He flung open the door. “Val. What the hell? What’s going on?”
“There’s a bomb in my apartment. I don’t have to explain.” I didn’t give him time to answer, spinning and grabbing the handle for the railing.
Hudson appeared behind me. “You heard the lady. Get the fuck out. Go. Both of you.”
Thank God Andrew heeded the warning, grabbing something and rushing down the stairs.
I flew down after him thinking Hudson was following. Everything was a huge blur as I pounded and screamed. Within seconds terror created chaos. My neighbors running. A dog barking.
“Everyone. Get out. Go as far as you can.” Hudson’s voice boomed above the horrific din as panic had begun to settle in.
While my body was moving, working through the terror, my mind was frozen, incapable of comprehending why this was happening.
I rushed down to another floor, pounding on one door. “Jackie. Get your puppy and get out. There’s a bomb in the building.”
“Out. Out. Out!” Hudson bellowed. “Call 9-1-1.”
Jackie’s puppy tripped me as he came running out. Down I went on my hands and knees, the pain jarring. As soon as I managed to stand, I hugged the wall, shifting my gaze back and forth across the melee in search of Hudson.
Where had he gone?
No. Oh, God. Please.
Pushing away, I descended another floor, glancing all around me. Frantic. Terrified. The bastard had done this. He wanted me dead.
“Come on, Valentina,” one of my neighbors called, breaking my slight trance.
“Yes. Okay.” I called to him in my mind, gasping for air as I suddenly felt a stifling sense of suffocation. I caught a glimpse of Hudson and almost called out to him. My voice was scratchy, barely any sound registering.
Suddenly, the stairwell became crowded and I lost sight of Hudson. I pushed people aside in trying desperately to catch a glimpse of him.
He was nowhere.
“Hudson! Hudson!” There was no way my screams could be heard above the shouts and wails.
Suddenly, I was pushed by a group of people out the front door onto the sidewalk. My heart thudding, I glanced from side to side, praying to God I just hadn’t seen him.
In my mind was the tick, tick, tick of the clock.
Seconds later, he appeared on the landing, searching for me as he trotted down the stairs.
“No!” Jackie screamed as she rushed by. “My baby. My baby.”
I caught her arm just as I noticed the golden retriever puppy rushed back into the building.
“You can’t go in there,” I shouted, holding her arm and preventing her from getting free. “The building is going to blow at any second.”
“That’s my goddamn baby. I’m going to get him.” She jerked her arm free, instantly stopped by Hudson. Whatever he’d said to her, she nodded and tumbled backward.
Then I watched in horror as he disappeared inside the building.
“No. No. No!”
“Don’t,” Andrew barked, blocking me from racing toward the building. “Let him get the dog.”
“You don’t understand. You…” I backed away, shaking like a leaf. My neighbors all backed away leaving me standing by myself. Another eerie feeling.
Another tingle of icy water.
