join another gang?"
>"I don't know. Maybe..."
>"Well, we could! What do you have in mind?"
>"Well, let's see. There are the Arabs, I get most of my weed merchandise from them."
>"Too secluded. We won't fit in." replied Lynn as she shook her head
>"The Puerto Ricans or Mexicans..."
>"Badass people they are, but see point above."
>"Chinatown's mob..."
>"That's a way to explore. I got connections via the street racings."
>"Hmm, I can't think of anything else."
>"How about we join the Italians or the Irish?" suddenly asked Lynn with enthusiasm "You know, to have the whole "honour your roots" thing?"
>"Lynn, our ancestors were French Canadians and Swedes."
>"Then let's join the French Canadian Mafia!"
>"There's no such thing as a French Canadian Mafia!"
>"There is!"
>"Oh what do they do? Smuggle moonshine-maple syrup across the border?"
>"Have you even looked at the price of maple syrup in convenience stores?"
>"That's not the point!"
>"Oh, whatever!" yelled out Lynn throwing her arms in the air in frustration
>After a moment of silence, Lincoln added
>"Well... There still are the black families."
>"Out of question. We're not working with the blacks." sharply answered Lynn
>"Lynn, not cool." grunted Lincoln in embarrassment
>"You're forgetting the fact that the pack of junk we sold to the MC were theirs."
>"Oh...touché."
>"Besides, even if I wanted to, we can't work with blacks! Look at us!"
>"Lynn..."
>"This is how the underworld works, bro! And society in general!"
>"You're just wrong... And a bit racist."
>"Linc, even fairytale morals say it! The Fox and the Hound: You may be buddy with whoever the fuck as a kid. But once grown up, you eventually have to stick with your own ethnic group!"

>Lincoln couldn't do anything but stare at his sister in awe from hearing her statement.

>"...What the fuck, Lynn?"
>"I KNOW!!! If we can't find ourselves a matching gang, how about we form ours?" exclaimed Lynn as she stared back to her brother, eyes lit
>Lincoln kept his flabbergasted expression. That was a lot of data to take in in less than a minute.
>"You mean, like: us two?"
>"And Luna!"
>"Oh right! Sure, give a wake-up call to your hotriders friends high on speed 24/7, I'll bring up with my crew of potheads students in humanities and Luna will come with her debauched intoxicated punks so we can rule over this city!"
>"I think it could work! We'll become like the Daltons!" confidently said Lynn with a smile on her face
>"And The Daltons got fucking wrecked after a heist gone wrong..."
>"Because they weren't the LOUDS!" said Lynn, as she playfully punched her brother's chest when pronouncing their surname

>Lincoln thought about this last sentence. Should they give it a try, form their place in this ruthless city?
>When they were kids, Lincoln and his sister often pretended to be super-heroes, police officers or avengers.
>Now there they were, about to become the villains. But for some reason he couldn't point out, he wanted to try that, take the "Bad route", for once. Let's triumph over the evil from the inside.
>As seconds passed by, Lincoln felt more and more confident into this plan. When he snapped back to reality, Lynn was only inches away from Lincoln's face, eagerly waiting for a response.

>"What do you think?" whispered Lynn who could barely contain her excitement.
>"What do YOU think?" responded Lincoln with a grin "Ready to give up on society?" he asked back as he shown his fist to her sister
>"Fuck society! We got the Louds!" answered Lynn, bumping her brother's fist
>Both siblings chuckled in satisfaction and admired once more the glowing city before them. Lincoln chugged one more sip out of his bottle.
>"Some of the Louds, for the least." corrected Lincoln
>"Yeah, let's keep Leni out of that." agreed Lynn
>"...And Lily."
>"True."
>"And I don't think Luan would want to be part of this either."
>"And Lori shouldn't know about that."
>"Oh, no.
>"Definitely not."
>"Maybe let the twins uninvolved for now, as well."
>"Yeah, good point."
>"So wait, how many this makes us, so far?"
>"Uh, well. There's you me, and Luna for sure. Hopefully, we can convince Lisa to "work" for us... I don't know about Lucy, maybe she'll join us."
>"So, this hypothetically makes 5 out of 11." noted Lincoln
>"Eh, I had worse grades on average." shrugged out Lynn
>"Yeah... And look at you, now."
>"Hey!" grumbled Lynn as she took the bottle of vodka from Lincoln's hands before taking a sip
>"Hmm... Absolute Vodka, eh? Swedish brand. Nice. You're making our ancestors proud, Linc."
>Lincoln inhaled, about to rant at her sister's stubbornness, but realizing the futility of it, gave up and let out a sigh


----One week ago----

>"That's great to hear!" said the the white-haired young man to his correspondent over the phone, with a genuine smile on his face
>"It sure is, Linc."
>"And how's the campus, you're making enough friends. Are you?"
>"I can't complain. Though Californians are quite freaky"
>"Yeah, don't hang out too much with them. You're even starting to grasp their accent."
>"Shit, am I?" laughed the discussion partner, yet with a tone of worry
>"You are." affirmed Lincoln
>"Aw, dangit! I miss my sweet-old Midwest..."
>A moment passed as both sides of the phone laughed it out. After a short silence, Lincoln's contact continued:
>"I really miss Royal Woods, though..."
>"Homesickness happens to everyone..."
>"For real, I mean: Hanging out with you guys, going at the arcade, the movie theatre, the comic store, the park... I miss doing all this stuff"
>"Yeah... Forget about the park, though. Only predators and crack dealers hang over there, nowadays."
>"Shit, really?"
>"Eh, what do you want? Latest years haven't been merciful on Michigan."
>"It's sad to hear that"
>"I know."
>The discussion was once again replaced with an awkward silence.
>"Welp, morning classes are starting soon. I'll have to hang up." said the voice on the other side of the line
>"Alright, I have to make sure I do something out of my day, anyway." replied Lincoln as he swiftly took a look at his hand wrist watch: 8:23 AM.
>"Sure thing. It was nice to hear again from you, bro."
>"Likewise."
>"Hey, we should chat more often! We haven't talked in what... years?"
>"I... don't think we have talked since you moved out for San Francisco, yeah." confirmed Lincoln
>"That's been like... 2 years and a half! We shouldn't let this happen again, dude! Call me anytime you want; college's schedule has been gentle on me this semester."
>"I got you. See you later, Clyde."
>"Cya!"

>Lincoln pressed to end the call, and sighed out of nostalgia as he looked over his phone.
>It had indeed been 3 years since he and Clyde got out of high school. His mind went back on the days when they used to hang out together all the time. Good times.
>10 years have passed since then, and a lot of things happened in this decade.
>New presidential elections, new policies, new economic crisis, then new social crisis.
>Some say that Michigan became a parody of itself.
>But actually, it's the parody of the state itself that turned into today's Michigan.
>Massive unemployment, corruption, class gap... Clyde's parents were smart, lucky and wealthy enough to leave the state for the west coast.
>Lincoln's family had neither the ways, nor the courage to do so and had instead to face the crisis like any middle class family could.
>Not feeling like drowning his parents' wealth in college fees nor investing half of his life's assumed earnings in student loans, Lincoln decided instead to move Downtown looking for a job
>The best he ever found was being a shop-assistant at a florist. And his contract ended two weeks ago after the shop closed.
>Now, his sole income was from the weed he was selling to college students and some of his high school acquaintances.
>Lincoln sighed once more, tilting his head backwards, and profited the occasion to admire his room's ceiling.
>Chipped paint, mold on the upper corner by the window, spider web between the lamp and the wall.
>At least the heater worked.
>The apartment he shared with two other room-mates was no luxury hotel, but at least the rent was affordable for the 3 low-lives they were, while not being the ghetto either.
>Lincoln's daydreaming was suddenly interrupted by his cellphone buzz. He turned the screen on to see what notification was it: "1 New message from Lynn"

>"Hey bro! I'm down your street! Wanna have breakfast together ? :p"
>Lincoln smiled at the idea of seeing her sister back. Spending time with his family was therapeutic.
>Another day saved from staying alone in his room; at best jacking off to porn, at worst drowning in self-pity and feelings of worthlessness.
>"Sure! Give me 10 min to put on some clothes! :D" texted Lincoln back
>Lincoln put down his phone and reached for his pants that were lying over his desk. As he was tightening the belt, he received another message:
>"Clothes are for the weak! Get out naked! Show your true colours to the wooooooorld ! :O"

>Lincoln chuckled at his sister's message. But even as a joke, there was no chance he'd show up outside naked. Not in November, not in Michigan.
>After putting on an orange hoodie and some cargo pants, he headed out of his room, where he met one of his room-mates, dressed in a suit, tightening a tie around his neck.
>"Oh hey Lincoln!"
>"'Sup, Marco. Another job interview?"
>"Yep! That's the one! I'm sure of it!"
>"Nice, good luck on that"
>"I won't need your luck, this time, friend!"
>"Haha, right"
>"Yo, Linc!" said the third room-mate as he got out of the apartment's toilets
>"Oh, hey Tyrus."
>"What up doe?"
>"Eh, nothing much. Was planning to get breakfast with my sister, probably spend the rest of the day with her."
>"Alright, good on'cha. Hey, hey! Before you go, you got some of dem gans left?"
>"Uuh, sure. How much do you need?"
>"Here. I got 10 bucks on me, just hit me with a gram."
>"Yeah, let me get it."

