Darkness of Day by Ramon Terrell

Author:Ramon Terrell [Terrell, Ramón]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tal Publishing

24

Atop a nearby building Jelani waited until his best friend went back inside their condo. For a while he remained where he was, lost in dark thoughts. He wished he could go inside and see Alisha again, but that might not be a good idea. The future was uncertain, and Jelani wasn’t sure he trusted himself. Trusted himself how?

Jelani’s thoughts held him on that rooftop long into the night. Below, the occasional couple or solitary person went for a nighttime stroll on the lamplit boardwalk. One couple stopped to lean on the rail and gaze out at the dark ocean. On the other side of the walkway, tree limbs swayed in the ocean breeze. Jelani imagined those branches as the arms and curled fingers of a predator slinking their way toward the oblivious pair.

He shook his head. “I’ve got to get away from here.”

The sound of audible footsteps approaching had Jelani spinning on his heels, daggers instantly in his hands. After a moment of recognition he relaxed. “Hello, Kafeel.” The towering shadow stared at him in response. Jelani tucked his blades back into his pants.

“You should find something to strap to your body to sheath those in.” Kafeel nodded to Jelani’s side. “Stuffing knives in your pants isn’t efficient.”

Jelani’s mouth fell open. He couldn’t think of a single instance when he’d heard the big man speak this much. Now he was practically making conversation. “I’ll look into it.”

“Do what you will, or don’t.”

Jelani blinked. “Brotha, conversation with you is kinda like a verbal kick in the nuts. You know that?” What looked like a hint of a smile came and went.

“Are all vampires so devoid of emotion?” Jelani asked.

“Not necessarily, but we don’t emote in the same manner as a human.”

“Seems like you don’t emote at all.”

“Says a newly turned human.”

“Hardly a human.”

“Hardly a vampire.”

The soft chirp of a killdeer pierced the darkness of a lawn somewhere below the building. The only answer came in the soft murmur of the ocean, as the tide bumped against the rocky shore.

Jelani frowned. “So what am I, then, if I’m hardly a vampire?”

“A child in transition. If you survive, you would be unique in some ways.”

“Why wouldn’t I survive?”

“I don’t have time for your insatiable curiosity.”

Jelani laughed, though there was no mirth in the situation. “You don’t have time? You’re immortal.”

“My patience is not.”

“Okay man, okay.” Jelani jabbed a thumb in the direction of Stanley Park. “You know about the um … situation back there?”

This time, Kafeel let out a little chuckle. It was the most ominous sound Jelani had ever heard. “Few who walk the night do not know about that. Less than three full nights old, and you are already quite infamous.”

So much for a low profile. “I guess I’m in the crosshairs of every vampire in town then?”

“Perhaps, perhaps not.” Kafeel moved to stand beside him and looked down at the boardwalk. “It might happen that a cowardly shaquora might try to drive a silver knife through your back, if you are an oblivious fool.

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