Monsters Within Read Online Free
Author: Victoria Knight
that story, she managed to come out as the good guy. If the people of this stupid town loathed anyone more than her, it was probably her father.
He had been the lucky one, though. The bastard had gotten his ticket out of Red Creek - albeit in the back of a state vehicle that, from what Nikki understood, had taken him to a mental hospital in Richmond.
Nikki hated thinking about her father. She tended to drink more when he was on her mind. It was an ironic thought to have as she paid for her beer. An old woman in line behind her gave her an accusatory look. Nikki returned it, slightly pouting to highlight the piercing in her lip. It seemed to make old women die a little inside - another reason she had decided to leave it in.
After successfully cowing the old woman, Nikki took her beer, now in a plastic bag, and headed back outside. She walked down the sidewalk to her car and set the bag inside. She got behind the wheel but before she could start the engine, she caught sight of what appeared to be a fight-in-the-making on the other side of the street.
Nikki recognized one of the men as Lester Dobbs. The other man—who looked too large on the streets of Red Creek to be real--was not familiar. She thought that it might be Saul Benton, the town recluse and perhaps the one resident with more rumors circulating than her, but tha t couldn’ t be right.
As Nikki watched the situation unfold, she became more certain that it was indeed Saul Benton. Nikki had only seen him once before; she had passed by him in J-Mart a year or so ago and had not even realized who he was until she was well out of the store. Still, Saul was not a man easily forgotten.
This should be interesting , she thought . He never comes out. He never—
At that moment, Saul dropped the bag of groceries he had been carrying. He gave Lester a hard shove that Nikki barely saw. She was too stupefied by the speed at which Saul had moved to pay attention to anything else. By the time she had recovered and realized what was happening, Lester had broken through the window of Randy’s Roost, hanging half in and half out of the now-empty pane.
Nikki chuckled nervously. It was great to see Lester get his ass handed to him; the pervert had hit on her more than a few times despite being thirty years her senior. But what grabbed Nikki's attention was the power behind Saul’s shove. The effect it had on Lester was almost like the over-acted deaths in bad action movies. He’d come at least two feet off the ground before hitting the window. Sure, Saul was huge and looked like he was made of solid muscle, but still…that was ridiculous.
By the time Nikki was able to focus on the scene before her again, Saul had already collected his bag of groceries and was running for his car. He sped out quickly while a few patrons of the bar looked on from the door and through the shattered window. Nikki kept her eyes on Saul's car, however - and then almost hyperventilated when the man caught her eyes with his. It was a fleeting glance at best, the anger Nikki saw in the man's face was more terrible than anything she had ever seen. Was it messed up that she found it hot, in a savage sort of way? If he hadn’t have been speeding away, Nikki thought she might have stared as long as she could.
Nikki blinked the thought away and looked back to the broken window of Randy’s Roost. A few men were helping Lester out. One man was talking loudly and pointing down the street in the direction Saul had driven away.
With a smile, Nikki headed down the street, in the opposite direction. She looked back in her rearview mirror one more time and let out a chuckle as she watched Lester Dobbs get shakily to his feet on the sidewalk.
5
Prompt as always, Nikki arrived at Jason’s house at eight o’clock on the dot. She had her three remaining beers with her when she knocked on his front door. Jason answered like he always did, eager but trying to hide it.
“Come on in,” he said,
He had been the lucky one, though. The bastard had gotten his ticket out of Red Creek - albeit in the back of a state vehicle that, from what Nikki understood, had taken him to a mental hospital in Richmond.
Nikki hated thinking about her father. She tended to drink more when he was on her mind. It was an ironic thought to have as she paid for her beer. An old woman in line behind her gave her an accusatory look. Nikki returned it, slightly pouting to highlight the piercing in her lip. It seemed to make old women die a little inside - another reason she had decided to leave it in.
After successfully cowing the old woman, Nikki took her beer, now in a plastic bag, and headed back outside. She walked down the sidewalk to her car and set the bag inside. She got behind the wheel but before she could start the engine, she caught sight of what appeared to be a fight-in-the-making on the other side of the street.
Nikki recognized one of the men as Lester Dobbs. The other man—who looked too large on the streets of Red Creek to be real--was not familiar. She thought that it might be Saul Benton, the town recluse and perhaps the one resident with more rumors circulating than her, but tha t couldn’ t be right.
As Nikki watched the situation unfold, she became more certain that it was indeed Saul Benton. Nikki had only seen him once before; she had passed by him in J-Mart a year or so ago and had not even realized who he was until she was well out of the store. Still, Saul was not a man easily forgotten.
This should be interesting , she thought . He never comes out. He never—
At that moment, Saul dropped the bag of groceries he had been carrying. He gave Lester a hard shove that Nikki barely saw. She was too stupefied by the speed at which Saul had moved to pay attention to anything else. By the time she had recovered and realized what was happening, Lester had broken through the window of Randy’s Roost, hanging half in and half out of the now-empty pane.
Nikki chuckled nervously. It was great to see Lester get his ass handed to him; the pervert had hit on her more than a few times despite being thirty years her senior. But what grabbed Nikki's attention was the power behind Saul’s shove. The effect it had on Lester was almost like the over-acted deaths in bad action movies. He’d come at least two feet off the ground before hitting the window. Sure, Saul was huge and looked like he was made of solid muscle, but still…that was ridiculous.
By the time Nikki was able to focus on the scene before her again, Saul had already collected his bag of groceries and was running for his car. He sped out quickly while a few patrons of the bar looked on from the door and through the shattered window. Nikki kept her eyes on Saul's car, however - and then almost hyperventilated when the man caught her eyes with his. It was a fleeting glance at best, the anger Nikki saw in the man's face was more terrible than anything she had ever seen. Was it messed up that she found it hot, in a savage sort of way? If he hadn’t have been speeding away, Nikki thought she might have stared as long as she could.
Nikki blinked the thought away and looked back to the broken window of Randy’s Roost. A few men were helping Lester out. One man was talking loudly and pointing down the street in the direction Saul had driven away.
With a smile, Nikki headed down the street, in the opposite direction. She looked back in her rearview mirror one more time and let out a chuckle as she watched Lester Dobbs get shakily to his feet on the sidewalk.
5
Prompt as always, Nikki arrived at Jason’s house at eight o’clock on the dot. She had her three remaining beers with her when she knocked on his front door. Jason answered like he always did, eager but trying to hide it.
“Come on in,” he said,
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