Page 81 of Hale

“Stop lying!” she screams.

“Calm the fuck down,” Hudson snaps at her, his body naturally moving in front of mine in a protective manner.

“Get away from her!” Aunt Becky yells at him. She picks up a lamp and launches it at him. It’s still plugged in, so it doesn’t go far.

“What the hell is going on down here?” Uncle Randy demands as he stumbles down the stairs in nothing but his boxers and rubbing at his eyes.

“I told you, Randy!” She points accusingly at us. “They’re fucking! It’s incest.”

Randy stills at the bottom of the stairs. “You caught them?”

“Look!” She waves her hand at us. “I interrupted something!”

“You’re out of line,” Hudson snaps. “We were going through our parents’ things. That was all. Stop your horrible fucking accusations.”

She rushes to Hudson and slaps his face. “Don’t. Lie. To. Me.” When she goes to slap him again, he grabs her wrist.

“Get the fuck away from me,” he seethes, his shoulders tense with rage.

“Hudson,” I whimper, willing him to calm down.

“Let her go,” Uncle Randy barks, stalking over to us.

“Tell her to stop hitting me,” Hudson snaps as he releases her.

She slaps him again. “I ought to kill you! Fucking your sister? You’re a sick sonofabitch!”

“Aunt Becky!” I cry out. “Stop!”

She starts pummeling Hudson’s chest with her fists. He grabs her forearms and holds her away from him.

“Get your goddamn hands off her, boy,” Uncle Randy orders. He pulls her away from my brother and comes between them. “I think it’s time for you to pack your shit and leave. You’re causing too much trouble in my home.”

“I’m causing trouble?” Hudson laughs scornfully. “Your meddling bitch of a wife is sticking her nose in places that are not her busin—”

His words get cut short when Uncle Randy shoves him. Hudson knocks into me and I hit the floor hard.

When Hudson realizes I’ve been pushed into the floor, he goes crazy and attacks our uncle. Hudson lands a punch, but Uncle Randy is scrappy. They scuffle and run into things. I scream at them to stop, but they don’t listen.

“Please stop!” I beg through my tears as I scramble to my feet. “Aunt Becky, make them stop!” But she’s gone. Left these two beasts to duke it out alone with me as their only spectator.

Hudson hits Uncle Randy in the ribs but then takes an elbow to the chin. As soon as I see blood dripping from Hudson’s mouth, I grow dizzy. I stumble and crawl over to where Hudson and I were sitting only moments before. Drawing my knees to my chest, I bury my face to hide from their fighting. Tears stream endlessly down my cheeks. I rock back and forth, hoping for this to end soon.

Grunts.

Punches.

Furniture crashing.

It goes on forever.

Until people stomp down the stairs to join us. Police. The police are here. Nononononononono!

“Hudson,” I whisper.

Two officers break up the fight and drag the men apart from each other. My eyes clash with Hudson’s and heartbreak flashes across his features. This is the end. It all ends.

“He’s been fucking his sister,” Aunt Becky yells at them. “She’s mentally ill. He took advantage of her.”