Silverback

Safety

Michael could see Sarah lean on the backdoor of the cruiser and rest her head against its window.  Lawrence must have noticed it as well because he swerved to hit a pothole causing her head to bounce against the glass.  Michael’s anger spiked at the act.  He really hoped their destination was going to be in an out-of-the-way wooded area.  That would give him the cover to pay back Lawrence nice and slow for his crimes against Sarah.

Lawrence’s white and blue cruiser slowed to a stop at the crossroads of First Street and St. Mary’s Drive.  The police car turned right and headed towards the four-story parking structure.  Michael found it odd that Lawrence would be taking Sarah to the hospital. He must be planning to rig an alcohol or drug screen to add to the case against her.  It was obvious that she hadn’t been drinking tonight, nor did Sarah use drugs.  Lawrence had to have someone on the inside.  Michael would find out who it was and deal with them later. 

The red lights of the cruiser flashed a few pulses as it pulled up to the yellow arm blocking the entrance to the garage.  A uniformed attendant hurried to the cop’s open window and leaned down to exchange words.  Michael could see the attendant nod and point up the ramp.  Lawrence passed a white envelope discretely to him which the attendant quickly tucked into his jacket. 

Michael didn’t want his truck on video going into the parking garage, so he continued past the hospital and circled two streets behind it and parked.  The neighborhoods around the hospital weren’t poverty ridden, but they were hardly the kind of area where he’d have to worry about being caught on someone’s security camera.  As he stepped onto the curb, he could smell the scent of m*******a hanging in the air, so he turned and locked the doors behind him. He didn’t want to lose his truck to someone using it for a joyride.

Michael stealthfully crossed the yard and moved between two small, white houses. A heavy-set man covered in a variety of tattoos, mostly skulls and near naked women, stood in the backyard to his left.  The man, clad only in Simpsons’ character pajama pants, took a long slow drag on a joint, and held his breath giving his body the chance to absorb as much of the drug as possible.  He didn’t notice as Michael skirted the property in the shadows and entered the yard behind where two large pit bulls were chained to a dirty doghouse on a plot with no grass.

“Hey boys,” Michael greeted them in a whisper low enough to be masked by the sounds of the city.  They stood and started a slow wag as he walked up and unclipped the thick carabiners that attached the filthy leather collars to the chains.  They fell in behind him as he headed between the houses toward the concrete ledge at the back of the parking garage.

“You can’t come along.  I want this kill all to myself. Go.” He whispered to the dogs. They obeyed, taking off in the opposite direction from where he had found them. 

Michael put is hands on top of the ledge and easily hoisted his body over it.  The guard station was one hundred meters in front of him.  He could see the back of the attendant lit in the glow of the surveillance screens.  The hair stood up on the back of his neck and his lips curled.  If Sarah wouldn’t be in danger, the attendant would pay for his sins immediately, but Michael’s priority in this moment was his future mate.

He scanned the corners near the ceiling locating the positions of the cameras.  They weren’t well-placed which made it simple for him to avoid being detected as he wove his way up one level at a time toward the roof.  The rooftop was circumvented by a double cable barrier that would do very little to stop a moving vehicle.  It did even less to give him cover while he decided from which direction he should attack.

The rear of the cruiser faced him from the middle of the lot.  The cop had parked where no one would be able to see it from the street.  Michael moved laterally to the driver’s side so his image wouldn’t be seen in the rear facing mirrors.  He could see the back of Lawrence’s head through the driver’s window.  He was turned, talking to Sarah.  Michael could only see that she was still sitting in the back of the car, huddled against the passenger door.  He was glad that he couldn’t see her face.  He needed to remain calm as he lie in wait for Lawrence to get out of the car and into the open.

Michael lowered his body to the ground and crept smoothly to the side, then to the rear of the cruiser, careful to stay below Sarah’s line of sight.  He didn’t want her to notice him and accidently alert Lawrence of his presence.  He rolled to his back and sat up leaning his torso on the rear bumper, head tucked down due to his height.  He could hear the muffled voice of Lawrence but couldn’t make out what he was saying.  Whatever it was, Sarah was not responding.  Michael was comforted by the fact that there was a metal grid between the front and rear seats of the cop car.  Lawrence could talk all he wanted, but he couldn’t touch Sarah.  

