Dark Genesis (Shadow and Shine Book 1)

by Danial Hooper

  The creaks came soon from the stairs, followed by the first person coming into view. It was a young, black kid in his early twenties or late teens. Asher had only ever seen them sprinting, yet the kid was creeping around the hall like a lion in the brush. Another three wolves lurked up the stairs into Asher’s limited view. Despite their lower body moving in slow motion, they their heads scanned the room with quick aggression. Three new faces came into view.

  And three more.

  And another three, or maybe two. Some were out of the peephole’s view as they stood stationary in the hallway. They were listening more than looking. They were searching for his heartbeat; most prey would be terrified in this moment, their hearts pounding out of their chest. Asher wasn’t most prey, but the woman behind him was a wildcard.

  This many opponents in such close quarters did not bring Asher comfort. He would kill each one of them, but would he be able to protect the woman as well? She touched his arm knowing they were out there. Asher was impressed by her calm demeanor; she was afraid and frustrated by Asher’s unwillingness to hide, but she was poised. She pointed to the couch and Asher responded by shaking his head ‘no’.

  The kid’s eye was all Asher could see through the peephole. The handle started shaking, and the kid pushed his body against the door. Asher stepped back and waited. This was happening. Asher needed to be ready with spade and spear in his hands.

  The woman watched the door react to the intruder with a calm expression on her face. The floor around her was a broken mess of an Ikea brand television stand and VHS tapes. The rest of the room followed; anything breakable had broken and been emptied on floor. Every picture had a crack. Every plate was in pieces. Asher gripped his weapons tightly and motioned for the woman to hide in the open coat closet. He mouthed to her, “Shh,” before he turned his attention to the door. The damage already done would not equal what would happen in this room once they entered.

  The peephole showed the same view as earlier; the kid surrounded by the rest of the others. They remained still while waiting for the young leader’s direction. His effort on the door was patient and persistent, not savage or urgent. The other wolves were unaffected by his attempt but still aware of his goal. They weren’t looking at him, but they were following him all the same.

  This would have been easier if Ben had followed them into The Commodore. He could even be sitting outside, hiding, waiting for Asher to make a move first. It almost sounded like something Ben would do. Ben admittedly expected Asher to know what he was thinking throughout their lives. Each time they failed to possess the necessary amount of chemistry to work together on a project, it was because Asher did not pick up on Ben’s hidden message. Not that he wasn’t right, sometimes. Asher had the tendency to pay little attention to anyone at any time. Even his baby brother.

  No, Ben would have already cleared the wolves out of the halls. He was not nearby.

  Asher’s body ached with the need to fight, but his mind reminded him to remain practical.

  The sound of the jiggling handle stopped. The others synchronized their movements as they raised their arms to their sides in unison. All eyes were closed. Even the kid stopped working the door and was now focused on the ceiling above.

  A singular deep inhale sounded through the hallway as they sucked up the air like dogs smelling the aroma of a piece of meat. The black kid waved his arms as they continued the deep inhalation.

  Until finally, they let out a loud, heavy exhale.

  With that, they sprinted out of view and down the stairs.

  Asher stepped back from the door and sat onto the couch with no cushions. Seeing them this close, without a fight, had been beneficial. He learned about his enemy. Hopefully, Ben would not be ambushed by the others, but if so, he could handle himself. Ben would not feel the same need to protect someone else. He would not be weighed down by other people.

  Maybe it was Asher’s mind playing tricks, but something seemed off. The woman also noticed; she was staring at the door as if she expected someone to barge through. Asher signaled for her to go back in the closet while he went out to check. She shook her head, either because she didn’t want to go back there or because she did not want Asher to leave. Asher wasn’t going to have a silent argument.

  He listened carefully as he opened the door. Both weapons were ready to defend a surprise attack, but there was no breathing, no heart rate, nothing. Asher was alone in this dim hallway. Asher walked away from the door to look down the stairs, stepping gingerly to make sure he didn’t creak the floors.

