Catalyst Read Online Free PDF

inspection of the money, while the other two laughed. The stranger, looking relaxed and composed, drained his glass and put it down on the bar. He nodded to the landlord but before he could move, Kevin turned round on his stool to face him.
    â€œWhere the fuck do you think you’re going? You haven’t asked if you can leave yet.”
    â€œLet him go,” said Jimmy. “At least let’s give the poor bastard a start.”
    They all laughed again.
    The stranger stood up very calmly, smoothed the creases from his jacket and pulled down the cap a little further.
    â€œFive seconds,” said Jimmy. “You’ve got five seconds to get to that door and away. Then we’re after you. You’d better run like fuck!”
    The man smiled, thinly.
    â€œOh, I will,” he said.
    Without warning, he lunged forward and shoved Kevin in the chest. The force of the attack knocked Kevin into Jimmy and the three bar stools and their occupants crashed to the floor like falling dominoes.
    He moved quickly across the room and through the door into the street. Outside he was confronted by a group of around thirty youngsters, mostly in their early teens, who had been hanging around the pub in the pouring rain. As if by a collective reflex, they all started shouting abuse and insults at him, but did nothing to impede his flight. He set off down the road out of the estate.
    In the bar, the brothers scrambled to their feet, taking a few moments to fully realise what had happened to them.
    â€œStop the bastard!” yelled Kevin, pointlessly.
    They raced out into the street. The crowd of youngsters picked up the story as they saw the brothers emerge.
    â€œThat way!” they shouted.
    â€œRight!” yelled Jimmy, seeing the running figure already two streets away. “Get him!”
    The stranger set a challenging pace. The three brothers, at the vanguard of the pursuing pack, initially made no impression on him and Karl soon fell behind. But after several minutes their quarry began to slow down. The road had left the estate behind, passing through an open area before entering an old business park of factories, yards and warehouses, currently deserted.
    â€œThis is fucking perfect,” panted Kevin. “No witnesses.”
    The man, who had been running purposefully in one direction, suddenly turned right into a side street.
    â€œShit, we’re going to lose him.”
    â€œI don’t think so,” said Jimmy. “More like he’s just committed suicide.”
    Jimmy slowed down as they approached the corner of the street, and the pack reduced their pace to keep behind him. Most of the gang from outside the pub had stayed the course and fanned out across the entrance of the street as the brothers turned the corner. Karl arrived, gasping for breath, and pushed his way through them to join his brothers.
    The street was an old cobbled cul-de-sac, with red brick walls of ancient warehouses rising high on both sides and huge cast-iron factory gates across the end. The stranger was about a hundred yards away, with his back to the crowd, and holding on to the vertical bars of the gates as if supporting himself. He looked totally spent from his exertions.
    The three men started towards him; the others followed, still spread across the full width of the cul-de-sac. Jimmy stopped suddenly and turned on the crowd.
    â€œRight, fuck off, you lot!” he shouted.
    â€œOh, come on, Jimmy,” someone called back, and there were mutterings from many of the others.
    â€œDid you hear me? Get the fuck out of here!” Jimmy yelled at them again.
    â€œWe won’t say anything, Jimmy. Just let us watch,” shouted someone else.
    This time Jimmy strode across to the Asian boy who had spoken. He grabbed him by his hair, pulled back his head and yelled into his face, “Are you fucking deaf or just stupid?”
    Then he slapped him twice very hard across the face – forehand and