Second on the Right (25 page)

A lump formed in his throat. Tears welled in
his eyes. He shook his head.
One more day…I just need to hang on
for one more day. Then I can go back home.

James gave Eileen a ring to see how things
were back home. He would use any excuse to call her, just to hear
her voice. The line rang once, twice, three times, with no answer.
Her voicemail picked up. He panicked.

Are they all right?
His eyes fell on
the clock on his desk: 6:00am.
Idiot! They are probably
sleeping.
He chided himself on being too quick to worry, for
failing to realize the time difference.

Stretching back against his chair, he took
another deep breath. He knew he would be back home in the arms of
the woman he loved soon enough. He smiled as her image came to
mind.

After the creature had escaped into the
darkness, Patrick ran around the house, shutting and locking every
window, checking every door to make sure it was secure. His
breathing was fast, his heartbeat rapid. Whatever that thing was,
it gave him a chill to the bone. When he was finished securing the
downstairs, Patrick headed upstairs, taking two steps at a
time.

Robbie's bedroom door was closed and locked.
Knocking softly, in a specific pattern, Patrick stood and waited.
He heard a click as Eileen unlocked and carefully opened the door.
When she saw Patrick, she ran into his arms. Tears were flowing as
she buried her face into his chest. She was trembling
uncontrollably. Patrick glanced in the room and saw Robbie fast
asleep.

That boy can sleep through anything,
he thought. He’d figured the gunshots would have surely woken him
up.

Eileen leaned against the wall of the hallway
while Patrick did his rounds on the second floor. He checked
Robbie's windows. He then made his way around to the other rooms,
doing a visual inspection.

When at last he was satisfied with the top
floor, Patrick took Eileen back into his arms and led her
downstairs and into the kitchen. Setting her down at the breakfast
nook, he poured her a glass of scotch.

Patrick took a drink from his glass and sat
down across from Eileen. He noticed she was staring at her glass,
but not drinking. "Eileen, it's one drink. It's not going to get
you drunk. It's just to calm your nerves."

"I'm pregnant. Remember?" She pushed it
aside.

Patrick cleared his throat and asked quietly,
"Should we call James?"

Eileen sat for a moment. "If we called James,
would it be unnecessary? The intruder is gone now. You could call
the police. But do we need to cause more worry for James right
now?" She sighed. "No, not now. Call him later tomorrow, after we
have more answers. He has a big meeting soon. I don't want to mess
that up. We can talk to him after."

Patrick nodded, and the two sat quietly.

Shaking hands with the board members, James
received multiple well wishes as they celebrated his
soon-to-be-born daughter. The meeting had gone well and all were in
high spirits. With pats on his back, James was pushed out the doors
and encouraged to head to the airport.

"Hurry home to your wife!" one member
shouted, as James ran into the elevator.

James glanced back, grinning broadly. "If I
could fly, I would!" he shouted back.

When he reached the ground floor, James was
greeted by the doorman. "Home, sir?" the doorman asked.

"Yes, finally!" James replied, the excitement
creeping into his voice despite his best efforts to maintain
composure.

The doorman tipped his hat, "Have a good
flight, sir." He opened the taxi door for James.

James slipped into the car, his bags packed
in the trunk by the doorman and driver. Within minutes, the car was
heading off to the airport. James leaned back in his seat, trying
to remain calm on the ride, but he was too excited. His phone
rang.

"Hello Patrick!" he answered cheerfully,
happy to hear a familiar voice. "Is Eileen with you?"

"Hey James. Yes, Eileen is here," Patrick
replied, his voice a little more somber than usual. "Before I have
you speak with her, I need to talk to you about something."

"All right," James said with suspicion. "Is
everything all right?"

"Uh, yeah, yeah. Everything is fine now,"
Patrick responded.

"Now?" James raised his voice, sitting on the
edge of his seat. "Patrick, what's going on?"

As Patrick explained about the intruder, the
color drained from James' face. He listened, completely silent. His
throat went dry. "I don't know what the hell it was, but I have the
police out here now, searching through the woods. There's gotta be
some evidence—"

James cleared his throat, interrupting
Patrick, "Eileen? Robbie? The baby?"

