Niklosi's Nightmare (First Wave Book 10)

by Mikayla Lane

  He looked around the camp and saw that everyone but the two soldiers on watch duty were bedded down. Since the sound had stopped the moment he’d walked out of the tent, he was unable to follow whoever was the cause.

  Or whatever, the thought came unbidden in his head, and he brushed it off.

  Fucking idiots are not going to convince me any of that bullshit about mythical creatures is real, he thought as he stomped back into his tent.

  Kyle slowly sat back down, expecting to hear something again, and when several minutes passed in silence he went ahead and laid down. He’d just closed his eyes and began drifting off to sleep when a loud, horrible shriek echoed through the night.

  Kyle was out of his tent with his weapon drawn in seconds. He was met outside by his men, who were also armed and scanning the woods and skies.

  “Did you hear that?” someone whispered loudly.

  “Why else are we all out here!” Kyle ground out between gritted teeth. “Shut up and listen! Hand signals if you hear something.”

  The men were completely silent as they listened carefully for any sounds that would indicate the direction the shriek had come from. No one heard anything. Not even the whisper of the wind disturbed the eerie stillness and silence around them.

  “Why is it so quiet all of a sudden?” someone whispered.

  The sound of his voice seemed so loud and strange in the sinister silence.

  Kyle looked over at the soldier and gave him an angry glare that promised a severe retribution later for disobeying his order for silence. He was getting ready to storm over to the soldier when a series of deep growls erupted from the dark woods behind them.

  Everyone turned, weapons drawn as they aimed at whatever appeared to be stalking them from the woods. The growling increased, coming from several different parts of the woods at once, telling the men that they were being hunted by more than one animal.

  Kyle knew he had to do something to protect his men and get them out of the open.

  “OK, it looks like they’ve got a pack of rabid something out there, and I’m not in the mood to get rabies shots. So we’re staying in the station for the night. Follow me,” Kyle ordered as he turned from the woods and cleared the side of the station before motioning another soldier forward.

  When they got to the front of the station, Kyle held the door open as each of his men came inside. He’d no sooner let the last man inside when they heard an explosion of growls, shredding, and tearing sounds from behind the station. He slammed the door shut and locked it.

  “Someone get in there and do something about that broken door,” Kyle ordered.

  “We took off the melted handle, sir. What do you want me to do?” one of the men asked.

  “Take your fucking belt, loop it through the hole where the door handle used to be, and tie it off to the bars of the nearest cell! See if that will keep it fucking closed!” Kyle barked at the man. “Someone go with him and stand guard! We don’t want a bunch of rabid animals getting in here.”

  Kyle shook his head in disappointment when four of his men ran into the cell area with guns drawn.

  “How the hell can you be an elite alien hunting task force and be in such a god damn panic over some rabid raccoons?” Kyle erupted in frustration.

  He had to admit, being stalked by some infectious and insane animals wasn’t his idea of fun either, but the irrational fear spreading among his men was ridiculous under the circumstances.

  Kyle jumped back from the door when he heard a loud thud against it. He visually checked to make sure he locked it before he moved a little further away. When he saw his men watching his every move, he went back over to the door, drew his weapon, and yanked it open.

  He saw the torn, shredded animal body seconds before gunfire erupted behind him, and he was sprayed with blood and chunks of flesh. He threw his hands up to protect his face from the gore and turned furious eyes on his men, who were just beginning to realize their mistake as they stopped firing.

  Kyle kicked the bullet-ridden carcass away from the door and slammed it shut before he glared at his men.

  “Put your weapons away! What the fuck is wrong with you? The rabid animals killed something! It’s what wild animals do, you idiots! How the fuck am I supposed to explain to the townspeople that my elite team of alien hunters were so fucking scared they shot an already dead animal with a hail of gunfire? In the middle of town!” Kyle screamed in fury and embarrassment.

  “Sir? Didn’t you see it? It was possessed,” one of the men whispered in fear.

