Running From the Night (18 page)

“I’ve been living here for five years now,” he said, closing his eyes, then slowly opening them. “I still can’t believe we are in the middle of the city. Standing in the middle of all this, you would never know.”

“Well, we’re technically at the edge of the city,” Alisha corrected.

“You know what I mean,” Jelani replied. “It’s like we’re in the middle of a mini rainforest.”

“In a sense, we are. All of Vancouver is sitting in rainforest.”

A raccoon stepped out of the brush and onto the path in front of them. It looked left, then right, then started in their direction. Alisha’s hand clamped around Jelani’s wrist in a vise-like grip. “Damn, girl,” he said in a low voice, looking back. The girl was actually moving herself between him and the raccoon. “You’re going to cut of my circulation with that manly grip!”

“It’s coming this way!” she whispered nervously. She started backing away, moving him with her.

“Alright, alright, I see it. Just stop acting terrified. If you let our buddy here make it on by, it’ll let us make it on by. Just share the trail like you would with anybody else.”

The raccoon made its way leisurely toward them on the far side of the path. When it was but a few feet away, it stopped and gave them a considering look. Alisha turned Jelani, now using him as a shield and looking around his arm.

“Alright, buddy,” Jelani said in a friendly voice. “You go ahead and make it. Have a nice day.”

The raccoon took a few steps, stopped, then quickened its pace moving past. Once it was far enough away, Alisha released him. Jelani sighed, feeling the blood moving through his arm again.

“With a grip like that,” he said, rubbing his arm, “what are you worried about the raccoon for?”

“Those things are vicious,” she said.

“Only if you threaten them.”

“Are you one of those people that likes to hand feed them like I’ve seen other people doing?”

“I didn’t say I was crazy,” Jelani said. “I just believe we can all share this place if we respect one another. You saw the distance that raccoon gave us. That was respect. Do you know what those things can do?”

“Bite, claw?”

“If only that was all.” Jelani blew through his teeth. “Their little hands have very sharp claws. They grab hold and claw repeatedly. Think of a shredder, and that’s about right.” Alisha looked horrified. “They pretty much can rip through the skin and muscle down to the bone. It’s pretty bad.”

“You’re not making me any more comfortable.”

“Yeah, but that’s my point,” Jelani said. “That raccoon could have done that to us, and there isn’t a great deal either of us could do to stop it before it inflicted major damage. Instead, it gave us just as wide a berth as we gave it. Respect. Maybe not the same type that you or I would define it, but in some animalistic form or another, respect.”

Alisha looked at him, studied him.

“What?” he asked. “It’s true.”

“I believe you,” she said. “I can’t say I could act like you do around a lethal animal, but I admire you for it.”

“Every animal is potentially lethal,” Jelani said, looking ahead down the path. “People think wild animals are unpredictable, but if you make a study of them you can have a general understanding of them. Humans are the only true unpredictable species. We do all sorts of crazy stuff.”

Alisha laughed and grabbed his hand. It was warm and soft, and her smooth, thin fingers interlaced with his. She swung his arm cheerfully. “If I didn’t know any better I’d say you like animals more than people.”

Jelani sometimes wondered the same thing. “Well, it’s just that people are frustrating to me. They’re so random and there is so much grey area where they’re concerned. One time I had a guy act like the biggest jerk to me, and just when I was disgusted with all of humanity, later that same day an older lady walked by and smiled and said hello. Just something that simple can brighten a day. For me, at least.”

The trail opened to reveal tall grasses and hundreds of lily pads floating on the surface of a still lake. “So pretty,” Alisha said, smiling. “I had no idea this was here.”

“I stumbled on it a year ago. I don’t know how it took me that long to find it. I cruise this giant park almost every day.”

“As you said,” Alisha replied, looking around, “it’s a little over a thousand acres.” They turned right, following the path around the small lake until they came to a wooden deck that extended about six feet into the water. Alisha moved to the edge and squatted to look over the side. Jelani lowered himself next to her.

“I can see tiny fish in there!” she said. Jelani glanced at her. At twenty-nine years old, she was not by any standards old, but seeing her excited face as she looked into the water, she looked even more youthful. Jelani could get a solid gauge on his compatibility with a girl based a great deal on how she responded to nature. Seeing Alisha next to him now, he felt a deeper connection than before.

She swiped her hand across her bangs and looked at him, smiling. “What are you grinning at?”

“You’re just cute, that’s all.”

