Legendary Creatures Chapter 4

Chapter 4

John had been coming to work for several weeks after he had seen the odd man look at him through his rearview mirror. And every day after that the man had been walking in the office and surveying the entire staff. Today however he paid particular attention to John. After a couple hours of being at work, his boss, James, came up to his cubicle.

"Hey, John, can you come to my office?" he asked.

"Sure I can. Am I in trouble?" John inquired.

"No, not at all. As a matter of fact, I have a lucrative idea for you to go over with me and the gentleman you've been seeing around the office. His name is Yorik Hempshine," James said with a smile.

John got up from his seat and followed James to his office. As they entered, Yorik was sitting on the far side of James' desk. James went to his office chair behind his desk and sat down. He gestured to John to sit next to Yorik.

"Now, John, Yorik is a geneticist that works with the CIA. He thought he'd be a perfect candidate for the "Omega Project" they are working on," James glanced towards Yorik Hempshine. "And now I'll turn it over to you, Dr. Hempshine."

"Mr. Rodrick, as James here said, I am Dr. Yorik Hempshine. I am lead geneticist on the "Omega Project". Unfortunately, what "Omega Project" is I cannot discuss because it's classified. What I can tell you is that if you agree, your family would not have to worry about anything ever again. They would be cared for financially. Would you be interested?"

John sat there in deep contemplation. How could he even be considering this? His family is everything to him. But on the other hand, him and his wife were struggling just to keep ends meet.

"Would I still be able to see them?" John questioned.

"No," Dr. Hempshine replied. "You'd have to cut off all contact with them. As a matter of fact, they would be informed that you perished. Through their loss they'll heal and they will be given a hefty sum to provide for them for the rest of their lives."

"My family is everything to me, Dr. Hempshine. I don't know if I can accept those terms," John replied. "What happens if I decline?"

"Then we move on to the next acceptable candidate. But if you mentioned this meeting to anyone, you and your family would be dealt with without hesitation. Coworkers, your family, it wouldn't matter who. The CIA is very adamant on keeping this project quiet," Yorik answered. Yorik pulled closer to John. "John, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. For us, you and your family. We would have the opportunity to do something great and your family's debt problems would be a thing of the past. Please think hard before you answer. It is a very morbid responsibility to keep this under wraps if you decline."

John sat there thinking. What could he do? Accepting seemed like the most logical answer. If he declined, could he really keep his mouth shut? He didn't think so, especially not to his family. But could he stay away if he accepted? Could he never see his family again? So many pros and cons ran through his head almost to the point that it felt that it would explode if he didn't blurt out the next answer that came to his mind.

"Yes, I accept," he yelled out. Dr. Hempshine smiled and put out his hand to shake John's to make the deal official. John accept the gesture and shook on it.

"You have made the right decision, Mr. Rodrick. I will come back tomorrow with paperwork for you to sign. And after that, we go over the details on how to explain things to your family," Yorik explained. Dr. Hempshine smiled intently at James. He had found his candidate. His CIA employers would be very pleased that his plan was coming into fruition.

John sat slumped down as if completely exhausted. What had he done? Agreeing to this contract was no less sinister than selling his soul to the devil. In a way, he had done just that. His life would change dramatically and he would lose his family. He stood up and started towards the door in a mindless haze.

"John? John, are you alright?" James asked.

"Yeah, just fine," he responded. He walked to his desk and slumped down in his chair. He still couldn't wrap his mind around what had just transpired. Had this all happened? Or had it just been some horrible dream that he was about to wake up from? If it was reality, he would soon suffer the consequences of his actions. He didn't know what those consequences would be other than someone notifying his family that he was no longer among the living. He didn't know what to say to them when he went home. He couldn't tell them anything without somehow risking that the CIA or Dr. Hempshine would find out of his transgression.

Suddenly, his office phone rang. He went to pick up the receiver and noticed his hand was trembling. But he picked up without hesitation.

"Hello," he said.

"Hi, daddy, are you going to be home on time today", said the little voice on the other side.

"Hi, Zach. I sure will be, sweetheart. You can count on it," he answered with as much excitement as he could muster.

