Excerpt from Sleeping With The Jersey Devil
The beach was quiet. The only sound was from the waves as they came crashing in. He loved the sound of the rolling waves. For some reason it soothed him. Standing a few feet from the water Leeds watched as the foamy white caps gathered momentum. Even though it was dark Leeds could see fine. He looked up. Even the quarter moon was obscured by cloud coverage. It was a perfect night for a swim.
The overcast sky would guarantee that he wouldn’t be disturbed tonight. Luckily it wasn’t too cold for this time of the year. He had purposely waited until the beach season was over to come here though he knew from experience that this stretch of beach never got any visitors. This particular beach was not the best for human inhabitants as it was filled with sharp jutting rocks.
Leeds sat down on one of the rocks that were a little less sharp then the rest and began unlacing his size fourteen black biker boots. He stood and opened his jeans and slid them down his long legs. Lastly he pulled the baggy t-shirt over his head. Leeds stood there a few minutes letting the cool ocean breeze caress his naked body. It wasn’t too often that he got to do this so he was determined to relish every second. At last he moved towards the water unfurling his wings as he did. He let out a sigh of pure bliss as his wings spread out.
Whenever Leeds left the sanctuary of the cottage that he called home he had to wear clothing that was baggy enough to hide his wings. His cottage was located on a small island in the middle of a swamp in the pine barrens of New Jersey. At home it didn’t matter if he walked around with his wings exposed. The only ones who would see him were the turtles and snakes that lived with him on his little island. He had learned a long time ago people were not to be trusted and the only one he could count on was himself so he avoided people at all costs. The few instances he had exposed himself to humans had resulted in disaster and had earned him the nickname of the Jersey Devil. He had exactly two people in this world that he trusted and that trust was tenuous at best.
Leeds reached the water and dove in. He swam out about twenty five feet and turned. He let the waves wash over him and felt exhilarated. For the next twenty minutes he swam perpendicular to the shore line. The feel of the waves striking his wings was almost orgasmic. His wings were very sensitive. Except for a recent friend his wings haven’t been touched in years. His heart constricted with the memory of soft white hands stroking his unfurled wings. He quickly shook his head to disperse the image. Instead he thought of the blood on those same hands and he was able to channel the anger that had stayed with him for a hundred years.
Leeds reluctantly decided he should turn around and head back to the stretch of beach where he had left his cloths. He wanted to make sure he was back in the swamp by daybreak. It was lucky for him that this beach wasn’t too far from his home. It would only take him an hour to get back to his cottage. He usually didn’t go out much at night due to the fact that at night his eyes would glow an eerie red. During the day they were brown with flecks of amber, unusual but not something people would freak out about like they would if they saw him at night.
He swam slowly wanting to savor the swim. He only came to the beach a few times each year. To do so more would risk running into people. He spotted the small stretch of beach where he had left his cloths and started swimming towards it when he heard voices. Not wanting to be seen, he sunk down until only his head was above the water. He had perfect vision in the dark and he swore softly when he saw two men emerge from a patch of brush. The men appeared to be carrying something.
As they moved closer to the water, Leeds could see that the two men were of Asian descent, dressed all in black. The object they were carrying looked like a black rolled up tarp of some sort. He watched as they lugged the tarp down to the water and tossed it in. They stood there until the object sank and then they walked back the way they had come. Leeds held his breath as they walked close by his discarded clothing. They had almost passed by when one of the men said something in Chinese and they walked over to where his clothes were lying.
“Bloody hell.” Leeds muttered under his breath.
He stayed low and kept his eyes closed as the two Chinese men scanned the beach and then the water. After a few minutes he heard them retreat. Leeds opened his eyes and saw that the men were gone and so were his clothes.
“Fuck.” He swore.
Now he would have to get home buck naked. He thought about the tarp that the two guys had thrown into the ocean. He had no doubt that the tarp contained a dead body. Even though he was a loner he had been around for a two hundred and seventy five years. In that time Leeds had become a master in the art of being invisible. He had studied human behavior and knew that most people would ignore someone if he dressed and acted in a certain way. He learned how to excel in the art of the mundane. He would often go about during the day dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt. He kept his hair on the long side so that he would exude ‘a don’t mess with me’ attitude. He also learned when walking to keep his head lowered so as not to make eye contact with anyone. He spoke very little. All of this resulted in him being able to travel around the state of New Jersey without ever having a hint of trouble. He had learned his lessons the hard way a hundred years ago.
He had seen men like this before in Atlantic City. He had been taking a short cut down an alley when he had come across a man being beaten. The man was being beat up by four Asian men dressed all in black.
The victim spotted Leeds and begged “Help me man. These guys are going to kill me.” Leeds turned back the way he had come. This wasn’t his business. His business was to stay out of the human’s way.
He turned a deaf ear to the man’s cries of “They are Hop Soon Tong. They’re going to kill me.”
When Leeds got home he looked up what Hop Soon Tong was. Even if he shunned the world as a whole, he had a voracious appetite to learn. Leeds found out that Hop Soon Tong was a branch of the Chinese mafia.
