Crack of Dawn
a novella
sneak peak excerpt
Marcus was gazing toward the floor, leaning back casually against the wall with his head back and hands semi folded. Her silence didn’t seem to bother him. He might have been called a pretty boy except for his thick muscular body and hard face. Despite making love to crack every chance he had, he looked younger than his 40 something years. His patient file read that he was a typical black man who hadn’t had a job in over ten years – a legal job that is. He had been linked to a disgusting multiple murder, where he was found fleeing the scene. He always claimed he had little to do with it - that a vampire had done it. This man was crazy. Yet somehow he managed to completely bludgeon seven armed men by himself and without a scratch, or did he? In a hole of a dark alley, these men had their bodies broken, dislocated, and shattered leaving them twisted in a field of blood.
The jury could not find him guilty, albeit delusional. He would stay at Watercrest Mental Hospital on an inpatient basis until it was clear he proved no potential harm to the public or to himself. If he were lucky and the murders solved, he would be treated as an outpatient. But until the killers were found, he’d be forced into therapy. Drug rehabilitation had also been part of the order. Marcus had been clean since his arrival over a month ago. Additionally, the prosecution had found blood on his clothes. He claimed it had splattered over him when the vampire slashed open one of his attacker’s throat. He obviously couldn’t have done it alone, but no weapons were found that could match the wounds on the dead. No one else had yet to be firmly connected to the incident and people were afraid. Mr. Marcus Sanders had plenty of money. He must have be one of those gangsters or drug dealers.
“A vampire gave you the money?”
“Yeah,” He finally looked up at her. “Look, I don’t give a damn if you don’t believe me. Frankly, I prefer if you don’t.” He pushed himself off the wall with his heel.
“Can you tell me more about this vampire?” she asked gazing hard at him as if it might bring him back down to his seat.
“On the real, I’d rather not talk about him.” He rung his hands together and his knuckles turned white.
“Mr. Sanders, I’m sorry, but we have to. We’ve allowed you to put this off for weeks. We have no choice but to move forward. That’s where all of this begins.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Then where does it begin, Mr. Sanders?” She leaned back and straightened her shoulders, challenging him with her eyes.
He cursed under his breath and shook his head. This white lady didn’t have a clue! He knew she wouldn’t believe a word he said. What was the point of all of this talking bullshit? He’d do anything just to get the hell out of here. Actually, this place wasn’t so bad. He wasn’t crazy, just like the other richies in here. The people were decent enough; he even played pool with them and watched football in the entertainment room. What kind of punishment was this? Everyone could pick from at least three different desserts a night and they had cable in the main room. He didn’t feel any racism from the majority of the white folks either. It was all about money and everyone here had it. Money obviously dissolved any racial barrier that could have been. If you have money, you’re in the club. Obviously you’re rich enough or know someone powerful enough to get into this place. And just about everyone else was white save for a few hip-hop rappers with distorted priorities and a couple black business folks who thought they could get away with the same stuff some of the white folks did. They all either committed some petty assault or got caught up in white collar crimes, claimed insanity and somehow ended up here.
Fine, he’d tell her. He’d lay it out for her, raw and with no bullshit for her to pick at with her little fucking degree. He’d be damned if he was going to sugar coat anything for her. She looked like the type to scream at the sight of a spider or even at picking up a dirty bucket, like those two rich blond girls on that country reality show. This was her fault for wanting this, for forcing him. If she wanted it, he’d give it to her. He decided to get comfortable and poured himself into the large translucent couch with the expensive trim, like Remy Martin into a crystal glass.
After being chosen by Jared - the zealous, passionate, and crack addicted vampire, Marcus Sanders roams Maryland, battling with his own crack addiction, his own reality, and himself. Gruesomely sexy and unapologetically raw, this novella is absorbing and not for the easily disturbed.
* Contemporary Paranormal/Vampire *
Status: 1rst Draft Manuscript is complete. C.O.D. is currently going through general edits, then I will be sourcing Subject Matter Experts (SME) specializing in addictions and addiction medicine. Afterwards, C.O.D. will go through another phase of edits based on the SME edits |
