Budapest Novels & Stories

Between the grandeur of the castle and the prominence of the UFO tower lay SubClub - the dingy, hole-in-the-wall known for its unique venue, techno music, and cheap drinks. The contrast between Prague - where Chloe had been staying for the last week - and Bratislava, was enormous. She’d travelled by train, as the majestic lights, bridges and buildings of Prague faded into the humble city of Bratislava. People had asked her why she’d decided to come here. Bratislava was the only European capital that bordered two other countries. Despite the grayness of the buildings and the generally dismal look of the place, she was excited to be here.

Her sister has gone there many times and she remembers it very well, even now. “Correct. Cambodia.” “Phnom Penh.” “Correct. Lebanon.” “Beirut.” “....Uzbekistan.” “Tashkent” “...Brunei.” “Bandar Seri Begawan.” “....Croatia.” “Zagreb.” “...Norway.” “Oslo.” “...Djibouti” “Djibouti City” “...Georgia.” “Tbilisi.” “And lastly, Sri Lanka.” “Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.”

The gates fell soon after. There was a mad rush to enter the city of Muzagah and destroy every living human. Having being in suspense for hours; anticipating and visualizing what they desired: the rape and the sharing of treasures; they drove in furiously into Muzagah with the intention to kill and destroy properties. Suddenly, the sound of a trumpet filled their ears. It was a signal to stop. Prince Habeb had ordered a trumpeter to send the desperate soldiers his message. It wasn’t yet time for the killing game to begin.

"Young man I don't understand, what does this mean?" "Are you attached to this city, Cyrus?" "Well no son, can't say as I am." "Well then, that card means that after I've taken my girl here to see her mom, we're going to swing back here and pick you up. We'll find you a home in Washington. That's as good a place as any, right?" "Well, I don't' is this one of those new fan dangled TV shows?" "No sir, you see those guys over there, we're bikers, and we have a shop where we build custom bikes back in Washington. I'm very serious."

Sofia stepped off the bus in Budapest with her violin case heavy in her hand. The city air felt warmer than Prague, carrying the smell of the Danube River and street food vendors. Her body still hummed from the note Viktor had slipped her. She checked into her hotel room, unpacked quickly, and changed into a simple black dress that hugged her figure. Her hands shook a little as she brushed her hair. The anxious feeling sat heavy in her stomach. What if someone saw them? What if this all went wrong?

I summon a waiter and quickly scribble a signature on our bill, then hoist Noah into my arms and wait for Lorcan to join us. “If I’m found out, my name will be mud,” I murmur. “In Bulgaria,” points out Lorcan. “Population 7.5 million. That’s like your name being mud in Bogotá.” “Well, I wouldn’t want my name to be mud in Bogotá either.” “Why not? Maybe it is already. Have you been to Bogotá?” “Yes, as it happens,” I inform him. “And I can tell you, my name is not mud there.”

It was thick and hard like an ATM card with some words chiseled on it. It has a six digit number on it, and a logo of a two tulip flower entangled on each other. Serene read the words on top of the ticket. “Casa Roma.” “The Casa Roma was the prestigious hotel freshly built on the Vianca Island. I'm sure you already heard about that island in the east. I stayed there once and they have the best wine ever in the whole continent. It's a good thing they built an official hotel on that place because resort houses was a bit old fashioned for me.” Sydney had gone through the Vianca Island after college graduation. She met few hunks there, but the tourists on the Vianca Island mostly are womanizer.

“Oh, you mean the international harbour? It’s in the City of Kubalt, west of here. Err, if you don’t mind me asking, how did you get here? I don’t see a carriage.” “Oh, don’t worry about that. So it’s west of here, right?” Matthew didn’t answer the guard’s question since it would be ridiculous to say, “I just ran here all the way from Omni.” “Ah, yes, right.” “Okay, I think I’m gonna stay here for the night first. Are there any inns available?” Matthew asked further. “Well, if you head into the city, I’m sure you’ll find out. Can you show me an identification? As any city, we monitor who comes in and out.” The guard explained as he already took out a scanning device.

Budapest, Hungary — Dusk The Danube split the city in half, but it was lies that divided it more deeply. Amara stood before the gates of the ruined estate, where vines climbed broken marble columns and bullet holes whispered old wars. Her breath fogged in the frigid dusk air. Nico stood behind her, armed and silent. Adriana kept watch near the gate. “According to Vesper,” Nico said, “this was Isabel’s hideout. For nearly five years.”

“No, I’m serious. You could’ve hit Matteo and been like, ‘Sorry, Jayden, but it’s Europe. There are no rules’.” Cass finally cracks a smile. “I might try that myself. Love me a foreigner. I wonder if they have accents?” “Of course they do. They aren’t all going to sound normal, like us.” Lisa gives a laugh. “We sound real normal right now.” I grin. “Oh, and then there’s Viktor Balázs,” Lisa says, moving on. “Head of security. Hungarian. Built like a freaking tank. Oh, I’m definitely visiting you in Brussels now. Sign me up.”