>Lincoln went back to his room, pulled a backpack from under his bed full with dime bags filled with weed. He took one of them, and threw it directly to his customer's hand as he got out of his room.
>"There you go!"
>"Thanks, fam! I gotta go though! Might not be here tonight. Some party's going on!"
>"Have fun!" said Lincoln to his room-mate as the latter left the flat

>Marco, who remained silent during the "deal" process threw a quick glance at Lincoln
>"Something's wrong, Marc?"
>"You should try to become something more than a street maria dealer. You're capable of such'a better"
>"Hey, I do what I can to pay the rent."
>"Just be careful. Drugs business never end good."
>"Hey, I'm not a cocaine smuggler, yet."
>"... Yet?"
>"I have ambitions." jokingly said Lincoln in a dramatic voice
>"Just take care, boy. You're more than this."
>"Yeah... I'll consider it." mumbled Lincoln as he left the apartment

>Lincoln went down the stairs of his flat, thinking of Lynn. He hasn't seen her in a while either. In fact, he hasn't seen any of his sisters for the past month.
>Lynn, just as Lincoln did a couple of years later after her, decided to leave the family estate and try her luck in professional sports.
>Her expectations fell from high when she realized the real sport industry was nothing but rigged games and steroids. But she definitely submitted when one of her friends, who refused to "ease his game off" before a match in exchange of money had both his legs broken with a fire extinguisher.
>Nowadays, Lynn was earning her life mostly in underground street racings.

>As Lincoln got on the pavement, he pulled out his phone to text her sister:
>"Where are you?"
>"I'm here you dummy" said a voice behind him
>Lynn was leaning against the wall next to the building's door. She was wearing black padded trousers, riding boots and a red jacket which had protections on the elbows, back and chest.
>"Oh hey Lynn!" exclaimed Lincoln as he came close to her sister for a tight hug
>"How you've been doing, bro?"
>"Can't complain... Well I actually can and would like to, but that wouldn't make a difference, anyway."
>"Haha! Never change, Linc."
>"So, where do you want to eat?"
>"You know where!"
>"Oh... That place?"
>"Of course! I'm sure you haven't came back to this place since the last time we've been there together!" said Lynn as they started walking down the street
>"Eh, I'm a busy guy." shrugged Lincoln, embarrassed to admit that Lynn was right
>"You barely live 15 minutes away from the coffee shop! My bunk's at the other side of the town and I show up there more often than you!"
>"Well, good on you."
>"Come on, "Mr Busy guy"! It'll be fun!"

>The siblings kept talking all their way til the said coffee shop restaurant.
>It was a classic one, like you'd find everywhere in the United States.
>Only this one had one particularity dear to the Louds sibling:
>"Good morning!" shouted Lynn as she got inside
>Seconds following Lynn's call, a scream, followed by a series of running steps could be heard originating from the kitchen, before their author could be spotted
>"Hey Leni" said Lincoln while waving his hand
>"EEEEEEEEK, Lynn! Lincoln! I'm so glad to see youuuuuuu!!! How are you two doing?" squealed Leni as she hugged tightly her little brother and sister
>"We're good Leni, thanks." answered Lincoln as he broke the hug
>"A table for two, por favor!" exclaimed Lynn
>"Pancakes for me."
>"For me too, with coffee and scrambled eggs!"
>"I get you all of this right now!" answered Leni while heading back to the kitchen, giving a wink to her siblings
>"So..." started Lincoln as they sat down at a free spot "Still doing your underground racings as I can see from your outfit."
>"Yep, I had one earlier in the night." confirmed Lynn, as she rubbed her eyes. The night has been short for her. "I didn't got time to go change myself and to bed, actually"
>"I can smell that."
>"Hey! Well, judging YOUR attire, I see you're still nothing better than a pot dealer." answered back Lynn with a smug face
>"Times are tough for everyone... Except for those fucking college guys."
>"Well, if they have enough money for student loans, they have enough for buying your pot."
>"I swear to God, some of those spend more money on weed than I do on food!"

>They interrupted their discussion as Leni reached their table with hands full of plates.

>"One scrambled eggs for you..." declared Leni with a melodic voice as she put down the plate in front of Lynn
>"Thanks, Leni!"
>"And pancakes, with your favourite jams! Raspberry for Lynn, Apricot for Lincoln!"

>Both pancakes plates had smileys on them drawn with the jam. A treat that Leni always did to their siblings whenever they passed by
the coffee shop, which they loved.
>"And here's the coffee! Bon appetit!" said Leni as she left once more

>Both siblings silently watched their sister walk back to the stoves.
>Leni left the family home when she was 20, and attempted to start her studies in haute-couture.
>However, dreams and reality rarely mix, and she had to give up on her goals soon enough.
>But she didn't blue out. And instead, decided to start a coffee shop with a couple of her friends.
>The revenue wasn't much, but she was happy, and making other people happy with her smile and joyful attitude, which was what it was all about.

>"So... Tell me about that race." asked Lincoln
>"It was a motocross one, by the trailer park near Verrazzano Woods."
>"Oh..." winced Lincoln. If that trailer park was known for anything, it was for its ruthlessness, drug epidemic and unwelcoming community. Not a place he liked thinking about his sister hanging out at.
>"Well... I could have won... If it wasn't for that idiot who crashed himself in front of me!" grumbled Lynn as she hit the table with her fist in frustration
>"I had to brake so he didn't pass under my wheels... Man, I shouldn't have! We were on the last loop!"
>"Come on, Lynn. You wouldn't kill someone just for a victory... Wait. Actually, you totally would."
>"I bet thousands on my own victory... Now I'm fucking broke." sighed Lynn with a pinch of sadness in her voice
>"Sorry for your loss." said Lincoln as he sipped coffee from his cup.
>"Hey, it's good. I found a way to make it up. Which is why I called you!" said Lynn with a grin

>Lincoln looked at her sister leaning over the table. He didn't like that grin. It was the one she always had when she wanted to involve him in her shenanigans.
>And most of the time, it always ended with him agonizing on the floor, or both siblings being grounded

>"Go on..." sceptically said Lincoln
>"The fucker who ruined my victory. Before the race, he was talking about an abandoned mansion. Apparently there are some treasures over there!"
>"Lynn, you want us to loot a building?"
>"Come on! You used to love Ghost Hunting! It's almost the same!"

>Lincoln had to face it, he was thrilled with the idea of exploring an abandoned house. But looting? That was another thing

>"Where's even the mansion?" asked Lincoln
>"Runyard Street, East side."
>"Runyard Street? EAST SIDE? Lynn, this place's like, a third world country!"
>"A deserted third world country. There'll be no one! Come on, it will be fun!"
>"I don't know Lynn..."
>"Ugh, fine. You can just spend the rest of your day selling pot to your friends in sociology."

>Oh no. Lincoln knew this strategy of Lynn's but too well: "The faux resignation". She'll admit defeat and then make her puppy ey-
>Fuck. And there she goes.

>"Alright, alright! I'll come with you. But I tell you, I have a REALLY bad feeling about this."
>"Don't worry, Linc! I'll protect you from the evil!" jokingly said Lynn as she imitated a super-hero pose
>"Heeyyy, hermanos!" shouted Leni as she arrived at the table and sat down by their side "I'm on my break. What are you guys talking about?"
>Lynn looked back at Lincoln with a vixen smile: It was up to him to find an answer
>"Oh, uh... We were thinking of... Paying back a visit to Mom&Dad some week-end!
>"Yep, exactly" confirmed Lynn as she ignored the daggers Lincoln was throwing at her
>"Oh, yes! We totally should! I haven't seen Lily, like, in ages!" said Leni with an excited voice
>"Well. I'm sorry, but... I've stayed up all night." said Lynn as she stretched her arms "I think I'll go home and catch some rest."
>"Oh, already?" asked Leni, who couldn't hide her disappointment
>"Don't worry, sis. I'll come back soon. Promise
Lynn tightly hugged Leni, then went to give one to Lincoln
>"I see you tonight, Linc." she whispered at Linc's ear
>"Oh, and Linc! The bill's on you, Cya!"
>Lincoln raised his hand to catch his sister back, but before could say anything, Lynn had already left the restaurant.
>Lincoln lowered his hand in defeat and sighed.
>"She's going to be the end of me..."
>"Don't worry, brobro. The breakfast's on the house." winked Leni at her brother
>"Heh, thanks Leni. To be honest, I'm tight on budget, right now."
>"Hey. If you have any problem. You can come and see me. You know that?" said Leni in a comforting way, holding his little brother's hand
>"Thanks, Leni"
>"Anytime, Lincy."
>"... Hey, Leni."
>"Hmm?"
>"You think I can have some more pancakes?"
>"You'll have to pay for those ones."
>"Aw."

