Jackson saw it. And it hit him-really, hit him-that they were dealing with something supernatural. He couldn't dance around the subject and put a nice, acceptable label on it. He had flattened those dogs himself, and now they were on their feet. Resurrected.
How am I gonna protect folks against this? he thought. They didn't talk about nothing like this at the police academy.
The hounds gathered together and faced the car. They growled. Fresh saliva drooled from their lips.
"Let's get out of here!" Jahlil said.
The dogs took off toward them.
Jackson hit the gas, and they didn't look back.
"That is quite a story," Franklin said. A spasm of coughs racked his body. It took him a minute to speak again. "I believe you and Miss James have cleverly solved the puzzle of the vampires that have arisen in Dark Corner."
David was pleased to win Franklin's approval. "We took your ideas and ran with them, that's all. We couldn't have done it without you"
"It's too bad Chief Jackson doesn't believe us," Nia said. She sat near Ruby on the other side of the bed, her lips curled in disdain. "What a bull-headed man"
"He'll come around," Franklin said. "He won't have any choice. Events will soon be building to a head."
"What makes you say that?" David said.
Franklin closed his eyes. His voice lowered to a whisper; he seemed to be in a trancelike state. "I am changing. Oh, yes, I am. I sense Diallo's desires, the way a servant intuits the ambitions of his master. Diallo is cultivating a fearsome army that he will unleash on this town, very soon."
David bent forward. "How can we beat him?"
Franklin's eyes snapped open. He blinked. "What did you say?"
"How can we beat the vampires?"
"Pardon me, I don't know what I was saying, must've lost my bearings for a moment" Franklin appeared confused. He sighed. "I suggest that you speak to Pearl. With her talents, perhaps she can discover a way."
Doubt must have colored David's face, because Franklin clutched David's hand.
"You are going to prevail, David. You were brought here to fulfill your family's legacy. It is your destiny to succeed."
"Franklin ... I don't know. We've pieced together a lot, but at the same time, I feel like we don't have a clue about how we'll beat this thing."
"Let go of your doubt. Everything will become clear, you must have faith." Franklin's eyes drilled into David. His weary voice was only a weak imitation of how it used to be, but the underlying, grave seriousness of his tone could not have been more riveting. "Listen. You originally came to Dark Corner to unravel the mystery of your father, and you have learned little about him that satisfies you. Why? Because you do not need to understand your father in order to be complete. You will not discover any keys in your father's life that will unlock secrets in your own heart. Let go of doubt and worry. Let it go, son. God is lighting your path and will grant you all that you require to fulfill your destiny and lead a life of which you can be proud. You aren't half a man, David, as you once called yourself-you're all the man that you will ever need to be. You will prevail."
David bowed his head. Franklin's words sliced like a paring knife into his heart. He'd been given similar pep talks before, from his mother and relatives, intended to make him feel good about his fatherless life. When he was a kid, it was common for him to hear praise such as: You're a great boy. Don't let your father's absence bother you. It's not your fault. You're going to be a success without him. Then, as he matured into adulthood, the compliments became: You're a strong, responsible man who's made your family proud. You did it without your father. Be proud of yourself, because we are.
And David was proud of what he had become and accomplished. But occasionally, doubts surfaced. What had he missed by growing up without a father? Would he be a better man if his father had been there for him? If he ever had a son of his own, would he know how to be a father to his child?
In spite of the nurturing his family had given him all of his life, those doubts festered like weeds in his soul. It took coming to Dark Corner to delve into his father's life ... it took being compelled to fulfill a terrifying family duty ... it took hearing an exhortation from Franklin Bennett, a man he had known for only a brief time, a man who exemplified the virtues that David held dear, a man poised on the edge of a supernatural metamorphosis ... it took all of those things for David to break down, at last. David wept, and they were tears of purification, tears of release.
Comforting hands rested on his shoulders. Nia. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, his wet face dampening her blouse.