"They're all fine. Robbie was asleep when it
happened. I sent Eileen up to his room while I took care of the
intruder. I know I got it. I shot directly at it three times,"
Patrick said, though the certainty in his voice was not strong.

"Get them out of there, out of that house"
James snapped.

"James, everything is okay now. Really—"
Patrick began.

"
Get them out now!
" James shouted into
the phone. "Patrick, as my friend, I beg you. Please get my family
out of that house. Go to a public place, I don't care where. Just
make sure my family stays close. As soon as I arrive, bring them
and meet me at the airport. Oh and, don't alarm Eileen, all
right?"

"Yeah, sure, okay. We'll pack up some things
right now and head to the zoo. Maybe grab a bite to eat around the
area," Patrick replied. "James, I promise I'll do everything in my
power to protect your family."

"That may not be enough," James answered
curtly. He didn’t mean to hurt Patrick; however, his concern for
his family outweighed any courtesy he normally would have showed
him.

Patrick handed the phone to Eileen. James was
relieved to hear her voice. "I'm so glad you're all right," he
said, blinking away tears that had formed.

"Yes, we’re doing fine. Just…come home," she
said softly. There was a slight tremor in her voice.

"I have use of the company jet. I'll be there
as soon as possible. Patrick will take you all into the city,
perhaps the zoo. I think Robbie will like that." He stopped and
took a breath. He recognized his behavior was typical. He always
seemed to become a chatter-box when anxiety kicked in.

"James," she smiled into the phone.

"I'm sorry. It's just," he choked on his
words. Finally, after a few moments passed, he regained composure.
"I love you, forever and always."

"I love you too, James. Forever and always,”
she replied.

Finishing up the conversation, James walked
through airport security to the company jet. It would be a long and
anxious flight home. Knowing it would be difficult to sit still,
James took a half a Xanax to calm his nerves.

A champion to set all right, unexpected
star, burning bright.

Three, now four, that once had merged, the
change beginning, on the verge.

Unruly and corrupt, the evil air god would
create upheaval.

Yet the danger still to come might correct
what once undone.

After a restless night with little sleep,
both Eileen and Patrick were exhausted. While she was finishing up
her conversation with James, Patrick went upstairs to attempt to
play with Robbie and pack at the same time.

Seeing his bag out, Robbie began to attack
his Uncle Patrick with a barrage of questions. “Where are we going?
Where is Daddy? Is Mommy coming? Can I bring my toys?”

Two hours later, Patrick, Eileen and Robbie
were in the car and heading to New York. Their bags had been packed
and shoved into the back of the suburban. During the drive, Robbie
fell asleep.

At last able to relax, Eileen took advantage
of the opportunity to question Patrick. She turned in her seat to
face him. She waited for a moment, trying to think of the best way
to begin. She wanted to know what was going on. Patrick’s voice,
the look on his face and how James sounded over the phone, all
equated to something bigger than either man had initially
implied.

Patrick shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He
glanced away and turned on the radio to discourage Eileen.

Eileen sighed, turned off the radio and said,
"Patrick, I know James must have told you not to worry me, but I
need to know. Are we in danger? What did I see last night? I mean,
it was dark, but I definitely saw something. The way it came at me.
I—" She stopped for a moment, staring off in the distance,
visualizing what she had seen that night.

Patrick cleared his throat. "Eileen, James
asked me not to alarm you and I said I wouldn't." He glanced at
her. She stared back in frustration.

"But you saw it Patrick! At least describe it
to me. Maybe. I don't know. I just want to know what it is. It
didn't feel right. It seemed, sinister, whatever it was." She
looked out the passenger window, frowning. “Like from a past
nightmare,” she murmured.

"I'm not really— what the hell?" Patrick
stopped talking. He stared into the side view mirror.

"Patrick?" she questioned, worry creeping
into her voice.

"Eileen, I don't want to alarm you," Patrick
said.

"Nice. As if saying that won't alarm me," she
rolled her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I can't explain it," Patrick said confused.
"It’s black, whatever it is. And it’s quickly approaching." His
foot slammed on the accelerator, speeding the car down the
road.

Eileen turned to see what it was Patrick was
talking about. She gasped in horror. "Patrick, what is that?"

What initially looked like a black spot in
the distance began to take form as it drew closer to them. Eileen
recognized the black figure immediately. It was similar, if not the
same one from the night before.