The Immaculate Conception

From the short story collection DARKEST HOUR by Matt Hults. In the late 1600s, under a clear night sky, alone in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, the merchant vessel Immaculate sails toward the New World. In her hold are 100 Ashanti slaves bound for uncertain destinies. First Mate Eric Townsend struggles with his conscious at that fact. But things aboard the Immaculate are about to change; there will be changes of heart; changes of thinking; changes of the flesh. For something has been conceived from the hate and oppression of the slavers, and with it comes a new breed of terror that will be born into legend.