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  Praise for Niko

  “The world that Raet created is complex and captivating, her monsters are actually really scary, and her characters are a breath of fresh air. I would 100% recommend Niko to anyone, and I can't wait for a sequel.”

  Alyssa C., Goodreads.com

  “Kayti Nika Raet is a talented author. She has deftly created a landscape that is nightmarish and a heroine that is interesting, shocking, and yet likable.”

  Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite

  “Niko has a perfect amount of suspense, drama and action to keep you fully sucked into the story from beginning to end. It's fast-paced with a distinct dystopian tone that really sets off the series perfectly as a whole.”

  L. Collins, Amazon.com

  Niko

  By Kayti Nika Raet

  Copyright 2013 Kayti Nika Raet

  Cover Art

  by The Red Hen

  Copyright April 2013 The Red Hen

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database of retrieval system, without prior written permission of the author.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any names, places, character and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination and purely fictitious. Any resemblances to any persons, living or dead, are completely coincidental.

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be sold or given away to others. If you would like to share this eBook, please purchase another copy for each person. If you are reading this eBook and did not purchase it, please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this and other indie authors.

  If you’re reading this book it’s probably because you were ensnared by the awesome cover drawn by The Red Hen. If you would like to see more amazing art or make a commission visit Hana Kura here or email her at TheRedHen23(at)gmail(dot)com

  NIKO

  Book One of The Outsider Chronicles

  Kayti Nika Raet

  Chapter 1

  She had a baseball bat but wasn't sure if that would work on the Slither.

  It followed her from a distance. She couldn't see it whenever she glanced over her shoulder. It clung to the shadows, its claws scraping against the concrete. She could hear its heavy, wet breathing, the sound seemed to caress the back of her neck, slipping under the collar of her jacket like an invasive hand. She shivered.

  Niko hunched deeper into her jacket, the zipper grazing her earlobe with hungry teeth. She resisted the urge to run, only prey ran; and no one could outrun a Slither. The remnant of that failure was a common sight Outside: twisted bodies with their chests cracked open and their hearts missing. Niko had no intention of becoming prey.

  She walked down the center of the street skirting potholes filled with water from a recent rain. The acid had slowly bored its way through the concrete leaving craters that reflected the moonlight in oily smears. Niko adjusted her grip on the bat; she could feel her heartbeat in the press of palm against wood. She shouldn't be out so late. She should have done like every other sensible person and stayed locked inside. But her brothers were hungry and she had promised them that this time, her third day of scavenging through corroded and abandoned buildings, she'd find them something to eat. It meant she had to go out further than usual and now shadow had fallen.

  She quickened her pace, not quite a run but there was no need to make it too easy for the thing. It was still following her, she didn't need to glance over her shoulder to confirm it. The Slither's persistent panting was confirmation enough. A sigh puffed past her lips. She had been hoping for an uneventful night.

  She turned around and faced the monster.

  What was most disturbing about the Slithers was not their glowing, multicolored eyes, or the razor-sharp claws that extended from the tips of their fingers, or even the way they stalked their prey. The most disturbing thing about Slithers was how human they looked; there were even some people who thought that they had been human once. Niko didn't bother theorizing about monsters, it made them easier to kill.

  The one she faced was a study of contrasts with pale skin and black hair. It pulled up short; its head tilted quizzically as it regarded her. She was not following the script long established between Slithers and humans. She was suppose to be running, perhaps while screaming ineffectively, and it was supposed to pursue her in a glorious chase.

  She grinned at it, lifting her hand in a wave. She let the bat slide free from her sleeve; a week ago she'd driven a large nail through the wood, giving it an extra kick.

  The further she diverged from the script the more puzzled the Slither looked, its mismatched eyes sliding between her and the weapon in her hand. Then it offered up a jerky shrug, food was food even if it was acting strange.

  It attacked.

  Detaching itself from the shadows, it ran toward her on all fours. Its claws tore up chunks of the sidewalk. An inhuman shriek blasted out of a mouth full of long, narrow teeth. It leapt over rain filled holes, its eyes only on her and the place where her ribs tried to shield her rapidly pounding heart.

