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“Are you sure you have a handle on things here?” Charlie Burns asked his oldest son. He was going out on patrol and leaving Kade in charge of his siblings for the night.
“Yeah dad. Everything’s under control” Kade said nonchalantly. He had his feet up on the table, and was seemingly more interested in his hand held game.
Charlie took the game from Kade, who made a sound of protest, but quickly shut his mouth at his father’s serious expression. “Kade, I know I’ve left you kids here before and everything has been fine, but things are different now.”
“Yeah, I know. I got it dad.” Kade sighed heavily. “Go on. Griffin Rock isn’t gonna patrol itself.”
“Alright.” Charlie nodded. “But if you need anything, call me on my com.”
“Okay, dad.” Kade said as he walked his father to the door.
“And make sure you all get your homework done.” Charlie reminded him.
“I will.” Kade assured him.
“And no staying up late.” Charlie continued. “And no horror films either. And don’t tease your siblings.”
“Okay dad!” Kade said. “I got it!”
Charlie sighed heavily. “I know you do.” He said. “I’m just worried about leaving Cody.”
“Nothing’s gonna happen to Cody.” Kade said.
Charlie smiled. “I know. You’ll take good care of him.” He said. “Okay then, I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Night Dad, have a good patrol.” Kade saluted him as he left and closed the door after his father.
Charlie had to force himself not to turn around and go back to the firehouse. He knew his three youngest were in good hands with Kade in charge, but with this being the first night patrol he had taken since Cody was born he was a little apprehensive about leaving. “Kade’s growing up” He reminded himself. “He can handle things.”
Back inside the firehouse, Kade pocketed his game and went to Cody’s room. His baby brother was asleep in his crib. He would probably wake up in an hour or so for his bottle, but for now it was best to let sleeping babies lie. Kade turned on the baby monitor and left Cody to sleep. He went to his father’s room and retrieved the receiver for Cody’s monitor before wandering down to the bunker where Graham and Dani were.
“Alright you two, dad’s out on patrol and I’m in charge.” Kade announced to his siblings.
Dani groaned and hugged her pink elephant to her chest. “Oh great. When’s he coming home?” She grumbled.
“Dad’ll be back in time to take us to school tomorrow.” Kade said. “Speaking of which you two have your homework done yet?”
“I finished mine hours ago.” Graham said.
“Me too.” Dani beamed. “What about you Kade?” She said in a teasing voice.
Kade rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. “Yeah, well. Almost done anyway.” He actually hadn’t even started on his homework. But that wasn’t any of his sister’s business.
“Hey Kade?” Graham spoke up. “I’m hungry, what are we having for dinner?”
Charlie usually cooked dinner, but had to head out before he could. Kade hadn’t learned how to make much yet, but he could cook a couple things that would feed his siblings. “I could whip up some spaghetti.” He said rubbing the back of his head.
“I can help!” Dani said hopping to her feet.
“Uh, no you can’t.” Kade said, crossing his arms over his chest. “You’re too little to handle the stove Dani.”
“Am not!” She argued. The three of them headed back up to the kitchen and Dani kept arguing with Kade the whole way.
“Besides if I’m too little then you’re too stupid to do handle it!”
“Wow, low blow there sis.” Kade said. “Just for that you don’t get any garlic bread.”
“Like you even know how to make garlic bread.” Graham teased.
“I so know how to make garlic bread, and just for doubting me, you don’t get any either.” Kade smirked and mussed Graham’s hair.
“Doubt I would have gotten some anyway.” Graham said.
“Alright, alright. You two get the table set.” Kade went to the stove to start cooking.
“Why don’t you do it?” Dani piped up.
“Because I’m making dinner, duh.” Kade rolled his eyes.
“Dad still sets the table when he makes dinner.” Graham said. “Even though he asks you to do it.”
“Don’t see you two racing to help out.” Kade countered. “Just get the plates out already. Dinner’s in ten.” No sooner than Kade had finished speaking there was a soft cry on the monitor in his pocket. He heaved a heavy sigh.
“Dani, go check on Cody.” Kade said.
“I thought I was supposed to set the table.” Dani argued.
