Nocks stirred as a pleasurable suckling brought him back to the waking world. Rays of light shone through the slightly closed blinds, casting lines across the naked body of the woman who’d shared his bed for the night. The shadows accentuated her curves as the rays highlighted her beautiful black skin, glowing under the morning sun's wandering eye.

Her long braided hair fell around her back and face as her head bobbed up and down, experienced lips working their magic.

With a groan and a shift of his hips, Nocks reached down and cupped her bare buttocks. His fingers sensed the familiar, welcoming warmth that beckoned. With a quick upward jab, he inserted his fingers before languidly pulling them out. The woman moaned as she continued her work, barely slowing down as she straddled his face.

Nocks hugged her waist and pulled her hips down onto his face, parting her lips with his tongue as he closed his eyes once more.

In a shadowy corner of the room, an unnoticed shadow shifted as a pair of dull blue-tinged eyes opened. Five pairs of irises and cornea filled the dull white sclera, all staring listlessly. They blinked, slowly taking in the sight of the two lovers entwined in their impassioned embrace. The sleepy, half-lidded eyes stood vigil, absorbing the sights and sounds.

---

“Bruh,” Shine threw the raggedy door of the stolo Moan had acquired open and squeezed his large body into the front passenger seat. “You and yo bitch was loud as fuck!”

Known chuckled as he slid into the back seat behind the driver’s side. “That shit had us goin’.”

Nocks slid behind the wheel, reaching under the steering column and touching the two exposed wires. The raggedy little four-door rumbled to life, engine clattering noisily. Without delay, all three men slammed their doors shut and took off. The car would be reported soon enough, they needed to get the job done.

“Ei,” Known leaned forward between the two front seats, gray long-sleeve billowing as the hot desert air flew through the small car. “Yaw have any weird-ass dreams after? You know, after your first one?”

Nocks glanced at Shine and smiled, nodding as he answered his cousin. “It’s natural, lil cuh. If you didn’t then you ain’t normal.”

“What kinda dreams yaw had?”

Shine turned and looked at the newest member of the crew. “Shit, I replayed that shit for a couple of nights in a row, keepin’ it hunnid. My girl couldn’t even get my shit up that first night.”

“Aight,” Known nodded, stroking his short chin stubbled. “But what about the actual dreams? Any weird-ass shit?”

“Nah,” Shine shook his head as he turned his large body back towards the front of the car, expression unreadable. “I did see dude a couple times. Why? You had some weird shit?”

“Yeah cuh. It was weird as fuck.” Known sat back and began telling the other two what he could remember of the dream. It was a muddled, odd retelling that came across as incoherent.

Nocks shuddered as he listened. Something about the story felt familiar. An old memory that he had buried started clawing its way back to the forefront. Screams rushed at him as sweat lined his brow. His eyes glazed over as his hearing grew distant.

A slap stung his cheek.

“Bruh, the fuck you doin’!?” Shine grabbed the wheel and turned it to the right, sending the vehicle careening towards the shoulder of the highway. “Slow it down, you lucky it ain’t rush hour.”

The car came to an abrupt, jerky stop as the brakes squealed. Nocks stumbled out of the driver’s seat, having just enough wherewithal to put the car in park before pushing his way out. Shine jumped out as soon as the car stopped and was able to catch his compatriot before he fell over.

“Damn bruh,” the taller man slid an arm under Nock's limp shoulder, pulling him towards the back seat. “Switch out, you drivin’.”

Known scrambled out and held the door open as Shine slid Nocks into the backseat before rushing back around to the passenger side.

Nocks shivered as he lay in the backseat, vision pulsating as his consciousness threatened to retreat into the blissful darkness of sleep. The urge to vomit tickled the back of his throat as the odd smells of the stained seat wafted up into his nostrils. Nausea ebbed and flowed as he fought the rising bile, drooling as sweat streamed down his pallid face. Time passed in a haze of hot, suffocating desert air and clammy sweat. Before he was fully aware, he’d drifted off to short, dreamless sleep. The darkness overtook him, wrapping him in a state of unknowing.

“--cks!” A large hand clasped his shoulder, shaking him as he returned. “Nocks! Get yo ass up bruh. We here.”

Nocks groaned as he sat up too fast, head swimming and eyes dotting with black spots as the blood rushed about. He leaned his head against the headrest of the driver’s seat as his mouth watered.

“You good? We gotta call it off?” Shine peered through the rolled-down window.

“Am good cuh. Gimme a minute,” Nocks croaked, voice husky and weak. “Pass me the overalls.”

A pair of blue-gray overalls flopped down beside him as Known passed him a hot bottle of water. “I don’t know how long it’s been sitting in there, but that’s all we got for now.”

Nocks tore the cap off and took long, greedy gulps of the hot water. He had not realized how parched he was, his throat welcoming the hot water as it slid down his gullet. Crushing the plastic bottle, he let out a belch as he felt energy return, his cheeks flushing a bit. Arms still lacking much strength, he pushed the door open and stepped out, pushing his hip against the car for support. Head still swimming he set to pulling on the overalls with difficulty, his vision taking its sweet time correcting itself.

