Axle: Savage Skulls MC Vol. 1

Chapter 14

Coughing, wheezing, and sharp inhales of breath were heard as the smoke started to clear.  "Axle, you good?" Priest called out.  "Yeah." He answered dusting himself off.

"Is everybody alright, call out!" Axle shouted. 

"Ice, Bas, and I are good," Hawk answered.  "Ink's been shot." Capone snitched.  Ink hit him in the arm.  "Just a graze Prez, no big deal." He glared at a laughing Capone.  "We're all good here." Spook answered for him, Tank, and Blake. "I'm good to go, Prez." The Unholy piped in.

It didn't take long before sirens were heard coming in their direction.  "Where's Maddox?" Priest asked, his eyes searching around him.  "Maddox!" Axle yelled moving through the shrubs and bushes.

"Maddox!" Shouted Ink.  Everyone was frantically searching for the young prospect.  "Over here!" Tank shouted.

"Jesus," Capone mumbled in disbelief.  The force of the blast pushed Maddox onto a tree branch, impaling him on his left side.  "He's losing a lot of blood, but there is a pulse...faint, but it's there." Spook kneeling, putting two fingers against Maddox's neck.

"Axle...Ice!" Sherriff Ford shouted.  "Back here." Ice answered.

"We need a medic, Maddox's hurt." Priest told him.  Sherriff Ford nodded and waved the paramedics over to them.

The paramedics rushed over with a gurney and a large medical bag.  The first paramedic was assessing Maddox's injury. "The branch is too long; we need to cut pieces of it off before we can safely transport him." 

"The fire truck has a chainsaw."  "Luther, get the chainsaw!" Ford yelled at his deputy.  A few seconds later, Luther and a couple of firemen were running with the chainsaw.

"Everyone stand clear." Said the paramedic. 

Branch particles began flying everywhere as the firemen were carefully cutting the front and back pieces of the tree branch.

"Hang in there, Mads," Bas mumbled next to his friend.  Axle and Priest were standing in the middle of the street in front of where the compound used to be.

"What the hell happened here?" Sherriff Ford asked, assessing the damages. "We can't tell you," Axle answered flatly.

"Bullshit!"  "Don't give that club business nonsense."  "This blast was probably seen for blocks."  "News reporters are starting to litter the neighborhood." Ford countered.

"We can't tell you." Axle repeated.  Sherriff Ford paced around raking his hands over his face.  "What can you tell me?!"

"I need a cover story for the blast." He answered with a pleading look. 

"No," Ford responded.  "Not until you tell me what the hell is going on here."  "If there's a chance my daughter is in danger, I need to know." He directed that last statement towards Ice.

"Eric!" Yelled a frantic voice coming towards them.  "Sophia," Axle mumbled, engulfing his sister as she leaped into his arms.  "What are you doing here?"

"I saw the smoke on my way to work."  "Is everyone alright?" "What happened?" She asked. 

"Nothing you need to be concerned about," He began explaining, "Maddox is hurt." "They're taking him to the hospital."

"Where's Charlie?"  "Is she ok?" Sophia asked.  Axle didn't want to get his sister involved.  When he joined the Skulls, he made it his mission to keep his sister away from the dangers the club attracts.

"Sophia, I need you to go to work and make sure Maddox is ok."  "I'll check in with you later." Axle instructed completely bypassing the question she asked.  He couldn't have his sister worrying about Charlie.