A State Of Sin Amsterdam Occult Series Book Two
Page 29
One evening, quite late on and when the tourist crowds had sensibly gone back to their hotels for the night, I decided somewhat foolishly to have a walk down the narrow and unlit Blood Street. I was searching for creepy places to set a particular scene in WOLF ANGEL involving a gang of killers racing away through the night after dispatching their latest victim.
So there I was, aimlessly walking up and down the alleyway, poking my nose into places I shouldn’t be, camera slung over my shoulder and looking every inch like the stupid, naïve, British tourist. Suddenly, from out of the shadows, stepped a gang of youths. Quickly surrounding me, they grabbed my arms and pinned them to my sides and pushed me up against the wall, and commenced to go through my pockets and rob me.
Luckily I only had on me my camera and phone (which, oddly, they didn’t seem interested in) and a small amount of cash (which they wanted), and as soon as they had the money they were gone in a flash, leaving me standing there, breathless and shaken but thankfully unharmed.
Lesson learnt, I went back to my digs.
The following night, having realized how stupid I had been, I decided simply to pop out to have a beer, have a little walk around Dam Square and the busy Leidseplein with its pavement cafes and nightclubs, and do nothing or go anywhere that was in the slightest bit dangerous.
But on the way back, ready to hit the sack and get some shut-eye, I was approached by a man of unsavoury appearance. He was a drug dealer. A very pushy and aggressive drug dealer, who was determined that I should purchase some of his ‘skunk’ despite my insistence that I had no wish to. Once he realized I wasn’t going to part with my cash, he decided that he would just part me from my cash anyway.
Pissed off at his cockiness, and still somewhat upset about the previous night’s street robbery, I told him where to go (like all Dutch people, he spoke perfect English, and so my fruity language was not lost on him).
Obviously, I hadn’t really learnt my lesson after all, because he took exception to my refusing to hand over my money. In the blink of an eye, there was a flash of cold steel in the moonlight (I like to add lots of tension whenever I tell this true little tale) and out came a small knife which he pointed at my belly.
What should I do?
Meekly hand over my cash? (this would have been the sensible option).
Stand and fight? (anybody who knows me would laugh at the very idea!).
Or turn and run? (yes).
Now, when I was younger I was fit and agile and a very fast sprinter. I could outrun my PE teacher (much to his embarrassment). However, now I was in my forties, I had barely moved faster than a sloth for many years, and I was running over slippery cobbles. But I can tell you, when I fled with him tearing down the street after me with a knife in his hand, screaming and laughing like he was an escaped lunatic, I shifted faster than Usain Bolt with the tourist trots. I could feel the rain dashing against my face, the wind breezing over my bald head, my legs were pumping away and adrenaline was coursing through my system.
The guy chased me for about a mile, through the twisting streets, over busy lanes of traffic, across bridges. He only gave up the pursuit when I finally crashed through the door of my digs, panting and badly wanting to take a pee.
It was a terrifying experience, probably the most frightening thing that has ever happened to me. I was glad to be flying home to the UK the following day.
But it did inspire me to include a couple of scenes in my books, having experienced the real thing up-close-and-personal so to speak. So my trips to Amsterdam weren’t a complete disaster or a waste of time. Perhaps I should return to the city soon. It’s a good way to beat writer’s block.
My own moment of real-life terror in Amsterdam.
Mark.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mark Hobson is a writer and historian. His works span numerous genres from military history to thrillers and horror, both fiction and non-fiction.
He lives at home in Yorkshire with his 3 cats.
Books by Mark Hobson
Now May Men Weep – Isandlwana: A Story From The Zulu War
Ntombe 1879 (non-fiction)
Isandlwana – A Military Enigma (non-fiction)
The Curse of Modern Britain
Grey Stones (coming in 2021)
Hanslope Green (coming in 2022)
The Amsterdam Occult Series
Book One – Wolf Angel
Book Two – A State of Sin
WOLF ANGEL
AMSTERDAM OCCULT SERIES
BOOK ONE
The City of Amsterdam is gripped with fear.
A series of brutal murders have left homicide detectives baffled. With no motive or clues to work with, they find themselves probing blindly through the city’s dark and violent underworld.
But Inspector Pieter Van Dijk is not convinced this is the work of one lone psychopath.
Drawn deeper and deeper into the shadowy heart of the case, he unearths a terrifying history of family madness and occult conspiracy echoing across the decades.
Brilliant… gripping…a well thought out and well-written book
A dark story with lots of action
This isn’t Jackanory
Available from Amazon
ISBN: 9798696036946