Niklosi's Nightmare (First Wave Book 10)

by Mikayla Lane

  “I think you’re thinking about that TV show back in the 90s with the redhead. We don’t have anything like that,” Greg offered.

  “You’re telling me,” Kyle began as he flipped through the pictures again, “that it’s just another fucked up coincidence that the two men I’m looking for ended up escaping from your custody because of some unrelated, strange things going on in your town?”

  BJ shrugged her shoulders.

  “I’m not asking you to believe anything. I’m asking you to see it for yourselves. Tonight will be your third night here. These things-whatever they are-have a thing for the number three,” BJ explained, playing her role to the hilt.

  “What are you saying? We’ll be attacked?” Kyle asked, wondering if she was threatening them.

  “I have no idea what will happen, but I plan on staying right where you can see me the whole damn time. If nothing else to help you prove to yourselves you’re not crazy,” BJ offered, surprising Kyle and Greg.

  “You want us to stay? And see if these things come?” Kyle asked, wanting to make sure he understood her correctly.

  “Hell, yeah,” BJ said, then pressed her advantage. “You’re already here. You got supplies for the night, and the diner really doesn’t serve road kill. We were trying to scare you off, but now you know the truth. You could help us. Help me figure out what it is.”

  Kyle looked over at Greg and could tell the captain wanted nothing more than investigate the odd things happening around there, but Kyle saw another benefit to the situation.

  “Where is all the videos?” he asked.

  “Everything since Mojo installed them last week is on the drive you’re watching now,” BJ stated.

  “You have nothing before that?” he asked.

  “There’s no lying that we’re a small, poor community. It took a while to raise the money for what we have, and the only reason we have that is because I pushed the issue,” BJ lied, although she was telling the truth about when the cameras were installed. “I have the receipt for when we bought the cameras if you don’t believe me.”

  Kyle nodded his head. He wasn’t going to believe anything she said again without proof.

  BJ looked around her desk at the mess the major’s men had left behind and sighed in relief when she saw the camera receipt. She’d set it aside to send to Irwin and was glad she’d forgotten about it. She handed it to the major.

  “Don’t lose it, Irwin needs it for the city taxes,” BJ warned as Kyle took it from her.

  He scanned through the receipt and was a little surprised she was telling the truth. Still, he wasn’t convinced it wasn’t a set up or another ruse even though the pictures he’d seen were pretty compelling, and there were stacks more.

  “Why haven’t you called someone in by now?” he asked.

  BJ laughed loudly and looked at him like he’d lost his mind.

  “Who would I call that wouldn’t hang up on me immediately? You had your camp destroyed, you’re holding photographic proof something is going on here, and you still don’t believe me! So who am I supposed to call?” BJ asked as she stomped over to the phone and picked up the handset. “Give me a number, and I’ll dial it while you’re standing right there.”

  “So then what was the point of trying to get rid of us if you wanted our help?” Kyle shot back.

  He was irritated that his position was wavering the longer BJ was steadfast in her own. The pictures helped her case a lot. She couldn’t fake the decades-old proof provided by someone else, and something had torn up their camp the first night they were there.

  BJ shook her head and set the phone back in its cradle with a heavy sigh.

  “Mostly habit. We figured you guys didn’t need to be in danger if your prisoners had already escaped, and when you insisted on staying, we tried to protect you. That’s why Dennis and Irwin stayed in town. In case you needed back up,” BJ lied convincingly.

  “How did you capture them?” Kyle asked, wondering what she’d lied about.

  “I may think I’m crazy half the time, but I know my duty. Everything I told you about your prisoners was the truth. I really was out there at Jepson’s place trying to figure out what was stalking him. That’s when I saw the first guy. What did these guys do? Rob a bank? Kill a government official?” BJ countered.

  “That’s classified,” Kyle replied with a glare. “So what happened in here? What caused the escape?”

  “I told you,” BJ said with a sigh as she pointed at the video she’d shown them. “You saw it for yourself. They were here, then the bright flash and they were gone. I have no idea if the . . . things around here took them or if that third guy was an accomplice.”

  Kyle recalled the third set of boot prints he’d seen outside and the flash of light that had knocked out the video before the prisoners had disappeared.

  “What makes you think that these things, creatures, or whatever could have taken them?” Kyle asked.

  He watched curiously as BJ went back to the safe and dug out another weathered folder. She handed it to Kyle.

  “I’ve been blessed that I haven’t had to add any to that file since I came back, but I planned on putting your prisoners in there,” BJ said.

  Kyle opened the folder and pulled out a stack of missing person reports, newspaper clippings, and flyers. Like the photographs, the dates varied dramatically.

  “Are you implying that all these people were taken by these things you believe are terrorizing your town?” Kyle asked incredulously as he quickly scanned through the missing person reports and flyers in his hand.

  BJ shrugged her shoulders and sat back down in the chair.

  “I have no idea. I wasn’t around for most of what’s in that file, but I have no other explanation for what’s happening around here either,” BJ said evenly.

  Greg tried peering over Kyle’s shoulder to get a look at the information when Kyle randomly divided the stack and shoved a bunch into his hands.

