Black Birds
Cold night air pinched at the darkness. Frost painted featherlike patterns on the windscreens of the parked cars along the street. Grass huddled together beneath their icing sugar coating.
A neon light at the corner of the street failed to notify anyone of the great deals Joe’s Café had to offer, the street had been plunged into darkness.
The power outages were getting worse, and the outlook reported was bleak.
Two figures sat in a car watching the long dancing shadows inside a nearby house. The candle’s light gave them a dark, but not completely black appearance. This gave comfort to them both, the candles light was enough for them. They despised the strong light of day or that of electric lights.
“So, what you been up to lately? Seems like I’ve not seen you for a hundred years!” Ben said.
“Infiltrating governments, starting wars, spending time with beautiful women in faraway exotic places, and enjoying the life of Riley. You?” Sid replied.
“You know, same.”
They both chuckled, which gently rocked the car from side to side.
On the dashboard, a toy penguin danced from side to side, it’s blank stare showed the absence of any true life.
“Almost good acting as Danny DeVito in Batman.” Sid said.
“Nar, better!” Ben said
Their laughing subsided slowly.
They sat for a while in silence.
Ben put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a handful of something that looked like some sort of grain. He made a fist of it let it run slowly into the other hand.
“You still got the rye then?” Sid asked.
“Yup.”
“You ever gonna let that thing go?”
“Never.” Ben replied.
“Why the fuck not?”
“It’s a matter of principal!”
“Fuck off! You gotta move with the times my old friend.”
“You always fucking say that! But the song is 4 and 20 ‘Naughty Boys’, not fucking ‘Black Birds’! You where there, and now you don’t give a shit!” Ben reply
“Look, we did the job, right? Just fucking drop it!”
Ben huffed and dropped the grain.
They sat.
“Any time now.”
“Yep.”
Sid placed an Exakta 66 camera on the dash. He pointed it towards the house, and started the self-timer. They had 6 seconds.
The night grew darker as the candle guttered and died.
“Right my old friend, we’re up!”
They threw the car doors open, extended their black wings, and flew towards the house.
“This never gets old, does it?!”
Two evil souls were collected that night.
