The Anthologies Saga Volume 1-Pixelations

The Takers

Death Herself was pacing the cubicle on the Offices of Angels and Daemons, in front of her brother, Grimm. Grimm was getting a headache watching her.
"I don't like this, Grimmy," she told him. "That man at the tavern...how could he see us? We weren't summoned by him." Those thoughts have been rushing through her head ever since they took Jacqueline.
"Patience, sister," Grimm reassured her. "He'll meet with us soon."
"I know, I know." At the same time, they said "Armageddon." "I just have a bad feeling about him. What does Corporate know about him?"
"Corporate?" Grimm reiterated. "Sis, I hate it when you talk business. You know that."
Death sighed. "You know who I'm talking about, you ninny. The Man Upstairs."
Grimm sighed and turned to his monitor. In the search engine, he hesitated. "What town were we in again?"
"Oh! Uh, Murklins Grove, in Iowa."
"Murklins...Grove..." he muttered softly to himself as he typed it up. He clicked ENTER and just like any other town or city, over a thousand pretty/handsome faces loaded up on the screen. He scrolled down to the D section when he found the fidgety face from the tavern two nights ago.
"Got em," he announced to Death. "Name's Keet. Short for Keaton. He only has one parent in the picture- his momma, Monica Irene Douglass." Grimm looked closer at Monica's profile. At the bottom was a flashing rectangle. "Oh, dear."
"What?"
Grimm sighed. "We have a pickup. Murklins Grove Hospital, Room 317."

Keaton's knee was bouncing harder now than it had in the past twenty minutes. He rubbed his legs, trying to calm the storm, to no avail.
As he was riding in the ambulance, holding her hand, doctors told him that she had a health scare and that right now, she's in a pretty bad place. Now, Keaton had to see her hooked up to a bajillion machines, under constant and unsympathetic supervision. It hurt him to see her like this. For the tenth time, he looked around for the hooded figures, and for the tenth time, he didn't find them. He looked back at Mama.
"Don't worry," he whispered to her. "You're gonna pull through. I just know it."
No response from Mama. Keet thought of something to fill the silence. He chuckled as something popped into his head.
"You remember when I was a kid and you took me to Ashie Beach? I buried you in sand, and it took you weeks to get all the sand out." He laughed at the image of Mama buried in the beige mound. "It's been so long since we've been. When you get out, how about we go? You and me, Ashie Beach, just like old times?"
Mama still didn't say anything. Keet's heart broke a little bit. He couldn't tell if Mama heard her or not. And that brought out the waterworks.
However, that was the least of his concerns. Far on the other side of the hospital, Death Herself and the Grimm Reaper materialized, on a mission to take souls back with them. Grimm holstered his scythe as he turned around and saw a comatose little girl. She was hooked up to many wires. The girl opened her eyes and looked over at Grimm. "Help me, please," she whimpered. It hurt him to see an innocent soul suffer humanity. This child couldn't grow up to be an upstanding member of society. She'll stay the age she is.
Grimm swallowed back the human emotion that he collected from here. "In a moment, child," he reassured her. The girl nodded and closed her eyes again, continuing her peaceful sleep. Grimm caught sight of the numbers on the wall. The child was in 325. So then 317 wasn't too far off.
"Should we spilt up?" He asked his sister.
"Oh, yes. Because us beings are just as stupid as the mortals," she retorted. "No. We collect as a group. You know this."
Grimm sighed. He knew the protocol, but he didn't want to collect an old hag when he could be collecting a little girl. The kid was holding on for literal dear life, and she was scared. In pain. Of course, everyone they take is in pain. They're dying. Can't expect much else from them.
Finally, they saw it. Room 317. There she was, attached to the wires and tubes. And the one man sitting next to her in the chair? Her son, Keaton. Keaton looked around the room. He saw right through them. He looked back at Mama. The two patiently waited until Keet was out of the room; it was the least they can do.
Mama woke from her sleep. Her throat was on fire, and she couldn't move. She looked up and saw the two hooded figures. It didn't take half a brain to know who they were. She sighed. "It's time, isn't it?"
They both nodded. Mama sighed again. "I can't leave Keet."
"Keet's a man now. He can take care of himself."
Mama chuckled. "God, if only that were true."
Death leaned forward. "You're hurt. You're time has come. I'm sorry."
Mama's face fell. I guess it's for the best that he's not here when I go, she thought to herself. Death outstretched her hand. "Take my hand, darling."
Mama took her hand and the life rushed back inside of her... but it went to the wrong version of her. She rematerialized next to the two.
Just then, Keaton rushed into the room. He heard all the machines go down to zero, and he heard the flatline. His eyes went wide with tears and he rushed to her side. "Mama?" He whimpered. "Mama, come on. Mama, please wake up. Please." He lightly tapped the side of her face. Mama could feel it faintly, and she brought her hand to her cheek, the closest she could get to her son now.
"Mama, I'm here," he cried out. "Please..." He heard doctors rush in with a defibrillator, and at this point he knew she wasn't coming back.
"No, no, no, no, no, no nooo..." He croaked, hands at his hair.
"Clear." ZZT! Mama jolted, but didn't wake. Keaton was ushered out of the room.
"Clear." ZZT! He could still hear the doctors from inside. Then he heard the vile truth...
"She's gone."