  “None of these are from Baker’s Creek,” Greg said, disappointment clear in his voice.

  “They are all from a hundred-mile radius around Baker’s Creek in the last 120 years,” BJ explained and watched their eyes widen.

  “How many?” Kyle asked in surprise.

  “Over 52 last count. Last one was in 2007, 28 miles north of where we’re sitting,” BJ told them as she stood and moved back to the safe.

  “Yeah, that’s not that surprising though,” Kyle said with a shake of his head. “This is a really big area you’re talking about. I imagine hikers and campers get lost all the time. That doesn’t mean it’s unexplainable.”

  “Those are just the ones who never came back,” BJ countered as she threw another folder onto the desk in front of Kyle and Greg. “These are the ones who went missing and came back. But when they did, they weren’t the same. Some were found months later, just wandering lost. None of them showed any effects of being lost for so long; in fact, they were clean and healthy. None remembered where they had been, only that they knew they had to change their ways and become better people.”

  “You’re fucking with us again,” Kyle said with a snort as he picked up the new folder and flipped through it.

  “Call one of them,” BJ dared him. “I’m not kidding, call one of them. Hell, call all of them and ask them about it. You of all people should realize that there can’t be a conspiracy of that magnitude going on around here. Those people are from all over the country and all walks of life.”

  Kyle stopped flipping through the pages and news clippings and began to read a few of them when Greg held up a news article.

  “I remember this! The guy was scouting out a new location for his next mining project when he disappeared. He was found four days later muttering to himself that the angels were going to send him to hell if he didn’t change,” Greg said as he held the article out to Kyle.

  Kyle was vaguely remembering the story when he saw the man’s picture, and it came rushing back to him.

  “I remembe
r it too,” Kyle admitted. “Didn’t he shut down all his mines and start a company creating economical ways for third world countries to get clean water or something?”

  “I lost track, but I think it was something like that,” BJ said, knowing for a fact that’s what the man did. “He was found 53 miles northwest of this spot.”

  Greg looked at Kyle with a raised eyebrow, convinced that something weird was going on around Baker’s Creek.

  Kyle was still having a hard time swallowing it. Aliens were one thing to believe in, but he drew the line at children’s storybook creatures.

  “Come on, Greg! Fairies for fuck’s sake?” Kyle asked, exasperated that his captain was falling for this.

  “Hey, I didn’t say they were fairies; I said that’s what people have seen. I had the cameras installed to try and figure out what the hell they are,” BJ said.

  “I think you’re looking at this wrong, sir,” Greg said as he pulled Kyle aside and lowered his voice to a bare whisper. “What if they aren’t going missing? What if they’re being abducted and programmed by the aliens? The flashes of light, the disappearances . . . it makes sense.”

  Kyle ran a hand over his face, determined not to look the fool by falling for another one of the clever cop’s ruses.

  “Fairies?” Kyle muttered.

  “The light could easily be disorienting the witnesses. It wouldn’t hurt to call a few of them and see what they have to say,” Greg added, trying to convince the major to do a little more investigating.

  He loved every one of the ghost hunting and paranormal shows on TV and had a DVR full of episodes to watch when he was off base or had down time. Greg couldn’t think of anything more fun than doing their own paranormal investigation of the area.

  Kyle closed his eyes for a moment, trying to think of any reason to avoid going down what he expected to be another rabbit hole dug by the devious, and lying cop. The alien trail was now beyond cold, and his only hope of discovering anything would be to stay and see if they really were in the area somewhere. He turned to BJ.

  “Fine. We’ll give you one night of our time, but you’re staying here. And if Dennis and Irwin can stay in town, then so can your mother and your brother. I want to know exactly where all of you are at every point during the evening,” Kyle said, crossing his arms over his chest.

  BJ knew he would refuse to back down, and that was OK with her.

  “I’ll call them now,” she offered, heading to the phone and dialing her mother.

  “Momma, I need you, Mojo, Dennis, and Irwin to come stay in town tonight. Yes, I told him, and he’s willing to stay and help if you guys come into town too,” BJ spoke into the phone, keeping up her side of the conversation although there was no one on the other end.

  BJ knew her family already heard everything from the mercantile where Mojo was playing the live video feed from the station to them. She nodded her head a few times as if her mom was speaking to her and hung up the phone.

  “They’ll be in town shortly. Mom would like you to join us for dinner at the diner later this evening,” BJ offered and held up her hands at the look of horror that crossed their faces. “Whoa, no road kill, I swear! We don’t eat that crap either. You’re more than welcome to inspect the kitchen and fridge before deciding to eat there.”

  Kyle just couldn’t get over the image of the dead possum from the road or the bullet ridden raccoon, and he tamped down his urge to gag.

  “No, I think it’s best to eat with the men tonight so we can plan . . . how we’re going to help you. Please, give my apologies to your mother. Maybe she can stop by after dinner for a . . . pre-packaged cupcake,” Kyle suggested.

  BJ looked at him in surprise for a moment before she burst out laughing.

  “Pre-packaged cupcakes for dessert will be fine, I’m sure. I’ll let her know when she gets into town. If you don’t mind, I’ll eat at the diner though,” BJ stated, not expecting it to be a problem.

