Page 7 of The Night Vision
“I haven’t had a dream like that since I was a teenager. Not that I’m a monk,” he added quickly. “Dating and…getting laid have never been a priority, is all.”
Silas had no idea why he was rambling about his sad sexual history. He enjoyed having sex—lovedhaving sex—but Silas was old-fashioned. Fast sex with strangers never appealed to him so he didn’t go crazy in college and had only dated a handful of men before he fell head over heels for Niall. And while Silas had made the most of the time he had spent with that handful of men, none of those encounters resembled the carnal rush and overwhelming lust he’d encountered in that dream.
“You’re sure it was him?” Nox asked carefully and Silas nodded.
“There wasn’t much to the dream, but I know it was him.”
It didn’t begin the way the vision had and there was no sequence of events, just two bodies in a stream. Hands, lips, legs, fingers, cocks… They were naked and overjoyed as they explored each other freely, giving and taking pleasure with wild, loud abandon.
“I know it was him,” Silas said weakly, need and fear swirling in his gut and creating an itch of panic. “I have to find him.”
“We will!” Nox said with a confident pump of his fist. “After breakfast. I came up to let you know it was ready and to see how you slept.”
“I’m fine. This is way more than I need, actually,” he said, looking around. “This is nicer than any of the hotels I’ve slept in.” There was even a set of crystal decanters and tumblers onthe dresser and a cozy-looking robe was hanging over the back of the armchair by the bathroom.
“Let us know if there’s anything else we can do to make your stay a pleasant one,” Nox said with a cheeky, sweeping bow. “But beware of Merlin and his wandering hands. Give him a swat or a flick if he gets grabby,” he warned and started to back out of the room but Silas stopped him.
“Wait. I want to go back and see the vision again,” he said, making Nox’s brow hitch.
“Wouldn’t you rather have breakfast first?”
“No, I’ve done my best on my own but I want to go back with you and see what I missed the first time. I have a list.” Silas took out his phone and pulled it up. He’d worked on it until he was drowsy. Then, Silas tossed and turned, unable to get the skull out of his head. It glowed and stared back at him every time he closed his eyes.
“Awesome. Remember: you can’t use your phone while we’re in the vision,” Nox warned. “We have all the clues that are there,and there aremany, because the vision is a real moment from the future. That’s also why you can’t phone a friend or ask Google. You don’t exist there, in that moment. And we get crappy reception in our psyches.”
“I know. I’ve got it in here now and I have a better idea of what to look for,” Silas said as he tapped his temple. “I keep everything on my phone so it’ll be a challenge working a crime scene without it, but I’m going to take as many notes as I can when we get back.”
Nox nodded, looking impressed. “Great thinking: treat it like a crime scene and take copious notes afterwards. I’ll do the same. Let’s go, if you’re sure you’re ready.”
They sat on the rug by the window, cross-legged. Nox told Silas to relax and close his eyes. They settled into the same steady breathing pattern and all was silent until Nox touchedSilas’s forehead, dissolving the room around them. A breeze ruffled Silas’s hair and they were in the woods, standing on the sandy shore of the stream when he opened his eyes.
“Whoa!” Silas was expecting to find himself in a moonlit forest but it was still a shock. He shook it off, immediately focusing and recalling his list. “I remembered the types of trees but I want to get a better look at the stream. There has to be something notable around it or a landmark that can help us find it on a map,” he began but paused, suddenly anxious and reeling as he heard his name called and remembered the feel of cold, wet socks and sneakers.
Silas’s heart was pounding and he was freezing, shaking and alone as the sun began to sink behind the trees. He’d made his way down to the stream, thirsty and afraid, hoping that Shawn and his dad would find him.
“I have been here!” Silas laughed, shaking off the panic and grinning at Nox. “I was six or seven and got separated from my friend and his dad. We all stepped off the trail to pee and I got turned around. I thought I spotted one of them and ran to catch up, but I was even more lost by the time I realized I was chasing a doe.”
“You’re sure this is the same place?” Nox asked and Silas nodded, pointing at the stream.
“I made my way here and waited until they found me. My best friend’s name was Shawn, his dad was a conservation officer and worked on Mount Rogers. We’d go on rides and hikes with him all the time and one time, I got lost for about half a day.Right here.”
“So this is Mount Rogers! I can’t wait to tell Nelson and Merlin!” Nox held up his hand so Silas could slap it. “This also proves you were meant to help us find our victim. I could feel that the two of you are the same breed or share a feral bond, but this settles it.” He looked satisfied and slightly smug as heregarded the corpse in the stream. “We’re one step ahead of Dùbhghlas, thanks to you, Shelby.”
“Maybe.” Silas wasn’t ready to celebrate. He went to the skeleton in the water and hunkered next to it. “His clothes might tell us more.” Silas eased the flannel’s collar away and rolled it back until he found a label. “Eddie Bauer,” he read and moved to what was left of the undershirt. It was heavily soiled with blood and looked like it had been burned in places. “Patagonia.”
The cargo pants were patched and faded but were from Eddie Bauer as well while the Columbia boots looked newer and like they might have been expensive.
“This is all high-end and what an experienced hiker or camper would wear, not a hunter.”
“Not enough camo or bright colors,” Nox agreed. “And there’s no weapon here,” he added obviously.
“No, but it could have been taken. I don’t see much in the way of camping equipment either,” Silas said as he stood and turned, scanning around them. “Just this backpack.” He jogged to it and was stunned when he was able to unzip it and look inside. There were two extra pairs of socks, numerous types of strings, cords, and lines, reusable cloth and mesh bags—one filled with nuts, a beat up enamel mug, a bar of soap, a toothbrush, a tightly rolled-up tarp, a pair of white briefs…
“Find a wallet or an ID? Nelson and I checked but maybe you’re meant to find it,” Nox said but Silas shook his head, sighing as he zipped the backpack closed and stood.
“Nothing like that. Just the absolute minimum I’d take if I was heading into the woods and had to pack as light as possible,” he observed, returning to the stream and lowering next to him. “Who are you and what the hell were you doing all the way out here?”
Silas recalled how small and lost he felt as a child, alone in this same spot as an endless afternoon dragged on into dusk.The Appalachians was a natural wonderland during the day but he’d been warned to stay away from the woods at night. Ancient cryptids, faeries, witches, and spirits were said to roam the forest and there were numerous stories of people who had wandered off a trail or left their campsite after dark, never to be seen again.
