Apotheosis of the Immortal (33 page)

Chapter 70

Khalid hooked the
nozzle back onto the gas pump and then screwed in the gas cap before closing the lid. He climbed back into his truck and pulled the door closed, watching idly as a red sports car turned off of the interstate at the first Rallo exit. It pulled into the gas station and parked a couple pumps ahead.

Khalid watched as a man stepped out of the car. The flat white bottoms of his black canvas shoes dipped slightly into a puddle of water and fuel. The liquid splashed up around his shoe and broke across the top as it rippled outward, storming to the edges of the puddle like tiny title waves.

“Who is that?” Khalid mused.

“I have no idea.” Emira looked up from the book she had been reading and followed Khalid’s eyes to the man who had just emerged from the red car. “Why?” She looked at Khalid, but he didn’t answer. Khalid wasn’t paying attention; he sat still, his eyes fixed intensely on the man in front of him.

He watched as the man took off his sunglasses and tossed them into the passenger seat. He took a step backwards and extended his arm; his index finger pressed against the door and didn’t give way at all as he slowly forced it shut.

Khalid’s eyes narrowed as he continued watching the man’s every move. He walked around the back of the small red car to the station entrance; every step was controlled and purposeful. Khalid’s vision honed in on the man’s fingers as he folded two of them behind the door handle and pulled the stubborn door open steadily. Khalid’s focus shifted to the man’s feet. They remained flat on the ground; his body weight remained centered above them until the door was opened wide enough for him to carefully step through.

“Did you see that?” Khalid turned to Emira who was still watching the door as it shut behind him.

“See what?” she asked, turning to face Khalid when he opened the cab door.

“Stay here; I’ll be right back.” Khalid stepped from the truck and slammed the door before she could respond. As he walked into the station market, the sweet smell of gasoline was abruptly replaced by the stench of stale cigarette smoke and chemical cleaners. The small store was a complete mess. The supplies were lacking and filth crept out of every corner.

“Sixty dollars on pump three.” The stranger stepped forward and smacked a hundred dollar bill down on the dusty counter. The cashier seemed more concerned with texting on his cell phone than attending to the customers on the other side of the counter.

“No problem.” The fat little man continued to toy with his cell phone for another moment and then began punching away on a cash register with both hands.

“And I need directions to the local
masjid
,” the man added. Khalid knew he would have no problem finding it; the newly found fear of Islam in the west had put Islamic centers on everyone’s radar. Khalid had lived through the Crusades and, despite the atrocities he had seen committed on both sides, he had also seen how the strict discipline at the heart of Islam brought order from chaos. He found it shocking and unfortunate that the desperate acts of a few tortured souls had caused entire civilizations to fear one of the greatest and longest-lasting systems of social order the world had ever known.

“The what?” The voice coming from behind the counter had a sharp twang. The cashier squinted his eyes and crinkled his forehead as he spoke.

“The Islamic center, the mosque.” The man’s tone rose slightly as he explained. This was Khalid’s chance; he needed to find out why this immortal was here. It hadn’t been more than a few days since the last vampire had come into town; he feared they knew too much, but wanted to be sure before informing the council. Perhaps this was his chance to find out. He decided to take advantage of the man’s olive complexion and dark features.

“I thought you might be one of them.” Khalid stepped forward, towards the counter; his stentorian voice echoed behind the man’s shoulder and he spun around. Khalid forced a broad smile as he stared down into the stranger’s eyes.

Khalid stood a beast of a man, towering over the smaller immortal; everything about him was huge, as if he had been carved out of a monolithic stone. Still, the man staring up at him showed no signs of fear or surprise. His eyes seemed empty, void of any emotion, impossible to read. He seemed to be in his early twenties at the most, but that was just his appearance. His young trendy look was just a façade.

“I apologize.” Khalid stretched out his huge paw, attempting to maintain
his
façade of friendliness. His skin was a bit darker than the olive color of the smaller man and his black hair flowed neatly back behind his ears, stopping near the bottom of his neck. Khalid had been told he seemed superficially like a contradiction, like a polished grizzly bear blanketed by a quiet, yet ferocious, intellect. So he tempered his intimidating form with a wide grin hiding beneath his dark beard, only exposing the brightness of his teeth.

“My sense of humor doesn’t always go over so well.” Khalid kept his deep voice monotone and revealed nothing. He watched as the man finally lifted his hand to shake. As their hands met, Khalid’s seemed to swallow the smaller man’s hand whole. He sensed the stranger was trying to read him, but knew he would get nowhere. Khalid’s strength was obvious, but nothing else was. He hid his constitution well, behind an impenetrable stone glare and practiced smile. Still, he took the man’s hesitance as suspicion and decided to be more careful in any further interactions.

“My name is Khalid,” he said, retrieving his hand.

“Elijah,” the man replied, putting on an empty smile.

“I’m headed to the
masjid
now, you can follow me if you’d like.” Khalid forced a friendlier tone.

“Yes, I would like that very much,” Elijah said, while rubbing his hand on his jeans, as if he had just pulled it from the belly of some beast. Khalid could see he was attempting to hide his suspicion behind a practiced mask of warmth and charm.

“Great, I’ll meet you outside. I’m in that white truck, just follow me out.” Khalid pointed out the window; he watched as Elijah’s eyes followed his finger to the large four-door truck parked at the gas pumps.

“Thank you,” Elijah replied, nodding before turning back towards the cashier.

Khalid exited the market and walked to his truck. He walked around the back and opened the door, climbing in just in time to see the passenger door close. He watched Emira walk towards Elijah’s car, and he began to climb back out of the truck, but stopped when he saw Elijah out of the corner of his eye.

