Page 2 of Nightmare

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TWENTY YEARS EARLIER – NIGHTMARE

Trudging through themud, my boots tighten around my feet as moisture creeps in, the distinct smell of mud and water invading my nostrils as I put one foot in front of the other, cursing with every step. I use a long stick to push trees out of the way.Fucking club. The things my father is making me do to prove myself are beyond a joke. If it wasn’t the only family I had, I wouldn’t be doing this shit, that much is certain, but, one day, that club will be mine, and when it is, things will change.I will change it. Make it something. Make it into the kind of club nobody messes with.

My father is a great President, but I will befucking incredible.

Shoving an overhanging branch out of the way, I let my eyes scan the swamp land. It’s nearly dark out, and here I am doing the dirty business because someone fucked up. There is always an error, and I’m always the one fixing it.You got to be the one to fix shit, Western, it’s the only way I’ll ever trust you with my club. Everything is your mess, you have to remember that.Yeah, thanks, old man. I love nothing more than fixing other peoples’ fuck ups.

Wiping my wet, muddy hair from my face, I let my eyes scan over the large mass of mud and trees. There is a body in here, at least, that’s what my father told me. He said one of the members dumped it, but this area is frequently searched, and, therefore, it cannot be left here. It’s up to me, of course, to get the fucking thing out and relocate it. Problem is, there has been a whole lot of rain since it was dumped, which means it could be anywhere.

Like looking for a needle in a fucking haystack.

Voices have me whipping my head to the left. Echoing through the trees, I can hear two men arguing. Nobody is supposed to be out here, my father assured me it was safe. He promised that I would be in and out with no problems. Gritting my teeth, I move closer to the sound, trying not to bring any attention to myself as I carefully wade through the filth surrounding me. I reach the bank and shove my body up and out, crinkling my nose at the foul smell. It’s fucking disgusting in here. I don’t even want to know what is mixed in this mud.

The first thing I’m going to do when I get home is shower.

“Please, just give me my son. I’m begging you.”

The voice comes from a man, and he’s frantic.

“I warned you what would happen if you tried to fuck with me. I don’t take kindly to people who are trying to take me down behind my back.”

“I didn’t, I swear it. You heard wrong. You can hurt me, just don’t hurt my boy.”

Sneaking up, I peer through some thick trees to see two men and a boy, who is maybe fifteen or sixteen, standing in a clearing. I recognize one of the men right away, hell, it’s only the fucking mayor of the city, the one and only filthy scumbag, Bill Whart. The other man, the one with the boy, I haven’t seen before. What is the mayor doing out here, threatening some man and his family?

I shouldn’t be surprised, actually, he’s known to be in some shady business that goes far higher than his role in this city.

Business my father has been trying to get on top of for quite some time. The two of them have a tumultuous relationship, and I know my father has made it his mission to stop whatever shit Bill has going on behind closed doors. I don’t know a great deal about it, but I do know it has to do with children and the foster system. Something fucking ugly, that’s all I know.

“You see,” Bill goes on, as I try to edge closer, “I’m not willing to take the risk that you won’t walk out of here and chirp about what you know. You’re a flight risk, and you’re dangerous to my project. I can’t have you around any longer.”

“Bill, please, you’ve got it all wrong...”

Bill then steps forward, gun in his hand, and raises it. He shoots the man without so much as a flinch, he doesn’t even give him the chance to run. I watch in utter horror as he falls to the ground. Roaring in anger and shock, the boy goes to lunge toward Bill, and, as if in slow motion, I watch Bill lift his gun and aim it at the boy. Lurching forward, I rush out of my hiding spot and rush at Bill, who seems shocked for a minute, only a minute, before pulling the trigger just as I collide with his body.

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