Dark Genesis (Shadow and Shine Book 1)

by Danial Hooper

  Mickey reached into the shopping cart to find anything to use to distract the dogs. Didn’t they grab canned meat? Summer sausage? All he could find were veggies, fruit, water, and crackers. And spam.

  “Spam!” he shouted. His excitement overcame his desire to stay silent. Jenna was too awestruck staring at the dogs. Apparently, she didn’t know about the whole ‘don’t look at them in the eyes’ rule. They might have been threatened by Jenna and his presence, but now she was putting them in the mood to fight. The dogs came closer, and their growls got louder. Mickey popped the tab on the spam and threw the gobby meat at the dogs.

  They danced around it sniffing for a few seconds. Mickey grabbed Jenna again. This time she didn’t pull away and looked for the next possible exit. They needed a place to hide but not The Commodore. He couldn’t lead the dogs to Mona and risk hurting her or Harry. It was all on him. This was Mickey’s chance to make up for the failures of the last few days.

  One of the German Shepherds lapped up the fake meat and joined the others in staring at their prey. Jenna was beside him now, but her cast meant they had no chance to outrun the dogs. There had to be another plan, somewhere else to go. All three dogs stood with downward-arched backs and curled lips. They were far enough way for Mickey to barely be able to hear their growls. Mickey knew what was going to happen next. These dogs were going to attack Jenna and him. Jenna couldn’t run, so they were easy targets. Mickey could run away and let her die, or he could stand up against them and die with her. No one would ever know. Jenna’s death would be a mystery to everyone else, but Mickey would still be alive.

  “Get out of here!” a voice shouted. It was Shelly, she was sprinting towards them while the dogs jumped in shock from the noise coming from behind them. “Get out! Go!”

  Mickey couldn’t tell if she was yelling at him or the dogs.

  “RIGHT. NOW!” She said.

  Mickey toppled over one carts as in front of him, hoping to slow down the dogs if they chased him, and grabbed Jenna’s hand to run back to the store. He didn’t know if the dogs were even coming, but Jenna wouldn’t be able to keep up. “I’ll carry you, jump on my back!”

  Her weight was just heavy enough on his back to slow him down, but they were able to move faster this way still. He kicked the dust into the air with each stride; it was like rounding the bases going for a triple.

  The panting, the hunting, the fury, none of it was behind him. He didn’t want to slow down by turning, but he couldn’t sense them coming. Any of them. What happened?

  As soon as the door shut, he waited hear claws against the glass door. Jenna’s crying was would have drowned out even the loudest rapid attempts to break in. The glass was not forgiving though. Mickey looked through and saw nothing. Jenna curled in a ball and wept. Her emotions were too much for Mickey.

  “Shelly’s going to die because of us. How did we not see them? Why didn’t we know? I should have stayed there and let them get me. I should be dead. Take me back.” Jenna said.

  “No,” he replied matter of factly.

  How could Mickey justify being a coward? How could he sleep at night knowing Shelly was going to be torn apart because she wanted to help him? Can a man be a real man with that on his heart? The answer was ‘no’. He couldn’t let there be another Andy, another Lynn.

  “I have an idea.” Mickey said.

  He jumped behind the counter and grabbed the dusty electric taser. It was old, but it would have to do. “Shelly isn’t going to die because of us. We’re going to save her. Come on.”

  -

  Shelly was a four year letter winner on her high school track team and state record holder in the 200 meter sprint. She could have gone to college on a full ride scholarship, but her high school sweetheart needed to move to LA to start his music career. He was more important than college, she thought. Both of them developed some bad habits while enjoying the LA nightlife, and Shelly had aged since then. The boyfriend didn’t last, and after a few years of rehab, neither did the habits. Her old legs had not been on the track since then.

  However, those legs could stride out something fierce. She could feel the wind in her face and the thick concrete bounce against her toe strikes. After all these years, she still had perfect form. She paced through fifty yards of dusty road and only had fifty more between her and the barbecue restaurant. Despite her speed, the dogs were gaining behind her. One had split from the pack, but the two shepherds were closing in.

