Chapter 29 Reid
REID
The gravel crunched beneath Reid’s feet as he and Niko walked back toward the motel they were staying in.
Ace booked them all in this shitty-ass motel about thirty minutes away from where the farm was located. They needed time to create a plan of attack and make sure that everything was all set up.
They arrived at the motel just after dark the next day and spent the evening settling in. Marcus and Ace had a few errands to run, while the other guys made sure they had all the necessary supplies.
That gave Reid and Nikolai a couple of hours to themselves. They decided to grab some dinner at a pub down the street before walking back to the motel when they were done.
“You’ve got a good group of friends,” Reid noted, kicking stones as they walked slowly along the side of the road.
“Yeah. The guys are great. Being a part of the Shadow Vipers means being a part of a family. Have you given any more thought to staying?” Niko asked, lifting his head as he waited for him to answer.
Reid stole a glance at his best friend. He couldn’t imagine life without him. He had gone ten years already, and in all those years, he had never felt settled. It was as though something was missing from his life. He now realized that the thing missing was Nikolai.
“Yes, of course I’ll stay,” Reid said, giving him a smile and reaching out for his hand. He swore, Niko’s smile nearly swallowed his face.
“You’re not going to regret it!” Niko hummed, bouncing forward before being jerked back by Reid’s frozen body.
“What the—” Niko began, startled by the sudden pull of Reid’s stiff body.
Reid’s eyes were wide as he stared at their motel.
“Please tell me you see that,” Reid whispered as his grip on Niko’s hand tightened.
“What?” Niko asked as his head turned in the direction of their motel.
His body jerked back when his eyes landed on what had caught Reid’s attention.
“Is that…?” Niko began, his brain and body suddenly no longer working.
“A clown?”
“Yeah,” Niko answered, practically cutting off the circulation in Reid’s hand.
Reid jumped again.
“Shit! There’s another one!” Reid pointed to a second clown who suddenly emerged from the darkness next to their motel.
One was dressed in a ripped, colorful jumper that appeared to be covered in blood around the torso and right arm.
The second clown stood there motionless, wearing a white-and-green polka-dot jumper.
On his feet were orange clogs. They didn’t exactly fit the murderous clown ensemble, but either way, the figure was terrifying as shit.
This time, Niko jumped as a third clown emerged from Marcus’s room.
“What the fuck?” Nikolai breathed, turning to face Reid. “I’m going to fucking kill him.”
“What?” Reid asked, as Niko began pulling him toward the killer-clown motel.
Reid’s heart stopped as Niko plowed right past the third clown and walked straight into Marcus’s room.
Inside, Marcus and Ace were surrounded by a room full of killer clowns and some very uncomfortable-looking bikers.
“Oh good! You guys are back,” Marcus said, grinning at them as they stood frozen in the doorway.
“You could have fucking warned us,” Niko barked, dropping Reid’s hand and marching toward his boss.
“Where’s the fun in that?” Marcus asked with a chuckle.
“That’s the same thing I said,” Caden growled, leaning against a wall, staying very clear of the cluster of clowns currently huddled around Marcus and Ace.
“I’m never going to sleep again,” Blade added, sitting on a couch, skeptically eyeing a short clown who was sitting a bit too close to him.
“Reid, I’d like to introduce you to Melvin,” Marcus said, gesturing to the clown closest to him. “Melvin is the head of the Crimson Carnies. He and his crew are here to lend us a hand.”
“And a nightmare or two,” Blade mumbled under his breath, eyes still locked on the clown beside him. The clown just smiled back at him, never saying a word. Never moving his eyes.
This had to be the creepiest moment of Reid’s entire life. Hopefully, no families with children were staying at their motel. Otherwise, they were in for a lifetime of nightmares and therapy sessions.
“Umm, it’s nice to meet you… gentlemen,” Reid said, slowly extending his hand toward the leader. “Please don’t kill me.”
Niko took a step toward Reid, as if ready to pounce on the weird-ass clown if he tried anything funny.
The clown stood there motionless, staring at Reid. His silence was bone-chilling as he made no attempt to reach for his hand.
Was the man planning his murder?
Reid stood there awkwardly before deciding that he really didn’t feel like dying today.
Reid took a cautious step back, swallowing hard before allowing his eyes to graze the room.
“Where’s Lucas?” he asked.
“Hiding under the bed in his room. Smart man, if you ask me,” Caden answered from his spot in the corner.
Ace chuckled. “These guys will work perfectly.”
“What do you mean?” Reid asked, slipping his hand into Niko’s back pocket. His firm ass provided some comfort against the nightmarish room he had just entered.
“We’re going to use Melvin and his clowns to… distract the bad guys,” Ace explained, giving Reid an evil smirk.
They spent the next two hours chatting, meeting the crews, and discussing their plan of attack. Lucas had even decided to emerge from the safety of his room, most likely seeking out his missing half.
It was just after midnight when they all decided to head back to their rooms.
As Niko and Reid approached their room, they noticed that Blade and Ace were standing by their door, not moving.
“Umm, is everything okay?” Niko asked as they stopped behind him.
“You’re really scary, you know that?” Blade said to the little girl standing in front of him, wearing a blood-soaked dress and pigtails. A Raggedy Ann doll dangled from her hand as she stood next to her father, who was also wearing a “murder daddy” clown suit.
The little girl shrugged.
“Yes, I know. But I’m also really fun to play hide-and-seek with.”
Blade and Ace exchanged looks. Slowly, Ace slid his arm through his fiancé’s and wrapped himself around him.
“Honey, I think it’s time for you to go to bed,” the creepy father said, looking down at his daughter.
“Oh? Please? Just one game, Daddy?” the little girl asked. Her pleading eyes and murderous smile would be the thing of Reid’s nightmares for years to come.
“Ummm, we’re actually kind of tired ourselves, sweet pea,” Ace began, appearing to use his sweetest, calmest voice so as not to enrage the creepy little murder child. “I think we’re going to go to bed ourselves.”
“And lock the fucking doors behind us,” Blade said under his breath as they turned and hurried back to their room.
Reid swallowed hard when the little girl turned her attention to him.
“Umm, I’m tired too,” he rushed, grabbing the room key from Niko and pushing open the door quickly. He reached out and grabbed Niko’s arm, yanking him into the room before slamming the door closed behind them.
Could this night get any creepier?
Reid pitied all those currently staying at the farm. Tomorrow night was going to be a… nightmare for them all.