  Kyle looked flabbergasted and sputtered for a moment.

  “Possessed? You shot an already-dead animal the size of a small dog with dozens of bullets! It wasn’t possessed, you fucking idiot, it was being tossed around by your bullets!” Kyle yelled, his eyes daring another man to say something stupid.

  When no one else dared to speak, Kyle looked at the closed door and sighed. He knew he had to go outside and talk to any of the residents who’d seen or heard the barrage of gunfire coming from the station.

  “I have to go out there and explain your stupidity to anyone who heard you. Those animals may still be out there, so be prepared to cover me and anyone else who may be out there—” Kyle began before the door burst open.

  Kyle saw the burly district attorney and the mayor and immediately turned to his men to make damn sure he wouldn’t have to try and cover up a double murder.

  “Put your weapons down!” Kyle snarled at his men.

  “Are you boys OK?” Irwin asked breathlessly as he went right to Kyle and fluttered his hands around his body as he checked him.

  “Stop it!” Kyle growled as he smacked at the mayor’s hands and moved away.

  “We heard the shots and came to see if you needed help. What happened?” Dennis asked as he scratched his head and looked around.

  Kyle turned an embarrassed grin to Dennis while trying to stay away from Irwin and his octopus hands.

  “Well, see . . .” Kyle began when Greg stepped forward.

  “Sorry about that! We saw that . . . um . . . critter coming flying in the door, and we . . . shot before realizing where we were,” Greg lied.

  “It looked too much like those damn camel spiders in Iraq,” another soldier said, sounding apologetic.

  Kyle saw Dennis and Irwin’s faces melt as his men spoke and decided to use that compassion to keep the peace.

  “I’m sorry for my men. It seems that all this talk of howlers and . . . flying things got them a little spooked coming so close on the heels of our last tour,” Kyle explained and felt relieved when he saw the expressions of the mayor and DA.

  “Don’t you worry your handsome heads about it!” Irwin assured them with a saucy smile. “No one lives in town but us, so you didn’t bother no one.”

  “Yeah,” Dennis added chuckle. “No harm, no foul. Besides, I think you got even with that raccoon pretty good. I doubt anymore of his kinfolk will be bothering you tonight.”

  “You look a little rattled. Want to come to my place for a nightcap?” Irwin asked Kyle with a wink.

  “Thank you, gentlemen,” Kyle rushed to say, “for your understanding. I promise my men will not be bothering any more wildlife or people this evening. Again, I apologize for disturbing you.”

  Kyle did his best to usher the two men out of the station and finally got them to the door when Dennis stopped and looked back at the soldiers.

  “You sure you’re all right in here?” he asked with concern.

  “Of course!” Kyle said with a chuckle. “We’re just fine.”

  “If you’re sure?” Irwin asked with a wink as he reached out a finger to touch Kyle’s arm.

  Kyle moved away from the mayor and partially shut the door, leaving only Dennis visible.

  “Yes, we’re fine. Thank you so much. Again, we’re sorry,” Kyle said then shut the door on them before turning his anger-filled eyes to his men.

  He was so exasperated he really didn’t even know what to say at t
he moment and knew he needed to cool off. He turned to Greg instead.

  “Get them bedded down in here for the night and make damn sure no one else fires another damn round! I’ll be back in a minute,” Kyle said before he stormed out of the door.

  He stood in front of the station for a moment before he saw Irwin and Dennis walking down the street with the dead raccoon swinging from Dennis’s hand. He was grateful they were getting rid of it and wondered where they were taking it when he saw them unlock the diner and turn on the lights.

  Kyle suppressed his urge to gag before he turned away from the town and leaned his back against the wall of the station. Even he wasn’t willing to venture too far from the safety of the station and his men when there were obviously some dangerous animals in the area.

  Chapter Eleven

  The next morning, Nik’s eyes were glued to the video feed from inside the police station—not because he cared what the military was doing—but because he was waiting to see BJ. He hadn’t been able to sleep at all last night as his mind replayed everything that had happened in the cavern and the things he’d said.