---19 hours later---

>Lynn and Lincoln were walking along the empty streets of a decaying neighbourhood. Lincoln was remaining alert as he inspected the surroundings, his head twitching left and right every 10 seconds.
>Houses in shambles, abandoned lawns with weed reaching the height of his waist on them, scrap vehicle parts and car wrecks, an occasional lost soul wandering on the other side of the street.

>"Lynn, I'm going to be totally honest with you, I'm freaking the fuck out."
>"Calm down bro. We're almost here."
>"You've been saying this since we entered the East side, an hour ago! This place looks like a fucking warzone!"
>"Runyard Street, that's the one. Right over there." said Lynn as she point the next turn on their path

>Lincoln observed the street. Nature was claiming her rights back in here. Most houses were mere piles of wood planks covered with ivy, grown-sized trees were standing in the front lawns and the backyards turned into actual groves.
>The road wasn't even straight anymore.
>"This is our place." said Lynn, showing a house that was somewhat still standing
>Lincoln took a look at the home: It was a rather large house, and in relatively good shape compared to the neighbouring ones. Doors and windows were barricaded with planks.

>"I have such a bad feeling about this, Lynn."
>"It's gonna be okay, Linc. Here have this." said Lynn as she pulled out something wrapped in a handkerchief out of her bag and held it to her brother
>Lincoln unwrapped his new present and suddenly froze
>"Lynn... Is that... A gun?"
>"Hey, we're still in the wrong part of Motor City, aren't we? Ghetto ghosts can be bad-ass!"
>"Lynn, what the..."

>Lincoln couldn't even ask any of the so many questions that were running on his mind right now as he saw Lynn forcing the way in with a crowbar to detach the board blocking off the entry.
>"There you go!" said Lynn with pride as the board fell inside the house with a loud *THUD*.
>"Let's get inside"

>The two siblings quietly made a few steps in the house. Lincoln turned on a torchlight he brought with him and handed an extra one to his sister.

>"Man, this place IS spooky." deducted Lynn as she observed the fine yet broken furnitures in the living room
>"So what is this treasure they were talking about?" asked Lincoln "I mean, what kind of treasure could we find in an abandoned house in the middle of a no man's land?"
>"You'll see" answered Lynn with a grin as she walked up the stairs

>Lincoln quietly examined the ground floor. Something seemed... Odd.
>The board Lynn broke down was barely holding with only a couple of nails. Some parts of the furnitures didn't have this much dust on them, a trash can on the corner of the room had beer cans in it that still smelled of alcohol.
>Some people were in this house less than a week ago.

>"...Lynn?" called Lincoln, worried
>"Over here, Linc!" shouted her sister from the upped floor
>Lincoln got up the stairs and entered a room to see his sister, with a sports bag at her feet.
>"Found the treasure!" she exclaimed as she kicked the bag that slipped til Lincoln's feet.

>Lincoln lowered to open the bag, only to find it full of squared-shaped packets, wrapped in plastic foil and duct tape.
>Lincoln cocked his head in confusion, taking a sample in his hand to give it a closer look.
>As he realized what it was, his eyes widened and looked at Lynn.

>"Lynn... That's dope."
>"I know, right?" proudly said Lynn as she put her hands to her hips and swelled out her chest
>"No, I mean REALLY, Lynn. That's actual dope."
>"What?"
>"Those are fucking drugs!"
>Lynn looked at her brother in disbelief, before her eyes widened as she realized something. She then started to rub the back of her head in embarrassment
>"Uh... This is awkward. To be honest, I thought it would be-"
>"Lynn, are you trying to get us killed?!"
>"Listen bro, I was thinking that-"
>"HEY WHO DA FUCK IS HERE!" shouted a voice at the entry of the house

>Both siblings froze in horror as they heard footsteps going up the stairs. None of them knew what to do.
>Only seconds later, a black man was inside of the room, staring at the two siblings, who stared back at him.
>Both parties stood immobile for a couple of seconds before the newcomer pulled out a knife out of his belt

>"Yo, fam! We got some trailertrash looting our sh-!"
>"EYYYYAHH!"

>Lincoln saw Lynn jump to their attacker, swinging her crowbar straight into his jaw, knocking him out instantly.
>He cringed as he heard a *crack* from the impact. This man's jawline must be in a liquid stage, by now.
>Lynn was panting, still trying to realize what she just did as she looked at the unconscious man, lying at her feet.

>"You... you think I killed him?" asked a shivering Lynn
>"If not, you made sure he'll wish to." answered an aghast Lincoln, still standing on the same point
>"Let's... Let's..." stuttered Lynn
>"Let's get the fuck out of here."
>"Yeah..."

>Lynn and Lincoln walked out of the room, but as they reached the staircase, they saw this time a Hispanic man who was about to get up the stairs, probably concerned by the previous calling.

>"Motherf-" let out the new offender
>Lincoln's mind raced as he watched the man down the stairs move his hand behind his back, reaching for something
>It could be a gun.
>It could be a wallet.
>It could be his phone.
>He could be scratching his ass for all he knew. But he had less than a second to react:

>*BANG BANG*

>Lynn watched the man down the stair's body fell on the floor. As she turned to Lincoln, she saw him shaking, holding the gun she passed him earlier.

>"Linc... Did you just..."
>"YO MAN, THERE'S SOME CLAPPING IN THIS BITCH!" said a voice outside in the street
>"Oh fuck."
>"Lynn, we got to move out of here!" said Lincoln as he took Lynn's hand

>Suddenly gunshots were head outside of the house
>"HEY, THE FUCKING MIGUELS ARE HERE, FAM! THEY BE STEALING OUR STASH"
>"What the hell?" muttered Lynn

>Shortly after, gunshots were heard, but originating from another side of the yard, followed by spanish slurs.

>"TE VAMOS A MATAR, PERRAS!" could be heard further down the street
>"Lynn, we got caught in the middle of a fucking shoot-out!"
>"Linc! In the attic!" whispered Lynn as she pointed the trap door further down the hallway
>due to a lack of ladders nearby she had to jump to open the trap door
>Lynn proceeded then to jump a second time to grab the edge of the trap case and pull herself in. Once up inside, she turned around to Lincoln, still down the hallway
>"Throw me the bag!"
>Lincoln was about to take his backpack off his shoulders when Lynn interrupted him
>"No, no! The sports one! In the room!"
>"What?"
>"Just do it!"

>Lincoln rushed to the room, almost tripping on the black guy still unconscious, and grabbed the bag by the shoulder strap.

>"Holy shit! This makes at least 30 lbs!"
>"Throw it up!" exclaimed Lynn

>Lincoln, took some momentum, and threw the bag up to his sister, who almost fell down, dragged by the bag's weight as she caught it. She placed the bag beside her and stretched her hand for her brother's reach.

>"Now get inside!"
>With his sister's help, Lincoln pulled himself in the attic as well.
>He proceeded to crawl a couple meters away from the trap as her sister closed it behind him.
>Both siblings then lied down on the dusty floor of the attic, panting.
>None of them weren't making any sound, any move. Just lying on the floor, facing at each other, seeking mutual reassurance in one another's eyes.
>As their began to breath normally again, they started to focus on the gunshots that were occurring, only yards away.
>The battle seemed lasting for what felt like hours. Sometimes, the gunshot were stopping for a short time, before resurfacing with renewed vigour, accompanied with war cries.

>"Are they even aiming at each other? I just want to go home, for fuck's sake!" whined Lincoln, infuriated with anxiety
>"Lincoln. Calm down. We'll just wait for them to get done." said Lynn as she stared straight into his eyes, to maintain his attention
>Moments passed as the two siblings waited in silence and fear, holding each other's hand. Suddenly, what sounded like sirens began to be audible.
>"MIERDA! LOS MALDITOS POLICÍAS!" yelled one of the voices on the outside
>Both siblings stared back at each other in awe.

