Pulling up to the front of the haunted-looking hospital, I walk around the back and pop the trunk. I grab a rifle, machete, and .45 as Viper helps himself to a load of weapons himself. We’re quiet, not speaking a word as we reflect on what’s about to happen. More than likely, someone will try and play the hero, someone will cry, but there’s always that one person that gives us what we want. We need to find that person to get to Harley. Sooner rather than later.

Jogging up the cracked steps of the hospital, the dead bushes on each side sways from the dry wind. Bud tries the door, but it’s locked. I look at him with a puzzled look.

“Do you have a gun?”

He doesn’t answer me.

“Should we press the buzzer?” Viper asks, pointing to the speaker on the left wall.

Lifting my .45, I fire a bullet into the lock, and tug the door open.

“Or not,” Viper mutters, following me inside.

The tiled floor is an off-white color, the smell of piss and shit strong. You can hear screaming echoing down the hall, and the lights flickering from above give this place the perfect haunted feel.

“This is fucking scary right off the bat,” Viper whispers.

“Just stay close,” I tell him. I look around, following the hall until we reach a cage gate.

I shoot the lock and the door opens. Two men with robes wonder around, oblivious to us marching in here with guns. They look like zombies. They’re so fucked up on medicine they don’t even know where they are.

“Jesus Christ!” Viper rasps, he steps up to the bald one, his balls hanging out of his boxers. Viper snaps his fingers in front of the guys face, but he doesn’t even blink. It’s as if he’s gone; autopilot.

I look to the next gate down the hall, my insides coiling with adrenaline. I’m scared to see what state Harley is in.

“Let’s find Harley.” I shake my head.

Viper reaches the next gate and shoots it open. Patients on the other side scream, and a huge man wearing a white shirt and black jeans steps in front of us.

He tries to grab at me, and I raise my gun to his head. His beady eyes squint, and I can tell we’re going to have a hero on our hands.

“Step aside,” I warn. He laughs and lunges at me again. I fire a bullet right into his skull and he drops to my feet.

An older woman steps out of a secured office, a white cap on her head. She’s a nurse and looks evil as shit.

“Where’s Harley?” I ask, scratching the back of my neck with my warm bloody barrel.

“SECURITY!” She slams a red button on the wall and lights begin to flash on the ceiling.

“Now why’d you do that?” I look at her irritated.

“Fuck, we need to hurry, man,” Viper seems alarmed.

“Start checking rooms,” I order, and Bud opens the closest door to him.

I open a door and find a half-burnt chick rocking back and forth on her bed. I close the door, not wanting to disturb her.

Heading to the next door, the nurse runs toward Bud with a syringe in her hand.

I slip the rifle off my shoulder, and fire bullets into her stomach. Her body flies into a brick wall from the force. Blood spraying the floor and tables.

Bud looks at the body, his hat pulled so low I can’t see if he’s grateful I just saved his ass or not.

“I—I know Harley.”

I turn, a small nurse shaking in her white sneakers.

“Where is she?” I narrow my eyes and point the rifle at her.

“This way.” She points down the long hallway.

“Thank you.” My eyes earnest, I tell her how appreciative I am with my tone.

Commotion stirs me from the depths of a blurry darkness. My head throbs, my thigh bruised and stiff from all the shots. My stomach coils into a tight knot making me nauseous. I try to move my head to the side so if I puke I won’t drown in it. Though, I don’t even remember the last time I ate.

“Where is she?”

I blink rapidly. I know that voice. Is it a dream or reality though? Using my elbows, I try and push myself up, but I’m restrained to the bed.

Stomping echoes through the hallway right outside my room, and I stress my eyes to look down as far as I can.

A small shaking nurse stops in my doorway, she administers our daily medication. Her makeup is smeared as she cries from a gun barrel pressed to her temple. I run my eyes up the weapon to familiar tattooed arms before finally meeting angry hostile blue eyes.

“Benji?” I croak. He steps to my bedside, looming over me. The smell of leather and weed bringing me back to everything I was questioning was real. “You’re not a dream,” I weep. I try and move my arm needing to touch him, I want to feel him and see that he is real.

He chuckles.

“I wouldn’t say I would be one to appear in dreams, but by the looks of this place I guess you could think that.”

He palms my face and tears fill my eyes. His hand is warm, the small pound of his heart in his veins telling me he is real.

“I’m here now, Harley,” his voice raspy.

Biting my bottom lip, I nod.

He’s real. I’m not crazy.

I’m getting out of here.