  He felt terrible for the way he’d acted—more so after he’d explained to Grai and Traze what he’d seen and learned about BJ and their people. Grai wasn’t the least bit nervous about having ancient, winged beings among their hybrid even if BJ insisted she couldn’t fly.

  It was Grai who’d smiled and said, “Damn, that’s pretty cool. Congrats, man. Your children should be pretty amazing.”

  Nik hadn’t even considered children or mating at all, and now he was wondering just what kind of offspring he could produce with BJ’s incredible gifts and lineage. He forcefully shook himself from his thoughts of BJ when Traze laughed and pointed at the screen.

  “Look at the idiots! Not one of them slept more than a half hour all night, and did you see what Gibly and the other cats did to the camp they had in back of the station? That freaking raccoon they put at the door was an awesome touch! They have to be ready to get the hell out of there by now,” Traze said excitedly.

  “One would think,” Grai agreed, not feeling the least bit sorry for the military unit.

  Nik had to admit, the antics of the sibiox the previous evening would have given him pause if he didn’t know what it was that appeared to be stalking him. Their ability to blend into the darkness and the way they could make their eyes shine became the stuff of scary stories when he was a child-long before they discovered them to be a sentient and harmless species to their people. He could imagine how scary it would be to naïve humans.

  “Pay attention. They’re getting ready to go outside now that the sun is coming up,” Traze said as he stared at the video feed.

  *****

  Kyle looked out of the single window in the cell area and saw the sun beginning to peek over the horizon. He’d been standing in the same spot since he’d gotten rid of Dennis and Irwin the previous evening and was just waiting for the sky to brighten enough to see clearly outside. He turned from the window and stomped past his men, who were all strewn about the floor whispering to one another, and he headed to the door.

  He heard his men jump to their feet as he threw the door open and stepped outside. Kyle stretched his arms over his head as he saw a few of the residents beginning to move about the small town as his men dispersed to take care of their morning routine.

  “Major!” he heard shouted from behind the station.

  “Major! Come quick!” another shouted.

  Kyle ground his teeth in frustration as he stormed off around the building to see what had them in a panic this time.

  Probably a steaming pile of raccoon shit, he thought with disgust at how his team had been overreacting.

  Kyle barely rounded the corner when he stopped short, his mouth hanging open in surprise as he took in the scene of where their camp had been the night before.

  Every single tent had been shredded, what appeared to be blood was smeared on just about everything, the stuffing of the sleeping bags dotted the area like snow, and shredded MRE wrappers were everywhere.

  “They got into all of the food, sir!” one of the men called out as he held up the shredded wrappers.

  “Sir! Look at these prints! You ever see anything this big?” Greg asked in awe as he crouched down near where Kyle’s tent stood the night before.

  Kyle picked his way across the debris-laden field and knelt beside Greg to look at the print. He had to admit—it was a large animal print. Not the biggest he’d ever seen, but big enough that he knew he’d made the right call for them to sleep in the station the night before. He stood to address his men.

  “I know you guys are new to this unit, and I know that you’ve heard what happened to most of the previous members of this unit before I was given command,” Kyle began, referencing the alien assassinations of Colonel Marcus Ballard and most of the unit under the colonel’s command.

  “I can tell you this,” Kyle continued, “if a couple of rabid animals can scare you this bad, then you need to consider a transfer. Because the two-legged animals we hunt are a lot more frightening than some fucking fur balls! Now get this shit cleaned up and get some coffee made!”

  Kyle felt a little better when the men jumped to the task, scattering around the campsite and grabbing what they could as another group ran into the station to get trash bags and start more coffee.

  Damn, I need a gallon of coffee this morning, Kyle thought as he stormed back into the station to make sure he got the first cup.

  He’d just rounded the corner when Greg came running up to him.

