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Creed’s eyes snapped open, and he jolted upright, his heart racing. A cold sweat coated his skin, his breath coming in ragged gasps. It had been years since he last experienced such a vivid nightmare. Since the loss of Wren, but this wasn’t about her.
The memory played out in his mind like a movie as he frantically scanned the darkness around him. He could feel the weight of his weapon in his hand, its metal cool against his palm. The dense forest enveloped him, making it difficult to see more than a few feet ahead. Every step he took was deliberate, cautious, as if any wrong move would alert his pursuer.
And then it happened, a rustling to his left. Without pausing to think, Creed raised his gun and aimed it at the source of the noise. But before he could see anyone, he woke up with a start. His heart pounded in his chest and he struggled to calm his breathing, trying to shake off the lingering fear from the nightmare.
He threw off the blankets and got out of bed, making his way to the kitchen. He flipped on the overhead light, squinting at the sudden brightness as he walked over to the fridge. He pulled open the door, grabbed a bottle of water, twisted off the cap, and gulped down half of it. Ranger sat in front of him, gazing up with concern.
“I’m fine, buddy. Just a bad dream,” Creed reassured the dog as he scratched him behind the ears.
Taking a deep breath, he finished off the rest of the water, tossed the bottle into the recycling bin, and headed back to bed. Glancing at the clock, he saw it was three in the morning. Might as well stay up since he got up at four anyway.
“Looks like it’s going to be a long day,” he muttered as he returned to the bedroom before heading to the bathroom to shave.
Later, he arrived at the office, made his way to his desk, and dove into work. There were several cases that needed attention and he was especially interested in finding more information on the Fields case.
That reminded him of Abbie. He wanted to see her but decided to wait until the weekend. It would make their time together even sweeter.
“Hey, Creed.”
He glanced up to see Eli walking toward him.
“Good morning, Eli.”
“You’re here early.” Eli took a seat in front of Creed’s desk.
“I woke up around three and couldn’t get back to sleep.”
“Hell, I’ve been there. Hey, did Abbie mention anything about getting dinner with me and Lorna one night?”
“Nope, but that sounds good to me. We already have plans for Saturday evening but Friday works for me. I’ll have to check with Abbie though.”
“Okay, I’ll talk to Lorna. Abbie’s pretty great.”
Creed looked at him and Eli shrugged.
“Yeah, she is, but let’s not start planning our wedding yet. We just started going out,” Creed joked.
“Yet? That sounds promising.” Eli laughed.
“You know what I meant. Damn Hawkins, don’t you have work to do instead of pestering me?”
Eli chuckled as he got up and walked back to his own desk.
“I can take a hint. Talk to you later.”
Creed nodded, smiling as he watched Eli sit down at his desk.
On his lunch break, Creed decided to visit his parents. He hadn’t seen them in a couple of weeks.
Creed’s footsteps crunched on the fresh snow as he approached his parents’ home. The cold air nipped at his cheeks and nose, and he was grateful when his mother opened the door for him.
“Hi, Mom,” he greeted her with a smile.
“Hi, honey. Come inside, get out of the cold.” Muriel McBride opened the door wider and enveloped her son in a warm hug. “Would you like some coffee?”
“Yes, ma’am, please.” He wiped his feet on the mat, removed his hat, brushed off the snow before entering, and hanging it up alongside his coat.
“How’s work going?”
