[Now, that looks serious. And Johnnie doesn't like the look of those shotguns. Playing this risky is fine but playing it stupid is not, and he's pretty sure barreling right toward them counts as stupid.

But one thing is for sure, there's no clear way around. Not without doubling back and trying to head east instead, up into the hills, where the road and the people who live on it are likely to present some curveballs anyway.]

We deal with 'em, I guess.

[Not much choice. They can't exactly sneak up on the guys who are watching them and waiting for them to make a move. So Johnnie carries on, straight forward, stopping the bike when one of these guys puts a hand up.]

Registration and ID, sir. You too, miss. Where are you two heading?

[So that's not just an outright "this is closed", it's a "this is open for certain people if you follow certain rules." Maybe they can work with that. They sure do have a ton of bribes in the form of jewelry with them.]

I, uh, I don't have that shit. Lost it in a fire. Some assholes tried to rob my place an' burn it down. But we're just goin' north, y'know? How's the road look up ahead?

[He says it all with a smile, cheerful enough, like he'd love to play this game if he could.]