  Stride

  Stride.

  Stride.

  Her hands were on the door handle.

  The door twisted too easily and went limp in her hands, and the handle fell through the other side of the door. Someone disassembled the doorknob leaving Shelly unable to lock the dogs out. It was too late to change her mind; this was the building she would make her stand.

  She toppled over chairs and pushed a table against the door. It wouldn’t keep the dogs out but would slow them down. She saw the swinging doors of the kitchen and pushed through quickly. There would be a knife rack in there. Ever since Salt Lake City had fallen, all she thought about was safe shelter, her dad, and where the closest weapon would be. She had yet to fight a wolf, but she knew the time would eventually come. She never thought it would be this kind of wolf.

  The smell of rotten meat wafted into her nose as soon as she pushed through the door. On the cutting board to her left was steak surrounded by flies. She swiped it to the ground and noticed a knife planted into the wall. The sound of paws clicking on the hardwood floor mixed with creaking swings of the door. “Think. Think. Think,” she whispered. The knife slid out quietly as she hid to the right of the door.

  Panting sounded on the other side, then deep sniffs. The smell of meat was bringing the predators closer. She picked a terrible place to hide. Behind the left side of the swinging door was a large steak, to the right was a scared woman with no idea what to do with the carving knife she held. The dog was coming, first for the meat, and then for her.

  Its head peaked through the right side which allowed the door to block the dog from seeing Shelly. The long sniffs were clouded by the filet directly in front of the hunter. From this angle, Shelly had the perfect opportunity to jab the knife into the back of the dog’s head. She was no expert in harming animals, far from it; she wouldn’t even use the fly swatter her dad bought her a few years back. She felt different now. This wasn’t about harm, after all, this was about survival. She was no longer in the safe confines of low-income suburbia. She was in the jungle.

  She brought the knife down as fast as she could. The dog sensed the oncoming attack and jerked away, but it was too late. Instead of landing on the back of its head, Shelly’s knife inserted into the German Shepherd’s ear canal. The sound of a wet crunch rang over the room as the dog’s body dropped.

  Another dog attempted to plow through the door. This time Shelly dropped down in the center of the door using her body to keep both sides together and closed. With her back split between both doors, she scooted her foot out to pull the knife from the dog’s ear. The remaining shepherd howled and panted at the door as she struggled using her tennis shoes to get her knife back.

  The dog’s force moved her body and slightly opened the door, enough for the dog’s snout to peak in and a small bite sink into her shoulder. A long tooth pierced deep into her the gap of her collarbone and raised pressure in her fingers. Blood tickled down her chest as the dog wiggled its head opening the door more. Shelly drove her feet into the ground and lunged her body against the door. The dog’s teeth released from her as the door shut, and the dog whimpered.

  In her struggle, she kicked the knife out of reach.

  -

  Mickey watched as the shepherd fought his way into the kitchen. In his pocket, an electric taser was ready for use against the big, ugly beast. Shelly needed someone to save her, and Mickey was going to be the guy finally willing to step up and do the right thing. He was lucky, because one dog could be stunned or killed by a tase
r. If it were still all three of them, he would be dead.

  The dog was so focused on gaining access to the kitchen that it didn’t notice Mickey and Jenna scoot through the door. They scanned the room for the other dogs, but the other shepherd and the mutt were missing. All Mickey could see was the heavy-black coat with gold spots of the big dog. It was ferocious. Mickey understood why police dogs were so good at their jobs. No one wanted to mess with those beasts.

  Each step toward the dog was careful. There would be one chance. Sweat slid down his fingers as he reached for the taser.

  The dog turned back and saw him. Mickey had a full view of its white teeth and beady eyes. Its bark was much louder than he expected. They looked at each other; Mickey’s shoulders squeezed forward as he realized how serious this was. He was squaring off against a wild dog.

  It sprinted.

  It was Mickey’s time to commit. He pulled the taser out of his pocket. It was wet from his sweaty hands, but there was no time to coward out. The dog was ten feet away. Eight feet away. Mickey stayed standing, waiting for it. This was his chance. Fear or beast.