  “Sir, what do you want us to do about food? We only had emergency rations because we hadn’t expected to stay, and the raccoons or whatever got to them last night,” Greg explained, hoping the major didn’t hear his stomach rumbling as he spoke.

  Kyle’s stomach growled loudly at the mention of food, and he shook his head at yet another complication he didn’t need. He wasn’t even going to consider the diner after the possum and raccoon incidents. He also didn’t want any of his men spending time in the infirmary for unknown illnesses when they got back either.

  “Isn’t there a store of some kind here that sells actual food? Stuff in cans or boxes would be preferable,” Kyle asked Greg, hoping there was something.

  “Good morning, gentlemen. BJ and I made you men some wild blueberry muffins this morning if you’re hungry.”

  Kyle turned at the sound of Bess’s voice and nearly drooled at the sight of the baskets filled with delicious smelling muffins.

  “There’s no animal products in this is there?” he had to ask.

  Bess laughed and held out her large basket to him.

  “Goodness, no! You don’t make sweet breads with meat. No, it’s your basic flour, eggs, and fresh-picked wild blueberries,” Bess assured him.

  She no sooner finished speaking when Kyle grabbed the basket and ate half a muffin in one bite. He hadn’t eaten since breakfast the day before and was starving. It didn’t take him long to realize that the muffins were outstanding.

  “These are really good,” he said as he nodded at Greg to take the basket of muffins from BJ that he was drooling over. “Go ahead and take them over to the men.”

  “Thank you so much, ma’am. You’re too kind,” Greg said to BJ and Bess before he grabbed the basket and ran behind the building to share them with the others.

  “He’s right,” Kyle added as he grabbed another muffin and led them into the station. “This was really kind of you. Thank you.”

  Kyle handed the other basket to the men still in the station and wasn’t surprised to see them pounce on the muffins like starving dogs.

  “Goodness, your men are real hungry this morning,” Bess noted, trying to hide her smile.

  “Yeah, we, uh, had our provisions ransacked last night by some raccoons,” Kyle admitted with a slight blush.

  “Those raccoons can be vicious,” BJ said with a dramatic nod, shaking the pig tails she had on straight and even that mor
ning.

  Kyle noted that her uniform was neat, clean, and tucked in, and her hair was nicely done-even if the pig tails were a bit much for her age. The only tell-tale sign that something wasn’t quite right with her was the missing side teeth and the way she spoke and acted like a child at times.

  “Yeah,” he said, “it looks like a couple of them tore up our camp last night.”

  “That’s terrible. I hope no one was hurt,” Bess said as she went over to the coffee pot and poured as many foam cups as she could before she began to make a new pot.

  “No, but my men shot one of them last night,” Kyle figured he better tell them before Dennis or Irwin did. He knew it’d probably be the talk of this small town in no time.

  BJ snorted.

  “’Round here that ain’t nothing. We shoot ‘em all the time,” BJ said as she took a cup of coffee from her mother with a grateful smile.

  I need an IV of coffee this morning, BJ thought as she smothered a yawn.

  She hadn’t slept at all the previous night. She’d replayed every moment of her evening with Nik and was still hurt and surprised at the way the night had ended. She hadn’t expected to feel the pull of attraction to him or even begin to like him, but she did.

  “BJ, the major asked you a question,” Bess prodded her daughter when BJ hadn’t responded to him.

  “Sorry,” BJ replied, smothering another yawn. “I ain’t yet caught back up on my sleep after that stakeout at Jepson’s. What did ya ask?”

  In truth it’d been almost 36 hours since she’d last slept, and she was just about dead on her feet and in no mood to deal with Major Morris and his band of men.

  “I was wondering if you’d had any problems with raccoons around the station,” Kyle reiterated, noting the dark shadows under her eyes.

  “Yup, there be a family of the critters ‘round here somewhere. They come up to raid the trash sometimes. Your men put all their trash in the designated containers, didn’t ya?” BJ asked.