The Night Crew by Brad Ricks & Crystal Lake Publishing

Author:Brad Ricks & Crystal Lake Publishing [Ricks, Brad & Publishing, Crystal Lake]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Crystal Lake Publishing
Published: 2025-02-18T00:00:00+00:00

25

Jax pulled the SUV to the front gate. Thomas sat in front while Niki sat curled into Nate in the back. The gate was shut, and Thomas could see the lock still attached to it.

"Hey Niki," Jax said. "Do you mind sparing Nate for a brief moment so he can unlock the gate?"

"Of course. Get to work, beautiful," she told Nate.

Nate opened the car door, and slowly walked over to the gate.

Even though the engine was running and the windows were closed, Thomas could still hear the gravel under Nate's feet. Part of the curse of being a vampire, Thomas thought. He tried to keep himself secluded and isolated as much as possible. Hearing everyone's footsteps, breathing, and even heart beats drove him mad. Inside of a closed canister made things worse. The sounds echoed inside the car.

Thomas opened the door and stepped out into the night air.

"You ok?" Jax asked.

Thomas nodded and shut the door. He hesitated just outside the car for a moment, then meandered a few feet away. While he walked, he twisted his hands in front of him, feeling the air, soaking in the night. As an apex predator, he felt at home in the darkness. He loathed what he was and tried to find peace in the areas of his existence that he could. He preferred darkness and solitude. Hunting allowed him to use his skills for good after so many years of horror.

Behind him, Nate struggled with the gate. He unlatched the lock with no problem, but the gate itself felt stuck after opening only two feet.

Niki rolled her window down. "Having a problem, love?"

"It won't go any further," he said, frustratingly pulling on it. "It feels like the pole is bent."

"Keep straining those muscles, my Nubian prince. I'm going to sit here and be enticed by the view."

Thomas ignored their lovers' banter. The air bothered him. The temperature had fallen a degree, and the wind had stopped blowing. Everything went silent and still, and the calm caused every nerve ending of Thomas's body to fire.

From behind him, he heard Niki talking to Jax. "How far behind us are Scott and Mike? Did they stop for a late dinner and not invite us?"

"Call Scott's cell," Jax said.

She placed her phone on speaker as it rang. The sound vibrated inside Thomas's skull. With his senses at full alert, the ringing hurt. Finally, she ended the call.

"Can one of you help me with this gate?" Nate asked, still trying to muscle it open. "Unless you want to leave the cars here, and we walk everything in."

Two car doors opened as both Niki and Jax stepped out.

Thomas stayed on the far side of the car. He heard Nate struggle with the fence and could’ve opened it with ease, but something didn’t feel right. The clanging of the fence filled his ears, making it hard to focus on anything besides that. He peered into the darkness; the moon gave off the only light. He stared deep into the shadows.

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