"We're going to do this," she said softly. "You and me, together. Watch us"
David dried his eyes, sniffled. "I'm okay. Really, I am. I needed to hear that. Thank you, Franklin."
Franklin smiled weakly. "I want you to promise me one thing, David."
"Whatever it is, I'll do it," David said.
"Promise me that when I become a vampire, you will destroy me yourself."
"Franklin, I can't "
"Please" Franklin squeezed David's hand. "Promise me"
"It's not going to come to that," David said. He exhaled a deep breath. "But okay, I promise."
"Thank you" He released David's hand.
As if a button in his brain had been pressed, Franklin immediately fell asleep. Head turned to the side, lips parted, arms slack, he looked, to David, like a corpse in a coffin.
He's gone, David thought. When he opens his eyes again, he isn't going to be a man anymore. God, I don't want to see him like that.
Ruby dabbed her eyes with a Kleenex. She knew it, too. Her sense of her husband's passing human life would be sharper than David's. Living with someone for over forty years would have forged a psychic bond.
"Ruby," David said, "do you think it's safe for you to stay here?"
"I won't leave my husband," she said.
"We understand," Nia said.
"This hospital won't be safe by the evening," Ruby said. "Eight patients were admitted this morning who've been bitten."
"Eight?" David said.
"More still are probably in their homes," Ruby said.
"Doctor doesn't have a clue as to what's happening to them. He thinks it's a strange kind of virus."
"In a way it is, " Nia said.
"You two better get on getting on," Ruby said. "You're going to have your hands full by tonight."
They hugged Ruby, asked her to call if she needed anything, and left the room.
In the parking lot, David and Nia got into the SUV.
"Where are we going next?" Nia said. "Or do I already know the answer?"
"You do," he said.
"Okay. Pearl's place is only ten minutes away."
On their way back to the station, Jackson drove, and Jahlil used his cell phone to try to call the Hunter boy or the James girl. Jackson had wasted enough time sitting around with his thumb stuck up his butt. It was time to make plans and take action.
"Neither one of them are home, Dad," Jahlil said. "Now what?"
Jackson tapped the steering wheel. "Try the hospital. Have 'em buzz Doc Bennett's room"
Jahlil got Ruby Bennett on the line and handed the phone to Jackson. She didn't sound good at all.
He felt like an ass for doubting the story the kids had told him this morning. While Ruby was suffering at the bedside of her sick husband, he'd been sitting there in the office, denying the obvious.
"David and Nia are on their way to visit Pearl," Ruby said. "They left a short while ago"
"Got to find them right away," Jackson said. "Thank you, Ruby. I'm praying for Doc Bennett."
"So am I, Chief," she said.
Jackson tossed the cell phone into Jahlil's hands. He executed a U-turn in the middle of Main Street.
"Where are we going?" Jahlil said.
"Going to see Pearl."
"That psychic woman?" Jahlil said, eyes wide.
"Yep
"Why?"
"What're they going to see her for?"
"Guess we'll find out when we get there"
"Do you believe she's a real psychic?"
Jackson glanced at Jahlil.
"Right now, son, I'm ready to believe damn near anything."
"I knew you would be coming again, David Hunter," Pearl said. She invited them inside her house. "I knew Nia would be with you, too"
"Is there anything you don't know?" David said. This woman continued to amaze him.
Pearl's face darkened. "Knowledge can be a frightening thing, sometimes. Ignorance can be bliss, if only for a short while."
"We know what you mean," Nia said. "We've learned more than we wanted to know about what's happening in this town"
Pearl beckoned them into the living room. "Please, make yourselves comfortable. We will have more guests soon"
"We will?" David said.
"I'm preparing a pot of chamomile tea," Pearl said, avoiding his question with a gracious smile. "It will be ready in a moment"
She vanished into the kitchen. David and Nia traded puzzled glances. They settled on the sofa.
It was a small but comfortable living room. Furniture in soothing earth tones, glass tables, brass lamps. African masks adorned the walls, and intricately carved wooden statues stood on the end tables and floor. A faintly sweet incense scented the air.
