Death's scythe flashed down, cutting the vague thread connecting the soul of the woman to her body. Her vague figure, alike to the body lying on the ground, dissipated quickly.
The baby cried, wondering why his mommy wasn't getting up.
Death looked at the child, and the child looked back. YOU CAN SEE ME?
The baby stopped crying; the sight of Death seemed to calm him among the burning ruins of his house.
A large support beam lay over his mother's back as she lay on the ground at a curious angle.
Death crouched down, extending the butt of his scythe towards the child. It connected, bumping the baby gently on the shoulder. If Death could be surprised, he would be then. Instead, he scooped up the baby with interest. Where his skeletal hands would usually just pass through, (with the exception of the dead) his proximals and distals settled under the infant's flesh. Death checked, to make sure, that the child was truly alive. The Reaper looked deeper into the baby boy. A soft glow grew stronger as Death looked further in. A new soul. A living soul. One strand of soul wandered vaguely around, searching for the anchor it once tied itself to. But that other soul it once connected to was now gone. Death had stolen her away mere seconds ago.
The End of All stopped to consider for a moment. Then, seeming to come to a decision, he gathered up the baby in his arms, (he had learned the proper technique from parents who'd been killed while trying to run with their child) and walked away from the house. The last bit of chimney crashed down as Death disappeared with a sweep of his cloak.
