The tv went dark, and the crowd slid from their benches and shuffled out of the room. No smiles peeked from pale faces, none spoke above a whisper.
One woman remained. She held her mouth tight, stains of crimson on her cheeks. Outside thunder rumbled, an echo of her mood. Except out the rain fell, and inside she kept both tears and anger close. Unleashing a small torrent, she stormed from the courtroom, barged into an elevator as the doors slid shut.
Whispers of whiskey and stale cigarettes filled the small space. A lone man turned a bleary gaze towards her.
“What floor?”
His gravel voice and red-rimmed eyes told tales of a broken man.
“Ground floor, to the exit,” she said. The woman patted her tight gray curls, thoughts skittering back to the day’s macabre events.
Another rattle of thunder and the power surged. The elevator shuttered, sending its occupants stumbling. For a blink, darkness reigned before emergency lights flicked on.
“Are you okay?” He extended a clumsy hand.
“Yes, Yes.” She knocked his hand away. “I don’t like this, though. Do you have a phone on you? I didn’t bring mine today, not the place for it, and it doesn’t grow out of my ear like these young people.”
The man drew a flask from his jacket. Took a quick drought of amber liquid.
“Care for a pull? Here, take it. I bet the storm knocked the power out. Big brakes on these things, nothing to worry about. I’ll call and let the building know we’re in here, number should be… There! Read it out to me while I dial, will you?”
The woman sipped from the bottle while he called, relishing the warmth.
Authorities alerted, he retrieved his drink.
“Name’s John. I see you needed that drink as much as me. Were you at the…”
His voice cracked. He took another deep drink before continuing.
“Ah, operator says power is out all over town. Should be up in 2 hours max. Till then, we hold tight. Guess I better take it easy on this. No bathrooms, eh? But today was rough. Watching that man die, it… I thought, well I just thought it would be different, you know.”
The woman breathed deep, an attempt at balance.
“Soon? What does that mean? I can’t stay here. Not today, not after… Rough? You don’t know rough. Those barbarians, they murdered my baby and now this?”
Her tone peaked, a teakettle at boil.
“Your baby?” John’s bloodshot eyes narrowed.
She patted her hair again, oblivious to the sharpening of his dull gaze.
“He was such a good boy, but they don’t see that. The media don’t care. Do you know he used to free ants from traps? He couldn’t bear to see them die. It would break my heart. I can’t believe this is the nation we live in! Death penalty, pah! Kill my son on the word of that slut, just a drugged up whore who baited him until she got what she deserved.”
John fished something from his pocket.
“What’s that you got there, not a cigar, I hope?” she snapped.
“Needle. I’m diabetic. The booze isn’t great for me.” He croaked.
“You sound rough. Are you crying? I’ll take that drink. Thank you!”
She snatched the bottle from his hand, noted the tremors that shook him.
“I think you have had enough, anyway.” She said.
“Quite enough.” It was a mumble, low enough she wasn’t sure she had heard him say it all.
She studied him. The emergency light shadows twisted his features. His expression seemed different, but the smell of booze distracted her. She closed her eyes, tilted her head back, allowing whiskey to burn its way down.
The pain came suddenly. Bursting into her thigh. Hotter than the drink that now spluttered from her mouth.
His voice rasped in her ear.
“That whore was my sister, and your son a monster. Don’t worry, you’ll see him soon enough. That’s insulin in your leg, and there is no one to help you. They will think you’re just another old bat that up and died. Heart break they will say, over your monster son. You see how it feels? What your baby did to her?”
John watched until her breath grew shallow. He dialed the emergency line again, this time feeling much calmer.
“This old lady had a heart attack. I think it’s too late.”
Masterful suspense! You captured a deeply unsettling atmosphere and delivered a killer ending. Really tight writing! Kept me hooked from the first sentence to the last.