A clock on the wall ticked away the seconds. It was a quarter to eleven, only late morning, but David felt as though time were racing. He dreaded the thought of nightfall and what it might bring.
Pearl returned carrying a silver tray on which stood five ceramic mugs and a tea kettle. She placed the tray on the coffee table and began to pour tea.
Outdoors, a car pulled into the driveway. Through the thin curtains, David glimpsed the shape of a patrol car beacon.
"Is that the chief?" Nia said. "I don't believe it."
Pearl smiled mysteriously and went to open the door.
Chief Jackson and his teenage son, Jahlil, came inside. Both of them looked weary, and David instantly knew that they had suffered through something related to the madness in town. He recognized in them the turbulent emotions that he struggled with himself.
The chief removed his hat and looked gravely at Nia and David. "We got to talk, folks."
"That's why all of us have come together here," Pearl said. "Please have a seat, take a cup of tea, and we'll begin." "
Jackson and the boy slumped on the overstuffed chairs. Each of them expelled heavy sighs and took the tea Pearl offered. They were so obviously father and son in their mannerisms that David almost laughed.
pulled everything together. You laid it out pretty nice this - Why are y'all here?" Jackson said. "Thought you had morning."
"You believe us now?" David said.
"The deputy and I went up to the Mason place after you guys left the station," Jahlil said. "I stayed in the car, and Dudu went to check out the crib. When he was up there, some dogs came after him."
"Oh, no," Nia said.
"I radioed Dad, and then, when I was gonna go help Dudu, some more dogs came after me," Jahlil said. "I got back in the car and hid out, and Dad came up there and shot the mutts"
"And a few minutes later, those mutts rose up," Jackson said, visibly disturbed. "I hit each of 'em in the chest with a twelve-gauge shotgun, and they got up. After I saw that, well, I knew y'all were right. Apologize for being so stubborn this morning."
"Thank you, Chief," Nia said. She touched his arm. "We need you on our side."
Jackson nodded solemnly. "It's my duty to protect and serve this town. I'm ready to do my job"
"What about the deputy?" David said. "Have you heard anything from him?"
"Not since he went into that house" Jackson glumly stared into his tea. "Couldn't get him on the radio."
"What do you think?" Jahlil asked Pearl. "You're psychic. Is Dudu alive?"
Sitting in her chair, Pearl had folded her legs under her Indian-style. She looked like a life-size porcelain doll.
"I am sorry, Raymond Dudu is dead," she said. "Diallo killed him."
Jackson swore softly.
"How do you know?" David said. "We never told you the vampire's name"
Pearl closed her eyes. "These past several days, I have spent many hours in meditation, seeking direction. Last night, I decided to penetrate the consciousness of the creature who is responsible for the evil rampant in Dark Corner. I secretly immersed myself in his mind."
"That sounds dangerous," Nia said. "Could he find out that you've been probing into his thoughts, or whatever you call it?"
"Possibly, yes," Pearl said. "It is a risk that I was prepared to take, for the welfare of all."
"What else you know 'bout him?" Jackson hunched forward, hands cupped around the mug.
David leaned forward, too, the tea forgotten. His thirst for knowledge surpassed his desire for any drink.
Eyes closed, Pearl swayed slowly as she spoke, as if listening to music that only she could hear. Her soft voice was hypnotic. "Some of this you have already learned. Diallo was a prince in Mali, a mighty warrior with a taste for violence and vengeance. Upon losing a battle, he was captured, sold to slave traders, and shipped to America. He could not tolerate serving as a slave. He fought his masters viciously, and the resistance culminated in his murder of an overseer. Such a crime demanded that he be put to death. But Diallo was saved from his punishment by an ancient vampire."
David thought of the raven, and the ethereally beautiful black woman who had visited him in a dream and healed his ankle.