Looking down at Harley I barely recognize her. She’s lost weight and is frail. Her ocean colored eyes seem dull, like they haven’t seen sun in days. Seeing her restrained to this bed has me ready to kill every person working here.

“I’m here, and I’m getting you out,” I explain with a shaky voice. I wasn’t sure I found the right place when we got here, in a way I was hoping I didn’t when I pulled up to this hell hole, but June was right, Harley is here. Grudge had her locked away, which means he knocked Viper out.

Quickly, I unbuckle the belts around her wrist and ankles. They’re tight as hell leaving dark markings on her beautiful skin. I look up, noticing for the first time she has a blue cast on her arm. My jaw ticks as I run my fingers over the cast.

“What the fuck did they do to you?” I sigh. Seeing my club princess in such bad shape has me gritting my teeth until they nearly crack. Grudge will pay for this. I’ll fucking kill him.

Looking over my shoulder Bud is standing guard by the door.

“Hold my rifle.” I toss him my gun, and he catches it midair. With my hands now free, I scoop my arms under her and lift her. The hospital gown she’s wearing shifts showing her bruised polka dotted thigh.

My chest constricts with a burning sensation as I take in the dark purple and yellow splotches marring her beautiful skin.

“Benji,” she slurs.

“I’m not letting go.” I put her arms around my neck, and turn toward the hallway Viper and Bud stand in with guns raised.

Boots stomping into the dirty floor, I head down the narrow exit. Lights flicker above and the flash from that bitch hitting the alarm.

“Let’s go,” I instruct the boys. Viper looks over his shoulder, his eyes widening at Harley’s state.

“Jesus, is that her?”

My brows furrow with worry. “Yeah, let’s get her home,” I mutter.

“Wait!” A female voice has us stop and turn our heads.

A skinny blonde in a hospital gown stands on a table. She’s pale with bright pink lips and doesn’t seem afraid of us. Bud points the rifle at her, but she seems unfazed by it.

“Take me with you.” She lifts her chin.

Viper laughs, and I shake my head. That ain’t happening.

Harley tries to raise her head to look at the girl.

“Easy, baby,” I warn her.

“Take. Her.” Harley wheezes, her beautiful eyes flicking to mine. She must know this girl.

Leaning my head down, I run my nose up her cheek, the smell of her not recognizable. I don’t smell her cheap bubblegum, the smell of leather and weed vacant. It kills me.

“Who knows why she’s in here, we can’t risk it,” Bud states in a near whisper. This is the most I’ve heard him talk in one day, and it’s fucking surprising.

“Come the fuck on.” Viper waves her on, taking command.

I grit my teeth at him making the decision without me, but I got what I came for and shouldn’t be taking on any more.

“She’s your fucking problem,” I inform him.

I step over the charge nurse I blew away with my rifle, and a bodyguard looking fucker that tried to play hero. Blood pools around their dead bodies as we exit caged door after caged door.

“Wait, my ring,” Harley groans. I stop in my tracks, my eyes falling to her hand. My ring is missing. She looks up at me with desperate eyes, if the ocean could cry Harley’s eyes would be the perfect example. We ain’t leaving without that damn ring.

Turning where I stand, alarms blaring I head into the main office. If anyone has it, I bet it’s in there. The nurse that helped us is hiding in the corner and shrieks when she sees me stomp inside.

“Where is her ring,” I bark. Quickly she opens a cabinet and flips through some colored files.

“H-here,” she displays a baggie with Harley’s skull ring.

“Take it,” I whisper. Harley reaches out and clutches the bag as if it contained her heart. My ring really means something to her.

I kiss her forehead, as her shaky hands slide the ring back on her thumb.

Finally making it to my El Camino, the blonde bitch and Viper crawl in, and I slip in next with Harley close to my chest. My fingers tangle in her hair, it’s dry and matted. Her heartbeat slow against my chest, and it scares me to think what she went through in there.

“Where to?” Bud asks sliding in behind the steering wheel.

“Home,” Harley moans, snuggling up to me.

God, it feels good to have her in my arms again. I was scared I’d never see her again. Though, I’d never give up looking for her until I did find her.

“What the fuck are we going to say to Grudge when we roll up to the clubhouse with his daughter in the car?” Viper scoffs. “He nearly killed me trying to hide her.”

Harley’s fingers pull into my cut hearing that her dad did this to her. She may be crazy, and may qualify to be in a mental institute, but when my feet are above ground and air in my lungs. She will never be in one of those places again.

“He’s not going to be saying much.” My tone cocky. “His mouth will be too full with the barrel of my gun shoved between his teeth.”