Page 51 of Beyond the Darkness
Of all the bad luck, there was no queue or security staff stationed outside of The Viaduct tonight.Their only option was to reach the front door of his building.
He glanced behind.The blond guy was fast on his feet.It was like being chased by a creature from one of his old horror films.
He couldn’t believe this was happening.
“I’m going to tear your head off your shoulders and shove it up your arse,” one of the men hollered.
Hudson was grateful for his own fitness.He wouldn’t be able to hold his own in a fight with these pricks, but he could run without too much effort.Adrenaline and stress kept him powering forward.Thankfully Luke was at his side.
Hudson pulled his wallet from his pocket and extracted his key card before they reached the door.He swiped the electronic pad.The light stayed red.Shit.He tapped the card again.
He could hear the heavy pounding of feet behind then.
At last, the light turned green, and the lock released.Hudson and Luke tumbled into the lobby, shoving the door shut behind them.Putting all their weight against it, they waited for the lock to catch.
The two men thudded against the other side, pounding on the glass.
It was a relief to hear the soft click of the lock.
The taller man pounded on the glass with his fists.His face, twisted with fury, was even uglier than Hudson had realised.Spit spattered the window as he swore at them.
“Now we know where you live, motherfuckers,” the smaller guy said, punching the door.
“And you’re on fucking camera, assholes.”Hudson pointed to the CCTV cameras that covered the lobby and the front door.
The small one was so stupid he gave a cartoon double take before tugging on his buddy’s arm and dragging him away.The blond spat a huge green glob of spit at the window before eventually backing down.
“Fuck.”Hudson leaned against the wall for support.His legs were suddenly weak.“What the hell was that?”
“That is the kind of behaviour that’s gotten out of hand in this city these last few years.Right-wing bastards who think they can take their hatred to the streets.”
“Are you okay?”
Luke’s face was ashen.Hudson hadn’t seen him look so drained.
He breathed deep and nodded.“Just…shocked.Fucking mad, too.How dare they?How fucking dare they behave like that?”
Hudson put his arm around him.Luke’s entire body trembled.“It’s okay,” he said softly.“They’re gone.It’s safe now.”
Upstairs, Hudson prepared them two stiff glasses of whisky, while Luke reported the incident to the police.
“For what good it will do,” Luke said when he got off the phone.
“They’ll get some clear shots of them from the cameras in the lobby.And there must be CCTV covering the main road.It’s got to have picked up the car and its registration.”
“That’s all true.But it’s also got to be worth someone’s time and effort in the police to investigate and track them down.”
“Surely things can’t be as bad all that.Those guys came for us in public.It has to count for something.”
Luke sighed, leaning into him.“I wish I shared your optimism.It’s been like this for years now.It’s getting worse, not better.”
“You can report it?Put it in your paper.”
“I will.I’m just not convinced it will lead to anything.And do you really want more of that kind of publicity?”
Hudson put a hand on his leg.“Well, straight answer—no.But that doesn’t matter.Quote me all you want.I’ll even give an interview.Maybe we can shame the cops into finding those pricks.”
“You know who’ll be all over it?Corman and Amber.They’ll love championing the cause.”
