The Eagle's Eye

Chapter 4

"Over there, mister. That small box over there, make yourself comfortable."

Rais pointed his thumb towards a moderate-sized box, an empty box with no holes or rats in it, to the relief of Joe. The tired wanderer could not ask for much; he was, after all, tired.

He asked Rais, "Where will you sleep?"

"Oh, my bed is over there!" exclaimed Rais, pointing to a small legless bed. Rais held the cotton cover up and revealed the bed. Joe was surprised.

"So, you do sleep here? With all these things down here?"

"Mm, hmm," nodded Rais with a smile.

"But..."

"My real sleeping place is in front of the TV," he added. "This is a temporary shelter. Keeps me safe from attacks."

"What attacks?"

"Evil drones."

"Oh..." Joe nodded. He enjoyed listening to the child, but he proceeded by entering the box. At first, he stepped on something and slipped, but then he got back up and put himself to sleep, since it was getting late.

The car was on standby mode. Eddie checked his mirrors, waiting for Jamal and Baraq to join him. It was late, almost midnight, but a train heading to the Eagle Eye city was scheduled to depart from the train station in about half an hour. Still, Eddie was the punctual type; he preferred things done in time, sometimes before the time was up. Even at work, he showed up early.

After waiting for a while, Jamal and Baraq appeared out of the Hashim residence, waving their goodbyes to Jamal's parents. While Mr. and Mrs. Hashim were worried for their son and nephew, but they believed the two were focused to get their friend out of danger. In fact, Jamal and Baraq went through tough situations before and appeared unscathed, thus increasing their confidence and relieving them a little.

"Take care, both of you!" said Mr. Hashim.

"We will, father," replied Jamal with a smile on his round face.

Soon, Eddie retreated from the neighborhood and headed to the station. He was driving fast, not letting a minute go to waste. Meanwhile, Baraq was curious about something.

"Eddie," he asked, "are you going to follow us or not? I mean, you gave us a lot of information, to be honest. That can be beneficial, but we might need more help. I have never been to this Eagle Eye."

"Neither have I," Eddie said while gripping his steering wheel.

"But, are you coming with us?"

Eddie was silent for a moment. Probably he was not sure about going. Then, he thought, since the chief put him on hold, he would have no work to do. So, why not follow his friends? At least the detective work could continue for the young man who looked up to Sherlock Holmes, Conan Edogawa and a few other detectives as his role models.

"I will give it a try," replied Eddie with a smile.

"Oh, yeah!" exclaimed Baraq.

"Zzz..." Jamal was already asleep at the back.

Soon, they arrived at the station. The car was parked neatly, along with a row of cars, while the three entered the station from behind. Eddie jumped the fence, landing near the railway tracks. Jamal and Baraq followed. They had to be really careful with their steps, and so far they were. Probably luck was on their side, as the security guard was asleep in his booth.

The sight of a train was obvious. It arrived early; it looked as if it was going to depart, but no matter. Eddie was navigating carefully, to avoid attention. The two cousins followed closely.