  It creaked anyway.

  Except it wasn’t from his steps. It came from behind him. He could hear the woman breathing but not close enough to be standing in the hall.

  As he turned, he threw the blade of the shovel across the room. The spade sliced through an enemy’s head and planted it into the door. The body fell over while the top half of his skull remained pinned to the door.

  Asher walked over and wiggled the spade free. Inside the room, the woman gasped with her mouth hanging open.

  “How?” she said. The look of disbelief came over her face as she continued, “How? How?”

  Day 2

  A man alone has the opportunity to be self-sufficient, but will succumb to depression.

  - Greg Hart

  Leonardo DaVincent Morris did not enjoy working at the Ford Motor Company Plant in the south side of Chicago, Illinois. There was no future in the night shift assembly line, but there were no options for someone living in The Southwell Tower that didn’t involve his uncle’s gang. Either the assembly line or a fast food joint. He reminded himself of this each drive home; he hated fast food.

  His little sister, Mona Leigh, would have far better options in her future because Leonardo stayed out of trouble and kept the bills paid. Gone was the degenerate father with a drinking problem. Gone was the mother who couldn’t handle the responsibility of raising two functional children. All they left behind was the brilliant and beautiful baby sister who would someday be a doctor, a lawyer, or the President, so Leonardo DaVincent Morris, or ‘Tink’ as Mona called him, paid the dues for both of them with an eye towards the future.

  She was too young to stay at home by herself while he worked his routine double. No fourteen year old girl in the Tower should be left alone for long hours. No adult should be left alone at the Tower. It was the most feared building in Chicago, better known as “South-hell.” Even the residents respected Tink for his drive and didn’t step to the Morris room with bad intentions. These circumstances kept Tink working those shifts, while Mona’s grades stayed almost perfect, and her softball pitches faster than the swinging bats.

  Their goodness wasn't the only thing keeping intruders outside. Tink Morris was also well known amongst his peers as being the nephew of Grady Bryant, the King in the South Chicago drug trade and the boogeyman to his enemies. Grady was protective of his people, even those associated through a half-sister. Not many people knew about Tink’s mom being Grady’s sister, but when she left his niece and nephew behind, Grady stepped up to the plate and offered Tink an opportunity to keep the heat on. Tink proved loyal and ruthless, much like his uncle, and could have easily stayed working for his uncle until prison or worse. Either of those options would have meant Mona would lose another person in her life, so Tink left the game before it was too late. Grady respected it, because he respected his nephew, but he wasn’t shy about hoping Tink would eventually make his way back. Maybe when Mona moved to New York or Philly and got her Doctorate. Until then, Tink stored the duffle bags of cash, Grady’s parting gift, under the floorboards in his bedroom. The last thing Grady said, “Mona never needs to know about any of this. I know it. You know it. Anybody else don’t know nothing but nothing. This is your insurance policy for when Ford fires your black skin for being too hood.”

  Tink always spoke clearly and made sure he clocked out at the exact times he should. There would be no chances of using Grady’s cash or putting Mona in a dangerous posi
tion. Today, like every other day, he would drive home for breakfast and a few hours of sleep before going back to his reliable and legal job. Mona would have breakfast on the table, either eggs or some cereal, and he would get seconds after she left for school. Summer break was just around the corner, and that would mean a cleaner house, Mona’s birthday and a softball camp. This year Tink saved up for the Midwest Softball Retreat at Ohio State.

  Mona perked up each time she heard about the event or had a flyer sent to her in the mail, but she thought it was too far out of their budget. Tink paid the registration fee last week, it was going to be an early birthday gift. Even though her birthday wasn’t until November.

