Reclaim my Soul

Homeward-bound

It had been five years since Kain last saw the grounds of this county, and exactly three years since he was deployed from San Angelo out of the states.

He didn't know if he missed it. Everything reminded him of Colby, and maybe that was the reason he came back, so he could feel a little closer to his brother. Growing up in this large desert of a state and brought up feeling stuck to this chunk of land made him appreciate the outside world more.

Although, the regrets for leaving all those years ago almost creeped back into his mind. Regret that maybe if they had never left Texas, Colby would still be with him and he wouldn't have to carry around the heavy burden of guilt.

After trying hard and failing at settling down in some place across the country, he knew there was something about this place that drew him back. It wasn't his need to get out of military combat and wars. No, it was far from that. He just couldn't not come back.

The sound of his bike purred to life as he rode down the familiar dirt road. The dog tag around his neck flapped against his chest with each gallop of his bike. As Kain got closer and closer to the farmhouse, he couldn't ignore the scattered herd of horses around the area.

There was one horse in each mile as he rode down. He slowed as he noticed the horses seemed abandoned, grazing around the dirt, no saddles on their backs.

Only one stable was filled with this many horses in almost half of the entire county, and it was the stables he grew up grooming. The stables in his father's manor farmhouse, and by the looks of it, all the horses had run away, and no one cared to lead them back home.

He started down the road again, this time too curious, his speed picked up.

As Kain neared the wooden gates of the manor, the first thing he noticed was the misshapen and rundown sign. The bold words that used to read "El castillo de la Dinastía" was now in a ramshackle state, unmaintained and almost broken down. The gate still stood, but the once polished woods looked like they had seen better days.

He scowled and rode his motorcycle in. He noticed a few motorcycles parked in the compound.

His father always spoke about giving the Monarchs part of the Dinastía land, so they'd become real settlers. Kain guessed his father had carried out his plan, but what he didn't understand was how his father had started to let them crowd the front of his yard with their bikes. When Kain lived in the farmhouse, his father never let the men park their bikes anywhere in sight. He called them "greasy machines" soiling up his land.

He got off his bike and walked the rest of the way, avoiding the main building, he decided to visit the stables first, not sure he was ready to face his father yet. So he pulled his bike the rest of the way to the back.

There was something off, the yard workers and farmers who worked the grounds were nowhere in sight. The lands looked deserted, the plantations were dried up.

"What the f**k happened here?" Kain muttered to himself.

When he got to the stables, he wasn't surprised to find it empty and in ruins.

He sighed to himself, rubbing his head and face.

"Kain?" A voice called from the stable entrance.

He turned to stare at the unfamiliar intruder.

"Oh my God. It is you." The intruder said with a huge smile as he came up close to Kain. "f*****g hell. It's unbelievable."

As the intruder neared him, his face a lot clearer, Kain squinted his eyes, he thought he recognised him.

"It's me. Nathan."

"Nathan?"

He nodded.

"f**k. You're taller now and your hair, it's...longer." Said Kain, a smirk forming on his face. "Last time I saw you, you were what? Thirteen?"

"Fifteen." Nathan replied. "Damn. You're alive? We all thought you died."

"It's not that easy to kill me."

Nathan was the son of Simon—the leader of the Regal MC. Kain used to be an unpledged member of the Regal MC, before he left them and came back to "run" his father's ranch. Well, he didn't really leave the Regal brothers to run his father's ranch, he came back using that excuse so he would keep an eye on his little brother.

All that didn't matter now.

Nathan chuckled as he stared his old friend down. "Where the hell have you been?" He asked with a confusion and a little bit of excitement. "You know Numen and Aunty doubted that you were dead from the very first day the rumors started spreading round town. And to think it was your father who started the rumor of your death."

"My father. Of course. That damned ringleader." Kain chuckled humorlessly. "Is he around?"

Nathan paused and eyed him unblinking. "Your father, he um...he died. Three years ago."

Silence.