“I SAID, ARE YOU READY, b***h!” Lawrence’s yelled loudly enough for Michael to make out what he was saying.

He couldn’t hear if Sarah responded to the demand. 

The door locks clicked open and Lawrence stepped out onto the lot.  Michael moved swiftly behind him.  Before Lawrence knew he was there, Michael had his neck in a tight grip pressing his trachea between his long, thick index fingers.  Lawrence couldn’t make a sound as he felt the cartilage of his voice box crumble painfully, cutting off his air supply.  Michael slid his left hand down to Lawrence’s shoulder and spun him around so he could face him.  Lawrence’s eyes were tearing up for real this time.  Michael glared at the coward wanting to finish him immediately, but that wouldn’t be fair to Sarah, so he forced Lawrence to his knees, then shoved the back of his head causing him to fall prone onto the concrete.

Without addressing Lawrence, Michael stepped to Sarah’s door and swung it open.  He hadn’t expected the expression of utter fear in her eyes.  His heart wrenched. 

“No, no, no.  You are safe now.” He said to her in a soothing tone.  He reached his lengthy arms towards her and she slowly slid out of the car into them. 

“I left him alive for you.  I thought you should decide if you want to grant him the mercy of a quick death or if you wanted him to suffer.” Michael said as if what he was saying was just casual conversation.

Sara turned her head toward where Lawrence was struggling to his knees.  She raised her eyes to Michael’s, shook her head, then buried her face in his chest.  

“Okay, go over there.” He pointed to the area where he had entered the roof and gently guided her body in that direction.  “Don’t look back.”

It was never a matter of physical beauty that drove Michael’s kind to choose their mates.  Intellect and coordination were far more important for the survival of his species, especially as so-called modern man became more and more corrupt.  Michael was comforted by the fact that before their actions could destroy the earth, the damage to their DNA would likely naturally sterilize them.

The ends of the chromosomes, the telomeres, of current day humans had shrunken down to the point that their underlying narcissistic and violent sides were no longer being buffered by genes that coded for compassion and brotherhood.  Those genes were still part of Michael’s near-perfect DNA, along with codes for several other characteristics that helped ensure his survival beyond this age of man.

His race was genetically superior.  Though they were intermingled with society, they could recognize one another through certain physical characteristics and scent.  Remote country towns were wrought with colonies of them as well as the suburbs of every major city.  Clandestine research provided them with a growing base of knowledge on how they would restore humanity and nature after the extinction of increasingly flawed modern man. 

They kept many of their discoveries hidden as they knew the modern people would adulterate and use the information for financial gain and power.  If so, the findings would prolong the existence of the worst of the modern breed.

“Any last word?” Michael asked Lawrence as he approached and dragged him to his feet.

Lawrence was unable to speak but choked up blood from the internal injuries Michael had inflicted on his neck a few moments ago.

“Sweet Sarah didn’t want you to suffer.  Can you believe that?  After all you have done to her, she still didn’t want to watch you writhing in pain.”  Michael stated as he nodded his head towards the side of the roof where Sarah stood, her back facing them, arms hugging herself.

“You are one lucky bastard.” 

Michael grasped Lawrence on either side of his head before he was able to flinch. A quick, brutal twist severed Lawrence’s spinal cord with his own vertebrae.  The sudden loss of nervous impulses to the muscles in his legs sent Lawrence crumbing to the pavement. 

Michael removed his gloves and put them in his back pocket.  He would toss them beside the road before he and Sarah reached his apartment. 

Whenever the opportunity arose, Michael thinned Lawrence’s kind.  His quest was to find and collect the modern humans that were genetically salvageable, but he felt that allowing Lawrence’s type to continue was illogical.  From Michael’s experience, most humans were too far gone to save, his list of kills numbered in the hundreds.  He hoped his precious Sarah wouldn’t be among them.

Michael was almost certain that his scientists would be able to restore her.  His immediate attraction to her in the bar months ago couldn’t have been a mistake.  She didn’t seem as damaged as most modern women, but she would have to be tested to confirm it. He would get a tissue sample to the lab tonight after he took her back to the safety of his apartment.  Gene mapping would take a day or two depending on the number of samples Drew was working.  He could enjoy her until he was given the results so he hoped there were several in the que.

