When Night Darkens the Streets

A shy, bookish female sitting across from you on the bus—her satiny hair in a tight bun, those big, pretty eyes glancing nervously up at you from behind a pair of thick lenses, then a delicate draw of her lips shaping an uncertain smile on her plain yet elusively beautiful face when she notices you staring. You look away worrying she might suspect you're a pervert who wants to do her harm. Yet WHEN NIGHT DARKENS THE STREETS this same trepid woman walks confidently down the front steps of her apartment building wearing lots of makeup and a skintight outfit made of leather and lace with her feet squeezed inside a pair of stiletto heels. Her seductive figure slinks through the night, hurrying across the cooling pavement in search for prey. A streetlamp casts its light on her clutch bag and she pulls it hard against her body as she scurries back into the darkness where her wicked secrets are invited and safe. And for now only she knows about the large straight razor hidden inside the purse—its cutting edge stained with the blood of past victims. Consider the local soul-caring priest who wishes you a blessed day or the middle-aged woman working at the grocery checkout counter who is always friendly and helpful. Regard the mailman who has reliably delivered letters and packages for decades to your doorstep or the neighbor who routinely smiles and waves each morning while helping his young daughter inside the car before heading out to school. Now heed the hundreds of individuals around you milling about in the sunlight—civil and sane. What demons transform when the veil of darkness arrives and the streets blacken? What stories of terror and bloodshed will unfold?.... WHEN NIGHT DARKENS THE STREETS….