Chapter Text
Intricate patterns of wind tossed snow in twists and turns, sending the tiny ice crystals to cascade down from large, rounded hills to the tiniest spine of a pine tree. The same cool air felt like needles slowly carving into the skin of his face, which was perched outside the tall lookout tower.
“Hudson,” someone to the right nudged the man’s shoulder, trying to bring him back to their previous conversation, “did you hear what I said?”
He locked eyes with the other for a mere moment before facing away once again. “Remind me.”
“We’re not alone out here; just look.” Brown eyes peeked out from his wispy bangs, which Hudson followed to the land that stretched beyond them. Various groups of people dotted the fields like speckles in the snow, not many that the warlock himself recognized–other than the two a click away in his earpiece. “Should we continue on?”
“We have obligations here, Luke; it’s unwise to abandon our positions.” That answer seemed to suffice him because all Hudson got in return was a simple nod of acknowledgement. From the tower, the two watched, or waited, he supposed, transfixed on layering personalities that seemed to unfold just by the looks of exaggerated body language. After all, that was the only thing the two could make out below.
Hudson wasn’t sure if Luke truly understood why they were here. Honestly, he himself had half a clue, but there was a chance in this moment that could not be wasted. To fail once is burdensome enough; he was not aiming for that outcome again. Although the idea of playing Mafia under the control of others and cursing at whom they wave their hands isn’t what Hudson wanted for himself, what he did want was given in return for this task. It was simple in his head: play the part and regain what grace had bestowed on him in the past, something Ivan wasn’t able to do for himself.
“Are we planning to descend the tower soon?” A familiar voice to both of the men echoed from behind them, the tone low but clear in his words. Luke flinched, whipping his head around to analyze the figure alongside Hudson, who had straight blond hair and striking blue eyes narrowed in their direction.
Luke clapped a hand on his shoulder, letting out a breath. “You can’t sneak up on a guy like that, Zachary–scared Hudson half to death.”
“I bet I did.”
“We should head to the cabin before night begins.” Hudson nodded to both of them and pushed Luke along. “I doubt we’ll be alone there, though.” With all three of them now trudging down the steps, Zachary took the lead in their group, looking to the others to establish his role as Hudson’s bodyguard. Under the pale flicker of flashlights, there was an odd silence as their feet touched snow; a blaring urge to reveal themselves to each other was present. Subconsciously, they all knew that wasn’t the smartest choice, though, no matter how much trust was shared between them.
Polished shoes glided their way over winding dirt paths, spiraling around the winter haven. The cabin from here almost seemed small, but the array of windows seemed to promise at least three stories. As suspected, light was seeping through the panes, shadowboxing the outlines of two people already inside. Zach walked up to the door first once they reached the building, attempting to survey the area. He glanced at the other two and rapped his fist against the smooth wood.
Not long after, someone pushed open the door, tossing her long brown hair over her shoulder. Looking them up and down with a horrid expression, as if their mere existence affected her, she spoke, “Who are you?”
“Zachary, Hudson, and Luke.” The man at the front explained, gesturing to each of the individual members in the party.
“And who are you?” Luke slipped in beside Zachary, smiling at the woman in the doorway.
“Emma.” She pursed her lips, looking behind her and back at the men. Only moments after the awkward pause, the door slammed shut, and a mechanical jingle of the lock rang out from the doorknob. They stood, stunned.
However, leaving no time to react, the door swung back open with a click; this time, behind it was a man. He was topped off in a green sweater and platinum hair that felt blinding like the packed snow beneath their feet.
“Sorry,” He muttered, rolling his eyes almost into the back of his head, “Come in. Ethan–by the way.” Their group took a second to understand what just happened, forming a new pair of roles in their head with an attempt to match their faces with names. It didn’t take long for Zachary, who made his way inside behind Ethan. Luke and Hudson exchanged a glance before following through themselves.
Inside the cabin was a lot warmer than outside, heated up by a dimly lit fireplace to their left. It was cozy as well, tightly squeezing a Christmas tree, two couches, and a kitchen all on the same one-room floor. Aside from Emma and Ethan, who seemed to get into their own dispute with each other regarding the door situation, there was one other man there attired in his own white suit. He was sitting on an adjacent couch, rubbing his hands together and holding them up against the fire.
Hudson moved his way into the stranger's view, bending down to eye level until he perked up, escaping his trance. “Oh, hi. I guess Ethan is letting everyone in.” He stood up, dusting off his pants and getting a peek at Hudson. “My name is Callum.”
“Hudson.” A corner of Hudson’s mouth curled up in a pitiful attempt at a common courtesy. He went to introduce his posse with a simple hand gesture, but the two seemed to be already indulging themselves in what the house had to offer, Zachary inspecting the kitchen and Luke likely upstairs. “The two who accompanied me are Zachary and Luke.”