>"Linc. Change of plans. We got to move out. Now!"
>Lynn kicked the trap door down and jumped back into the hallway.
>"Linc! The room window, we can escape by passing through the backyard!"
>As Linc jumped down from the attic, Lynn was already forcing out the planks barricading the window with her crowbar. Once the path cleared, she jumped without hesitation, before calling for her brother.
>Lincoln headed up to the window, and- Oh shit. It was at least 14 feet high.
>"Linc! The rain gutter on the right! Use it!"
>Lincoln threw the merchandise bag he still had to his sister and jumped out of the window to reach a downpipe following the house wall.
>However, Lincoln lost grasp midway and fell for the last 7 feet, but surprisingly managed to reduce the impact with a forward roll
>"... Waw." let out Lincoln, still having troubles realizing the stunt he just performed
>"Awesome bro! See? Told you those parkour lessons would pay out!" exclaimed Lynn as she threw back the bag at her brother
>"MCPD! Everyone freeze!" shouted a voice in the front-yard
>"Shit! Haul ass!"
>"You there, stop! You're under arrest!" yelled an officer who got around the home to directly inspect the backyard
>Lincoln mechanically turned around to see where exactly did the call came off
>"Linc! Run!" shouted his sister as she grabbed him by the hand, dragging him through the grove bordering the house
>"Hey!" yelled the policeman, as he raised his weapon to aim at the siblings
>Wait a second, "Linc" ?

>And the siblings ran. They ran like they never did in their life before.
>Faster than that time where they were chased by a hound.
>Faster than that time where they accidentally broke Lori's phone.
>Crossing roads, passing through empty streets and bypassing abandoned properties.
>They ran straight for maybe 10 minutes, but to them, it felt like a night-long marathon.
>They eventually stopped in the middle of a small clearing that once used to be a house's  garden.
>If Lynn fell on all four to catch his breath, Lincoln simply let himself fall on his back.

>"I... *hah* I feel like... *hah* my lungs are... *hah* gonna... *hah* explode!" rattled Lincoln
>Lynn, too busy focussing on her own ventilation, didn't answer anything
>None of them said anything for the following minutes to come.
>"Lynn..." whispered Lincoln, still exhausted from the race
>"...Yeah?"
>"What. the. FUCK. Was all of this?"
>"I-I... Okay. When I told you that this guy knew about some treasure... I lied, it wasn't an actual treasure."
>"Shocker." declared a jaded Lincoln
>"He mentioned that a deal was going on between some black mob and the Mexicans. Some people were supposed to depose the bag in the house, leave, some other people would show up, take the bag of drugs, leave one filled with cash instead and be on their way. And I thought... We could take the money before the 1st party showed back up."
>"Well good job, there Lynn. You screwed up in everyway possible."
>"But hey, looks like both gangs misunderstood the whole affair and are blaming each other now! So we should be safe, right?"
>"What a blessing."
>"Besides, we still got the dope!"
>"Hur-fucking-ray."
>"We'll find a solution, let's just hit the road." said Lynn as she helped her brother get up "I'm not even sure where are we."
>"We're in a middle of a fucking shithole."
>"This applies to the entire district, Linc." answered Lynn, not amused by her brother's sarcasm
>"Or the city for all that matters."
>"...Or the state."
>"..."
>"..."
>"...Screw this. This entire country is a dump."

The siblings proceeded to wander in the empty streets of the forsaken quarters of town.
>"I think I remember this road, we came that way." pointed out Lynn
>"I just want to get home and pass out."
>"We're working on it, okay? Stop freaking out for two seconds, Jesus."
>Lynn understood that she just involved her brother in a mess, but she was getting genuinely tired of his negativity
>"Oh, sorry. I tend to be a bit nervous when I'm carrying 30 fucking lbs of dope under my shoulder!" ranted Lincoln, patting the sportbag he was carrying
>"Seriously, why did we even took it with us?" continued Lincoln "Do you have any idea what could we have faced if we got caught with it?"
>"I'm not the one who carried it when we were running." noted Lynn "But now we got it, we can't just let it there! We've been through hell for this!"
>"What the fuck do you even want us to do with this?"
>"Well, that's where YOU come in! I mean, you're the drug dealer after all..."
>"Lynn!" whined Lincoln at this point. "I just sell POT to white students and hipsters! I never planned hanging out at night under a street lamp distributing crack cocaine!"
>"Come on, what's in this bag might change our lives forever!"
>"Yeah, drugs tend to do that to people..."
>"Ugh! Are you going to be a bitch for the rest of the walk? We just survived a fucking shoot-out and you're currently carrying dozens of thousand dollars worth over your shoulder! Don't you realize how lucky we are? Geez, if I wanted to hear someone's complaints, I'd just call Lucy!"

>Both siblings sighed in frustration before letting place to an awkward silence.
>Lincoln took a glance at his sister who was just facing the ground with an expression mixing disappointment and infuriation. Maybe he went a bit too far against her.
>They both narrowly escaped arrest and death, after all. She was in shock as well.

>"Listen, Lynn... I-I'm sorry. I'm just exhausted the hell out of my mind."
>Lincoln took a pause to take a breath and search for words.

>"It's 4 in the morning, I'm pretty sure I just killed someone, and I could get sent for decades in jail if the police found me with this bag. You're low on money, I know. We both are. But... I can't even think of anyone I know who would buy some of... that. And we're talking of selling pounds of the stuff!"

>Lynn's expression progressively softened. She then rub her chin, thinking of a solution to their issue.
>"Hmm... Maybe someone in our contacts knows SOMEONE who would..." thought out Lynn

>The siblings walked silently as they tried to think of anyone they knew who could have ties with illegal organizations.
>Lynn knew a lot of criminals from her time in underground street races. But nobody she was intimate enough with to ask them whether they were part of a gang and if they were interested in buying pounds of drugs.
>Lincoln, him had connections with a Lebanese mob. Those were the guys he was buying his weed from in large quantities. But same as Lynn, he couldn't just show up one day proposing merchandise to his sellers.
>Suddenly, light-bulb! Both siblings snapped their fingers simultaneously as they had the same idea, at the same time.
>They both at each other with a knowing smile as they said in unison:
>"Luna!"

--- ---

>When Lincoln woke up the day after, everything hurt.
>His muscles were sore, especially the legs. A headache was killing him. And hunger was screaming through his stomach
>Lincoln took look a around him.
>Well, at least he was in his room.
>With a hand hanging over the bed, he scanned the floor of his room, searching for his phone, but proceeded to toss over what sounded like a glass bottle
>Intrigued by the noise, Lincoln turned over to watch what was it:
>A flask of Jack Daniels. Empty.
>"Well, now I know why the headache..."
>Since he now was staring at his bedroom floor, he profited to look for his phone and as he found it, lit up the screen to watch the time:
>2:52 PM
>"Nice..."
>Lincoln collapsed back onto his bed, trying to remember the events of last night
>There was him... And Lynn.
>They got in an argument at some point. Did they reconciliate before parting away?
>The next thing he remembered was himself alone in a convenience store, buying a bottle of whiskey to forget.
>Forget... Right.
>progressively, it came back.
>The venture on Runyard Street, the home invasion, the shoot-out, the police chase...
>The fact he killed someone yesterday.
>That's why he bought the drink.
>He didn't drink himself to the edge of passing out because he was overwhelmed with guilt, but because lack thereof.
>He killed a man just to avoid a risk. As a reflex.
>He still sees the man reaching for his back pocket.
>And Lincoln then saw the image of the thug pulling out a gun, and aiming at Lynn.
>So he shot. Twice. On the man's chest. Without hesitation. He still remembers the victim falling like a puppet whose string went loose.
>The sound he made when his lifeless body collapsed.
>Yet, he didn't have any regret. That wasn't normal! He should!
>I mean, he fucking killed someone!
>But no. No remorse at all.
>He never thought killing someone would be this... Easy.
>And that's why he emptied a bottle of whiskey on his own, earlier.

>A gurgling noise pulled him out of his thoughts
>Lincoln painfully tried to stand up and then stagger his way out of his room.
>In the Living Room, there only was his African-American flatmate, sitting on the couch, observing the TV with undivided attention
>"Hey Tyrus."
>"Yo, Linc. Check this shit out."
>"Lincoln walked up to the TV (not before turning on the coffee-maker) and sat down by the other side of the couch
>However, Lincoln wasn't awake enough to fully grasp on the images displayed before him
>"What is it about?"
>"Some shoot-out on Eastside. 4 dead, 5 injured and 7 arrested. Some deal gone wrong, apparently." answered Tyrus, still focussing on the report
>"Oh fuck. It got on the news!" thought Lincoln to himself
>Lincoln concentrated on the report as a policeman was getting interviewed on the crime scene
>"... No particular amount of drugs have been found on the scene. One of the theories would be that some of the suspects got away during the shoot-out but..."
>"Oh fuck, the drugs!" screamed Lincoln internally

>All of a sudden, Lincoln got up the couch and ran to his room.
>Where he fuck was the bag? He didn't abandoned it on the street, did he? It was nowhere in his room!
>"Hey Tyrus?" called Lincoln with a trembling voice
>"What?"
>"Have you seen a blue sports bag anywhere by any chance?"
>"You mean like the one that's on the couch?"
>Lincoln turned around to look back at the sofa
>Oh indeed, the bag was lying on the middle of the couch, between his room-mate and the spot Lincoln was seating not even a minute ago.
>"... Oh."