Michael approached Sarah who was huddled against a concrete column on the parking garage roof. 

“Don’t look over there.  You can stay with me until this all blows over and they no longer feel you are a suspect.”

Sarah turned her face towards his, she was noticeably pale and trembling.  He moved quickly to her and pulled her tight into his embrace, kissing the top of her head.  Michael started to slowly shift his weight from on leg to the other rocking her from side-to-side.

“You’ll be O.K., Love, I will protect you.”  He could feel her nod against his chest and reciprocate his hug.  Her arms were stronger than he had expected, but he loved the feeling of her body being pulled harder against his.

“We need to go.” Michael said as he loosed his grip on her.  “I need to hide you now.”

She looked up towards his face, her eyes not really focusing. “Trust me.” Michael tried reassuring her again before grabbing her hand and leading her over the concrete barrier and helping her to climb down to the lower levels without being in the range of the security cameras. He lowered himself down first and then lifted her body down after level by level until they were on the ground.

“My truck is just a couple blocks over.  Do you need me to carry you?” he offered noticing her fragile state.

She looked up only with her eyes and shook her head not making an utterance.

“Come.” Michael ordered grabbing her left hand and leading her through the yards he’d traversed on his way to save her from Lawrence.

He smiled as he passed the chains where there were no longer any dogs attached on the bare dirt.  He was happy that his kind was much more respectful of all creatures than the current human majority.  No one within his species would consider enslaving animals as an alarm system while they did illegal, mind- altering substances.  God’s creatures were to be revered, not used and tortured.

When they reached his truck, he pulled his keys from his front pocket and unlocked the passenger door.  He rested his hands on the sides of Sarah’s face and gave her a gentle kiss on the mouth.  It was not the type of kiss he desired from her, but he knew she needed his solace right now, not his arousal. “You are so very special to me.  Please try not to worry.” 

She looked back at him blankly but allowed him to guide her into his truck. Michael shut the door behind her and moved to his side, jumping in and inserting the key in the ignition in one motion.   NPR had changed programs, Thinking she didn’t need to hear a murder mystery show, he flipped it off. He felt silence was a better choice for their journey to his apartment.  

Sarah visited Michael at his small house in the middle of the city, but tonight he told her they were going to his apartment on the outskirts of town.  It was a place where he liked to escape and host parties with his kind. Immediately she saw that it far from usual.  The old brick structure sat on a lake in a rare, secluded area thirty miles south of the city.  There were several acres of trees lining the dead-end, single-lane road that led to the overgrown property.  Why no one had destroyed the crumbling building and claimed the area for an upscale estate, she didn’t know. The land alone should be worth millions. 

As they entered the small concrete lot, old cars, not the classic kind, were parked in varying angles to the faded parallel lines that denoted the parking spaces.  Michael’s truck, not new itself, stood out though because it looked like it was likely to start when a key was turned in its ignition.

They pulled into a spot between two nondescript coupes.  The place was eerily quiet.  No lights lit the apartments, but the moon was bright enough and illuminated their path across the lot. He gently guided her with one strong arm under her elbow and the other around her waist, supporting her lower back.  As they made their way to the entrance at the center of the building, an owl called through the night sounding more ominous than natural, lending to the mystical nature of the setting.

He opened the door to a large atrium flanked by wide ornate curving staircases.  The outside of the building truly betrayed the beauty within it. Sarah caught her breath as she looked up to see an elaborate crystal chandelier.  In the dark, it seemed to be authentically antique in style.  It would blend in perfectly well at Biltmore Estate. Her heart sunk knowing that it was going to be a long time before she was able to make it back to Asheville, North Carolina to walk through the mansion and its beautiful gardens, if ever.

“My humble abode.” Michael announced releasing her elbow, extending his hand in a flourish from left to right.

“Where is everyone?  T-there are at least fifteen cars out there.  But no lights, why aren’t there any lights?” Sarah’s voice was weak but intense.

“Those cars all belong to me.  I have them parked out there so no one knows that I live here alone. Occasionally nosy people drive down the road just to see what is back here.  I don’t want any theft or vandalism, so I staged the lot to seem like the place is inhabited by people who are just scaping by.  No self-respecting criminal would bother with a place like this.” He pivoted and stepped directly in front of her.  “You will be safe here. Even if the police come out here looking, there are saferooms built in where you can wait comfortably until they complete their searching.”

