That Bit Extra - Unit Bravo Campfire Scenario (Patreon)

(That Bit Extra was supposed to be something that we're working on but it's not ready quite yet so hope you enjoy this fluffy family scenario of Unit Bravo).


The night sky is littered with stars. It‘s encrusted so thickly with twinkling-diamond like clusters that it would make any jewellery shop envious.

Nate drops his gaze down from the midnight sky above with its silver glow back down to the richer, warmer flickering of the campfire. Morgan had spent most of the afternoon building it to Farah’s exacting orders, although it soon became very obvious that the young vampire had no clue on how to actually build a fire—so Morgan ended up ignoring most of the commands.

All of Unit Bravo now sit on the ground around the crackling flames which spew a column of smoke into the sparse tree canopy above before billowing out to join the warm breeze. Trees encompass them, acting as a barrier to anyone who might want to stumble on their rare calm moment together.

“You don’t think it’s hot enough? We have to be subjected to a blaze in the middle of summer too?” Morgan huffs, retreating a couple of feet back across the ground away from the radiating heat.

Adam sits as straight-backed and solid as though he were in the middle of an interrogation. “I have to agree.”

Farah purses her lips with a shrug. “This is a tradition, isn’t it? A campfire in summer?”

Nate nods. “Less so where I grew up, but certainly in some places I believe it is.”

“Excellent!” Farah replies with a clap. “We need to make sure we tick all the traditions off our bucket lists.”

Morgan arches a brow. “You do understand what a bucket list is?”

“Yeah, obviously. It’s stuff to get done before you die.” Farah leans in close to Morgan with a growing grin, eyes sparkling brighter than the embers of the fire. “Which is why our bucket list will get to be really, really long.”

A really,really long groan expels from Morgan.

Nate chuckles, stretching out his long legs but curling his feet slightly away before they encounter the spitting edges of the blaze. “So, does anyone have any good ghost stories?”

“Aren’t those just called missions?” Morgan scoffs, gaining a laugh from Farah before she bounces a bit in sudden excitement.

“Ooh, I have one!” she exclaims, crossing her legs and leaning forward on her hands. “It’s from close to where I grew up.”

Nate smiles and settles back against the boulder behind him. It’s not exactly as comfy as settling into an armchair, but it’ll have to do.

“Please tell us,” Nate prompts, spreading his hand out as though inviting her to take onto a stage.

Farah shuffles across the dry grass closer to the fire. “So, where I grew up, there was this tale about this forest that the locals all called, U’rsh’il T’sheyu.”

The words take a moment for Nate to translate before he asks, “Sap-Mould Woods?”

Farah points at Nate with a nod. “Exactly.”

“Sounds delightful,” Adam quips.

“About as far as you can get from it,” Farah explains. “The place even gave me the shudders.” As though to emphasise the point, she gives a grimace. “The trees were never…right. Always mildewy and twisted, kind of like they were rotting from the inside.”

“Anyway,” she continues, “Sometimes the trees would get a sudden vitality to them…but that was when they were at their most dangerous. People would wander in, looking for good forage or just for a nice walk and then SNAP!” She slaps her hands together in a sharp clap that makes all but Adam flinch. “They were gone.”

Adam leans in a little with sudden interest. “There was no trace of them? Did anyone send search parties?”

“When the trees returned to their super creepy state, people would go in to search for them. All they’d find were their clothes with new tree saplings sprouting out of the material.” She leans back with a wiggle of her fingers. “Kinda creepy, right?”

Morgan shrugs her folded arms. “Considering the shit we deal with daily, not that creep—”

Nate shoves his foot with a soft kick against Morgan’s leg before giving a frown.

It’s a moment before Morgan relents. “Yeah. That really is super creepy.”

Farah tugs her phone out of her jeans with a smile, scrolling through the screen before hitting her thumb against it. “Ghost story around a fire. That’s another thing checked off.”

A smile falls across Nate’s lips as he looks to Adam, who gives a sigh but also has a hint of a contented happiness that softens his features.

Nate then leans his head back against the rock, cushioned slightly by the springy moss, and stares once again up at the sky. The stars twinkle and wink as though keeping careful watch over their small little family. Something Nate will also always continue to do.

No one will ever take this family from him.