The Camden Tales

18 - Soul Soup

-=₪ May 1924 ₪=-

Home / 150 Camden Road / 5.01am

Alfie saw a flash of light, which was followed by a muffled, blood curdling scream, and then... BANG!

It made him jump. Sound rushed back to his ears, becoming loud and clear, his vision came into focus. He felt bewildered as he tried to take in his bright surroundings.

His eyes front, traced down the wardrobe to Malka, slumped up against it on the floor. Her eyes closed, blood running down her face and neck, soaking into her white cotton nightdress.

"Malka?" he whispered as his eyes followed along his arm to the gun in his hand.

He wasn't holding the gun alone, Louis' hand was also wrapped around it. He'd lifted Alfie's arm at the second as the gun fired. They both looked at the hole in the ceiling and then to each other.

Alfie suddenly let go of the gun and fell backwards onto the bed. Louis held the gun as Edna ran to Malka.

"MALKA!? Mrs Solomons!?" she shrieked.

Tears gushed from Edna as she tried to see past the blood and reach out to her. She could feel Malka trembling.

"Are you alright m'lady?" she asked, watching the tears run down Malka's face and mix with the blood.

Alfie looked on in horror as he saw what he had done. He leapt from the bed and flew into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

"Everyone should go." said Malka lowly.

"Can I get you anything m'lady?" Edna offered gently.

"Ollie." asked Malka, squeezing her eyes closed, "I want Ollie."

"I'll call him." she said, getting up and leaving the room.

Louis and Malka could hear Alfie vomiting in the bathroom.

"Give me the gun please Louis." Malka asked, holding out her shaky hand.

He grimaced at the sounds of Alfie being sick as he handed over the gun.

"Will he be alright?" he asked, looking to the closed bathroom door.

Malka shook her head, "I don't know. Please, just. Go away."

Louis found Malka's rejection of him upsetting. He hung his head and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Malka looked around, realising that as she heard the gun fire, she had stepped back into the wardrobe and crouched down. She still remained cowered against it, her knees up by her bloody nose.

She climbed off the floor and looked at the gun in her hand. She stared at it. The gun was never supposed to be on his nightstand, the rule was dressing table, always leave it on the dressing table.

She walked to Alfie's nightstand, opened the drawer and saw the Tanakh inside. She then emptied the barrel of the revolver, pouring the bullets into the drawer with his bible.

Crossing the room, she put the gun on the dressing table and went into the bathroom to see Alfie. He was lying naked on his back of the bathroom floor. His knees were bent and straddling the toilet bowl as he glared up at the ceiling.

Malka went to the sink and looked at herself in the mirror. All she could see was red, definitely looked worse than it was.

"How could one nose hold so much fucking blood?" she thought.