Death Watchers

Baby Brother

In the beginning I was waiting patiently with Daddy, wishing the nurses would be done with Mommy already so we could go in and see her and the new baby—Daddy had said it was going to be a boy. A baby brother!

I was three at the time and was thrilled to figure out I would have someone to play with Barbie and Ken with me. Grown-ups never seemed to understand the majesty of a Barbie, always making her voice too high and making her do things a normal girl wouldn't do, like constantly brush her hair before going on a date with Ken. It was outrageous.

The nurse came out and Daddy stiffened, seeing something I didn't. I stopped kicking my legs, feeling Daddy's anxiety like a freight train was rolling by. I glanced at the nurse again and noticed her look. She looked so sad.

Daddy stood up. "What happened?" His voice was low, hoping I wouldn't be able to hear, but I was a child, wanting to hear everything, and my ears weren't damaged from years of blaring music like Daddy's and Mommy's.

The nurse glanced at me and smiled before taking Daddy's arm and leading him further away from me. She talked quietly with Daddy and I saw him start to cry. The nurse patted his shoulder, equally sad, tears coming from her eyes too, and I couldn't handle it anymore. I walked up to Daddy and hugged his legs.

He looked down at me, his eyes already red, and he awkwardly patted my head. "Don't worry, sweetie, everything's going to be all right. You'll see."

I didn't know what was going on but I knew it wasn't going to be as "all right" as Daddy said. "Can we see Mommy now?"

The nurse tried to grab me but I ran. I knew what door was Mommy's, having looked at it before she had started screaming and clutching the bed. Daddy had taken me out then, placed me in the playroom for another nurse to watch me, and rushed back to Mommy's room, returning after he said Mommy was resting.

The door with the odd squiggles came up and I looked at it just to be sure. A line and two weird squiggles. Yup. Mommy's room. I twisted the handle and stepped inside, locking the door behind me just as the nurse caught up.

Mommy stood by the window, still in her hospital gown, the paper bracelet around her wrist. She looked sad too. Just like the nurse. The room smelled like chemicals and the bed sheets were fresh, pulled tightly over the bed so there were no creases. I took a cautious step forward, ignoring the nurse's insistent pounding on the door.

"Mommy?"

She whirled around, her expression shocked. "Jocie, what are you doing, sweetie?"

I smiled and rubbed my toe on the ground. "The nurse said I couldn't see you so I ran here anyway. What's the matter, Mommy? Why is Daddy crying?"

My mother was beautiful, even if she did look a little washed out. Her red-brown hair seemed duller than normal, and her brown eyes lacked their normal shimmer. Even her face looked whiter than it should have been. Is this what happened when Daddies took Mommies to hospitals screaming? And where was my brother?

"Jocie, sweetie, you need to go back to the nice nurses and leave me alone. I can't be with you anymore, okay, honey? Go back to Daddy."

Tears filled my eyes. "Are they taking you away, Mommy? Was that why you were screaming when Daddy made me go to the playroom?"

She smiled sadly and shook her head. "Not exactly, sweetie. Mommy just didn't make it. Your brother is in the nursery right now, sleeping, if you want to go see him with Daddy. We've decided to call him Clayton, so you be nice to him, you hear? Help him grow up."

I nodded energetically. "Yes, Mommy, I will."

She walked toward me but her feet made no sounds. They didn't even look like they were moving. "Now, Jocelynn, I have one more thing to tell you. It's very important, so you listen close, you hear?"

I nodded, intrigued at how serious Mommy sounded.

"You have what is called the Death Watcher gene. It is only passed down to the girls, so thankfully Clayton is a boy. But you, sweetheart, you have that gene."

"What's that mean?"

"Darling, don't ask questions. Mommy only has a little time. The Death Watchers can speak to the dead, like you and I are doing right now. You must help, Jocie, for they desperately need it. But be careful of the Shadow Man, honey, because he lurks in every dark corner, waiting for you to mature."

"Mature?"

She shushed me and started speaking faster. "You must be careful, sweetie. That's all I call tell you and I'm sorry. This life won't be easy for you and I sincerely wish I could be there to teach you everything, but I can't. Your brother's birth was too much for my tired body. Because that's what it does, sweetie, it drains you. Talking to the dead comes at a cost, and the more you do it the more you start to lose yourself."

Mommy glanced around quickly. "Hurry, sweetie, return to Daddy before he comes. He has been trying to get to me ever since I was old enough and once he finds out about you he will come for you. Quick, go back to Daddy!"

She tried to push me and that's when I realized something with Mommy was wrong. Instead of the normal warmth and pressure, there was only cold, her hands not even touching me but going through me. I looked down in horror before staring back into her sad, sad eyes.

Mommy took a step back. "I'm sorry, Jocie." Her voice broke. "I wish I could be there for you." She turned and looked out the window. I watched her.

And then, at the exact same second the nurse got the door open, I saw a man appear next to Mommy. He was shrouded in a gray cloak, the hood covering his face and the sleeves reaching past his fingertips. The end of the sleeve dropped to the floor as he offered Mommy his hand, which she refused with a scowl.

He turned...

Red eyes...

Lips pulling up into a grin...

Everything gone. Black. Empty. Abyss.

^**^

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