Dead Men Tell No Tales: An AOD Story

Welcome to Hell California

No matter what tales you hear, dead men tells no tales.

No one escapes the life they're meant to live. Whether its becoming an account at some fancy job, or being shot down at the corner for hustling drugs. God watches over the privelaged and rich, as well as the poor and diseased.

Regardless of how paths cross, it's always a cruel, unforgiving joke . Some of us try to run away from the life we are born into, with the Devil acting as our shadow, while some of us embrace it.

But it doesn't matter if you're the wolf or the rabbit. Rabbits do whatever they have to do to survive, sometimes even being killed by the wolf. But just as the wolf can kill, it can be killed.

God or no God, destiny always shows its face.

Maria could feel the sweat dripping down her back and her forehead as she squatted next to the Harley, tightning the lugs on the wheel. It smelled of oil and ciggerettes in the garage, but she was used to it now. The heat radiated from outside, the garage provided little shade and the sad fan in the corner didn't do anything for her.

Maria had been employed at A.O.D for about 7 months, doing some maitnence around the shop, auto work on the bikes, sometimes welding, cleaning, litteraly anything to earn her room and board. Next to the A.O.D was the clubhouse for the motorcycle club, also where her room and board was. Now she wasn't a puta or anything, thats why she worked for them, because there were worst jobs down in south Los Angeles. With all the gang covering every territory, it was hard to run an honest business, or keep an honest job. Maria prefered the company of the white boys, the worst they did was smuggle guns, but they kept honest business' that didn't interfere with that.

The mexican gangs, Los Lobos, dealt with drugs, gun smuggaling, prostitution, and transporting illegals, and not always humanely.

The black gang, Yankees, dealt with extortion, black mailing, drug smuggaling, but they bought their guns from A.O.D.

When Maria first moved here from Nevada she couldn't find work that didn't come attatched with extra favors and extortion. Finally she had met Opie Winston when she was homeless, and with his kind heart, he gave her work at his motorcycle charters garage. She had worked as a welder in Nevada and in Mexico, so she helped them out alot.

Maria stood up as wiped the sweat from her face with her T-shirt, she looked up to notice she was getting some stares from some of the other mechanics in the shop. She was use to it by now.

Why was a mexican working with a bunch of white boys?

She hated the question as much as she hated the stares. But it wouldn't be as bad as working for Rio , leader of Los Lobos. He brought women in through his underground tunnels promising them new opportunites here, but instead whoring them out in his houses. Some of them as young as 13. Rio had run into Maria a few times, trying to rope her into working for him, because of her english and spanish, she could do more jobs. The last time he wasn't too happy that she turned down his offer, so she decided to work at the A.O.D.

Maria walked out of the garage and into the baring sun, she squinted as she walked across the pavement to the clubhouse, planning on getting cleaned up. When she stepped in she could feel the cold air from the AC hit her, the smell of leather and smoke overbearing. A couple of the guys sat at the bar and the others were playing pool. Opie was there sitting on the couch talking to his son, AJ. Poor kids mom was a junkie living about two hours away from here, so Opie brought his kid around alot, as much as he could anyways. AJ was about 4 years old, stayed in daycare during the week but at the club on the weekends. They tried to make it as normal as they could but it was damn near impossible.

"Hey AJ," Maria smiled at him as she walked up and gave him a hug. AJ shot up from the couch as squeezed her back.

"Maria, Maria! I miss you!" AJ said as he gave her a toothy grin. Opie smiled as he stood up too. He was a good foot taller than her, with shaggy brown hair and tired brown eyes. He was the treasurer of the MC, so he was always busy, but he tried to make time for his son all of the time as well.