Disclaimer: I don't own anything 'cept my ideas, damn disclaimers...
A/N: Hey y'all! Sorry, it's been awhile since I posted a story on My computer broke about a month ago, so I could only review stories on computers at the library...evil library...Anyhoo, I've been thinking about writing this story for awhile. Enjoy...Oh, quick note, the characters are around 23 years old here...
Just Over the Hill
PART ONE
Stan sighed and slowly got out of his blue car. The sky was slate gray, and it looked like it might rain soon. He shivered and wrapped his coat tighter around him. As he walked through the entrance of Hell's Pass hospital, he saw a couple sitting in the waiting room. The woman was sobbing and holding something in her arms. Stan heard the man whispering to her, "It'll be alright hon."
Stan could feel a chill crawl up his spine as he caught a glimpse of what the woman was holding. A baby. A dead baby. One of them...
Stan reflected over the past few weeks as he sat down on a chair in the waiting room. It had been a normal Saturday morning when Kenny had died. Nothing unusual, just the same routine: "Oh my god, you killed Kenny!" followed by "You bastards!"
And, of course, the next day, Kenny was perfectly fine. Or so it seemed like. Kenny had looked tired, more than usual. He wouldn't eat his breakfast, he fell asleep in church, he wouldn't talk to his friends...then he died again that night. No reason, he just died in his sleep.
And, right on schedule, he was alive again the next day. But he even looked more tired, more...different. And, again, he died in the nighttime.
This went on for a few days, Kenny's health growing steadily worse...then, one day, he didn't wake up. His mom found him the next day, eyes wide open staring at the ceiling. His skin was pale, and his hands were clenched in tight little fists. His teeth were missing, too. That was something that Stan never understood.
Unusually, the same day that Kenny died so did half the babies in the town. Perfectly healthy babies one minute; cold dead corpses the next.
That's how it's been for the past few weeks. Some babies survived the mysterious illness...but most didn't.
"Umm...sir?" Stan quickly looked up. There was a lady with silvery hair and (rather ugly) square glasses perched on her nose looking at him from the front desk. "What are you here for?"
"Uh, I'm here to see a friend...last name Brofloski." Stan said, brushing some black hair away from his eyes.
"Brofloski...Brofloski...oh, yes, Room 663."
"Thanks." Stan muttered, getting up to leave. He turned to look once more at the crying woman. The ugly glasses woman had taken the baby from the couple and was wrapping a purple sheet around it. She looked at Stan and shook her head. He turned his head quickly and started up the hospital stairs.
He soon reached Room 663 and quietly opened the door. Inside Kyle was looking out the window and Bebe was lying asleep on the bed.
Kyle turned around when Stan entered the room. His eyes were red and puffy.
"The baby...it had the illness. For a second...Bebe and I thought it would live. Her eyes opened, Stan, she looked at me...but...then she stopped...breathing...and they were closed..." Kyle had begun to cry.
"I'm so sorry, dude." Stan stood in the middle of the room and stared at his best friend. He noticed that Kyle was holding the dead baby. Its hand was hanging off the side of Kyle's elbow. It was tiny and pale. Unnatural blue veins covered it. It was curled in a tiny little fist...just like Kenny...
"Bebe was really looking forward to Elizabeth...that's what we named her...we even turned the guest room into a little playroom for her. We...painted it pink, and puts up some little bear wallpaper, heh. It's amazing how things can change so quickly..." Kyle got weepy again.
Stan walked over to Kyle and put his hand on his shoulder. He looked out the window. It had begun to sprinkle lightly. All the houses looked the same from up here, all the same shape, color. He could see the cemetery where all the little baby bodies were buried. They were running out of room, he heard the gravedigger saying to a man, last time he visited. Recently they had to put two babies in one grave, to save space. It just wasn't right.
Stan let his eyes run over the small Colorado town. He spotted Cartman, walking along the road, probably cursing because the stupid fatass forgot his umbrella again. Stan remembered a memory from when times where happier.