“What are you doing?” Khalid growled to himself, as he pulled the door closed. He wanted to jump out and grab Emira, but couldn’t risk seeming even more suspicious. His eyes followed Elijah while he walked towards his car. As he approached, Emira turned towards him and their eyes met.

Elijah stopped dead in his tracks for a moment and stared at her. His lips parted slightly as he glanced around with wide eyes. Gathering his composure, he nodded towards Emira and then pressed forward. Seeing her had clearly shaken him; Khalid could see the man was taken aback, but couldn’t understand why. She was a beautiful girl, to say the least, but that wouldn’t be enough to cause such a reaction from a careful and practiced immortal.

“Impossible.” Khalid whispered. Looking through the windshield, he could see Emira’s supernatural glow. She shone as if there were something luminescent woven throughout her body, just below the skin. There was no way Elijah could have seen it. Only the Council could see the light; vampires were dead to such light. As Khalid continued to watch Elijah, he was struck with concern. As the other man pumped his gas, his eyes were repeatedly drawn back to the girl standing across his car. Something about Emira had shaken him, it was obvious, and, if not the light, what else could it be?

Emira’s long auburn hair hung nearly to the middle of her back. Her eyes were a medium brown with a hint of green; together with the girl’s dark hair, they contrasted beautifully against her fair skin. Her small frame was thin, but she had curves where she needed them. The girl’s features were soft, but gently defined. They flowed seamlessly together, to complete a vision of beauty.

“Don’t just stand there, Emira; say something!” Khalid muttered to himself.

“Can I help you?” Elijah growled. Khalid could see him trying to keep his focus elsewhere, but he couldn’t. Emira didn’t say a word; she just stared at him.

“What are you doing, Emira?” Khalid huffed beneath his breath. This was the most awkward situation Khalid had seen, possibly ever; now he
had
to make sure Elijah followed them. Khalid hadn’t killed in years, but he couldn’t let this immortal go, not since he might have somehow seen Emira’s light.

“Can I help you?” Elijah asked again, as he tried to hang up the nozzle, but missed, his attention being pulled in two different directions.

“I love your car.” Emira finally spoke, widening her eyes and smiling suddenly, as if she had just been awakened from a trance. Her eyes hadn’t landed on the car since Elijah walked out of the station, leaving little doubt of what she was really interested in. She lingered a few moments more, as if she wanted to say something or was perhaps waiting for Elijah to say something. She shifted her weight uncomfortably when Elijah finally attached the nozzle. Khalid watched Elijah close his eyes for a moment and take a deep breath before slowly turning to face her.

“Do you wash windows?” Elijah’s voice was sarcastic and condescending, but his eyes, the same eyes that had seemed hollow and void in the station, were now bursting with emotion. Still, he continued with his obvious charade of indifference.

“Sorry.” She spoke politely, holding her composure with a peaceable firmness and turning towards the truck.

“Wait.” Elijah’s voice quaked. “I’m sorry, please,” he begged. “Where did you get those?” Khalid watched as Elijah moved towards Emira with focused intensity. Khalid quickly opened the door to jump out, but stopped when he noticed Elijah’s attention was now focused more specifically.

“Get what?” Emira asked as she turned to face Elijah, who stopped suddenly. Following his gaze, Emira clutched her necklace.

“Where did you get the silver deneros on your necklace?” he asked, pointing a trembling finger towards her clutched hand. Emira seemed confused for a moment as she watched the man’s jaw quiver.

Khalid was dumbfounded to see the man transform before his eyes; this was not at all the same man who had stared Khalid down with cold and empty eyes. Still, Khalid wouldn’t be fooled; there was no way Elijah could have been so completely unraveled by her necklace. Khalid was certain now; this immortal had somehow seen her light and must die.

“Do you collect old coins too?” she asked. A smile lit her face as she unfastened her necklace, holding it out for Elijah to see. “I have two of them. Go ahead, have a look.” She stepped closer to Elijah, who seemed awestruck. He slowly reached out his hand, as if he wasn’t sure what was real; as his hand drew closer, he seemed increasingly lost in his mind. His eyes welled with tears as he took the coins from her hand.

“Are you okay?” she asked, peering into his face. Elijah didn’t answer. He stood quietly staring at the coins cupped in his hands. A tear trickled down his cheek and he suddenly shifted his gaze to meet Emira’s.

“Sara?” His voice flooded with emotion as tears began to stream down his face in earnest.

“I’m Emira.” Emira reached out her hand and watched as Elijah slowly responded in kind. “Are you okay?” she asked again.

Khalid was more confused than ever; if this was an act, it was a good one.

“What are you?” Elijah asked, his wide eyes shifting between Emira and the coins. Emira looked stunned.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what you mean,” she said. Elijah stared at the coins for another moment before clenching them in his fist. His attention suddenly turned to Emira; his eyes focusing on hers like laser beams as he held out his clenched fist. Emira immediately retreated; she was obviously intimidated by the abrupt change in his demeanor.

“Ready, Sis?” Khalid shouted as he opened his door and leaned out. Elijah’s eyes turned to Khalid; confusion fell upon his face once more as he opened his hand. Emira slowly took the necklace; she glanced back numerous times as she walked to the truck. Elijah’s eyes slowly moved between the pair until Emira disappeared into the passenger seat.

Leaning from the open door, Khalid pointed his finger towards the road in the direction they would be heading. Elijah looked and then nodded before climbing back into his small red car.

“What were you doing?” Khalid scolded Emira as he slammed the door. She sat quietly, looking at the coins on her necklace. “Emira, what were you trying to do?” Khalid asked again.

“Do you think he could see me?” Emira asked as she turned toward the big man. Her face contorted with emotion. “From the first moment, I sensed he could see me.”

“I don’t know.” Khalid admitted, placing a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.