She looked back into the water, watching the tiny fish. Soft quacking signaled the arrival of three of the resident ducks that were gliding toward them. “Sorry, buddies,” Alisha said. “We don’t have anything for you.”

“Let’s move back,” Jelani said. “I’d hate to tease them.”

Alisha just shook her head at him and stood. “You’d swear we were talking about people, the way you refer to them.”

Jelani shrugged. “I treat folks like I want to be treated.”

“Folks?” Alisha laughed.

Again, Jelani shrugged. “Ducks, birds, raccoons, walruses, people; folks is folks.”

Alisha giggled, still looking at him.

“Now what are you grinning at?” Jelani asked.

“You’re cute,” Alisha said with a wink.

“Good to know.”

“Are you still single, Jelani?” If she’d asked him if he was about to take wing and fly away, he wouldn’t have been any more caught off guard.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s a simple question. Are you single or not?”

“If I wasn’t single, we wouldn’t be standing here like this.”

“Like what? It’s not like this is some intimate date or anything.”

“If I had a girlfriend, I wouldn’t be spending so much time with another girl, going for walks, having dinner, occasionally holding hands.”

She seemed to think on that.

“What was that question all about?” he asked.

“Just making sure. I know you’re spending time with your other little female acquaintance and I don’t play the other woman role.”

“You know I wouldn’t do that.”

“Never know. So how are things with her?”

“Why are you asking about her?” Jelani asked. What had been such a perfect moment had suddenly taken an uncomfortable turn. “Do you really want to know about that?”

“You don’t want to tell me?”

Jelani took a deep breath, letting his shoulders rise and fall. “Why do females always ask questions they don’t want the answer to? I seriously doubt you want to know how things are with her any more than I want to tell you.”

“You seem touchy on this subject.”

“It’s because I’m here, now, spending time with you. I’m thinking about you, not her. You have my undivided attention when I’m with you.”

“Is it the same when you are with her?”

“Yes, it is,” Jelani answered honestly. “I would never disrespect her or you, or the time I spend with either of you, thinking about the other person. When the day comes that I start thinking about one of you while I’m with the other, it’s time for me to make a change.”

“And finally make your choice.”

“Relationship choices require a decision by both parties,” Jelani said, making an effort to hide his irritation. “I won’t spend time with you in this way if I’m going to have her on my mind, and vice versa. If I decide to keep things in the friendship status and come to you, and you decide you only want to be friends too, then it is what it is. At the end of the day, I need to feel I did the right thing and can look at myself in the mirror. If that means I lose out, at least I won’t have my conscience laying on my shoulder, burning my ear about what I did wrong.”

Alisha placed a hand on his chest, and he felt all of his irritation melt away. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I just like to know where a person stands, that’s all.” Her eyes were gentle, affectionate. “And I’m going to be honest with you. You are on my mind a lot, and I wouldn’t mind if I was on yours.”

“You are.”

“Come here,” she said, reaching for his hand. He stepped closer, and she grabbed his other hand and kissed him. Her lips were warm and soft, and there was so much affection in their contact that he could have kissed her forever if he didn’t need air.

Finally, they separated. After a moment, he stepped in and kissed her again. He felt her hand press against the side of his cheek, and it sent tiny jolts of energy through him. Her touch made him feel so alive! There was so much warmth and affection in her touch, her kiss.

Her hand left his and pressed against his chest, gently pushing him away. “We’ve got to stop,” she breathed.

“I’m sorry,” Jelani said, confused.

“Don’t be sorry. I wanted to kiss you. It’s just that I’m not going to allow my feelings to get wrapped up with you if it’s possible you’ll end up with someone else. I can’t deal with that.”

Jelani wanted to say something comforting. He wanted to reply in some way to make the situation easier, but he couldn’t think of anything. Alisha must have read his mind, for she squeezed his upper arm and smiled. “Don’t try to say something to make me feel better. I’m a big girl, and I don’t want you to ruin the moment by telling me some lie that you want me, and not her.”

“I didn’t say I wanted—”

“I know you didn’t,” she interrupted. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just don’t want you to feel obligated to say something you may not feel or may not know you feel yet.”

“I really like you, Alisha.”

“I know that, otherwise we wouldn’t be here. But I also know you’ve shared something very intimate with your other … acquaintance.”

Jelani had a sinking feeling. Alisha’s lips twitched, and she laughed softly at him. “I’m not a prude, Jelani. I’m not your girlfriend, and I feel confident enough in your character that you’re not out all over the place sleeping around. That would be a turn off to me.”

