ghosts // riverdale

[7]

          Many of us believed that Riverdale had already seen its worst. There were fathers killing sons, strangers killing strangers, etc., but what we didn't know was that Riverdale hadn't seen its worst. All that had happened in the months before (such as Jason Blossom's murder and the shooting of Fred Andrews) was going to feel like a walk in the park compared to what was to come. The issue that was at hand here was that many of us knew someone who was heavily involved in the underground deal that the devil had made.

          Riverdale is a small town but when big things happen, it doesn't feel so small anymore. After Jason Blossom's death, the sense of security throughout the town had been ripped from beneath our feet. We thought that Cliff Blossom was the big bad wolf in our small town story. Yet, the reality was that Cliff Blossom was only one of the three little pigs and the big bad wolf had just stepped into Riverdale, and he was ready to blow all of the houses of Riverdale down.

----------

It had been nearly 24 hours since Hiram Lodge had told his wife that he wanted a divorce. 24 hours since he had felt like a completely free man. Even once he stepped out from prison only a few days before, there had still been a hint of dread pulling in his chest. It was a dread that he had felt for years but had continued pushing to the side. Yet, somehow he knew that this time was different. This time he couldn't go strictly by business or strategy, he knew had to play by instinct.

The cold Riverdale air sends goosebumps over his bare neck as his leather shoes crush ice beneath them. Main Street in Riverdale is beautiful at night, the white string lights twirled around the lamp posts illuminating the small town shops with colorful window statements. Hiram presses his thin lips together as he paces along the wide sidewalk, bustling quickly in and out of small crowds. As he walks past, people stop and stare. They knew who he was. Everyone knew who he was.

As he comes to the last busy corner on Main Street, he presses his gloved hand against the pedestrian signal as he stares at the small blinking screen across the street. He licks his bottom lip as the once bustling street that he had been down minutes before has been replaced by near silence. Hiram keeps his eyes on the small orange hand urging him to stay on the sidewalk as not a single car drives through the green light.

He pushes his hands back into the pockets of his coat as he catches a headlight out of the corner of his eye. The black SUV moves slowly, creeping past parked cars. Hiram narrows his eyes on the SUV as he notices it's driving under the speed limit. As the SUV creeps in front of him, Hiram takes a single step back, panic arising in his chest. Before he can move any further, a cloth bag is wrapped around his head as he hears the SUV doors swing open and men muttering under their breaths.

----------

"Do you know who I am!?" Hiram shouts into darkness as he attempts to twist his hands into a release. The rope tied around his wrists tear at his skin as he slightly thrashes in the cold metal chair beneath him. "Do you know who I am!?" He shouts again as his face grows red hot with fear and anger. He can hear quiet talking surrounding him as he can distinctly find that there are at least three men in the room. "Who do you work for? I want to speak to them directly," Hiram says, his voice a bit lower as he attempts to reason with the men surrounding him.

His chest rises and falls heavily as the cloth bag is quickly removed, snapping his head forward. His eyes immediately shoot from the damp concrete floor to the space in front of him. His heart nearly stops in his chest as familiar dark eyes meet his. "You should be careful what you wish for, Hiram," the man says blankly as he stares intently back at him. Hiram breathes in slowly as beads of sweat form on his forehead.

"Jonathan," Hiram mutters as his heart slows in his chest. "Don't," the man responds as he shakes his head, "I don't want to hear your bullshit. Today, I'm going to be the one doing the talking and you're going to be the one listening." Hiram presses his quivering lips together as he shoots a single nod in the mans direction.