by Peter Swift
9.
The car had swerved and struck the old oak tree.
Mr. Barton let go of Stevie's shoulders. "Your mother," he said, momentarily startled. Then he regained control.
"Stevie," he said urgently. "Come with me and we'll see if she's okay. Emily, grab the medical bag from my office. Hurry!"
Stevie threw on his sneakers and chased after his father. The man grabbed a flashlight from the table beside the door and ran barefoot into the pouring rain as Emily disappeared into the doctor's study.
Stevie nervously glanced into the darkness, but didn't see any sign of the broken girl. As he raced to the car, he wondered if the creature was watching him, hidden in the darkness and shadows. The rain pounded his face and hair and drenched his clothing instantly. It was loud as it beat against the ground and the house and the car. A constant static sound that made it impossible to hear if anything was sneaking up on them. Again, there was the odor of decay that he'd smelled in the forest. He moved closer and ran beside his father.
His mother was already standing by the door of the car. She held her hand to her head and was looking at the damage. The fender was a little crumpled and pressed up against the tree, and there was a dent on top of the hood, but otherwise the car was fine.
"Sit down!" the doctor said, sternly. "You're a nurse. You know better than to be up walking around after a head trauma!"
"Oh, relax, Henry." She smiled at him, but sat in the passenger's seat. The windshield wipers were thudding back and forth, so she reached over and turned them off. "I barely hit the tree. Just bumped my head slightly on the side window. What else did I hit? I didn't see it until the last moment."
Stevie's father shone the flashlight in front of the car. "Must've missed it," he said.
"No," she said, and shook her head. "It dented the hood."
"Well, whatever it was, it's gone now," Dr. Barton told her. "I only caught a glimpse. Dear or dog maybe."
"I guess," Stevie's mother said. She hesitated. "It just, well...."
"You okay, Mom?" Emily asked as she ran up to the side of the car. She handed Dr. Barton the medical bag he'd asked her to bring. "What did you see?"
"Pupils aren't dilated," Dr. Barton said as he shined a small penlight into his wife's eyes. "Probably no concussion." He stuck the penlight in his shirt pocket and ran a finger over the bump, pushing her soaking wet hair aside. She winced slightly. Then he peeled the back from a small cold pack and stuck it to her forehead.
"Mom, what did you see?" Stevie fearfully prodded, even though he already knew.
"Well," his mother said. "I could've sworn it was wearing clothes. Old, dirty clothes." She shook her head. "Maybe it was just the light. It all happened so fast!"
Mrs. Barton stood, and her husband put a supporting arm around her. "Honestly, Henry. I'm fine. Really!"
Doctor Barton frowned. "Let's go to work together tomorrow and I'll ask Kev down in radiology to do an x-ray. Just to make certain."
"Fine," Stevie's mom said. She chuckled. "You know, they say most accidents happen within five miles from home. Couldn't get much closer than this unless I ran into the house!" She turned off the ignition and headlights and locked the door. "Now, let's get these kids out of this storm."
Back inside, Stevie changed into clean, dry clothes, and then knocked on Emily's door.
"Come in!"
Emily lay on her stomach in bed reading a magazine. Her hair was all frizzy from drying it with a towel.
"Em, did you see what was on the driveway?"
She considered for a moment, and then shook her head. "Not really. I mean, I saw something, but as quick as it all happened, it was really just a blob. Did you? Is that why you screamed?"
Stevie's eyed dropped to the floor. He didn't tell her that yes, he did see it. He didn't say that it wasn't an animal. And he didn't share the most disturbing thought of all:
It came for me.
He knew he could talk to Emily, but he couldn't bring himself to actually say what he knew had happened.
"No," he said. "I just had a bad dream."
"Hey," Emily said, closing her magazine and sitting up. "I gave you quite a scare in The Grove tonight, didn't I? I'm sorry. My baddage. I shouldn't have done that." Stevie stood in awkward silence for a time before she continued. "With this storm, and mom's accident, I’m a little wigged out. Could I crash on the floor in your room tonight?"
Stevie looked up at her, a smile of relief that he unsuccessfully tried to hide flashed across his face. He wanted to thank her, because he knew she wasn't afraid of the storm. She was worried about him.
"Sure," he said. "If it'll make you feel better."
Emily smiled and pulled her sleeping bag down out of the closet. "I'm sure it will, Ratsmack."
Stevie raised an eybrow. "Ratsmack?"