“How do you know I’ve done anything with her?”

Alisha looked at him like she wanted to pat him on the head. “I can see it in your eyes. I can feel it in the way you hold me, the way you kiss. The affection is there, but it’s hesitant. You have an honest character that betrays your feelings to people you care about. I like that about you.”

“So it doesn’t bother you about that other thing?” Jelani didn’t want to probe too deeply in this direction, but he needed to be sure how to proceed.

“What? That you had sex with that other girl?” Jelani flinched and she laughed. “Of course it bothers me! But I can’t be mad at you about it. You’re not my boyfriend. There are feelings between the two of you, and you’ve expressed them physically. I don’t see anything wrong with that. Just know that you’ll never touch this,” she waved her hand over her body, “until we’ve established something solid. That’s how I get down.”

Jelani gave her a once over. “You shouldn’t indicate your body in such a way. Now I’m picturing you naked.”

“Oh shut up!” she laughed, shoving him away. “Let’s go. It’s starting to get chilly.”

“It started getting chilly back in November,” Jelani said, falling in beside her.

“California boy,” she teased, slapping him on the butt.

“All right, now,” Jelani said in a warning tone, glancing back at her rear end.

“You better not,” she said, glaring at him.

“Just kidding, girl. Just kidding.” She let her stare linger on him a moment longer, then looked forward again. With a quick hand, Jelani slapped her on her butt. She yelped and danced away while he laughed.

“I’m gonna beat you up!”

“Ooh, you mean it? I thought you didn’t get down like that till we get serious?”

She took a few playful swings at him that he easily avoided. They both laughed and continued down the path.

They’d gone perhaps twenty feet into the wooded trail when Jelani realized just how dark it had gotten. Underneath the canopy of the treetops, it was considerably darker than out in the open, but the sun was fast sinking to the west. Jelani pulled out his phone and checked the time. Four thirty. His pulse quickened.

“What is it?” Alisha said, reading the concern in his face.

“A website I’m working on,” he lied. “I lost track of time. I’m supposed to get it done.”

“It’s only four thirty. You’ve got plenty of time.”

“I promised to get it done and ready for them before the day is over and I have at least four hours of work left. The company is on East Coast time.” It wasn’t a total lie. He did have a client in Florida whose website he was building. He just stretched the truth about the timeline.

“Well, we’d better get back, then,” Alisha said. “If you want to go on ahead, I can make my way back home on my own.”

Jelani had no intention of leaving her by herself in the middle of this heavily wooded park at dusk; not with vampires lurking around looking for a throat to drain.

“No, I’m not going to bail on you and take off running, girl. We can walk, I just need to get back.”

They continued at a brisk pace, taking the connecting trails that were the shortest route to Alisha’s condo. Despite his nervousness, they had made good time. Jelani allowed himself to relax a bit and attempted to strike up conversation when he felt a chill that had nothing to do with the crisp evening air.

Perched on the branch of a redwood tree over a dozen feet above the ground was a very large black bird. It looked down at him with dark eyes that saw too much.

“That is the largest crow I’ve ever seen in my life,” Alisha said, staring up at it.

“That’s no crow,” Jelani replied absently. “It’s a raven.”

***

Chapter Twenty-One

“I know you like birds and nature and all that,” Alisha said, still looking up at the raven, “but that bird is making me nervous. Look at how it’s staring at us.” As if the bird knew she was speaking about it, the raven cocked its head and looked directly at her.

Jelani had a very bad feeling. Every time a crow had taken personal interest in him, Saaya appeared sometime later. The fact that a raven was now watching him caused his intuition to shift into overdrive. “Come on. Let’s get going.” To his relief, Alisha didn’t argue. By the time they arrived back at the Lost Lagoon, it was nearly dark. The sun had already dipped past the treetops and was beginning its final descent below the western horizon.

“Jelani, what’s wrong?” Alisha demanded. “We’re almost running. What are we running from?”

“Nothing I just need to get back.…”

She grabbed his arm and stopped. “No. Stop lying to me right now. What is going on? What has you so ready to jump out of your skin every time you see a shadow?”

Jelani tried to think fast. “Can we talk about this while we’re walking, at least?”

“Why? What’s your problem? And don’t tell me it’s because you need to get back to your work. Unless that company has threatened to kill you if you don’t finish, I want to know what has you so nervous.”