“Forget that and go get Cody.” Kade ordered.
“Yes sir, Captain Cranky Pants.” Dani said, giggling as she ran off.
“Don’t call me that!” Kade yelled after her, only to hear both Dani and Graham laugh in reply. He groaned and continued making dinner. “Hey Graham, grab one of Cody’s bottles for me, will you?”
“Right away, Captain.” Graham said
“Don’t.” Kade warned.
“Kaaaade!” Dani yelled. “Cody needs a new diaper!”
“So give him one!” Kade shouted back. “Kinda busy I’m here!” He took the pre made bottle from Graham and stuck it in the microwave.
“I don’t know how!” Dani replied.
“Yes you do! I’ve seen you do it!” Kade answered, exasperated.
“Can you help me?” She called.
Kade groaned. Graham had just finished setting the table. “I’ll go help her.” He offered.
“Thanks bro.” Kade sighed.
Dani and Graham came back to the kitchen just as Kade was finishing up making dinner. They took a lot longer than he had expected. Graham was carrying Cody, who was crying loudly.
“What took you two so long?” Kade demanded.
“He was a mess.” Graham explained. “Had to give him new clothes and everything.”
“Well did you clean everything up?” Kade asked.
“Yes.” Dani sighed. “New sheets, new changing pad, new everything. All the dirty stuff is in the hamper.”
“Good.” Kade said, glad he didn’t have to deal with that, “food’s ready.”
“Where’s the garlic bread?” Graham asked in a teasing tone.
“I told you two that you didn’t get any.” Kade smirked. “I would’ve made some for Cody if he had teeth.”
Dani and Graham laughed and took their seats at the table. Kade served them their food and took Cody from Graham, cradling him in one arm. After giving Cody his bottle and eating their dinner, the two middle Burns kids went to watch TV. Kade put Cody in his bouncy chair and sat on the couch by Graham with his homework. He put on his headphones to drown out the TV and got to work, struggling his way through the assignments. He considered asking Graham for help, but he didn’t want to admit his little brother was smarter than him and just suffered in relative silence.
At nine, Kade’s alarm went off. He took off his headphones and turned to his siblings. Cody had fallen asleep again while Dani and Graham were glued to the TV.
“Alright, tine for bed you two.” Kade said in an authoritative tone.
“But I’m not tired.” Dani griped.
“Can we watch one more show Kade?” Graham pleaded.
Kade would have let them, but their father’s instructions rang in his head. “It’s a school night. Time for bed.” He declared, grabbing the remote and shutting the TV off.
“Aww! No fair. You get to stay up late!” Dani complained.
“That’s because I’m older and I’m in charge.” Kade said.
Graham smirked. “He’s right Dani.” She gave him a look of disbelief, but Graham held his grin. “Kade’s gotta protect us, you know. You never know what could be lurking around the firehouse at night, and since Dad’s not home, it’s Kade’s job to drive off the gremlins.”
“Ha ha. There are no gremlins.” Kade rolled his eyes.
“There are though!” Dani claimed. “Dad chased one out of my closet last week before it could eat my toes!”
“Not funny guys.” Kade grumbled. “Now c’mon. Time for bed.”
Dani suddenly let out a shriek “Look out! Gremlins!”
“Where?!” Kade gasped, turning quickly. Graham and Dany started laughing loudly. Kade quickly regained his composure and glared at his siblings. “Very funny. Now quit kidding around and go to bed before you wake Cody.”
“Alright, alright.” Graham laughed. “C’mon Dani.”
After they had gone to bed, Kade settled down at the kitchen table, moving Cody and his homework there as well. His baby brother was still snoozing in his bouncy chair which Kade had on the floor where he could gently nudge it with his foot to rock it.
He was still working on his History assignment late into the night when the quiet started getting to him. Every now and then he would hear a creak or a bump somewhere in the firehouse which would make him jump and lose his focus. When he looked around he saw nothing. His chest and throat felt tight. “Easy Kade. There’s nothing to worry about.” He told himself. He left his history work unfinished and took Cody from his chair.