>Lincoln proceeded to take the bag as casually as possible and placed it in his room, before locking himself in.
>He then opened the bag, and examined its content
>There were 15 wrappings, probably weighting a kilo each.
>He had 15 kilograms of dope in his room.
>"... Wicked."
>He pulled out his phone, and dialled Lynn's phone number
>"..."
>"..."
>"Hey, bro! Whassup?"
>"Hey, Lynn. How's it doing since yesterday night?"
>"I'm returning you the question."
>"Felt better. Anyway, so what now?"
>"Now? We talked about it yesterday, we're seeing Luna to see if she can hook us with some partners!"
>"Oh, right... I drunk a little last night, so it's a bit blurry."
>"Ugh, dammit Linc!"
>"Whatever, where do you think we can see Luna?"
>"She always hangs out at this seedy bar, on the Agora Drive. I bet we'll find her there."
>"Alright, and when?"
>"Right away! I'm heading to your apartment right now to pick you up. I'm here in 10 minutes. Bring your helmet on!"

>She closed the call.
>"Fucking hell..." grumbled Lincoln
>Oh welp, he had 10 minutes top to take a breakfast and a shower, better make it count


---10 minutes later---


>Lynn was driving through the street on a red, Japanese motorbike, with Lincoln on the back, grabbing her sister's waist to keep balance.
>After another few minutes, they reached a clubhouse, borded with a high block wall marks.
>Lynn stopped the bike on a parking lot. Her flashy sports bike quite split with the Harley Davidsons stationed around.
>"This is the place?" asked Lincoln
>"According to the GPS, it is."

>The siblings walked to the door, where a group of bikers were loitering, some smoking cigarettes, some drinking beer cans, others doing both.
>"Hey, ponytail. The fuck you want? It's not a place for kids, here." told one of the scramblers as he blocked the entrance to the jock.
>Lynn clenched her fist about to protest, but got stopped by Lincoln as he grabbed her wrist
>The biker wasn't particularly imposing, but Lincoln knew they were no match for him, let alone his friends
>And even if, starting a brawl with bikers wasn't a risk he was willing to take.

>"We're looking for someone" diplomatically answered Lincoln "Luna Loud. You know if she's here?"
>Hearing the name, the biker took a closer look at the siblings. Lincoln was keeping a face as neutral as possible, while Lynn, still offended by the previous insult, was still clenching fist and biting her lips to keep self-control
>The rocker then glanced at his friends, who nodded at him.
>He slowly moved aside, clearing the way to the entry door.
>When Lincoln opened the door, a messy noise started to become heard. The sound a rock band would do if they had a seizure in mid-performance
>As they got inside, they saw what was the cause of the noise. It was indeed a punk-rock band performing on a stage.
>A crowd of 20-ish bikers and punks were standing close to the stage, while others were just sitting on tables, or at the bar.
>And Luna was on stage, playing the guitar.
>As Lincoln paid attention to the "song" the band was attempting to play, he realized Luna was the only one playing decently to his taste, and concentrating on her performance.
>Either the others were miserably bad, high off their mind, or that was normal
>Lincoln never understood punk-rock music.

>The song suddenly ended, with some members scattering around the stage, to grab a beer bottle or a lit cigarette
>"Hey, show us your tits! That's all you're good for!" yelled a half-naked tattooed man to Luna, at the front of the stage
>A couple of laughters and groans ensued as Luna stood immobile and looked up and down the taunter
>She then proceeded to grab a microphone stand, and hit him in the face, knocking him off.
>"Oh, you bitch!" yelled the man as he got back up "I'm going to fuck you up, girl!"
>The man attempted to climb up the stage to reach Luna, but another spectator pulled him back by the belt
>"Hey, you leave the lady alone!" shouted Luna's defender to the man once again down the floor
>Not even 10 seconds later, a massive brawl was occurring in front of the stage, with people on the corners of the pub joining in to help out a friend, or just plainly for the fun
>Luna, who hadn't move since she hit the noisy spectator just gave a sorry look to the moshpit, before roaming her eyes on the rest of the room
>Her eyes then lit up as she spotted Lincoln and Lynn at the entrance, who answered her smile with hand waves
>Luna put her guitar down, and jumped off the stage, dodging the brawl occurring a couple of meters away, and proceeded to rush for her little siblings

>"Yo dudes! What are you doing here!" Exclaimed Luna
>"Hey, Luna! We came to see you!" both said Lynn and Lincoln in unison
>"Awesome! Hey, you bros got time for a beer? I'm inviting!"
>"Well, I can't say no to free beer." answered Lincoln with a smirk
>Lynn didn't say anything, but just smiled awkwardly: not only she hated beer, but she couldn't stand alcohol
>All 3 siblings sat down around a table as far from the rumble as possible.
>"Hang in there, bros! I'm coming back with the goods!" said Luna as she went to the bar

>Luna was the only other sibling to know both about Lincoln and Lynn's illegal activities, whether it was pot dealing or street racings
>Before the two siblings left the home and proved their inadequacy in society as well, Luna was seen as the original black sheep of the family.
>After a heated argument against their parents, she dropped out of high school and decided to head for the road to Rock&Roll
>However, the road to Rock&Roll is littered with broken dreams, drugs and death.
>Since she started her actual Rock career, two of Luna's band mates died of overdose, one of them has been stabbed by a drunk person and a good dozen have been kicked out her band for being constantly too junked to perform adequately
>Nowadays, she was just performing gigs in sordid clubhouses like the one they currently were in.

>"There you go, bros!" said Luna as she came back to the table with three pints in her hands
>"Thanks, Luna!"
>"Hehe, yeah... Thanks."
>"So, tell me! What are you double trouble up to?" said Luna as she laid back in her seat
>"Well... Actually..." started Lynn
>"We're here for business." sharply said Lincoln
>"What? You guys want to be my agents?" said Luna, as she cocked her head in confusion
>"No, no... We were hoping you had connections to whom we could sell... this." declared Lincoln, as he open his jacket, pulled out one of the packages and sided on the table til Luna's seat
>Luna took the package in her hand, inspected it, then pulled out a swiss knife from her pocket, and poked the wrapping before licking the tip of her blade
>"Meth."
>Lynn and Lincoln looked at each other, impressed how Luna managed to analyse the drug sample solely by taste
>That's Luna for you.

>"Dudes, where did you even got this?"
>"It's a long story" sheepishly said Lynn as she rubbed her elbow
>"I got all the time in the world."
>"Long Story short: We were out of money, so we looted a drug stash on the EastSide." replied Lincoln
>"Wow... Radical." reacted Luna, amazed by her brother's story
>"We hoped it'd be money" continued Lynn "But now we have loads of this junk, and we were looking for someone to buy it for us, but..."
>"We have no contacts." finished Lincoln "And we thought you would."

>Luna took a sip from her pint and started thinking silently
>"I know some people, indeed."
>"Really? Awesome, who?" exclaimed Lynn
>"Slow down, there, mate. There aren't jokers: Have you ever heard of the Damned MC?"
>"It's a biker gang, right?" asked Lincoln
>"I heard of them" said Lynn "formed in the 70's in California by 'Nam veterans. Some of them occasionally pass and assist at the street racings. Mostly involved in weapon trafficking, mercenary activities, extortion and underground demolition derbies"
>"... Someone did their homework" commented Luna, impressed by Lynn's knowledge
>Lynn let out a smile from ear-to-ear, upon hearing the compliment

>"Anyway, you're in the HQ of their Michigan chapter right now."
>"...Oh." let out both the younger ones in unison
>"How did you even got in here, by the way?" asked Luna, intrigued "They don't let anyone pass like that."
>"We asked to see you. And they moved aside, straight away."
>"Yeah, it's weird how their attitude totally changed when Linc mentioned you" wondered Lynn
>"Well... I'm known around."
>"Are you a lieutenant or something?" asked Lincoln in excitement
>"Nah... I just... am in good terms with the chapter's president."
>"Ooooooooh?" said Lynn with a suggestive smile
>"What? Hey! Not THAT way! Don't get the wrong idea!" laughed Luna
>"Hey, it's cool sis. I respect that." teased Lynn
>"No, really. There's no way I'd date him, he's the same age as Dad."
>"Hey, Luna. Everybody has different tastes."
>"Shut up, Lynn" replied Luna as her chuckling faded
>"Hey, I'm just into younger men, myself."
>Luna's laugh stopped instantly as she stared at Lynn with a silent, accusative look. That was the last straw.
>"Alright, I quit..." sheepishly said Lynn lowering her head, intimidated by her sister
>"Sooo!" shouted Lincoln to break the eerie silence "You said you were friends with the leader of the gang?"
>"Yeah, I am."
>"How did you meet him?"
>"About a year or two ago. I was giving a gig, and then a fight started out. I was a bit drunk so I threw an empty bottle in the crowd. It landed on some guy's face who was about to back-stab him."
>Luna took another sip from her beer
>"Ever since, I'm kind of a protegee."
>"Neat." pointed out Lincoln, nodding his head
>"Yeah, it has its upsides." confirmed Luna as she kept drinking her beer
>"So... Where can we meet the guy?"
>"He's right over there, you see him?"

