Free Second on the Right by Elizabeth Los

frowned. In the dim moonlight, a shadow
stood just within the captain’s quarters. It moved. Her heart
raced. She blinked, then stared. The dark silhouette glided
silently. She watched, unbelieving. The shape loomed over the
captain. She released the sheet.
    He doesn’t know. He’s still asleep. I have
to do something. But what? Her thoughts rattled through her
mind. She had to be quick.
    As quiet as possible, she slipped from her
hammock. Her stocking feet made no sound. She crouched. Her fingers
slid down her leg until they found her dagger. She removed the
blade. Her hand trembled as she pulled back the sheet. Squinting,
she could make out the shape. She rose. The floor creaked under her
shifting weight.
    Red eyes stared at her from across the room.
They seemed to float in midair. She held her breath. The hairs on
the back of her neck rose. She blinked. The eyes grew larger. She
looked to the door. When she looked back, the eyes were closer. She
panicked. The shadow lunged towards her.
    Eileen screamed. “Captain! Captain, wake up!”
She stomped on the floor boards and yelled, “Smythe! Anyone! The
captain’s in danger!”
    The creature howled.
    Eileen swung her dagger at the intruder. He
slid to the right. She slashed. He slipped to the left. She thrust.
Her blade met air. He moved with little effort. And now, he drew
closer. She slashed haphazardly. She hit nothing.
    The shadow hissed. She felt a rush of wind.
The creature flew at her. A powerful blow to the chest, her back
slammed into the wall. She tried to defend herself. Another rush of
wind and her dagger was knocked out of her hand. Her head hit the
wall. Sliding to the floor, she felt cold. She heard a raspy
inhalation. Looking up she was met with red eyes that glared at
her. A cold breeze wrapped around her. She tried for her dagger,
but it was gone. As she struggled for breath, her hearing
diminished. The shadow loomed over her. Eileen’s vision tunneled
until darkness enveloped her and there was nothing.

    Eileen heard muffled voices. Some sounded
urgent, others were soothing low murmurs. She felt something cool
on her forehead. Someone pushed her hair from her face. She tried
to open her eyes, but couldn’t.
    Arms slipped under her and she felt her body
rise into the air. She was pressed against something warm. She felt
at peace. She felt safe. She was placed gently onto a bed. That’s
when she heard the moan. It took her a minute to realize the noise
had issued from her lips.
    “Eileen,” she heard whispered voices.
    She tried to move, to open her eyes.
Nothing.
    She felt warm breath near her ear. “Eileen,”
she heard again.
    “Cap—” she called out, but darkness consumed
her and there was nothing.

    It took considerable effort for Eileen to
open her eyes. She could see a faraway light serving as her only
beacon of hope. She breathed deeply and forced her body to work. At
the end of the tunnel, she could make out a hazy, dark outline of a
person. She gasped. The intruder!
    Adrenaline surged. She sat up and screamed.
She had to get away. She had to warn the captain. In her attempt to
escape, her legs became entangled in sheets. She clawed at the bed,
kicking frantically to be free.
    “Eileen.”
    Something touched her shoulder. She shrieked.
She was breathing rapidly and grunting from her panic. She reached
the edge of the bed, but lost her balance and fell. She expected to
hit the floor, but was caught in someone’s arms.
    “Eileen!”
    Her senses returning, she realized she had
fallen out of the captain’s bed. Daylight streamed through the
windows. She looked up to find herself held by Captain Benedict.
She wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly. Benedict
returned the embrace. He sat down on the bed. She tried to keep
still, but her body trembled uncontrollably. Unbidden thoughts of
what could have happened raced through her mind and she broke down
in sobs.
    “Shh. It be all right, darlin’. Whatever he
was, he’s gone