[ WP ] As it turns out there was nothing behind her sunglasses .

My murder was on June 11th, 1982, the same night E.T. premiered. Odd to have the night you were murdered coincide with a kid ’ s movie. Being a member of the dead ain ’ t so bad. At the time I was fiending for rocks and my sire killing me sort of cured it. Funny, at the time, he just wanted a big Negro to be his muscle, for me, it was a way out. 
 
 Usually, when they turn ya, you are schooled and broken of bad habits like an ornery horse for a decade or so but my master needed my services immediately. It helped I was big and could use a piece. It was much more helpful that I was not scared shitless in a firefight. 
 
 So after 2 weeks of being a vampire I was ordered to ride with Reginald Tipton to meet the Reagent of the Indiana Territory. We met at the Government Building in downtown Indianapolis, near monument circle. Old vampires, for some reason, have a hard on for monuments and government buildings. So I was dressed in a Macy ’ s suit, given a strap, and told to keep my damned mouth shut. Being a vampire was almost the same as being a new member of a street gang, except more drama. 
 So about 50 of us were in the council chambers in the Indianapolis government building waiting for the reagent to show up and talk at us. I thought I was at some opera or something because everyone was in some dumbass outfit with a cape. One lady even had those tiny binoculars. 
 
 At midnight, some little guy walks out in a tiny red coat with a powdered wig walks into the room and calls out to us like we are in court. “ Please rise for the Honorable Annabelle Louise Maycott, Reagent of the Indiana Territory and Heir to the Maycott Dynasty… ” 
 
 I think he rattled off some more titles but I quit listening when this tiny girl walked into the room. She was barely 5 foot, barely a woman, and had the attention of everybody. I could not keep myself from looking at her. I think everybody was staring because she was in charge. Me? I could not stop staring at her ridiculous Police sunglasses. Girl came in shorter than my 12 year old niece, wearing some Shakespeare looking dress, wearing giant-ass mirrored sunglasses like she couldn ’ t decide whether she was in Romeo and Juliette or Hawaii Five-O. 
 
 But like a good little colored-boy I kept my damned mouth shut and didn ’ t let a snicker out. Shit like that would get you shot especially if it involves a tiny white girl. After she sits down people talk at her about various crap. Who owes who what and what territory goes to whom. It was like a bunch of dealers arguing about corners with a bunch of pimps. 
 
 After about an hour of people bickering, the Reagent says “ bring me the newly dead. ” 
 
 If Reginald Tipton was alive he would have died from shock. From what I understood we were just there to be seen, like at a party where you aren ’ t part of the cool people, but you want to be a cool person, so you show up so people associate you with cool folks. Like that. Dude starts shaking like my grandma and tries to drag me up to the Reagent. He must have been too scared because I ended up dragging him half-way there. 
 
 Because of here silly ass sunglasses I couldn ’ t tell what she was looking at but Reginald was inspecting his kicks and I was looking at her eyewear. 
 
 She finally spoke again. “ Is this your blood? ” 
 
 “ Y-yes Reagent. ” 
 
 “ Child is there something you want to say? ” 
 
 There are times when you need to keep your mouth shut. When the absolute worst thing you can do is speak. This was one of those times, and of course, I didn ’ t. 
 
 “ Yeah, why the hell are you wearing those goofy ass sunglasses? ” 
 
 It was like Winter showed up for a minute in the building. Room got cold and people stood real still. 
 
 “ Let me show you. ” She took off those sunglasses real gentle and placed them in front of her. 
 
 Now let me tell you a couple things. I have seen some shit and been through some shit. I had a nigger put a gun to my head while his friend shoved his hand up my ass looking for my stash. I have had my pops smash a bottle over my dog when I was kid and threaten to cut us both up. I have been pulled over on the Southside of Indy at 2 A.M. by drunk cop who hates black people. 
 
 So when I say that seeing that thing with her sunglasses off was scariest fucking shit I have ever seen in my whole life, death, and in between you know I mean business. What I saw, I mean there was nothing. Nothing-nothing, like everything that had ever happened to me was pointless and everything I would ever do didn ’ t count and I was here on a whim and would cease to be in the same way. 
 
 As it turns out there was nothing behind her sunglasses. And I saw more in that nothing than I have ever seen since. 
 