Cartman had been bragging that he was going to be a millionaire someday, and probably own an entire Cheesy Poof factory. Well, when the day came when Cartman had his job interview, the first thing he said when he came back was "I...hate...you...guys...so...much..." The owner of the company had said that the only thing that Cartman was useful for was washing the toilets. They had teased Cartman for weeks after that.
"I have to call my dad." Kyle muttered, tugging Stan back to the present time.
"I'll leave, then." Stan turned to leave.
"Stan...thanks, man. I really appreciate you taking the time to come see us."
Stan nodded and half-smiled. He heard Kyle give a shuddered sigh as he left the room. As Stan walked down the brightly-lit corridors of the hospital, he thought about the illness. Why did it only infect half of newborn babies born in South Park? What (or who, a voice in the back of his head said) caused it? Was there a cure? He wondered why he never asked himself these questions before. The shock from Kenny's death and the town's other problems must have pushed all other concern's from his mind.
Instead of taking the stairs to the first floor, Stan instead made his way toward the elevator. The doors were about to close just as he stepped on. Inside was one of the hospital doctors. Stan nodded at her and stepped inside. He had a strange feeling like he knew the doctor, but he couldn't think of who she was.
Stan tried to ignore her and focused on his shoes instead. A song played on the elevator radio.
"I don't wanna close my eyes... I don't wanna fall asleep 'cause I miss you baby...and I don't wanna miss a thing..."
He could feel the doctor looking at him, but he continued ignoring her.
"Stan? Don't you recognize me?" she said.
Stan looked up at her. She had short black hair with bangs stopping just above her gray eyes. Stan thought...
"Wendy? Whoa, for a second I didn't really recognize you...you have a different hair style." Stan said.
"Well, yeah, I traded in my purple barrette for a white lab coat and a more fashionable hair style, heh heh." Stan blushed slightly after hearing her laugh again.
"I barely recognized you myself...your hairs really...really...bushy." She stuttered.
There was a break in the conversation. Stan remembered that this was really the first time they talked in about 13 years. After Wendy broke up with him, he didn't see her until the 8th grade, where she completely ignored him. But why wasn't she ignoring him now, 10 years later, when they were only a few feet away from each other? Wendy could have easily pretended he wasn't there, and it would be like the never met at all...
The elevator doors opened slowly. Wendy smiled at him." This is my stop. See you later, Stan." "See you, Wendy."
And that was that. Stan wondered how many years would he have to wait before they talked again? Maybe next time, she, instead of dawning a white coat, would be carrying a crying child or two and complaining how her husband never helps with anything around the house.
(Two dead children in her arms...") a tiny voice in the back of his head said.
Outside of Hell's Pass, it was really starting to pour. Stan quickly ran to his car and got in. How many accidents would there be today, because of this weather?
Driving along the lonely South Park road, he saw the small cemetery where they buried the babies. Stan parked the car in the cemetery parking lot and got out. Why was he doing this? Where was he going?
Of course, he knew exactly where he was going. Stan held his umbrella above his head and began the short walk across the muddy cemetery to the only tombstone with an angel upon it.
As he walked, Stan caught glimpses of names and dates on passing tombstones.
Timothy Tolkien, February 1, 2007 8:00 PM-February 1, 2007 8:02 PM
Tape Scotch, June 11, 2007 2:27 AM-June 11, 2007 2:29 AM
Genevieve Tweak, October 27, 2007 5:59 PM-October 27, 2007 6:00 PM
Stan wasn't there when the town had voted on adding the time of death to the tombstones. It was the only way, they said, to identify how long the baby was alive. Stan reached the last tombstone in the plot. It was, as he mentioned before, the only tombstone with an angel on it.
Kenny McCormick, January 1, 1990-September 30, 2007The inscription on the tomb read:
Heaven has taken thee in from the cold earth; now spread your wings and flyStan Marsh sat down on the muddy grass and cried.
PART ONE END