  Mona had grown into a young woman despite not having a decent role model. Before she left, their mom slept through more meals than she cooked. When she left, Mona was six years old without her two front teeth but quickly learned to fold laundry and wake up for school on her own. Baby girl didn’t even cry when their mom left. Instead, she started doing extra around the house while Tink was out running the streets. At fourteen, Mona was cooking breakfast and packing lunches each morning. She was more maternal as a seven year old than their mother was after seventeen years of parenting.

  Tink appreciated his baby sister and knew he got the perfect birthday present. It was even better knowing this present was earned by hard work, the extra hours with Ford, and Mona’s work to keep the house in order while her grades stayed on point. This gift came with the hope of Mona playing softball on her way to a free bachelor’s degree. Tink was so proud of the woman she was becoming and couldn’t wait to spoil her a little.

  Mona was up when Tink came in the door, but there was no food ready despite his normal time of arrival. She was sitting at their old, kitchen table with a box of tissues and a cup of coffee. Her brown eyes had been crying. She hadn’t even bothered cleaning up the used tissues off the floor. Had someone in their family died? Had someone broken in? Had she found out about Grady? She knew who Grady was. She knew there was some history between him and Tink. Tink had wanted to keep it simple: keep the past in the past and the money in the floor. If she found out now, there would be no telling how she may react. Tink never lied about it, but he was never up front either.

  “What’s upppp? Wait… Why you crying?” he asked, fearing the worst. He had never thought of her finding the money nor expected Grady to introduce himself to his niece. “Did someone come by? Are you alright?”

  “I’m not. I don’t even know what to say. Anything I say will sound crazy.” She said playing with a rolled up tissue. “We need to talk though. Promise not to freak out?”

  Tink had a different epiphany; she was pregnant. One of those punk basketball players at her high school had corrupted his baby sister. She wasn’t even in high school yet and already getting too much attention from boys. This would destroy any chance of her attending the softball camp and the future attached to it.

  “For real? You’re going to ask me that? I’m allowed to get mad if something’s happened. You ain’t going to make me promise I won’t do something.”

  “Promise you won’t yell?”

  “Why don’t you spill it before I do get mad?”

  Mona raised her eyebrows and looked to her big brother with surprise. He never talked to her like this, and she was never afraid of him, but the insecurity made her look like a little girl. She said, “I know you’re tired, and I hate dancing around it. So I’ll just say it, and you can react however you want. How about that?”

  Tink would like to set his keys down and go change clothes first. Time was too short between shifts for silly drama. Mona knew that. She never pulled this kind of garbage before. Whatever she was about to say would make his sleep real rocky.

  She said, “Okay. So. Um. I don’t really know how to start. This is awkward.” She stood up from the kitchen table. “Maybe you should sit down. Actually, it would be better if you were sitting when you heard me say this.”

  Tink again thought of the basketball players. “I’ll stand, Mona. Spit it out.”

  “Alright, alright. Here it goes. I need to go somewhere. Not like, I need to leave the house or even get out of the Tower. I’m talking like I need to travel somewhere that takes over twenty hours to drive, and that’s if I left now and avoided traffic. I’m going to do this, and I need you to drive me there. So that means I can’t go to school, and you have to miss work. And it’s not just today. You’re going to lose your job, and I’m done with school. Because when we leave, we’re never coming back.”

  “Huh? Where do you need to go? I know things aren’t great here, but we’re safe. We have food on the table and a roof over our heads. I know I’ve not been around that much, but I’m just trying really hard to set it up to pay for college. And now you’re telling me you need to drop out? You’re out of your mind if you think I’m okay with my baby sister throwing her future away.”

  “Have you watched the news? Heard about Salt Lake City? I need to go there.”

  “Okay. Alright. I’m going to bed. Good night. I don’t have time for this.”

  Tink knew his little sister was going through the changes like any fourteen year old girl goes through, but man, this was stupid. Mona was not like this. She was not an overdramatic teenager. Did she really think he was in any position to drive the whole way to Salt Lake City? For real?

