Clocking in on Highway 118

Chapter 5: New Ride

Chapter 5: New Ride

The specter arrives at work promptly at 6:45. A brand new bike can make Dean do anything, even show up early. The ghost uses his skills learned from the G.E.D course; The man in black materializes right next to his bike. It is simply a work of beauty. Every piston of the six cylinder engine gleams with the evidence of fresh chrome. The biker climbs on the bike feeling the handlebars instantly begin to heat. Heated handlebars is a luxury feature the head engineer added to compensate for the slight chill in the night air. The padded leather seat could easily fit two gigantic riders.

The bike is extremely heavy in comparison to his old bike. Dean figures, "All this extra power must have upped the chopper's wet weight." Dean struggles to keep the bike upright as he lets the motor idle. Glancing behind him Dean can see dual exhausts emitting large puffs of white smoke. The man in black revs the engine slightly and the motorcycle roars into life. The sound of the six cylinders runs through a wide open exhaust. This makes for a throatier growl and outright noisier engine, but the biker revels in the sound. Dean responds, "The sound would send anybody in a metal cage running into the hills. The bike is begging to be pushed to its limits!"

Twists the throttle with his right hand and kicks off with his riding boots from the ground. Dean once again rides on the smooth asphalt of Highway 118. This time he is struggling against the g-force this motorcycle emits. The force from the acceleration is pulling Dean away from his handlebars. Dean doesn't give up, shifting in time with the engine. He soon flies at 80 miles an hour down a short straight in the highway right before the curve. The one that knocked him off his old bike so many nights ago.

The specter downshifts with his foot and puts pressure on the front brake. The biker clamps his left hand down with force. The chopper sails into the curve with far too much speed despite all of the rider's efforts. But the bike responds in sync with Dean as he rounds the curve. The impossibly low center of gravity keeps the bike upright. If memory serves him right, there should be another straight. "This time I'm really gonna haul ass. This baby's got it in her."

Except he doesn't see another straight ahead of him. He's back on the gravel side of the road. Right where he started his ride tonight. Dean shakes it off and kicks his leather boots off the ground once more. "I'm pulling massive g's on these straights. And I love it! Here comes that blind curve! I got it this time for sure." Dean rounds the blind curve with ease.

The specter spends a few hours repeating his ride. The LED headlight switches on automatically defying the darkness with its brilliance. Its light illuminates tall, silent trees. Trees that cast long, haunting shadows on the highway. Dean spots a family in a sedan, they look terrified. The specter is thrilled with their response. This is just the reaction Dean wants from non-bikers. The kind of terror that never showed on the faces of motorists with his old bike. "Nothing like the open road," he shouts. He gives his bike a little more gas, just for a little more growl from the dual exhaust system. The family continues past the blind curve, Dean however, does not. He is back on the gravel that lines the side of the road with his perfect bike. The bike of his dreams, a bike that is all chrome and power. A highway model in a repetitive loop for the stretch of Highway 118 with that blind curve.

It's been a long night and Dean is sore from riding. He needs a stiff drink and then he can go home. Dean visualizes the drink in his hand, a pint glass filled to the brim with Guinness, along with a shot of aromatic whiskey, for a chaser. The ghost can almost taste the Guinness and then something happens. The specter materializes inside an active Irish pub. The dim light, the din of conversation from tables and barstools of patrons that idly pass their time. There is no other place with this much atmosphere.