  Niko stood her ground, eyes narrowed, bat raised. The thing came closer, its excited pants the only sound filling her ears.

  It rapidly closed the distance between them, getting nearer... and nearer... then just close enough. She swung, a scream of her own filling the night.

  Niko missed.

  She stumbled, thrown off balance, and narrowly avoided falling into an acid puddle. She looked about her, frantically searching for the Slither.

  A hoarse giggle told her to look up. The Slither had climbed up a broken street lamp and it hung above her, its teeth bared in a rictus grin. It giggled again as it watched her, licking lips pulled taunt by grotesque teeth.

  Niko carefully moved from beneath the thing. She needed to kill it before she got home; she couldn’t risk bringing a Slither to Jared and Shawn. She met its uneven gaze, silently daring it to come get her.

  It let go of the lamp and fell toward her, a lesson in gravity. She managed to bring the bat between them as its weight drove her to the ground and the sharp end punched into its chest.

  Hot black blood spilled all over her and she gagged under the sulfuric scent. The Slither wasn't dead yet, its teeth snapped inches from her face and its claws tore at her thick jacket. Somehow she was able to worm a knee between them. She yelled as she shoved the beast off of her.

  With a wet pop her bat came free, its grip was slippery and hot in her hands but the Slither was no match for her now.

  She lifted the bat high above her head then brought it down again and again on the Slither.

  Once it was dead she stood over its mutilated body, panting heavily. She checked her backpack; luckily the fabric was resistant to acid. The bag was barely filled with food but to lose what little she had gathered would have been devastating. A few cans were dented and the crackers were crushed beyond repair but they’d live.

  She hefted the bat onto her shoulder; such a lovely, dutiful weapon needed a name. Something cute and innocuous.

  She continued on home.

  The Slither’s blood dried quickly on her skin leaving her itchy and more irritable than usual. Flakes of dried blood fell to the ground as she walked leaving a trail of dirty snow behind her.

  Fortunately, no more Slithers picked up her trail; she must have smelled too much like one of their own to be considered tasty.

  She walked down the middle of the road out of reach of the shadows and building fronts that leaned forward crazily, a tremor away from collapsing on some unlucky rube. Somewhere off in the distance wild dogs barked excitedly. Her grip on Toothy tightened. Covered in blood, the Slithers wouldn�
�t bother her, but the wild dogs might.

  Niko picked up the pace. While out scavenging she had found a treat for her brothers, a pack of gum. She couldn’t wait to see their faces when they tried the sweet red tape and discovered they could chew it for hours and it wouldn’t go away. She wished all food was like that.

  As she neared their house the flickers of orange light and smell of burning wood told her that someone’s place was on fire. It was probably the Richardson’s, they didn’t have a solar lamp and were forced to use kerosene.

  She ran toward the fire. She hoped that they were okay and that they were putting it out before it could spread further in their firetrap of a neighborhood.

  As she rounded the corner she saw that all four Richardsons were safely out of their house but they just stood there not doing anything to stop the place from burning – her place was burning.

  An icy chill ran through her body as she saw her house going up in flames. Her brothers were in there.

  With a wordless cry she shoved her way through the stupefied family only to be grabbed by Sam Richardson, a burly young man who’s sleepy eyes tracked her everywhere and usually rose no higher than her chest.

  “We had to do it.” Sam yelled as she struggled in his grip. “There are Slithers in there.”

  Niko never liked the Richardsons. Her dislike for them was cemented when, in the past three days of trying to find food for her brothers, they never offered to help. It didn't matter how thin and hungry Shawn and Jared looked.

  And she was sure that if a group of Slithers had invaded their house she wouldn’t torch the whole mess while the family was still inside.

  She went limp in Sam's arms and he grunted suddenly forced to carry all her weight. Niko’s mind emptied as the flames burned bright, licking the side of her small house and leaping for the sky. She drove her head backward and his nose crunched satisfactorily under the blow. She dashed toward the house slipping her arms through the straps when someone tried to grab her backpack. She hated to lose the food but she hated to lose her brothers more.

  “Shawn! Jared!” She choked over the smoke and heat that enveloped her as she stumbled into the house.