The other two men set about pulling on their overalls in silence. Nocks’ heavy breaths slowed as he regained some color in his face.

“Aight,” his voice was still husky but had its usual edge. “Yaw know what the plan is. Grab anything and everything and fuck shit up. I’ll find the shit we need. Thangs good?”

Known and Shine opened their overalls, each revealing a Glock 19 holstered by their ribs. Nocks slipped a pair of Bluetooth headphones into his ears, syncing them to his burner as they all jumped into a group call with the other two muting themselves.

Quietly, all three men approached the large house. Located in the Summerlin area of Las Vegas, it sat in a fairly affluent neighborhood. No cars sat in the driveways of any of the houses and none of the men noticed any motion from within.

Nocks pulled his simple black ski-mask down over the gaiter mask he covered his mouth with. The other two followed suit as they all walked up and around the side of the large house. The garage was fairly large, it seemed to be able to accommodate at least four full-sized cars. Overhead, security cameras blinked.

“10 minutes, in, out.” The mask muffled his voice, but the other two were able to hear him through the wireless headphones. Using his weight and momentum, Nocks leaned all of his considerable mass into the weakest point of the door. He rocked back and forth as the hinge creaked under him. Then, with a sudden motion, he leaned before exploding forward with his foot. The doorknob bent inward then slid out of place as the door shook open.

Shine took the lead, snickering and mumbling about how he could have done it so much quieter. Pulling a thin metallic card out of his pocket, the large man shimmied the lock out of the housing and pushed the door open gingerly. Stepping in, the three men split up, duffel bags slung over their shoulders.

Nocks beelined towards the staircase located at the front of the house as he pulled his phone out and opened the picture album. He didn’t need to look at the pictures he’d taken but it was more out of habit, always wanting to be doubly sure.

As he reached the top of the staircase movement caught his eye, a shadow moved beneath the large double doors that should lead to an office, his target location. He fought the annoyance that jolted through his body as he unholstered his weapon.

He crept up to the door as he slid his left headphone out, pressing his ear against the door. Muffled voices carried through the thick wooden doors. They didn’t sound alarmed so he assumed they weren’t aware of their presence.

Taking a step back, he whispered to the other two. “I got some marks up here. Ima do ‘em. Work fast.”

The other two grunted in response as the sounds of breaking glass and crashing furniture floated up the empty foyer.

Nocks stepped to the right of the double doors, assuming that whoever was in the office would open the door on their right, his left, first. Crouching a bit, he waited.

The doorknob turned as the left door creaked open. The balding head of an older white man popped out. The man turned to his left and came face to face with the barrel of Nocks’ gun.

“Don’t scream. Don’t say a word. Take two large steps back when I tell you to. Nod if you understand.”

The man’s face blanched as a voice from behind him spoke up.

“What is it ho--”

Nocks rushed the man, pushing him back into the office, gun aimed over the man’s shoulder. As he turned the corner the other occupant, a woman opened her mouth and tried to scream.

Before she could get much out Nocks punched her in the throat. She sank to her knees, gasping for air as the man scrambled to steady her before she fell.

“Knees. Now,” Nocks commanded, his voice dropping an octave as he stood to his full height. “Lay her down on her side. It’ll help her catch her breath.”

He waved his gun in the man’s stunned face, motioning for him to do as he was commanded. As the man laid the woman on her side Nocks pulled a roll of fishing line out of his duffel bag.

“Lay on your stomach. Hands behind your back. Forehead and nose touching the ground.”

Jerkily, the man moved to obey the commands. As he strained his arms as far behind himself as he could, Nocks stepped on his shoulder.

“Don’t. I’d rather not shoot you right now.”

The man exhaled, still holding his tongue as he relaxed his feet, toes having dug into the soft carpet. Nocks quickly cut two lengths of fishing wire and used it to secure both hostages. The woman continued to catch her breath, whimpering from the pain and fear. Once secured, he set to rummaging through the man’s desk. Double-checking his phone, he deposited folders and random valuables into the duffel bag.

“M-m-money,” the man wheezed, finally able to speak as the terror slowly subsided. “I have m-money. I’ll g-give it to you. Just ple--”

“Shut. Up.” Nocks answered coldly as he continued to throw targeted items into the duffel.

The man bit his tongue with a whimper as the woman began to openly sob.

“Bitch, if you don’t shut up, I’ll make sure you die last.”

A second, cursory check of his photo albums compared against the items in the duffel bag confirmed that he had what he needed. He holstered his gun under his overalls as he stood over the prone, quivering couple.

A long, evil-looking blade slid out of the duffel bag as a smile creased Nocks’ lips. His eyes glinted in the sun-lit room as he stared down at his helpless hostages.

---

Diving into the freshly made bed of his suite, Nocks sighed as he stretched and yawned.

Steam leaked out of the bathroom as his woman’s voice called out to him. “Come here, babe.”

Sitting up, he pulled his shirt off, revealing the various tattoos and scars that dotted his torso. His broad shoulders sagged as he exhaled, dropping his jeans as he stood. He was ready for another night of raucous, rough sex.

In the corner of the room, three pairs of dull blue-tinged eyes followed his movements. Half-lidded and sleepy, they watched the man’s celebration.