  “Tink, I’m sorry. I have to go. If you won’t take me, I understand, but I have to go.” She showed him her open backpack filled with clothes and her toothbrush bag he bought for her last Christmas. “I know you wanted to give me the softball camp stuff, and I’m grateful. I am leaving with or without you.”

  Mona stood now looking at the door. She was serious. How had she known about the camp? He paid the registration two days ago. He hadn’t told anyone and never gave any hints of his plans.

  “How did you know that?” he asked.

  “If you think I sound crazy now, you don’t want to know.”

  “Mona.”

  She sat back down, “Last night I had a dream. A woman was crying for help, but I couldn’t see anything. It was too dark.”

  Tink watched his little sister as she spoke with conviction and strained eyes.

  “The woman cried. She cried harder than mom did on the bad nights. She cried like you did when mom left. I wanted so bad to help her, but I was scared. I searched and searched through the darkness, but it wasn’t until I yelled back that I could finally see. It was like my words were a flashlight. I saw her, and then I saw someone else.”

  Tink found himself interested.

  “I saw a dark figure standing over her, teasing her. She cried because she knew he planned on hurting her. He was so tall and long and huge and ugly. I couldn’t see his face, but Tink, I knew he was the ugliest man I’ve ever seen. I had to do something, but he scared me too. He was so big and hateful. My light got dimmer from looking at him. I screamed and told him to let her go and that I wasn’t afraid of him. The light came fast out from my mouth and hit him. It broke his skin away, and he started to fall apart. And then, I told the girl it would be okay. She asked me who I was and then asked a why was I there. She asked what was happening and if she was going to die? And I answered her. I answered every question, but it wasn’t my words or thoughts. They came from somewhere else. As I talked, the light shined in the whole room. Then I could see through the walls. It was Salt Lake City, and I knew what happened. I knew it was real. She asked me if I was going to come save her, and I said ‘yes’. And this time the light made every wall and every dark thing fade away and break like the dark man.”

  She continued, “I saw people in the city still standing; from boy with a beat up face to a grown woman and her old daddy. Harry, Edie, Jenna, I know them all. Like, they were our neighbors or best friends. I know stuff about them that I don’t know about my own friends. And then I saw how every person needed me. Me! Tink. And I know what I have to do. It sounds stupid, like I’ve lost my mind, but I know what I know. I need to g
o.” Her voice cut off as the emotions welled up to strong inside of her. The poor girl sat there crying and too embarrassed to look up and see her big brother. If she would have, she would have saw the look of shock on Tink’s face.

  He wanted to give his little sister a hug. They weren’t the hugging type, but she needed comforted. Only, what she was asking was ludicrous and would result in him losing his job, but the other side was so convincing. So real. He couldn’t ignore it. She was leaving. She was walking out that door today.

  Mona was fourteen years old and Tink could not remember her crying one time since she was a baby. She didn’t cry when their mom left, when Tink was gone for four days and left her home alone, or when Miss Mabel two doors down was shot on her way home from grocery shopping. Mona didn’t cry. She wasn’t emotional. So seeing her like this made story real. If it was heavy enough to make her cry, Tink had to trust her.

  Mona was too scared and defeated to look up at him. She twirled her thumbs through clasped hands and said, “I am so sorry, Tink, but everything changes now. I can’t stay here. They need me. So… now that you know, can you help?”

  What else was he going to do? Leonardo DaVincent Morris, of The Southwell Tower, factory worker by night and big brother by life. Mona needed him now more than ever. “You act like I got a choice, Mona. I’m with you through it all. I’m the big brother, ya dig? So you best believe I’ll drive you. How do we get there?”

  Mona showed him the driving directions she printed out. Tink didn’t even know the printer still worked. She also had another travel bag. This one was for him. She had, as usual, been prepared and wasted no time after she got what she needed. Her smile finally returned, and all the tears dried up. The apple of her brother’s eye. So proud.

  Tink had no idea what he was doing. He knew it was the right thing.