Jelani glanced around. It was almost dark. “Look …” he started, then he spotted a figure in his peripheral vision, crouched atop one of the apartment buildings across the street. The blood drained from his face.

“What is it?” Alisha asked again, now completely frightened. She followed his gaze to the top of the building and saw, too, the black clad figure watching them. “Who’s that?” she breathed.

“Not the one you should be concerned with,” said a voice from behind them. They spun as one, and before Jelani could think of reacting, a hand gripped his neck and lifted him off the ground. He grabbed onto the wrist of the Hunter to help support his weight. The grip tightened, squeezing the air from his lungs.

Behind him, Alisha screamed, but the sound was cut short when the Hunter whipped out his other hand and slapped her aside. Before her spinning body had hit the ground the Hunter had already reached behind his back and ripped a sword from its sheath over his shoulder. In one fluid motion, he pulled the sword out and aimed it at Jelani’s stomach.

Helpless, Jelani stared into the Hunter’s eyes. If he was to die today, it wouldn’t be with his eyes closed, but staring into the eyes of his killer. He felt the Hunter’s body tense, saw his arm jerk forward. But the sword barely moved and was now quivering in the vampire’s grasp. The Hunter’s face was almost passive. Unlike the first time back in Richmond, when Saaya’s brother had incapacitated him, this time, the Hunter seemed unsurprised.

As though he’d expected it.

A tall, cloaked figure dropped silently behind the Hunter, and in that instant, the hand around his throat was gone. Jelani fell to the ground, gasping and looking up at the struggling pair in front of him. No, not a pair. There were three of them! Two black clad Hunters and the tall, cloaked figure fought in what could only have been described as a lethal dance, that his eyes could barely follow.

Several feet away, Alisha groaned. Jelani struggled to his feet and went to help her rise. “What was …” she bit off the statement when she saw the three combatants. The two Hunters had maneuvered the towering vampire, Kafeel, between them. Though they had the advantage, Saaya’s brother was effectively fending them off. More often than not, one or the other of the Hunters went flying to the ground only to leap to their feet and renew the attack.

His instincts screamed at him, and he shoved Alisha aside, ducking at the same time. He saved them both. A sword sliced audibly through the air just above his head, and Jelani had no doubt they both would have been decapitated by that single stroke.

Angry that he had endangered Alisha in such a way, and angry that they would kill her just for being with him, he spun around, drawing his silver knife. It was much shorter than a sword but longer than a dagger, and he knew well how to use it.

His arm came around quickly, slashing at the attacker’s midsection. He hadn’t expected to hit the mark, and wasn’t disappointed. The Hunter easily escaped the attack and came back in. To his credit, Jelani actually managed to fend off a swipe of the sword and a kick to his face before the vampire brought her sword to bear in a flurry of swipes and stabs that left him cut and bleeding all over his torso before she finally kicked him to the ground. Immediately, she stepped in and thrust her sword toward his neck.

Or tried to. Her arm quivered, and unlike the other Hunter, this woman was surprised. She growled in a language he didn’t understand, and at that moment, Saaya appeared, dropping to the ground beside Jelani.

“It’s your time to die,
skiek
,” the woman said.

Jelani had forgotten the meaning of the word, but the female Hunter’s tone suggested it was an insult.

“You speak of your own fate, not mine, servant.” Saaya’s eyes practically glowed as she approached the immobile vampire. How was her brother able to incapacitate this woman while still fighting the others?

“You are wrong.”

The words had just left the female Hunter’s lips when Saaya ducked the swipe of a sword at her head, then practically danced away from her attacker. The Hunter was still immobilized, and Jelani saw the opportunity to even the odds. He snatched up his blade and went for the kill, but a sharp wave of pain in his upper back, followed by his body flying past the woman sent him rolling in the street. What had struck him?

He groaned through the pain and gained his feet. Kafeel now battled two black clad vampires while Saaya fought two more. One of them must have struck him from behind.

Jelani gripped his blade and watched the action helplessly. All six combatants were moving so fast he could barely follow. He saw Alisha off to the side, inching away from Saaya and her two assailants. Jelani took a circuitous route, making his way toward her.

When they reached each other, he grabbed her hand and led her away. Only several minutes had passed, but the street was almost completely dark now. Behind them, Jelani heard nothing of the struggle going on around the corner. They started running and Alisha let go of his hand, keeping in full stride with him. The girl was fast, and he found he didn’t have to hold back.