>Luna was pointing at a table where seven men with sinister looks were discussing. They all were wearing leather jackets full of patches.
>"I'm going to talk to them about you guys. I can't promise anything, though. It doesn't work this way, usually."

>Luna left for the table on the other side of the club. Lynn and Lincoln saw her approaching the table as one of the men in leather greeted their sister when he noticed her.
>They chatted for a small minute, and then one of the bikers who appeared to be the leader made a sign to his friends, who all left the table, except for the two who were on each of his sides.
>Luna then made a wave at her siblings to come over
>As they walked up to the table, Lincoln worked on his posture, wondering if he should attempt to be laid back and credible, or respectful and submissive.
>It's not like he was about to take a job interview with a fucking ganglord, after all.

>"Heeeeyyy, so these are your little guys, Luna? There is indeed a family look in all of you!" exclaimed the biker who was sitting in the middle of the couch
>"Skaggs, let me present you my little brother and sister: Lincoln, and Lynn."
>"Sir." nodded Lincoln
>"Please, call me Skaggs! Have a seat!"
>All 3 siblings obeyed, sitting in front of the three bikers.
>Skaggs was a middle-aged overweight man, with a bandana on his hair and sporting a horseshoe moustache.
>His cheerful attitude was largely compensated by his two right-hand men, who were eyeing the newcomers with static expressions.

>"So, Lincoln AND Lynn... Hoho, you girl look just like your sister, Luna..." commented Skaggs as she looked at Lynn
>Lynn looked down and smiled, flattered by the idea she looked as pretty as her sister
>"...But smaller."
>This caused Lynn's smile to instantly fade out.
>Lincoln held Lynn's hand below the table, as to warn her not to do anything stupid

>"Yes, Mr-.... Skaggs. We were hoping we could... do a little business together." timidly said Lincoln
>Skaggs raised an eyebrow, intrigued by whatever kind of business two adults barely out of their teenage years would want to have with a Motorcycle Club
>Lincoln pulled out the pack of meth of his jacket's pocket and placed it on the table

>"Me and my sister got our hands on some... gang's merchandise. We were hoping to sell it back to some organization."
>"Yo, you thought this was a fucking flea market?" aggressively asked one of Skaggs' seconds-in-hand
>"Hold down, Todd... Let's hear what the kid has to say."
>"Well, as I said, we were hoping to sell it back to someone and thought about your... crew?"

>Skaggs said nothing for a moment, before letting out a chuckle.
>"You got some guts, White Rabbit. I'll give you that."
>White Rabbit
>Did he just fucking call him "White Rabbit"?
>Lincoln tried to ignore Lynn and Luna who were struggling desperately not to burst out of laughter after hearing his nickname
>"Let's just kick his ass outside!" said the biker on his right
>"Come on, now, Todd." calmly said Skaggs as he took the meth to examine it.
>"Skaggs, we let out the dogs on kids smarter than this punk!"
>"Because we had nothing to gain from them. But White Rabbit here, found a loot. How much of these you got?" he asked to Lincoln
>"15 kilos."
>All 3 bikers and Luna's eyes widened
>"He's bullshitting us." spat Todd
>"How much do you want for each?" asked Skaggs in a serious tone, ignoring his sidekick
>"Skaggs, you're not considering buying this shit, are you?"
>"Business is business." replied Skaggs "Besides, we're low on the product since our lab has been raided and the cooks busted."
>"So... I repeat. How much do you want, kid?

>Shit... How much did they want? He knew nothing about meth value.
>He looked at Lynn for assistance, who was as helpless as he was.
>He looked at Luna who tried to spell a number mute, but lip-reading was one of the many skills Lincoln didn't have

>"Let's say... $8.000 a kilo?" timidly proposed Lincoln
>Luna slapped her own head in shame as Skaggs laughed out loud
>"Haha, boy! Are you on winter sales or something? That's almost half the price on an average!"
>Shit, she should have suggested higher
>"Let's say 18.000 bucks, then." confidently said Lynn
>"Too fucking late, shrimp. White Rabbit said his word." said the third biker who remained silent until now, with an arrogant grin
>"Why you..." muttered Lynn as she clenched her teeth, ready to strike
>"Hey, hey, LYNN!" shouted Lincoln as he tried to call back his sister
>Todd and the third biker were on the edge of their seat, ready to fight back
>Skaggs suddenly called back to order by slamming his hand flat on the table, causing most of the glasses to tumble.

>"Hey, love..." shyly addressed Luna to Skaggs "maybe you could do a little effort, for me?"
>Skaggs looked at Luna who was staring at him back with an innocent smile, blinking repeatedly in an attempt to charm him

>"Ahhh... Alright. I can give you $12.000 a kilo, it's my last offer. And you can thank your sister for that."
>Lincoln froze.
>12 grands for each kilo, and he had 15 of them.
>That makes 180.000 fucking dollars.
>He looked at Luna who winked back at him, proud of her successful bargain
>He then turned to Lynn, who stared at him in silent, before doing a small nod
>Finally, he turned back to Skaggs and his men. Todd was throwing daggers at him, while the third one was pulling out a grin, visibly entertained with the events he was assisting at.
>Skaggs wasn't saying a word. He was awaiting Lincoln's response, with a serious expression.

>"Deal." finally said Lincoln
>Skaggs let out a smile, and stretched his hand to Lincoln for a handshake
>Lincoln regretted it the instant he felt Skaggs' grip on his entire palm
>He felt his metacarpal bones turning to dust as the biker shook his hand firmly, almost dragging the young man's entire arm with the momentum.

>"Friday Night, 11 PM, Sullivan grounds. I want them all at once. You'll get the money in cash. Now, you can go." declared Skaggs
>Lincoln and Lynn nodded in synchronisation
>"Oh, and Luna. I want you to be with them. So the boys know they're friends."
>"Will do, mate!" agreed Luna
>"Oh, and one last thing."
>"Hmm?"
>"This little guy..." Said Skaggs as he grabbed the pack of meth on the table "...He stays with me."
>Lynn grimaced as she saw their loot disappear from the table, but she felt Luna placing a hand on her shoulder
>"Don't worry, sis" she whispered to her little sister "See this as a guarantee."

>The three siblings saluted the biker lord, and silently headed out of the clubhouse.
>Once outside, they kept walking til the parking lot, and after making sure no one was around, they looked at each other, before letting out a scream.
>"WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
>"I can't fucking believe it!" shouted Lincoln
>"Man, we're fucking rich!" squealed Lynn as she hugged her brother tightly
>"15 times 12.000. That makes 180.000 dollars, divided by 3, it makes 60. fucking. grands. each!"
>"Wait, you're including me?" asked Luna, confused
>"Of course we are!" answered Lynn with a smile
>"Yeah" confirmed Lincoln "If you weren't BFF with an MC leader, we would still be twiddling our thumbs without knowing what to do with the stuff!"
>"Nah, come on, dudes... I don't need the money. I live on Rock&Roll."
>Both siblings silently stared  as their elder sister in scepticism
>"... Okay, if you insist!" gave up Luna, feigning modesty as she joined the group hug
>"Man, it'll be so great not to rely on those crackheads for band players, anymore." sighed Luna
>"Well, the deal's in 3 days. Now what?" asked Lincoln
>"We should meet to organize ourselves for the appointment." answered Luna "I may have a name in the circle, but without me, they'll just see two punks trying to play in the big league."
>"How about tomorrow morning for breakfast, at Leni's?" suggested Lynn
>Luna hesitated for a moment... If she didn't have any shame in front of the two, she had troubles looking any other siblings in the eyes because of her lifestyle
>"Come on, it'll be fun! She makes cool pancakes!" insisted Lynn, almost childishly
>"That's set" said Lincoln "We'll meet tomorrow at Leni's, 10 AM"
>"Uh, fine..." shrugged Luna "Okay dudes, I have to head back in and wake up my band. See you tomorrow morning, White Rabbit."
>"Oh, shut up!"
>Luna let out a cheerful laugh as she headed back inside the clubhouse
>It was only him and Lynn, now. Once again
>Lincoln looked at Lynn, who looked at him back with a devilish smile
>"Hey, 'White Rabbit', you need me to give you a ride?"
>"... Lynn, Please don't."

