Page 1 of Chains and Vows

CHAPTER 1

It's strange how my life flashes before my eyes in this moment.

Because I'm not the one with a gun to my head. That's Crow. But flash it does. A bunch of images I'm tired of lookin' back at, mostly.

I mean, my God, Legion. Can we just get over the trauma already?

But the images with Mike. With Brick. That shit isn't resolved yet. It hasn't sat around in my mind long enough to lose meaning. Hasn't collected dust. Hasn't settled and started to decay.

It's all very fuckin' fresh.

Crow's hand is shakin’, barrel of his gun to the side of his head, eyes wild. "You said, Legion. You said it was over."

I sigh. I'm not tryin' to make light of this situation. The last fuckin' thing I need is another dead body to bury.

But it has been a day.

And fine. I did not have the conversation with these men I should've, but in my defense, there is only so much one day can hold.

So here we are, sunlight fading behind the badlands rock. Perfect and beautiful, just like it started.

And I guess it's time to set this straight.

"I didn't even know what the fuck was really goin' on here until this mornin'." My eyes are scannin' the whole crowd of them. Stoppin' briefly on each set starin' back. Even Diesel's. "I got ambushed this mornin'."

There's a couple of mumbled questions. But I ignore them and just keep goin'.

"I was comin' home from droppin' Savannah off and eight troopers surrounded me. Took me to that old gas station on the highway. That one with the sign that used to be orange? And inside was a man called Mike."

Couple of them must know Mike, because I hear a few exhales.

"And this Mike fellow proceeded to tell me all about how Badlands was his bitch. About how Brick was his bitch. About how I am now his bitch. I learned shit about oil. About fuckin' rocks. And black ops, and roads, and all this other fuckin' shit that I had never once thought about, let alone considered part of my fuckin' job. And when he asked, ‘We good?’ I said, ‘We good.’ Because what the fuck else was I supposed to say? I still haven't had time to think about it. To turn it around and understand it."

I stare at them all again. Landin’ on Diesel.

"Because it just. Fuckin’. Happened. This mornin’.”

I know Diesel's not the one complaining about my services. But I aim my accusation at him anyway. "And all you fuckers knew. That whole time I was in prison for this club." I point down at the dirt. "All that time I did was to protect this?"

I spread my arms, lookin' up at the newly arrived night sky, and spin slowly.

Such a pointless place, this earth.

Filled with so many things that make no sense.

I stop my slow spin in front of Crow and look at him. "Do you think I'm some kind of fuckin' magician here, Crow? Is that what you think? That I carry a fuckin' wand in my back pocket? That I can fix all THE MOTHERFUCKIN' SHIT THAT YOU STUPID FUCKIN' ASSHOLES AGREED TO!" I'm screamin' now. "IN ONE. FUCKIN'. DAY?"

They say nothin'. Because this isn't a side of me they've ever seen before. This is what it looks like when Legion crashes out. When he loses all his carefully curated internal fuckin' Zen and just… explodes.

I'm a quiet guy. I'm a thinkin' guy. I'm rational, logistical, and strategic. This is my thing.

I do not shout.

I don't like to shout.

But I am pissed.

And they all know it.