Sarah nodded without verbal response.

“I want you to stay in my room tonight.  I promise not to enter you though. We will save that pleasure for later.”

 Michael gently guided Sarah to the right towards a set of intricately carved 7-foot-tall mahogany doors. Confused how this place could be so fine and upscale inside, but so dilapidated looking from the outside, she stopped and looked up at Michael. “What is this place, really?”

“It is where we dwell for now.  Don’t you find it to your liking?”

“It’s not that I don’t like it.  It is just really weird that there is an incredibly ornate interior when the outside of this place looks like it is ready to be condemned.  Why?”

“We don’t want anyone to know until it’s time.” Michael stated as if she knew what he was talking about.

“Know what?”

“That we exist among you.”

“Who are ‘we’?” she said starting to feel very uncomfortable thinking he was even more bizarre than she’d first estimated and quite possibly crazy.

“My race.”

“Explain.”

“You are aware of all the news discussing supposed Neanderthal remains being linked to modern man, right?”

“I haven’t followed. But I have heard a bit.”

“What the scientists aren’t tell the media is that the DNA that they are analyzing has much longer chromosomes than most current-day people.”

“That would completely destroy everything Darwin stood for. A lot of my friends who feel strongly about evolution will be freaking pissed.”

“It all has to do with the length of the original DNA created in Adam. Every generation further from his perfection has been shorter, lesser.”

“Just arguing the point from the contemporary perspective, how are we so advanced then?”

“It is really elementary. The ends of the DNA, called telomeres, degrade with every generation and perfect DNA is lost.  With the lost DNA goes the humans’ natural longevity and harder to understand, the ability to learn and analyze. You build on the accomplishments of the past.”

“So, what you are theorizing is that Adam was physically more hearty and smarter than we are now?”

“Yes.  That is a fact.  It is very easy to understand if you study telomeres.”

“So if the Neanderthal DNA is so perfect, why don’t we all still look like Neanderthals?”

“Do you not notice that I look a bit different than other men you’ve encountered?” Michael said staring her in the eyes.

Her body shivered a bit in response to his stare. “Yes, you are different.”

She left the comfort and support of Michael’s embrace and moved to the doors to see what lie beyond.  Before pushing through she noted the carvings.  The pattern in the doors could have served as the reference for the illustrations in the Kama Sutra.

“Uhhh, Michael?” Sarah turned and looked over her shoulder at him. “Why are there naked people engaged in…..coitus all over these doors?”

“Nothing is more natural and beautiful than a man and a woman procreating. Don’t you agree?”

Sarah's face went crimson regardless that she was completely exhausted from the events of the day.

Michael moved against her.  His body pressed against her back.  He reached around and took her hand in his and traced a couple engaged in a deep kiss. “It starts here.:

She trembled at the sensuous quality of his voice and heat of his breath on the back of her neck.

He moved her hand in his and pressed her index finger against a couple carved just to the right of those in the kiss.  “This couple has discovered that they may be destined to mate.” He rubbed her finger up and down the muscular body of the 6-inch tall male figure, adding an almost indetectable increase in pressure on the disproportionately large phallus of the carved man.

Sarah, feeling nervous and abnormally aroused at their tactile analysis of the door, tried to pull her finger away from the wood “hahahah, uhhhh. I Uhhhh.”

Michael held her finger in place. “What is it?” He exhaled purposefully on to her neck.

It sent a chill down her body.  Her immediate and intense response to his actions angered and scared her. “Please, Stop. I am tired.” She attempted to twist in his grasp so she could look into his eyes.  When she looked into his eyes, he seemed to listen.

“O.K. Love. I promised to give you rest tonight. We will go through all of these carvings in the morning.  The artist that produced this masterpiece was beheaded short after completing it.  The female model was Lordi’s mate. After seeing her in all her beauty even in Lordi’s presence, he was not allowed to live.  I was told that he pulled the handle to release the guillotine blade himself.”  Michael licked his lips slowly and looked at the floor. His lips diapered into his mouth and reappeared turning white briefly as they passed through his teeth. “You drive me to that level of madness, Sarah.”

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.  They barely knew each other, though their experience together was already enough for a lifetime.