  The graceful athleticism of the dog was on full display as it jumped into the air with an open mouth directed at Mickey’s face. He raised the taser to meet it. The wet jowls were the best location to zap this beast into the next life, maybe his only chance. Everything moved in slow motion, except for Mickey’s thoughts. He lunged back at the airborne dog and drove his hand into its mouth.

  A yelp mixed with Mickey’s ears ringing. The electricity shocked both Mickey and the dog. The feeling echoed through his body as every nerve-ending tickled and his vision faded. The room faded to black as Mickey fell headfirst. His cheek rested on the cool tile floor.

  “Mickey,” Shelly shouted in the distance, she was alive, Mickey saved her, “where is the other dog? There is one more. Did you see it?” All he saw was emptiness mixed with a few stars overhead. It was beautiful. It was warm. Mickey loved the way the electricity made his skin feel. The peace was better than anything he ever experienced before.

  Mickey’s lips started to move, he felt himself speak words he didn’t think to say, “Shine and Shadows. Shine and Shadows. Darkness hunts by night. The Hero sees, the dark with ease, as the sun gives the pulse its sight.” Mickey’s said words he didn’t understand.

  He smiled at Shelly.

  His eyes finally let him rest. He was too tired to keep talking.

  -

  The Capitol Building rested on top of a high hill overlooking the city with a beautiful view of the Great Salt Lake to the south. The north entrance was guarded and available only to employees and high ranking officials. One could enter from the south road, but it was a thin street with frequent traffic backups. Anyone visiting the Capitol was better suited to park within walking distance and take lone walkway filled with winding kickbacks and busy runners each morning. To the west laid a low-income neighborhood at the foot of the high hill. The steep drop-off gave a mountainous appearance and illustrated the perfect display of the separation of the inhabitants of the city and those appointed to represent them. The building was sort of like a mini-fortress protected by black steel fencing, difficult entrances, and rugged terrain.

  The eastern side of Capitol Hill had less of a drastic decline leading towards a beautiful park with fountains and a well maintained wooded area. It was a wonderful tribute to the men and women who settled into Utah to fulfill their manifest destiny: statues of men on horses, women caring for children, and the hardships of taking over a previously savage area. Asher and Lucy frequently enjoyed picnics at this park; he found the statues to be creepy reminders of the sick and disturbing history in which Utah had ignorantly taken pride. Nonetheless, the park had ducks and green grass, which meant Lucy loved it.

  Both the park and the capitol were unaffected by the dust like the city below. It looked almost peaceful, serene even. In front of the capitol was a courtyard the size of a football field. As Asher neared the head of the lawn his brother was seated on the building’s steps at the end of the walkway’s path.

  At a distance, Asher saw that his brother’s face had been covered by thin streaks of black marks. Three stripes streaked down the right corner of his forehead diagonally to the left of his chin. He stood when Asher was ten feet away. The smooth vibration of the wind brought the only sound; Asher opened his mouth to speak but changed his mind. It would be smart to give Ben control and allow him to lead the conversation. He took a deep breath and appreciated the fresh air. It had been days since he tasted anything other than the stale ash from the city.

  “Here we are.” Ben said.

  Asher thought carefully on how to respond; the first statement could impact the conversation drastically in either direction.

  “Cat got your tongue?” Ben said. “What? You don’t like the new look? It brings out my eyes.”

  “Got any extra?” Asher asked.

  “Not for you, no. Come on. Don’t pretend to want it anyways. You would rather keep your black marks hidden. You don’t want to wear your darkness like war paint. You keep your dark secrets covered by your white knight armor. This look isn’t for you, big brother. You didn’t come here for war paint. You’re here to decide once and for all who the superior brother is; will it be the White Knight or the Dark Hunter? The home wrecker or the sad husband?”

  “You know that’s not why I’m here.” Asher replied. He dropped both pieces of his shovel and raised his empty hands.

  “It is,” Ben said looking behind Asher. “It is. You might not want to admit it. But you’re here for a fight.”

  Ben looked behind Asher again, whatever he saw made his expression concerned.