  The house was small, basically one large room divided in two by a curtain. The dividing curtain was in flames now, scraps of burning fabric dropped to the floor. The Slithers ignored her, fighting among themselves or giggling in corners as if the world around them wasn’t in flames. They all wore bloody grins dripping with gore and Niko’s stomach roiled.

  There was a Slither in the bedroom; she could only see its back, ragged jeans and long white torso, as it crouched behind the bed. It looked up, multicolored eyes darting around the room. Blood had turned its blond curls orange, and with a loud slurp it shoved something dark and slippery into its mouth.

  Niko jumped on the bed. She smashed her booted foot into the thing’s face and it backed away with a hiss, clutching the prized organ in its claws.

  Shawn’s six-year-old body laid eviscerated, brown skin peeled back to reveal white bone and red blood.

  The Slither's keening wail filled the burning house. She realized it was coming from her. She scrambled off the bed; she needed to find Jared. Maybe they hadn’t gotten him yet. Maybe he was still alive. Maybe...

  “Jared!” She ignored the Slithers who had descended on the blond one, fighting for her brother’s heart.

  She looked beneath the bed, in the closet, under the table. It became difficult to breathe and any tears that slipped from her eyes were burned away instantly by the intense heat. He had to be alive. The house began to break apart, flaming chunks of wood falling from the ceiling in a shower of sparks. One of the Slithers, not the blond, broke away from the group giddily holding the prize between its claws. It was promptly shot through with an arrow. It emitted a surprised squeal as its victory dance was cut short. Her brother's heart plummeted to the floor; it bounced a few times before it was quickly swept up by another Slither.

  Niko sank to the floor as arrows rained into the house.

  Cowards. Of course, when it was futile, when all was lost, they’d try to help. It was useless, her brothers were gone.

  She lay on the ground; the air was cooler though she still had trouble breathing. Oxygen scraped through her raw throat and burning lungs.

  She could die here if she wanted, her brothers were gone and soon her house would be too. Living would leave her with two options, either staying with the cowardly Richardsons and their son’s sleepy eyes, or striking out on her own while avoiding gangs, Slithers, and wild dogs.

  Letting the flames consume her wasn’t so bad, it would be heroic. She hated to leave Toothy behind though; she had been a good weapon.

  There was a crash and Niko’s brother crawled toward her. She lifted her head. “Jared?”

  Her brother looked untouched by the fire though his big brown eyes watched her worriedly. “C’mon Niko, you gotta get up.”

  Niko pulled herself up to her hands and knees. “Where were you?” She asked hoarsely.

  “In the closet.” Jared answered.

  “I looked in there.” She wanted to hug him and throttle him at the same time.

  He shrugged thin brown shoulders. “You didn’t look hard enough.”

  He led the way and she followed him past a dead Slither pinned to the wall with an arrow in its eye, past a blackened lump that she tried not to think too hard about, and past vague shapes still fighting in the flames.

  They stopped at the front door. “You have to open it,” Jared said and showed her the blisters covering his palms.

  She nodded mutely. If she could cry she would have. She shouldered open the door.

  Heat waves blurred her vision as she stepped outside but she swore she saw more people standing with the Richardsons watching her house burn. These people had crossbows, which told her that her neighbors were as useless as ever.

  She turned to collect her brother but saw that Jared was no longer there. Where’d he go? Out of the corner of her eyes she saw something hurtling toward her but it wasn’t her brother either.

  An arrow punched through her chest. She gasped.

  “That wasn’t a Slither, you dumbass!” A female voice shouted as Niko fell to the ground.

  “Well she looked like one!”

  The moon above her was ringed with flames. She couldn’t breathe. Footsteps hurried toward her. Someone kicked her hand. “Do you see any claws, Ben?” An exasperated sigh. “Idiot.”

  Blurry faces blocked out the moon. “You think the Director will be pissed at us?”

  “Pissed at us? Pissed at you! You’re the blind bat that shot her.”

  “It was an accident”

  “Check and see if she’s alive.”

  Niko blinked.

  When she opened her eyes again someone was pressing their mouth against hers.

  Sam. Of all the disgusting, cowardly...

  She banged her fist against his head and someone laughed.

  “Ooo,” said the woman. “I think I like her.”