He put his brother in his crib and went in his own room and climbed into bed, trying to ignore the darkness and what could possibly be lurking in it. He stared at the wall, completely alert of anything and everything. All he could hear was his breathing, but his imagination was running wild as to what else might be in the room with him. Kade imagined the tiny little imps in his closet, ripping the light bulb from the ceiling, making the glow from under his closet door disappear, the gremlin creeping out from under the door and into his bed and sinking its claws into his flesh.
“Quit it.” Kade scolded himself. “There’s nothing there.” There was a clattering sound from the kitchen. Kade quickly sat up, “What was that?” He asked himself, voice tight in his throat. There was a shuffling sound and Kade jumped out of bed and went to his door. His hands trembled as he slowly pulled his door open. Nothing seemed wrong in the hallway, so Graham Dani and Cody must be safe… for now. Kade took a deep breath and crept down the hall to the stairs and slowly made his way down to the kitchen.
Everything was dark. “Hello?” Kade called out. The shuffle and clattering sounds rang out behind him. Quickly Kade spun around and found the source of the noise. There at the stove was his father, chief Charlie Burns, with his back to Kade.
Kade let out a sigh of relief. “Dad… you scared me.” Charlie didn’t answer. “Aren’t you still supposed to be on patrol? Why are you back so early?” Charlie still didn’t respond. Kade felt like there was a weight on his chest then as he edged toward his father.
“Dad? Is everything okay?” Kade asked, voice shaking. Charlie still said nothing. Kade reached out to him. “Dad, say something.” He put his hand on Charlie’s shoulder. Charlie instantly spun around and let out a horrifying shriek. His face was covered in gruesome green scales, his mouth full of long sharp teeth and his eyes glassy obsidian. Kade screamed and pushed away from Charlie who swiped a clawed hand at him.
Kade sprinted up the stairs and tried to get into his room, finding the door locked. There was a hissing gurgle behind him as the monster ascended the stairs. Kade was on the verge of hyperventilating as he tried to think of some way to escape. Quickly he darted to Dani’s room. Her door swung open and he dove inside and slammed the door shut behind him.
Panting, Kade leaned against the door and let his eyes focus on the bed where Dani was still asleep. “Pssst! Dani! Wake up!” Kade hissed. His sister didn’t move, so he tried again. “Dani! C’mon we gotta get out of here!” She still didn’t respond so Kade took one of her stuffed animals from the shelf and threw it at her bed. When the toy struck her, she lashed out and the toy was in shreds. Kade gasped. “Dani?” His sister skunk out of bed, thick drool falling from her razor sharp teeth.
“Oh god…” Kade panicked. “Oh god!” He threw the door open and ran out to the hall, narrowly dodging the Charlie monster and a third monster swiped at Kade’s feet, tripping him. He rolled to his back and the new monster crawled onto his chest. Small, hairy and covered in sharp quills, Kade could only guess that this new monster was Graham. Screaming and trying to free himself from Graham’s grasp as Dani and Charlie closed in on him Kade could hear crying.
“Cody?” He looked to his baby brother’s room to see the door wide open. “Cody!” He yelled and threw Graham off of him and scrambled to his feet before Dani could sink her teeth into him. Kade sprinted and launched himself into Cody’s room. He scurried over to Cody’s crib and pulled his crying brother from it.
“It’s okay buddy,” Kade promised. “Big brother’s got you… you’re gonna be…” the hisses and gurgles from the doorway made Kade turn and he saw the three monsters clawing at the door frame.
“Stay back!” Kade yelled as Charlie ripped the door off the hinges. “Get away!” Kade backed away into a corner.
“Kaaaaaade…” the Monsters hissed.
“No! Stop! Leave us alone!” Kade screamed.
“Kaaaaaade…” with horror Kade realized how close one of the voices was and looked down at the baby in his arms. He barely had time to see tiny monster before it lashed at his throat.
“AAAAHHH!” Kade screamed, sitting up in his bed. He was sweating and couldn’t catch his breath with the nightmare still plaguing his brain. He pressed his palm against his neck where Cody had lashed at him and felt nothing there. He heaved a sigh of relief and fell back on his pillows. His heart was still hammering in his chest, but the nightmare was starting to fade.