Over the years he had read a lot about them and had seen them around. Mostly in Atlantic City but sometimes in other places he ventured. While he took painstaking efforts to go unnoticed by the general population Leeds spent his time studying those around him. Being an observer of mankind hadn’t changed his outlook on life. Humans and evolved alike were an untrustworthy bunch. His philosophy was that even those who did a kindness for another usually only did so with the thought of some type of reward, be it monetary or a hope of achieving something in the life after this one.
Quickly deciding that it might be worth the effort to see if the body they dumped had something he might be able to wear, Leeds swam to where they had dumped their victim. He dove under the water and easily located the tarp. It was just beginning to get pulled into the strong undercurrent that would carry it out to the deepest sea. He grabbed a hold of the tarp and pulled it up to the surface. He swam towards the shore towing the body behind him. He figured he would check if there were any clothes he could use and then toss the body back into the ocean. After all, this wasn’t any of his concern. Besides he thought to himself the guy was dead already. Not much he could do to help him anyway.
Climbing out of the water he hoisted the tarp onto the beach. Leeds snorted “No wonder they got the upper hand, you’re a puny little bugger. Most likely won’t have anything that will cover me.”
He debated whether he should toss the poor bloke back into the ocean. He wasn’t too keen at looking at him. He wondered if he had been shot or stabbed. In either case there would be a lot of blood. It wasn’t as if he was afraid of blood. He just would not rather see it if he could help it. It always made his stomach do somersaults. That is one of the reasons he ventured into town as often as he did. He would rather buy his meat nice and clean in a supermarket than hunt and butcher his food. Not that he hadn’t over the years, back in the early turn of the century there weren’t Sam’s Clubs on every corner and a guy had to eat. He just preferred not to deal with all of the blood if he didn’t have to.
“Maybe I’ll get lucky and you were just strangled to death.”
He untied one of the two ropes that were on either end of the tarp. “Hmmmm…” he murmured when he spotted delicate feet with pink toenails.
“One of those fellows. Well, to each his own I’ve always said. Whatever floats your boat.”
Leeds undid the rope at the top of the tarp with little hope of finding anything he could wear. He grabbed hold of the tarp and standing tugged hard on the end to dislodge the body. Standing on the other side of the tarp he didn’t see that the body had hit a rock as he unfurled it he did however hear a loud groan.
“Bloody hell!”
This was all he needed. He wasn’t about to stay here and help some half dead drug dealer. Turning, Leeds threw the tarp behind him and turned back to face the poor bastard who’s clothes he was going to steal.
“Bloody fucking hell!” Leeds cursed as he stared at the most beautiful naked woman he’d ever encountered.
The overcast sky would guarantee that he wouldn’t be disturbed tonight. Luckily it wasn’t too cold for this time of the year. He had purposely waited until the beach season was over to come here though he knew from experience that this stretch of beach never got any visitors. This particular beach was not the best for human inhabitants as it was filled with sharp jutting rocks.
Leeds sat down on one of the rocks that were a little less sharp then the rest and began unlacing his size fourteen black biker boots. He stood and opened his jeans and slid them down his long legs. Lastly he pulled the baggy t-shirt over his head. Leeds stood there a few minutes letting the cool ocean breeze caress his naked body. It wasn’t too often that he got to do this so he was determined to relish every second. At last he moved towards the water unfurling his wings as he did. He let out a sigh of pure bliss as his wings spread out.
Whenever Leeds left the sanctuary of the cottage that he called home he had to wear clothing that was baggy enough to hide his wings. His cottage was located on a small island in the middle of a swamp in the pine barrens of New Jersey. At home it didn’t matter if he walked around with his wings exposed. The only ones who would see him were the turtles and snakes that lived with him on his little island. He had learned a long time ago people were not to be trusted and the only one he could count on was himself so he avoided people at all costs. The few instances he had exposed himself to humans had resulted in disaster and had earned him the nickname of the Jersey Devil. He had exactly two people in this world that he trusted and that trust was tenuous at best.
Leeds reached the water and dove in. He swam out about twenty five feet and turned. He let the waves wash over him and felt exhilarated. For the next twenty minutes he swam perpendicular to the shore line. The feel of the waves striking his wings was almost orgasmic. His wings were very sensitive. Except for a recent friend his wings haven’t been touched in years. His heart constricted with the memory of soft white hands stroking his unfurled wings. He quickly shook his head to disperse the image. Instead he thought of the blood on those same hands and he was able to channel the anger that had stayed with him for a hundred years.
Leeds reluctantly decided he should turn around and head back to the stretch of beach where he had left his cloths. He wanted to make sure he was back in the swamp by daybreak. It was lucky for him that this beach wasn’t too far from his home. It would only take him an hour to get back to his cottage. He usually didn’t go out much at night due to the fact that at night his eyes would glow an eerie red. During the day they were brown with flecks of amber, unusual but not something people would freak out about like they would if they saw him at night.