"The ancient one's name is Lisha," Pearl said. "She is very old-indeed, her age is a mystery. She invited Diallo to be her companion, to become a vampire, and he accepted. They moved to New Orleans and lived there safely for many years, but Diallo, though he was no longer a man, never set aside his mortal memories. He despised white men for enslaving him and his people. He despised his own people for submitting to slavery. He had come to hate all mankind. I believe he is tormented by something else, as well, that fuels his rage, but the answer eluded me. The end result is that Diallo decided to use his powers as a vampire to wage war against man.
"Lisha knew of Diallo's mission, but she was unable to persuade him to set aside his hatred. He left her, while she was with child."
"Kyle," Nia said. "The vampire that we've seen"
"Yes," Pearl said. "While Lisha was pregnant with Kyle, Diallo built an army of vampires. They went on a rampage across the South, attacking plantations and killing Negro slaves, whites, and Indians-no human escaped their wrath. They slaughtered hundreds, and the bloodshed might have continued for years, had not William Hunter, David's ancestor, led a courageous mission to defeat Diallo."
The others in the room looked at David.
"Entombed in a cave, Diallo slept in a grave for over a hundred and fifty years," she said. "Vampires have the ability to hibernate for long periods, but the longer the sleep, the longer the recuperation process. Somehow perhaps from his mother-Kyle learned of his father's whereabouts, and he came to our town to awaken his father. For several days now, Kyle has been capturing innocents in Dark Corner. He has been feeding them to his father, to revitalize him. Diallo, like all vampires, feeds on blood."
"How many people so far?" Jackson said. "I've gotten reports of five missing."
"There are more," Pearl said. "I do not know the precise number, but some disappearances have gone unreported. Diallo has been feeding nightly, sometimes twice a night."
Jackson's lips puckered sourly.
"Diallo's thirst for violence is unquenchable," Pearl said. "Once he is at full strength, he will launch an attack on the town"
"When?" David said.
"Perhaps tomorrow," Pearl said. "Perhaps tonight. He will wait until dusk, though he, like all true vampires, can walk in daylight by dressing appropriately. But he is more comfortable in darkness. They are nocturnal creatures"
&
nbsp; "What's up with these vampires?" Jahlil said. "Are they just like they are in the movies?"
"Not exactly," Pearl said. "As I said, by dressing appropriately, they can walk in sunlight. Ultraviolet light irritates their skin, but it does not kill them. Crucifixes, holy water, and other religious symbols do not harm them. These creatures are not anti-Christian creations spawned by a fallen angel. Consider them as a separate species. First and foremost, they are predators. Humans are their primary source of food. They feed on our blood."
All of them were silent, absorbing Pearl's words. David clasped his hands, listening.
"There are two kinds of vampires," Pearl said. "Diallo and his son, Kyle, are the first kind. They are high-level vampires purebloods, if you will-and possess extraordinary strength and talents. There are not many such vampires. As I understand it from skimming Diallo's thoughts, the process for a human to become one of these creatures is dangerous, lengthy, and usually fatal. Diallo barely survived the transformation himself.
"The second kind of vampire is more common. They are called valduwe. They possess their critical faculties, and can behave at a functional level, but they are under the influence of the master vampire who created them. They do not have any supernatural talents, but they are physically powerful and can recuperate from injuries that would destroy a normal human. They feed on blood, as well. When Diallo went on his bloody rampage across the South, he had a horde of valduwe with him.
"I must not forget the vampiric dogs. These mutant canines are especially useful to Diallo. They serve as spies and guardians, and they can be active during daylight hours. When they travel in packs, they make vicious adversaries, too.
"These lower-level vampires and dogs are far less dangerous than Diallo, but they pose a threat because their numbers can grow rapidly. The infection can spread via a bite, or blood; the substance carries the life force of the master vampire, ensuring that all who are infected fall under his influence. You can imagine how he could build a powerful army in a short time frame"
"It's already building," David said. "This morning, Ruby told us that there were eight people in the hospital who've been bitten."
"Eight?" Jackson said. "Christ"
Dark Corner Page 28
