Chapter 3

You still wanna know what happened to me, huh? Bitchin'. Well, this wouldn't be much of a story if I didn't tell you what happened between that prick Kaufman's visit, and my "release" from Brookhaven.

But, every story has more than one side to it, and if you're gonna put up with me, you should hear how I sound from someone else's point of view.

But don't worry kids, I'm not out of the picture yet. Just givin' someone else a chance at the wheel.

May 4th…

Goddamn Garrett and his goddamned crutch.

Don't get me wrong, I love my husband. But Garrett has a nasty habit of going to Neely's Bar whenever he has the slightest anxiety attack. This might have been a tolerable habit six years ago, when we first got married. But we're parents now. You can't fuck around like that when you're someone's mommy or daddy. So, of course, he gets good and loaded and plows into a fast food restaurant. The big, dumb oaf.

So, there we were, in the Waiting Room at Brookhaven Hospital. Me and the kids. Little Gare was sitting at a table in the corner, coloring with a couple other kids. Anna and Leah were in their stroller, next to me. They were happily smashing the graham crackers I gave them. They seemed perfectly content to sit there and squish-squash the things between their little fingers, so I didn't complain.

Jesus Evie, you're starting to babble like your husband…

I found myself thinking about that phone call… A woman who said her name was Mary had called and said my husband had been admitted to the hospital. They had let the four of us in for the first couple of days, but then yesterday, we weren't allowed in. This asshole, Doctor Kaufman, said that since he had just regained consciousness, it would be better if we give him a day to "adjust" to the trauma.

What I wouldn't give to be allowed to "adjust" Kaufman…

Suddenly, a voice cut off my thoughts- which involved some tweezers and a blowtorch, if I say so myself. "Mrs. Garrett Daniels?"

Junior scampered over to me as I stood up. "Mommy, is Daddy,"

"Hush." I said, cutting him off. He pouted, but did as he was told.

The nurse looked at me. "Mrs. Daniels?" she questioned, uncertainly.

I frowned, but kept an even tone. "Yes?"

"You and your children can see your husband now. If you'll follow me?" She motioned us toward the door.

As I followed the nurse through the hall, I noticed something from the corner of my eye… it looked like…

A tall shadow. I looked at it directly. No, it was more than that; it was a tall shadow with what looked like… a pointy head?

I found myself looking towards where the source of the shadow should have been- but there was nothing there…

I shook it off. It was stress, just stress. Garrett's accident had me jumping at literal shadows.

"Mrs. Daniels?" The nurse had stopped, and looked at me.

So was Junior. "Mommy?" he asked nervously.

He was clinging to my hip, and looked quite worried.

I smiled down at him. "Don't worry honey. Mommy's fine."

"Well, alright then. If you'll continue to follow me." Said the nurse. She had been perky the whole time. I was annoyed.

She led us through the hallways. Brookhaven was a relatively small hospital, but at times it seemed as though one could disappear into a room, never to be seen again. It was oddly unnerving. And ominous, for some reason.

"Your husband is in here." She said, motioning to the door.

I stepped cautiously into the room. There, on one of the two beds, was my husband. Normally, Garrett was rather obsessive about his health. He was rather handsome. (Though, I might be a tad bias.) Tall, brown hair, a lean body. He kind of reminded me of that young actor who played "Mr. Fantastic" in the latest of the "let's-turn-a-comic-book-into-a-movie" films.

Though, you wouldn't know it now. He was sleeping at the moment, but he looked ashen. Yes, ashen. There was no other way to describe the gray pallor his skin had taken. His hair was plastered to his head in a feverish sweat, and there were black circles under his eyes. He was twitching violently, as though in the grip of some nightmare.

I rushed to his side and, very gently, clutched his hand. I placed my other hand on his forehead. "Garrett, honey, wake up. You seem to be having a nightmare. Honey, c'mon now, you're scaring us." Which was true. Junior looked panicked, and I know I was scared. Even the girls seemed on edge in their stroller. They had stopped playing with their graham crackers.

Finally, after a few minutes of gentle coaxing, Garret started to stir. He opened his eyes and looked weakly in my direction. He looked so terrible! It was all I could do not to lean forward, and take him into my arms.

In a pained whisper, he tried to speak, "Evie, baby? I'm so…" then he froze.

His eyes suddenly grew wide, his breath started to come out in frightened gasps, and the machine that was monitoring his heart suddenly sprang to life with a speedy flurry of beeps.

Garrett gave me an angry glare.

"Baby, what's wrong?" I asked, worried.

He started to scream, "Where's my family?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY FAMILY, YOU UGLY FUCK?!"

The kids suddenly started to scream in terror. Junior ran out of the room. The twins were howling like banshees.

Garrett's screams had degenerated to wordless howls of anguish.

Pained, I did the only thing I could do.

I chased down Junior, and we left.

I had been dreaming of my town. Only it wasn't my town. It was devoid of people. And there were these things roaming around. Things that I had no name for; walking abortions. It was awful.

In my dream, I was suddenly standing in Rosewater Park, staring at that woman. Only now, there was a man standing with her. He was wearing tattered clothes. He was bloody, and bruised. And, judging by the heavy artillery he was sporting, had just been through quite an ordeal.

He stared at that woman. "M-Mary?" he choked out. It seemed as though he was in shock.

She turned, giving him the full force of that gaze of hers.

He studied her for a moment, seemingly disappointed. "No, you're not Mary."

I was about to yell at the fool that she had signed the name MARY in my store, so who else was she, when suddenly, my wife's voice broke into my dream.

"Garrett, honey, wake up. You seem to be having a nightmare. Honey, c'mon, you're scaring us." She said gently.

So I woke up. I turned to her. I tried to be brave for her and the kids, but…

"Evie, baby, I'm so…" I started to say how glad I was to see her, but I froze.

Suddenly, my wife and children vanished. Where my sweet Evelyn had been standing, a creature took her place.

A tall, shadowy creature.

With a pointy head.

:: Another Author Note :: Garrett's getting dosed with White Claudia on a regular basis, and has some serious hallucinations. Please, read and review.