He swam slowly wanting to savor the swim. He only came to the beach a few times each year. To do so more would risk running into people. He spotted the small stretch of beach where he had left his cloths and started swimming towards it when he heard voices. Not wanting to be seen, he sunk down until only his head was above the water. He had perfect vision in the dark and he swore softly when he saw two men emerge from a patch of brush. The men appeared to be carrying something.
As they moved closer to the water, Leeds could see that the two men were of Asian descent, dressed all in black. The object they were carrying looked like a black rolled up tarp of some sort. He watched as they lugged the tarp down to the water and tossed it in. They stood there until the object sank and then they walked back the way they had come. Leeds held his breath as they walked close by his discarded clothing. They had almost passed by when one of the men said something in Chinese and they walked over to where his clothes were lying.
“Bloody hell.” Leeds muttered under his breath.
He stayed low and kept his eyes closed as the two Chinese men scanned the beach and then the water. After a few minutes he heard them retreat. Leeds opened his eyes and saw that the men were gone and so were his clothes.
“Fuck.” He swore.
Now he would have to get home buck naked. He thought about the tarp that the two guys had thrown into the ocean. He had no doubt that the tarp contained a dead body. Even though he was a loner he had been around for a two hundred and seventy five years. In that time Leeds had become a master in the art of being invisible. He had studied human behavior and knew that most people would ignore someone if he dressed and acted in a certain way. He learned how to excel in the art of the mundane. He would often go about during the day dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt. He kept his hair on the long side so that he would exude ‘a don’t mess with me’ attitude. He also learned when walking to keep his head lowered so as not to make eye contact with anyone. He spoke very little. All of this resulted in him being able to travel around the state of New Jersey without ever having a hint of trouble. He had learned his lessons the hard way a hundred years ago.
He had seen men like this before in Atlantic City. He had been taking a short cut down an alley when he had come across a man being beaten. The man was being beat up by four Asian men dressed all in black.
The victim spotted Leeds and begged “Help me man. These guys are going to kill me.” Leeds turned back the way he had come. This wasn’t his business. His business was to stay out of the human’s way.
He turned a deaf ear to the man’s cries of “They are Hop Soon Tong. They’re going to kill me.”
When Leeds got home he looked up what Hop Soon Tong was. Even if he shunned the world as a whole, he had a voracious appetite to learn. Leeds found out that Hop Soon Tong was a branch of the Chinese mafia.
Over the years he had read a lot about them and had seen them around. Mostly in Atlantic City but sometimes in other places he ventured. While he took painstaking efforts to go unnoticed by the general population Leeds spent his time studying those around him. Being an observer of mankind hadn’t changed his outlook on life. Humans and evolved alike were an untrustworthy bunch. His philosophy was that even those who did a kindness for another usually only did so with the thought of some type of reward, be it monetary or a hope of achieving something in the life after this one.
Quickly deciding that it might be worth the effort to see if the body they dumped had something he might be able to wear, Leeds swam to where they had dumped their victim. He dove under the water and easily located the tarp. It was just beginning to get pulled into the strong undercurrent that would carry it out to the deepest sea. He grabbed a hold of the tarp and pulled it up to the surface. He swam towards the shore towing the body behind him. He figured he would check if there were any clothes he could use and then toss the body back into the ocean. After all, this wasn’t any of his concern. Besides he thought to himself the guy was dead already. Not much he could do to help him anyway.
Climbing out of the water he hoisted the tarp onto the beach. Leeds snorted “No wonder they got the upper hand, you’re a puny little bugger. Most likely won’t have anything that will cover me.”
He debated whether he should toss the poor bloke back into the ocean. He wasn’t too keen at looking at him. He wondered if he had been shot or stabbed. In either case there would be a lot of blood. It wasn’t as if he was afraid of blood. He just would not rather see it if he could help it. It always made his stomach do somersaults. That is one of the reasons he ventured into town as often as he did. He would rather buy his meat nice and clean in a supermarket than hunt and butcher his food. Not that he hadn’t over the years, back in the early turn of the century there weren’t Sam’s Clubs on every corner and a guy had to eat. He just preferred not to deal with all of the blood if he didn’t have to.
“Maybe I’ll get lucky and you were just strangled to death.”
He untied one of the two ropes that were on either end of the tarp. “Hmmmm…” he murmured when he spotted delicate feet with pink toenails.
“One of those fellows. Well, to each his own I’ve always said. Whatever floats your boat.”
Leeds undid the rope at the top of the tarp with little hope of finding anything he could wear. He grabbed hold of the tarp and standing tugged hard on the end to dislodge the body. Standing on the other side of the tarp he didn’t see that the body had hit a rock as he unfurled it he did however hear a loud groan.
“Bloody hell!”
This was all he needed. He wasn’t about to stay here and help some half dead drug dealer. Turning, Leeds threw the tarp behind him and turned back to face the poor bastard who’s clothes he was going to steal.
“Bloody fucking hell!” Leeds cursed as he stared at the most beautiful naked woman he’d ever encountered.