Kade swallowed the lump in his throat and sat up again. He wiped the sweat from his brow and got up, realizing there was no way he would get back to sleep after that. It was two in the morning. Charlie would be back in a few hours, but by then Kade would have to be getting ready for school.
Kade went to wash his face. He hoped that he hadn’t woken up Graham or Dani with his screaming. Before stopping in the bathroom Kade almost reluctantly checked both their rooms. Both of them were still sound asleep, but Kade didn’t venture any further than their doorways, memories of the monsters keeping him at bay.
After he had splashed cold water on his face, Kade was at a loss of what to do now. He could go down to the kitchen and finish that assignment he had left on the table, or he could go back to his room and try to rest before Charlie got home. Both options left a sinking feeling in his stomach.
Cody made his choice for him. While Kade stood in the hallway, his baby brother woke up and started fussing. Kade really didn’t want to go in there. He didn’t want Cody to change and attack him again.
“You’re being ridiculous.” Kade muttered to himself and forced himself to go to Cody. Kade looked over the side of the crib and sighed. Human Cody. “Of course its Human Cody. Stop being so scared.” He lifted his brother against his shoulder and went to give him another bottle.
When Kade had finished taking care of Cody, he felt better for the most part. He still wasn’t sure if he could get to sleep, but he could at least lie down for a bit. He lay Cody back down and brushed a hand over his head. “Night little bro.” Kade said sleepily and turned to leave.
Cody started crying again. “What now?” Kade returned back to the crib and picked Cody up again. “I changed you, fed you and burped you just like dad does.” Cody quit crying in Kade’s arms.
“Good. That’s better.” He said and went to lay Cody down again, but his brother got worked up once more. Kade sighed, annoyed. “Fine. I wasn’t tired anyway.”
---
Charlie got home to find Dani and Graham in the kitchen making what was probably breakfast in the form of a mess all over the kitchen. It used to be that Kade was the ring leader of breakfast chaos when Charlie had gone on night patrol, but the lack of burnt toast was a clear enough indicator that Kade hadn’t even set foot in the kitchen this morning.
“Morning Graham, Dani.” Charlie greeted, exhausted.
“Dad!” Both kids ran over and hugged Charlie tight.
“Woah, hey. Its good to see you too.” Charlie chuckled. “Where’s your brother?”
“Graham’s right here daddy.” Dani smiled.
Charlie laughed “I meant Kade.”
“He’s still in bed.” Graham explained. “We didn’t wanna wake him up in case it woke Cody too.”
“You’ve got to see this Dad.” Dani grabbed Charlie’s hand and started pulling him along. “You’re gonna love it.”
Dani led her father upstairs with Graham close behind. They stopped right outside Kade’s room and Dani motioned for quiet. Charlie pushed the door open, not really sure what to expect. “Well I’ll be.” He said smiling when his eyes fell on the scene.
Kade was fast asleep. Beside him in a nest of blankets was Cody. Kade’s hand rested on his baby brother’s stomach and Cody had his fist curled around one of Kade’s fingers.
“Graham took pictures.” Dani said as Charlie went to pick Cody up, making Kade stir. The teen sat up looking around at his family.
“Why is everyone in my room?” He asked.
“We’re just watching you be such a good big brother” Graham teased. “You looked so protective of little Cody.”
“What?! So? Code… must’ve had a bad dream!” Kade sputtered. “Wouldn’t stop crying unless I was with him! How else was I supposed to get any sleep?”
Charlie just smiled. “In any case, it’s time to get ready for school.” He said and turned to Graham and Dani. “Let’s go you two. We’ll see what we can do about breakfast.”
“But Dad,” Dani said as they followed out of Kade’s room “I already made breakfast.”
Kade hesitated in his bed a moment longer after his family vacated the room. He looked at the blanket nest and began smoothing it out. Having Cody with him the night before kept him calm all night. He was never going to admit that it was actually himself having nightmares, nor would he admit in the years to come that he was glad that Cody always made the nightmares go away. It would be his little secret.
Kade laid his hand where Cody had been sleeping and smiled softly. “Thanks little bro.”