Never mess with the gang. Once you are in the gang you are in for life. If you decide to leave you had better remove the patches from the jacket and dispose of them before anyone in the gang sees them on someone who is not in the gang. Anyone wearing the patches outside of the gang will be shot on sight. Those are the rules, and they will be followed.
Jessica was looking through the boxes in the closet for anything she wanted to keep. Her grandpa had just passed away a week ago and it was time to clean out the house of anything that would not be remaining when the house is put onto the market. Most of the boxes were filled with old clothes, shoes, or keepsakes partial to her grandpa or his parents, Nana and Tata. Jessica had already claimed some of the boots and hats she had found along with some of the best Texan belts she had ever seen.
As she opened the next box, she found an old leather jacket with holes in it and strange-looking patches resting underneath. She picked up the patches for further inspection. One had the image of a skull wearing a military helmet with a ribbon bow under the neck and a cross behind it, along with the number 13 wedged inside the teeth. The other image was a sideways facing skull wearing an armor helmet with the words “Iron Horseman” surrounding it.
“What did you find?” Jessica’s mother called, startling her from her inspections.
She turned to show her mother the jacket and patches.
“Those belonged to your Tata,” her mother said as she approached and knelt beside her. “Back when he was in the biker gang. He was known as “The Bear,” Nana was known as “Lady Bear” and your grandpa was “Baby Bear.” Tata would ride his motorcycle with Nana standing on the back. I never knew how she stayed on with how often he would pop a wheelie when riding.”
“Really?” Jessica asked.
Her mother nodded. “We need to burn those patches, though. If anyone in the gang saw us walking around with them or wearing them, we would be killed immediately.”
“Why?” Jessica asked. “Why not keep them? No one has to see them but us.”
“It’s not safe to keep them,” her mother replied gently. “They should have been destroyed long ago. We’ll burn them tonight.”
Jessica nodded, pulled out her phone, and took a picture.
“Don’t let anyone see that,” her mother warned. “For your own safety.”
Jessica nodded and saved the picture.