The Without: Introduction, #1

By Nicole John

A tale of twin brothers whose lives unwillingly each took a different path. Family conflicts, wealth and a muder that was illegally covered up and acts of vengence grips the characters of this story in the most unexpected ways. The various twists and turns are unexpected, which makes this an elaborate and thrilling read. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nicole John
• Release date: Feb 20, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224840786

Nicole John

Nicole John is an up and coming writer based out of Trinidad and Tobago. Her interest in crime, sex and fantasy has encouraged her to put her thoughts and ideas on paper. With a background of psychology and sociology, this plays into the way she writes and views her characters, giving full in depth analysis into each. Always wanting to write, she has now taken the leap of faith in the year 2024.

Book preview

Grave

Her swollen eye stayed shut while the other looked straight at him. He felt nothing, it was like all the blood going to his brain had suddenly stopped. His friends all laughed and drunk their beers while digging the hole, commenting on how the college slut was defeated. She had previously slapped Stefan, one if theirs in the face after he slapped her ass when she walked by. He didn’t appreciate it. He was the leader to an elite, so called generational Secret Society at the college that Brayton once felt fortunate enough to be a part of, and he wanted her to be punished for embarrassing him in front of his friends. Brayton was not as rich as his peers. He was on a football scholarship and was of mixed race while his group members were all white. Although to them it seemed like their race did not matter, it did. It influenced their way of thinking, their behavior to each other and persons outside of their clique. All, but Brayton, came from affluent families with a long linage of wealth. Brayton’s only claim to a bit of affluence was his father being a lawyer while his mother was a school teacher, turned stay at home wife. Now, being in this situation, it was like his brain stopped functioning. Unlike his friends, he was fully aware of what had happened over the past hour. Yet, he stood still, almost frozen in a trance and unable to hear the loudness of drunk rich kids that know they can get away with what was done.

Someone bumped into him and he snapped out of it and took the beer being offered to him. He took a big gulp and suddenly felt sick to his stomach. As the hole got bigger, Stefan came to Brayton and put his arm around his shoulders. Attention all, he slurred his words loudly as his comrades looked at him. He smiled at Brayton and drunkenly started laughing, pulling Brayton closer to him.

I hereby command you, Bray, to do the honors and kick this bitch into the hole where she belongs. Brayton didn’t want to but he knew if he didn’t, they wouldn’t trust him and as far as he was concerned, he needed them to get ahead outside of college. His father pounded that into his head on a regular basis... "having friends in position will get you in position, don’t fuck it up."

Brayton stepped forward, towering over the naked body in the dirt. He looked at her face. He couldn’t get over how swollen her eye looked. It looked as if someone glued a purple ball over her eye; it looked unreal. Her less swollen eye stared at him with no life in it. Her mouth slightly open. There were scars all across her neck and body. Her busted lip stained with dry blood. He looked around at his friends, all cheering at him to kick her in. Kick her in, kick her in... their chants got louder and louder, almost deafening. He looked back at her and without force, kicked her torso. It rolled over, closer to the freshly dug grave. He walked to her and kicked again. She rolled halfway in; her hair caught on a stone. He faintly heard air escape her lips and for a moment, he wondered if she was still alive. He felt sick to his stomach, knowing he had to kick her head. Her hair matted with blood; her hair pulled out in various placed. He nudged his boot against her skull, hoping it would just slide in.

Kick it harder! For fucks sake, he heard someone yell at him. He flung his leg back and violently kicked her as he was ordered to. She fell hard on the wet dirt face down. He was relieved she was no longer looking at him. He could still see her face in the back of his mind.

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Brayton jerked out of sleep covered in sweat. He looked around while he struggled to regulate his breathing. He placed his head in the wet palm of his hands and wiped them through his hair. He had these dreams many nights for many years. He suffered from guilt of what transpired in his college days and from things that happened thereafter. He got up and walked downstairs to the kitchen. He could hear his fiancé in the kitchen talking on the phone. She seemed to be trying to keep the conversation at a whisper. As she noticed him, she abruptly ended the call and put her phone face down. Hi honey, you’re up. She tiptoed to kiss his cheek.

He looked at her phone. Yeah, I’m up. Who were you talking to?

Oh, just work, nothing important. She walked over and put her phone in her bag. She was all dressed and ready for work. He didn’t think of anything suspicious. Danielle worked for her father in his cosmetic company. She was positioned to be CEO in about a year when he would retire and took her job very seriously. She was tasked with handling international clients and always seemed to be extremely busy and sometimes stressed out. Danielle was only 27 but she was well mature and educated for her age. She was slim with a model figure with long blonde hair. Her outfits for the office were always on point and screamed boss lady. She used her high heels to help her gain some height as she was only 5’6. She was a stunner, and everyone knew it. She let out an air of confidence that made everyone in the room feel small.

As she told Brayton she was leaving, he pulled her in closer to properly kiss her goodbye. She looked up at him and told him to not forget tonight. He was puzzled but said ok. As he watched her walk out, he suddenly remembered. Tonight, was going to be their engagement dinner, so the families can finally meet each other. He went upstairs with a plate of eggs and bacon and sat at his home office desk. He called his business partner Paul for updates on how today was supposed to run. Paul was one of Brayton’s college buddies that stayed close to him. They developed a real estate firm that sold the commercial building that now housed the company owned by Danielle’s family, which is how they met. He was immediately taken by her beauty and it didn’t take much of him to get her to fall madly in love. He was very good looking and he knew he had charm. Her wealth didn’t intimate him at all, in fact unbeknownst to her, it was one of the reasons he pursued her.

As Brayton stepped out of his house and walked toward the car, he noticed a dark grey