--- ---

>"One apricot smile for Lincoln, one raspberry smile for Lynn, And a double Blueberry smile for my sister I haven't seen in months!"
>"Thanks, Leni!" cheered Lynn as the blonde servant walked back to the kitchens
>"Wow, it's been a while I haven't been to this place." said Luna while fixing the smileys drawn with jam on her pancake plate
>"Changes from your shiddy barshs, doeshn't ish?" commented Lynn with a mouth already full of pancakes
>"Yeah... It does."
>"Alright, so about Friday. What's the plan?"
>"Yes. About that. Most of the time, drug deals don't go bad. But when we're talking about such amounts, it can turn to shit."
>"What kind of 'shit'?" asked Lynn, finally focussing more on the conversation than her plate
>"Mistrust between the two parties, a rat calling on the cops, rogue members deciding to bail out with both ends of the trade. You name it."
>"... Damn."
>"Yep, which is why we need to be prepared. You guys have weapons?"
>"But hey, I thought you were friends with the MC, why would they turn on you?"
>"Wrong, bro. I'm friend with Skaggs. A lot of people like me back because of it, but as many others are jealous how easily I got on his good side."
>"Like that Todd guy?" asked Lynn
>"Yeah, he is the primmest example."
>"Man, fuck Todd."
>"Damn right, sis."
>"Well Lynn, I still have your gun." pointed out Lincoln "Where did you get it, though?"
>"Hey, some people at street races are just sore losers. Just in case, you just need to have a back-up if they can't get over it."
>"I have two sub-machine guns," went on Luna "...so I can lend one to either of you two. It's good to have an obvious weapon, during meet-ups like that. Even if it's mostly for the show."
>The two siblings looked at their elder sister in confusion
>"Why do you even have two sub-machine guns?"
>"... Birthday presents."
>"Wow."
>"Gotta love the Damned MC, right?" hinted Lynn to Lincoln
>"Anyway." continued Luna "And we should also have another couple of friends with us. Both 'for the show' and in case things actually go wrong."
>"So you're saying we need guns-for-hire?"
>"Yep. And that means we'll have to cut the share."
>"Aw, man..." groaned Lynn
>"You don't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs, sis. If we want to make sure we have the money at the end of the run, we'll have to cut some loose."
>"How many do you think we'll need?" asked Lincoln
>"At least one guy."
>"Because I keep winning most races, I've made myself more enemies than friends... I can't think of anyone." replied Lynn
>"I can find some professionals, but they'll ask for a lot... That's an option." proposed Luna
>"No. I think I know someone who would help us, for an easy price" responded Lincoln as he pulled out his phone "Let me call him."
>"A competent one?" asked Luna, sceptically
>"He's a vet." affirmed Lincoln

>Lincoln dialled a number on his phone and headed outside of the restaurant to call in peace.
>"..."
>"..."
>"If it isn't my good friend! How you've been doing, you albino fucker?" finally asked a smug voice through the phone
>"Hey, man. I'm good." answered Lincoln
>"So when am I seeing you back at my crib?"
>"I'd rather run naked on the EastSide, playing bagpipes at 2 in the morning rather than go back to your place."
>"Harsh, man."
>"That's not why I called you. Are you in need of money, right now?"
>"I've been living the sewers ever since I came back from Jordan, how the fuck did you know I need money?"
>"Are you interested for a job?"
>"... What kind of job?"
>"'Muscle Man for a trade agreement', kind of job."
>"How much are we talking about?"
>"You'd get 4% of the cut"
>"Hey, I'm maybe a bum, but I still have a dignity"
>"That makes 7200 dollars."
>"..."
>"Take it or leave it."
>"Do I bring a gun?"
>"The biggest you got."
>"... I'm in."
>"Good, I call you tomorrow for more details. And block your Friday night."
>Lincoln hung up the phone, with a smile on his face
>The tables have turned, Chandler...
>Fucking Chandler

>Chandler was a kid who as you could say, got bad.
>Drop-out of Highschool, he enlisted for the US army as a last resort.
>Now, if he knew the United States were on campaign to doom one of the last countries in the Middle-East that was still holding it together, he would have probably reconsidered.
>But Chandler and politic awareness never really got together, and so he spent two years serving Uncle Sam's shenanigans in Jordan, before eventually being discharged for "psychological instability".
>No one really knows what he did over there, but it was safe to assume that his orders and actions violated Geneva's Convention in its almost entirety.
>He came back to Michigan as a broken man, just like many other vets before him.
>Homeless, drug addict and lunatic in pretty much all terms of the definition, an empathetic Lincoln was among the last human beings he still had contact with.

>Lincoln headed back inside of the coffee shop, where he found Leni sitting at the table with his other sisters.
>"Dammit, the strategy meeting will have to wait" he thought to himself
>"... So, as Lynn and I were saying" cheered Leni to Luna "We wanted to see Mom and Dad, this Sunday! And spend the day all together!"
>"I-I don't know, sis... You know I've been in cold terms with them..."
>"Ugh, come on. This was YEARS ago. They still love you, you know? Besides, we're not just seeing them, we're also seeing the twins, Lisa, Lucy, and Lily!"
>"That's right! We should pay them a visit." falsely encouraged Lynn as not to raise suspicions from Leni
>"I'll... consider it."
>"I'm back!" said Lincoln as he reached the table
>"So, Lincoln, about your friend?" asked Lynn
>"Everything's good, he's coming Friday night." he answered, shaking his wrist still holding the phone
>"What's going on Friday night?" asked Leni, confused
>"Uh...."
>"W-we...."
>The three plotters, out of lies to distract Leni, were sweating bullets

>"We were planning... TO HELP LUNA TUNING HER MOTOR BIKE!" suddenly shouted Lynn as the idea crossed her mind
>Leni, turned to her little sister with a face perplexed from her sudden and brutal answer
>"T-that's right!" ensued Luna "My bike has been playing tricks on me, lately! So we were thinking of doing a mechanic session and see what's the issue."
>"And... My buddy here," finished Lincoln as he showed his phone to Leni "knows a bit about engines&stuff, so he's coming to help us!"

>Leni successively looked at her three younger siblings in confusion, who were all looking back at her with fake, awkward smiles
>"Oh well." shrugged Leni "I'm not that much into machines..."
>"LENI, WE GOT CLIENTS WAITING TO BE SERVED!" called a voice from the kitchen
>"Whoops, I gotta go. Buh-bye!" said Leni as she got up the chair and left back for her service

>Lincoln, Luna and Lynn slowly waved at Leni as she left their table, before all lying on the back of their seats and sighing in relief
>"That... was a close one." stated Lincoln
>"Yeah."
>"So... Does this mean we're paying a visit to Mom&Dad, this week-end?" asked Lincoln
>"Apparently." confirmed Lynn
>"Ugh, this is making me even more nervous than the deal on Friday." deplored Luna
>"Well, you're not obligated to show up." said Lincoln
>"Yeah... That'd be a dick-move, but you're not obligated to." added Lynn
>"... Are you two guys trying to send me on a guilt-trip?"
>The two younger ones looked at each other with innocent smiles, then turned their eyes to Luna.
>"Noooooooo."
>"We would NEVER do such a thing."



>Sullivan Grounds was a short road located on a district up the West of Motor City.
>Due to its infamous reputation, the authorities were avoiding the district as much as possible, making it a perfect meeting point for illegal organizations.
>When gangs were giving a rendez-vous by the Sullivan Grounds, they actually implied the junk-yard, located on the same road.
>And this time, the Louds were involved.

>On Friday 13th November 2026, 10:20 PM, 2 motorbikes entered the Scrapyard.
>Lynn and Lincoln riding a sports motorcycle and Luna on her own cruiser.
>In the scrapyard was already waiting one person, leaning against a car wreck:
>Chandler.
>Fucking Chandler.

>He was wearing old military fatigues, over a white t-shirt, stained with sweat, blood, puke, and several other body fluids Lincoln didn't try to elucidate.
>Although still recognizable, Chandler's physic was reflecting but a mere shadow of his former self.
>Back during his time in the military, he was a tall, well built, handsome young man.
>However, when he came back to Motor City, a year ago, he hooked up on drugs, and the side-effects were apparent.
>He looked older, thinner and had all sort of sores and scabs caused by his meth consumption across his face, blending with his freckles.
>Only his hair, as messy as they used to be back during his childhood, were still loyal to his former appearance.