Sarah saw this door in pictures years ago when doing research for one of her psychology courses, “s*x, Love and Marriage” The course covered an overview of what that trilogy entailed through the eyes of people of different cultures and religions.  One of the examples from the Hindu religion was the Kama Sutra,  Time constraints of the course allowed just a taste of it, but the photo of the wooden carvings of couples engaged in various erotic poses still stuck in her mind. 

“I’ve seen this door before.”  She said more to herself than to Michael.

“Perhaps you have, but more likely one of those made to mimic it I mounted this panel to a door.  It is the original created for Lordi in the beginning.  You will have to push hard to open it.  It is very heavy.”

“Lordi was Hindu?” Sarah inquired referring to Kama Sutra’s origins.

“No, Lordi was much earlier.”  Michael answered as if the question amused him.

Sarah's eyebrows knit as she considered his statement but was too tired to continue the discussion, so she leaned into the door.  He was telling the truth about it.  It was very heavy even on hinges. The room she entered was a large kitchen equipped with modern appliances befitting of an upscale restaurant.  It was an unexpected contrast to the entryway with its antiquated furnishings and accents.

“I feel like I’ve just traveled back through time to the present.  What era is represented in the bedrooms?” Sarah asked in order to prepare herself for what she would see next.

“What is your favorite?  Do you want something that matches the style of your apartment?  You have several vintage pieces in there, The different styles and media really didn't fit anything that I'd ever seen.  it was Steam Punk, John Muir, and feminine all at once. I like it.”

Sarah's head snapped back to face him again. “Wait, wait, wait! When were you in my apartment?”  She asked barely containing her anger.

Michael didn’t answer.

“Were you the one who broke in?  Did you leave that box in my bathroom when I was showering?  Why didn’t Thalia attack you?”  Her questions flew from her mouth. 

Sarah’s mind spun and her breathing rate increased to a pant as things started to make sense.  Everything that transpired started with Michael breaking into her apartment.  He was the cause of her current situation as well as her savior from it.

Sarah staggered back away from Michael and grabbed the vast stainless-steel counter of the island to steady herself. Michael’s arms instinctively reached towards her but the devastated look on her face stopped him from touching her.  She was blaming him for the events of today.  He understood that.  She would forgive him though when she learned that her former life was just a mirage.  The days of the modern humans were growing short.  He hoped that she wasn’t destined to rejoin their throng and be a victim of The Fall.

He would collect sufficient DNA tonight for Drew to begin the tests in the morning. He thought it was karma that sent her to him.  How could her DNA fail the test?  Drew even believed that she would pass, and he had worked closely with her for nearly a year.  It would be confirmed soon enough. Until then, she must be educated.  He looked forward to enlightening her. 

“What were you thinking?” Sarah asked in a deflated but accusatory tone.

“I can’t tell you yet.” Michael stated matter-of-factly.

“And what is that supposed to mean…I mean, really...” Sarah’s face changed.  Her chin tilted downward and to the left slightly and her eyes widened.  Crossing her arms and cupping her elbows in her hands, she started to rock gently back and forth.

“I can’t tell you why I presented you with Lordi's box yet, but I will when the time is right.  You will be happy that I chose you.”

“PRESENTED?”  She lifted her head and glared at him when she said it.  Just as quickly she dropped her head down again and whispered, “Michael! When you present something to someone you hand it to them face-to-face.  Or, or, or, you have it delivered.”  She resumed rocking.

“The tradition does not allow for that.”

The angle of her rocking deepened, and she closed her eyes.

Michael’s voice took on a softer, concerned tone. “This is for your own good, Sarah.”

She stopped rocking. Straightened her back and looked at him. “How can you say that?  You don’t know what is best for me.”  She c****d her head, lowered her brows and stared at him for a moment.  “Are you a terrorist?” she asked point blank.

“No.” he answered truthfully though he felt that she didn’t completely believe him.

 “What you say makes it sound like you have knowledge of something catastrophic about to happen..  Explain it to me or I am leaving.” She demanded as she rose unsteadily to her feet.

Seeing her legs trembling slightly, Michael moved in close and put his arm around the small of her back to help steady her.  Her body leaned into his accepting the support that he gave.

“Tonight, I will make you comfortable upstairs so that you can sleep and regain your strength.  We can talk over breakfast.  If you still want to leave tomorrow, I will not stop you.”