They turned left at the nearest cross street, heading toward Denman. If they could make it to a populated street, they might survive long enough to figure something out. Jelani glanced over his shoulder and saw a dark figure on the rooftop to their right, quickly closing the distance. Jelani tapped Alisha and they angled toward the opposite side of the street. The shadowy figure leaped from the rooftop, gliding right toward them. Jelani shoved Alisha forward, then dove in the opposite direction. Thinking fast, he turned in mid-air and launched his blade at the Hunter.

Because he had been airborne, the descending vampire had no way to avoid the silver projectile when he landed. The weapon embedded itself in his ribcage, and he threw back his head in a loud hiss, quickly ripping the weapon from his side.

Jelani saw the vampire throw the weapon aside, but the wound looked to be excruciating, for the Hunter was still down on one knee, holding his ribs. Jelani scrambled to his feet and retrieved the blade. Wasting no time, he moved around behind the kneeling vampire and brought the blade down. To his shock, the Hunter half turned and whipped his sword around, parrying the blade. Not wanting to allow him to recover completely, Jelani pressed the attack.

Jelani had been trained in martial arts since he was five years old. He was naturally athletic, fast and strong, and a smart fighter. This man was stronger, and faster. Jelani came at the vampire with every ounce of power and speed, every bit of skill he had learned in all his years of training. The vampire met every attack, every skillful feint, or counter attack, with precision that spoke of countless more years of practice and implementation. This man was not like the first vampire Jelani had encountered. If this had been an injured Jacob Jelani would likely have been able to kill him. But this was not an unskilled vampire, but a Hunter. If his large foe had not been injured, he and Alisha would likely already be dead.

The vampire fought with one hand, holding his side with the other. Jelani saw what looked like smoke, seeping from the wound. It looked like the silver had scorched his skin. Despite his desire to keep some space between himself and this monster, Jelani knew that his only chance was to get inside the reach of that sword, where his short blade was more effective.

He circled, and the vampire watched him carefully. “Does it burn?” Jelani asked, hoping to taunt his foe into a mistake. In response, the Hunter hissed and came at him fast. Too fast.

Before Jelani could react, a hand had clamped around his throat, and started to squeeze. Desperate, Jelani brought his hand up and slashed the arm. The vampire dropped him and backed away.

Gasping, Jelani fought to recover and, gripping the dagger in a reverse grip, moved in. The vampire attempted a stab, but Jelani knocked it aside, spinning with the movement. He brought the blade around to the vampire’s throat, but the Hunter dropped his sword and caught Jelani’s wrist with his good hand.

The Hunter’s glowing blue eyes widened in rage, and he bared his teeth and yanked Jelani toward him. Despite his attempts to free himself, this man was still too strong, and before he realized what was happening, Jelani was twisted around with his arm behind his back, and the vampire’s head was leaned back, fangs elongated. He struggled, but the grip was like iron. He thrust his elbow back and connected with the Hunter’s jaw several times, but he might as well have been hitting a wall.

He had just an instant to realize his complete helplessness before those fangs pierced his neck. But they didn’t. The vampire growled in pain and released his arm.

Jelani spun around to see the Hunter’s own sword embedded in his side, and Alisha backing away.

Jelani came in just as the Hunter gripped the hilt of his sword, and slashed him across the throat. Pale, almost clear red blood seeped from the wound like water. When the Hunter brought his hand up to his neck, Jelani drove the blade through the hand and into his throat.

He heard Alisha’s gasp, but he dared not take his eyes from the still potentially dangerous monster. For a moment, he watched, but it was soon apparent that the vampire was finished. Alisha moved around to the side, her hands over her open mouth.

“I can’t believe you killed him!” She said, her voice muffled from behind her hands.

“We would otherwise both be dead,” Jelani said.

“We have to call the police.”

“We have to get away from here.”

“We can’t just leave this and run away!”

She was looking at Jelani, not the rapidly decaying creature. “Look,” he said, pointing with his blade. When she focused back on the vampire, she nearly screamed at the site. Jelani understood the shock, remembering the first time he’d seen a vampire die. Like death had been held at bay for so long, it rushed to claim its immortal victim.

“Come on,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady. “We need to get away from here. In a few minutes nothing distinguishable will be left of him. Maybe some ashes.”

He grabbed her hand and led her away. He kept his head down and glanced up at the surrounding buildings. No one seemed to have heard the quiet struggle, and with any luck, no one saw or recognized them.

***