"Oh goody!" Zach exclaimed. "I want to go play catch in the backyard when you get home. I've been bored for hours. Mommy's been busy cooking and Marshall went to a friend's house."

"Well, I promise I won't be a minute late," John replied.

"OK, daddy, I love you."

"I love you too, bud. See you in about an hour," John said as he hung up. His mind went whirling. Zach was only four. How would he take the news that his father was no longer living? And Marshall was ten. He would be devastated. John couldn't stop thinking about the numerous possibilities. His realization of what he had just done was weighing very heavy on him.

The day ended with no further interruption. He went to his car as he always did at the end of the day. He checked his rearview mirrors and buckled his seatbelt as he always did and started on his way home. All he could think about was Dr. Hempshine's haunting words. Why did he agree to this? Why did he give up everything he loved for money? He couldn't answer other than his family would be financially free.

As he pulled into the driveway, he saw Zach bolt out of the front door to his car. "Daddy!! I'm so happy to see you. Can we go play ball now? Pleaaase?!" he exclaimed.

"Hahaha!" laughed John. "Ok, Zach, ok. Let me bring my stuff inside and get settled down from work. Ok?"

"Ok, daddy. How was your day at work?" Zach asked.

"It was interesting. Not horrible I suppose. Come on, let's go inside," he gestured towards the door. He picked Zach up and kissed him on the cheek. He was an amazing little boy. John just stared at him for a few seconds and then walked to the front door, which was still open from Zach zipping through it. Zach had always been so energetic and full of life. He didn't know how he was going to be able to let him go, let alone Lorraine and Marshall.

As he walked in, Lorraine walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek. "How was your day?" she asked.

"It was great," he smiled. Even though he knew he was lying to them he had no other choice. "How was your day? Anything good happen?"

"Very uneventful today," she giggled. "Zach has been so excited for you to get home so he could play with you. Marshall went to a friend's so he's been rather bored today."

"I see that," he laughed. "Well, I best not dilly dally then." He put Zach down. "I'll get my things away and then we'll go toss the baseball around for a few until dinners ready. How does that sound, sport?"

"Yaaaay!" Zach squealed.

John went to his home office and put his work things away. He was trying hard not to concentrate on the following day to come where he would have to say goodbye to his family. What type of scenario would Hempshine give him to tell his family? Could he actually go through with this? He couldn't linger on this for too long. Zach was waiting. He grabbed his baseball mitt off the chair in his office and made his way to the backyard where Zach was patiently waiting, tossing the ball in the air and catching it in his glove.

"Ready, dad?" he asked.

"Absolutely!" John exclaimed. "Toss it here, kiddo." Zach threw the ball as hard as he could to make sure it made it to John. John caught it with ease. They played catch for quite some time before it was time for dinner. John caught the last throw and motioned for Zach to follow him inside for the meal. As they got inside, all the aromas from the great feast that Lorraine had made wafted into their nostrils. Lorraine always had a way of coming up with great meals. He was going to miss that.

"Bon appetite", she said as they sat at the table. John started eating and thought this was probably the best meal he had ever had. He couldn't help but feel a lump start to form in his throat from his sorrow. This would be the last meal he ate with his family. This moment was to be cherished before it became nothing more than a memory. A tear came to John's eye. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Lorraine asked.

"Oh, nothing. I just feel that I take all of these moments with you guys for granted. Today I truly cherish all of you very much," John answered as he wiped the tear away. He was sure he wouldn't be able to let go as easily as Dr. Hempshine was hoping he would. Could he really do this? He kept coming back to that question as he stared at his family and just sat in deep contemplation.

After dinner, John and Lorraine did the dishes together and got Zach ready for bed. They laid him down and tucked him in. John kissed him on the forehead, worrying that this would be the last time he would be able to do this. He was grateful for the time he had been given to come to peace with his decision. John and Lorraine walked to their bedroom and laid together for what felt like an eternity, just holding each other. John loved the feel of Lorraine lying next to him. Another one of the many things he would miss. Finally, the hazy vision of dream land was coming to him. He would sleep and hopefully come to closure with all of this excitement from today and be able to let go when the time came.