Kain didn't know how else to react. He just clenched his jaw as he watched the face of the boy in front of him flash with sympathy, was it?

Almost everyone in the county knew about the sour relationship between father and son.

"I'm sorry, man." Nathan said. "We heard he'd OD'd."

Kain thought that of all things to bring down the old man, the one thing he stocked and dealt all his life was the thing that sent him to his grave. 'Live by the sword, die by the sword.'

"That explains the state of this place." Kain clicked his tongue as he scanned the stable.

"Yeah, man. Logan and his brothers took over the farmhouse after your father died, and with you and your brother gone, the place wasn't properly manned or claimed. So the Monarchs turned it to their territory." Nathan scratched his head and looked at Kain and wondered where Colby was.

"Of course." Kain paced the floor clenching and unclenching his fists. His perturbed mood rising.

"Kain, man. It's been really bad since. Logan and his men have become tyrants. This farmhouse isn't the only place they've claimed since. They go around stealing, cutting down people, taking their lands and crops. It's terrible, man. They put shame to what an MC really is." Nathan scrunched up his face. "Now, everyone in authority have deemed us all outlaws."

All Kain heard was the sound of his breathing pick up pace as he pictured Logan's bloodied face at the end of his fists.

"Where is Logan?" Kain asked stumping towards the entrance. "I'm gonna kill him."

"Whoa!" Nathan stepped in front of him, cutting him off.

"Out of my way, kid." Kain warned, his nose flaring.

"So you're just gonna walk up to Logan and kill him?" Nathan asked staring wide eyed at him.

Kain grunted. "I'll kill him and tell the rest of his c**k-sucking brothers to pack their s**t and get off this land."

"You have to either be crazy or suicidal." Nathan said, shock clearly laced on his face.

"Watch it, kid."

"You can't face Logan, everyone who tried is now dead."

"I'm not everyone." Kain replied.

"You can't do it, at least not alone and not now." Nathan advised. "Logan and his brothers will be back any moment now, and I doubt they'll be happy to see you alive. Who knows what they'll do to you, a bigger threat, not to forget how heavily armed they've been getting these past few years." He explained. "Why don't you come back to the Graven palace. Numen and the others will be happy to see you. Dad, Bleu, Aunty, everyone will be happy to see you. You know that place has always been your home, pledged or unpledged."

Kain eyed the boy, he would never admit that the boy was making sense. It wasn't the first time he had acted on impulse. More importantly, he didn't want to seem like a coward, not to Logan, not to anyone.

"Just come back to the Palace, you're not the only one who wants to take down Logan and his tyranny, we can all do it together with some good planning and patience." Nathan said, hope now flashing in his eyes.

Kain gnashed his teeth together, breathing heavily as he stood down. He didn't respond.

The sound of purring bikes drew their attention. They both walked to the doors and watched from afar as Logan and his brothers rounded the compound. Kain watched them carefully, counting them. Their numbers had definitely increased since the last time he saw them.

"Please man, don't do it. Come back with me to the Palace. There's a road just through here, we can leave without being noticed." Nathan pleaded.

"I know the road." Kain replied angrily, just as something dawned on him. "And why the hell are you here though, in the farmhouse? Shouldn't you be back at Graven?" He asked the boy with a raise of a brow.

"I worked for your father for a while before he died. I uh.. I come here once in a while when things get heated back at the palace. My dad has been a little stony and aggressive since his retirement." Nathan explained, his face downcast.

He studied the boys face for a moment, "so if he's retired, who's president now?" Kain asked.

"Numen." Nathan replied with a shrug.

Turning to scan the compound, Kain waited for Logan and his men to get out of sight before he ran up to get his bike. He pulled the thing towards the back road, and without glancing at Nathan, he mounted the bike and the engine purred to life.

Hope flashed across Nathan's face as he smiled at his friend. "So, you're coming to the palace?" He asked.

"No, kid. I need to get out of here before I murder someone." He said and rode away.

Nathan sighed in disappointment as he watched his old friend leave.