>"Larry, my friend! How you've been doing?" shouted Chandler as he saw the small group entering the scrap yard
>"Uhh... Linc? Who's this guy?" asked Lynn to Lincoln, pointing the drug addict in disgust
>"Let me present you Chandler. He's a..." Lincoln hesitated a moment before continuing "...A childhood friend."
>"THAT is your friend?"
>"Sorry if you had higher expectations from him."
>"I had higher expectations from YOU."
>"Whatever."
>"So Larry, you fucking dickhead!" barked Chandler as he walked slowly to the white-haired man "Who are we trading with, The Good boys? The Zarrapastrosos? The Lebanese? The jews, maybe?"
>"The Damned MC."

>Chandler's laugh stopped to be replaced with a smile of interest
>"Oooh?"
>"You have a weapon, by the way do you?"
>"If I have?" sneered Chandler as he pulled out an M249 from behind the car he was leaning against
>"Let me present you my baby girl!"
>The Loud siblings stepped backward in surprise at the sight of the veteran proudly exhibiting his machine gun
>"Well, I think we're good for the 'show' part." whispered Lincoln to Luna

>About 3 quarters-an-hour later, half a dozen bikers in cruiser bikes arrived in the scrap yard.
>Their leader was one of Skaggs' right-hands who was sitting at the table, last Tuesday. The smug one.
>He was a tall man wearing pilot sunglasses, well shaven, with black, greased-back hair
>He actually looked like a greaser straight-out of a 1950's Hollywood movie
>Lincoln was standing in the middle of a clear area, with a sister on each of his sides, and Chandler further back, sitting on the top of a pile of car wrecks, observing the situation

>"Well, if it isn't the god-damn freckle-family gang!" sarcastically said the biker lieutenant
>Like one person, all three siblings pouted at the taunt, trying their best to hide their insecurity.

>Freckles usually tend to fade past puberty, but it did none of that on either of the 3 Louds. Quite the contrary, it spread even more with time.

>"Let's get this done. Shall we?" demanded Lincoln
>The lieutenant let out his signature grin as one of his henchmen approached with two small briefcases and handed them to his boss.
>The vice-president then proceeded to walk up to Lincoln and stop midway, expecting Lincoln to the second half
>Lincoln gave a quick glance to Luna, who nodded back at him.
>He picked up the duffel bag that was lying on his feet and walked up to the biker.
>They stood face-to-face for a moment, before the biker dropped one briefcase and opened the second one to show its content to Lincoln

>"Two malettes, with 90 grands each, all in 50 dollar bills." he declared with a pleasant smile, as he closed the briefcase and dropped it over the first one.
>"One duffel bag, 14 kilos of meth, 15 in all counting the package Skaggs kept with him." replied Lincoln, imitating his speaker's speech-style as he threw the bag to him.

>The greaser opened the bag to check its content, smiled and closed it back before putting the strap over his shoulder.
>"Looks like we're done here, kid. You should go to bed, now. It's not a time for kids to hang outside."
>It took a lot of Lincoln's willpower not to react to the biker's provocation, but a voice eventually interrupted the silence:

>"HEY GUYS, DID YOU INVITE A BLACK MOB TO THE PARTY?" yelled Chandler, lurking outside the yard from the top of his scrap tower
>"...BECAUSE IF THAT'S NOT THE CASE, WE GOT COMPANY!"
>Chandler barely finished his warning that car screeches were heard outside of the junk-yard
>Lincoln's gave a scared look at the biker vice-president, who looked back as him with a Cheshire cat smile

>"We both got what we need. It's every man for himself, now. You should run, White Rabbit." let out the lieutenant before picking the sports bag up and rushing to his bike
>Lincoln, puzzled by what the biker just said snapped back to reality as a bullet shots rang in the air
>the bikers were already mounting their bikes, leaving the place
>Lincoln picked both briefcases, turned to his sisters
>"Girls, we're out of here!"

>The 3 Louds and Chandler rushed to their own motorbikes who were still parked at the entry of the scrap yard. Lynn and Lincoln mounted Lynn's red bike as Luna got on her own one, waiting for Lincoln's friend to mount on the back.
>While Lynn was turning the motor on, a car pulled up at the end of the street, with 2 thugs, armed to the teeth getting out of each side
>"YO, THEY GOT DA MONEY, CLAP THEM! " yelled one of the antagonists

>When he saw the two thugs raise their guns at them, Lincoln covered his eyes in reflex, realising the futility of the move in the process
>A deafening, rippling sound then sliced through the air for several seconds.
>As Lincoln opened his eyes back up, both thugs were lying on the floor, body covered with bullet holes
>Chandler, him was still aiming at the two lifeless body, his machine gun still fuming in his hands

>"120th Infantry Regiment, US Army! Represent!" yelled Chandler
>"Chandler, we're fucking leaving!"
>"Are you kidding me, the party is only getting started!" maniacally laughed the junky as another car drifted in the street with guns pointing out of the windows
>"VIRTUS INCENDIT VIRES, MOTHERFUCKERS!!!!" cried Chandler, rushing to the reinforcements and spraying at their directions in the process

>Fucking Chandler.
>"Holy shit, your friend's nuts, bro!"
>"Chandler's a big guy! He'll make it fine! We have to go, now! Lynn, step on the gas!"

>The two motorbikes disappeared from the street, leaving the psychotic veteran behind opening fire on mobsters, blocking them from their main target: Lincoln.
>The Louds drived through the streets of the city, both trying to be as fast as possible without raising suspicion
>Once they stopped at a red light, Luna turned to her siblings by her side
>"We should split up for now, bros! Carry the briefcases to safety, I'll phone you tomorrow!" called out the rocker at her siblings over the engines, before going full speed as the lights turned green

------

>And now, here they were. Admiring Motor City from the top a hill.
>They just made themselves a place in the criminal world of one of the most torn-up cities in the United States of America.
>He still had troubles facing this fact, and he knew it won't be easy to both keep this place he and Lynn just claimed
>In the Underworld of Motor City, newcomers weren't shown any mercy. You either step or get stepped upon.
>But with Lynn by his side, he felt invincible
>Let them come, all of them, at once. They'll take them down one by one, step by step.
>And one day, he knew it, they'll rule over this city
>Lincoln's phone started buzzing in his pocket.
>Lincoln pulled it out and looked at the contact:
>It was Chandler
>Fucking Chandler

>"You're still alive?" asked Lincoln as he put the phone to his ear
>"YOU THINK I WOULDN'T MAKE IT? ITS PAYTIME, BITCH!"
>"I'll give your cut tomorrow, promise. Now have a rest, I can hear the blood pumping through your temple." replied Lincoln
>"Oh, and the rounds aren't be covered." he finished before shutting off the call right after he ended his sentence
>"He made it?" asked Lynn in disbelief
>"He'll bury us all. Both in the figurative and the literal way." confirmed Lincoln as he put back the phone in his back pocket
>"... 7200 dollars less." groaned the brother
>"I just received a message from Leni, by the way..." noted Lynn
>"... Finally, we're heading to Mom&Dad, next Thursday. For Thanksgiving."
>"Makes more sense..." nodded Lincoln
>"...That lets Luna breath for another 4 days."
>"Harder will be the fall, though. The whole family will be here. Including Lori."
>Lori...

>If most Louds children forgave their runaway sister for her lifestyle, Lori never did.
>She burned the bridges with Luna ever since the argument she had with their parents.
>"Do you still think she should show up?" asked Lynn with a tone of worry
>Lincoln stood still for a couple of seconds, before nodding progressively
>"She hasn't seen our parents in five years. We just narrowly escaped death, and if we're definitely signing up for this lifestyle, it won't be the last time she will."
>Lincoln paused for a second before continuing
>"I don't like being this pessimistic. But You never know when will be the last time you'll have a proper Thanksgiving meal with your family."
>Lynn couldn't help but agree. She took one more sip from the vodka bottle she still held in her hands, cringing as she swallowed the liquor
>"I thought you normally hated alcohol?" asked Lincoln, confused
>"I do, but there's no way I let my little brother drink this entire bottle by himself."

>Lincoln first didn't answer, surprised by the sudden concern of her sister
>It's true that he has been drinking a lot, lately
>"Fine, do whatever you want. Welcome to the alcoholic side of the force."
>"What do you guys got?"
>"Depression, emotional issues and lack of self-esteem" replied Lincoln, snatching the bottle back from his sister's hand to take a sip
>"You'd make a terrible career in advertising, you know that?"
>"Good thing I've decided to become a professional drug dealer, then."


TO BE CONTINUED