  As Asher turned back to look, Ben punched him in the chest. The force of the blow knocked Asher off his feet and made him tumble on the ground for several feet. His hip dug into the grass kicking up dirt into the air.

  Asher struggled to his feet, it felt like his sternum may have been broken. He gingerly raised his hands again, reminding his brother that he was not a threat.

  “Are you going to make this easy?” Ben asked. “Please don’t. I want this. I neeeeeed this. At least make me work for it.”

  Asher replied, “I’m not fighting you, bro.”

  “I think you have to; the shepherd’s apathy endangers the sheep.”

  “They’re not sheep.”

  “Oh okay. Well in that case, I guess I’ll let them live. This entire time I was thinking they were nothing more than farm animals, but if my big brother Asher says they’re not, then they definitely deserve to live.”

  Asher didn’t reply.

  “How is Harry holding up? He didn’t die, right?”

  “He’s going to make it. No thanks to you.”

  “Did anyone else die?”

  “Edie. Lynn.”

  “Awww. That’s so sad. The mouthy Asian died too soon. Lynn, on the other hand, he was on borrowed time anyways. I’m glad it was them. It worked out better than I hoped. The whole plan did, really. From Harry and the wolves, to a lonely little wolf finding a key to crash Edie’s party room, and of course, I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to reconnect with my wife.”

  “Where is she?”

  “Don’t. You don’t get to ask about her.”

  “I’m sorry.” Asher wouldn’t argue with him. Ben was right, in a way, Asher should keep his mouth shut about Lucy. He had his chance to save her, and failed. It wasn’t about Lucy now, it was about Ben. He couldn’t fail his brother now.

  “So anyways. What would hurt you more, you dying? Or you being forced to watch the sheep burn to death before your heart stops? I’m petty, Ash, you know that. You know me better than anyone, I want revenge and want to punish you.”

  “So it’s all about me?”

  “Mostly, basically, kind of, all about you. I mean, I get something out of it. After I kill you, I get to leave here and be with my wife. But don’t worry, I’ll give you all a fighting chance. If you want to live, fight. I
f you want them to live, fight. I’ve always been about a fair fight. Maybe the little girl can pull one over on me.”

  Asher didn’t say anything, he was too confused as to how Ben knew about Mona. He was already gone when Mona showed up. It’s not like either of them had visions of her like Jenna.

  “What? Are you surprised I know her? Geez man. Give me some credit, okay? Why do I always know more than you give me credit for? I’m not an idiot. You assume I’m in the dark, like some kind of blind idiot unaware of the world around me. Take your little escapades with Lucy for example. You thought I was clueless, but I knew from the beginning. I pay attention to everything, big brother. You loved her, didn’t you? Do you think she loved you too?”

  “Ben. Stop.”

  “Ohh. Stop me.”

  “I won’t. I can’t.”

  “Try,” Ben said with a smile.

  “Listen, please listen for just one minute. You win, okay? You want to beat me to a pulp, you can. You want me to fight back just enough for you to enjoy it, I will. You want me to feel horrible, dead, and worthless? I do. But please just don’t do this to the others.”

  Ben replied, “Don’t pretend to be a hero. Don’t pretend to be some goody good with a pure heart. Don’t you realize you’re fighting for the wrong team? Don’t you see that? Why would you even ask me knowing the very people you’re trying to save are the ones who made this mess to begin with?”

  “They’re innocent in this.”

  “Wronnng. They are the types of people who are exactly the ones to blame for all of this. You want to blame Adam? Who is worse? The dog that bites or the environment he lives in? This man, this god amongst ants can refine this world into purity, not the knockoff versions of peace and love. He’s cleaning up this world; it started here. From cheating wives to blind idiots. This isn’t some wicked evil with a master plan. This is a cleanse. The Cleanse. Humanity has become a plague, and he’s here to cure it. Only those who obey will survive. Only those who deserve it. Not someone like you. Not a pretend hero with a white shield. That shield of yours is also the shovel you used to bury my wife. White knight. Honorable hero. Who are you kidding? Adam will flood the whitewashed world with his black ink.”