“Why are you here?” Callum questioned, attempting to cut to the chase, while Hudson, on the other hand, didn’t plan to give in to his inquiry so simply.
“Same as you.”
“So I shouldn’t expect to find someone in here dead by morning?”
“I’m appalled the thought would even cross your mind.”
The other didn’t get a chance to respond, interrupted by a loud slam of the cabin’s door. Appearing from the snowy landscape this time was a tall woman, dressed up in patriotic attire and a bandana tied sloppily around her face. Her presence alone commanded respect, but just to establish herself further, she stamped her foot into the ground and slammed the door behind her. “Listen up.”
Emma’s face from across the room twisted into a grimace, probably wishing she’d locked that door. “Who the hell are you?”
“Dolly.” She pulled the scarf off her face, revealing a proud smile beneath. “I’m going to need all your names and for each of you to comply with what you’re told, understood?” Minor complaints erupted from Emma and Ethan, but they were barely audible and shut down with one glimpse in the cowgirl’s direction. Callum and Hudson seemed much less impressed with her act, but who were they to fight her orders?
The only one to speak up was Zachary: “And what compulsion do we have to listen to you?”
“With all due respect,” Luke added, appearing as an observing head from the top of the stairs.
Balancing her hands on her hips, Dolly sneered, “Policewoman. Now cough up your names; I’m keeping track of all of y'all in these mountains for the time being.” Like before, the group took turns exchanging names and obvious roles amongst themselves: bodyguard, saboteur, and janitor. Once Dolly was done taking count, she tipped her hat in thanks and settled on the couch by the fire.
“How many others are out there now?” Hudson asked, crossing his arms while staring down at Dolly.
She took a second to count in her head while blowing hot air into the cups of her hands. “About 7 more. They're all scattered about, though. Who knows if they’ll join us in the cabin.”
“Hm.” Callum hummed, taking a gander at the scene outside. “It might be a good idea to introduce ourselves to them.”
“And plaster a target on our backs?” Hudson interjected with a small laugh.
Unimpressed, Callum hissed back, “No one said you had to tag along.”
“We will join you. Based on our circumstances, you shouldn’t be out there by yourself. Though, the rest of you should stay here; too many and it’ll be easy to pick one of us off.” Zachary stepped between Callum and Hudson, glancing into his protectee’s gaze with a flicker of demand in his eyes.
“Don’t think anyone else was dying to go.” Emma snorted from the corner. “Don’t expect the door to be unlocked for when you get back, though.”
“How about locking yourself out next?” Ethan spat at her, sending them into another hissy fit as Luke crossed from the stairs over to his friends.
“You want me to stay here?” He objected, waving his arms frantically in the others’ direction. “Really?”
“I’d like to have someone reliable staying with them.” Zachary had a small hint of a smile on his face that seemed to just anger Luke more. Hudson came to notice that in their dynamic, for two guys so inseparable from the pull of bankruptcy, they poked fun at each other more than ever.
His friend shrank back into himself, crossing his arms as if to shield his disappointment. “How flattered I am.”
“If we’re going to sleep at all tonight, we need to leave now.” Callum leaned in, catching Hudson’s eye.
The witch decided that this might be a fair idea after all. At some point, he needed to get to know his mafia coworkers, and if they weren’t all planning to stay in the cabin, venturing in the snow was his best bet. If he got lucky, maybe he could slip away to have a more private conversation, but he didn’t want to create an invitation to kill Callum. With Dolly already noting everyone’s existence, his chance of playing off “accidentally losing Callum” wasn’t exactly possible. With that, Hudson brushed his hair over his ear, hitting his earpiece so that whoever was on the other end could hear, “Okay, we’ll be back from the woods in a few hours. Who knows how long it’ll take to track everyone down.”
“If ya’ll aren’t back soon, I’m tracking ya down, got it? Not having you three die on me already.” Dolly’s posture straightened, laid back in her words but clearly firm in her intentions.
The three men nodded to her and walked to the door, swinging it open and letting in the violent gusts of wind that immediately took out the fire Dolly had huddled beside. Snow was still thick in the sky, creating a layer of fog that shrouded their vision. Zachary didn’t hesitate, disappearing into the clearing ahead with Callum not long after him. Before closing the door, Hudson noticed Luke sitting on the stairs, lost in thought while looking somewhere past the others.
Hudson was sure even if he had all the time in the world, he’d never be able to decipher the thoughts in that guy's head. Luckily, there was no reason to pick apart his brain–to spell a friend is also a line Hudson did not wish to cross. If things went well, he wouldn’t have to worry about hurting the people he arrived with in the end, but would groveling for forgiveness be enough to make up for everyone bound to get hurt in the Mafia’s crossfire?
There was no time to think about what ifs. With the door now closed, the wind seemed to lash out harder, pushing against the witch like the universe was pulling him away from this decision.
Like time, there wasn’t another option for fate either, so Hudson dragged his feet along, following his group into the underbrush.