  “No, you’re staying where I can see you at all times. You’ve lied to us and played us for fools once. When I said you’re not leaving my sight, I was serious. We have plenty of food to feed you here,” Kyle ordered, his tone of voice telling BJ he wasn’t going to budge.

  BJ just grinned and leaned back in the chair.

  “I’m all yours.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Niklosi watched the video from the station and clenched his fists in anger. Not only did he never get out of the transport and back on the ground the previous evening, but now he’d been denied a chance to convince BJ to see him for dinner.

  He tried his best to ignore the jealous rage building inside of him at the thought of BJ being alone all day and night with the soldiers before Traze interrupted his thoughts.

  “I still don’t get it!” Traze complained behind Nik. “These bastards in this unit have killed, captured, and tortured countless numbers of our people. Now we’ve found soul demigods! So why can’t we kill them all and let the gods sort them out?”

  Grai just shook his head. He was exhausted, shaken from his meeting with the soul reapers, and definitely not in the mood for his unenlightened brother.

  “You can ask all the questions you want when you meet Bess and Mojo for dessert at the mercantile later,” Grai told his brother.

  “Wait . . . what? Why the hell would I do that? And why would you agree to it when you know the military is going to be all over the place!” Traze was livid that his brother would make him go back down there knowing what Bess was and what she could do to him.

  “Dennis is going to glimmer you,” Grai said then thought about it and shook his head. “Glamour you or . . . change your appearance. No one will know it’s you. You’ll appear as a regular person from town.”

  Traze sputtered in fury before he turned on his heel and stormed back to the sleeping area and sealed himself in a privacy shield.

  Nik watched the kid storm off, refusing to look at Grai. He knew there would be no invitation to dinner for him, and it bothered him more than he wanted to admit.

  “You have to have some questions about what happened after you left. Want to talk about it?” Grai offered as he sat next to Nik.

  Nik just shook his head.

  “No, I think I heard it all when you were trying to explain it to Traze,” Nik replied.

  He memorized everything they’d said about BJ and her people, wanting to understand just what BJ really was and why he would be mated to such an extraordinary individual.

  “Is she still blocking you?” Grai asked, sitting beside Nik.

  Nik just nodded his head and crossed his arms over his chest, letting Grai know he didn’t want to talk about it.

  “You know, there are ways around a block,” Grai added, drawing Nik’s immediate attention.

  “How?” Nik asked.

  Grai laughed and turned to the Valendran.

  “Let me show you a little trick I learned from Lara when she evolved Death for me,” Grai said with a mischievous grin as he slapped Nik on the back.

  *****

  BJ tried her best not to react when she heard Nik’s voice whisper through her mind, but she was stunned that he’d broken through her barriers.

  “I’m sorry. I know you don’t believe me, and you have no reason to, but I really am sorry,” Nik whispered and cringed when he saw the grimace cross her face on the video.

  “How did you break past my barriers?” BJ demanded.

  She was trying to be angry at him and struggled to tamp down the thrill that ran through her at his determination to talk to her. When she heard his laugh in her mind, she smothered the smile that threatened to cross her face.

  “I think I’ll keep that a secret in case you try to block me again. Especially when I’m trying my level best to apologize. I didn’t mean to hurt you. This is all just . . . a bit much for one weekend, and I’ve reacted badly,” Nik admitted.

  BJ watched the major and his captain continue to go through the information in the files she pulled from t
he safe, and she sighed.

  “It’s been a heck of a weekend for all of us,” she agreed.

  “Are you doing OK?” Nik asked, noting the dark circles still smudged under her eyes.

  “Just a little tired. We’ve had a lot going on,” BJ said with a small smile.

  Nik couldn’t contain the grin that spread across his face when he saw her smile and heard the teasing in her voice. His hope rose that he could repair the damage he’d caused and at least start over with her.

  “Yeah,” he agreed with a laugh. “It’s a whole lot busier around a small town than I ever imagined.”

  BJ laughed out loud and quickly closed her mouth when she drew the immediate attention of Kyle and Greg.

  “Sorry, guys, I was reading across the desk and remember that particular picture and the day it was taken,” BJ lied, scrambling for a reason for her sudden outburst.

  “This one?” Kyle asked, holding up a picture from long before she’d been born.

  “No,” BJ quickly amended. “The one under it.”

  Kyle looked at the next photo labelled 1994 and the predominant glowing eyes that peered back from the dark woods.

  “Where was it taken?” Kyle asked.

  “That was in front of this station, back when it was still a gas station,” BJ explained. “The jail used to be an old ice cooler in the mercantile until we needed to bring it up to code in order to keep it open.”

  Kyle just nodded his head and put the picture back in the stack with the others he’d already looked at.

  “You think pretty damn quick on your feet,” Nik told her, impressed with the way she’d been handling the military unit.

  “The major is a lot smarter than he lets on, and there’s something . . . off about him,” BJ said, trying to figure out what it was that she felt in his energy.

  That got Nik’s attention, and he leaned forward to study Kyle on the video.

  “What do you sense?” Nik asked.