Monsters by Jon Catron
	Mommy said there was no such thing as monsters. Mommy was wrong. The Monsters shot Mommy while she screamed downstairs. Timmy had heard her screams stop, even as his younger sister squealed in terror in one of their arms. They had shot Timmy too... at least everyone thought they had. Who'd have thunk those Happy Poppy books could stop a gun? Timmy didn't. When the bullet struck the book and drove it into his chest, he thought he was dead. People always die when they get shot, no matter what the movies say. That's what Daddy said. Guess he was wrong too. He shot one of them back... Timmy heard the Monster laugh... (oh god! That laugh...) It was the same voice that said something about "only the innocent one will work..." Wasn't Timmy innocent? Couldn't they have taken him instead of little Cindy? Was this about cute little Mary Smith back in 5th grade? (oh Jeez... Mary... I'm so sorry...) Please, Timmy thought as the grinning Monster left and the frowning one pointed her shiny gun at him. Please let her go... Take me! I'm 15, she's only 7. I'm a much better worker, Daddy says so. All she'll do is cry a lot. Hear that? She's started already. Please, take me! Please? It's me you want. I'm the one you want. The Monsters always take the bad ones. I'm the one that was Bad. Not her. Please? Not her... Please? ... They found her body in an empty building after the riots had started to calm down, finally. Timmy cried for three days straight while hiding in a burned-out building, after hearing the news. ... Mommy was wrong. Maybe she lied when she said there were no Monsters. Maybe she just didn't know. Or didn't remember, having worked so hard to convince Timmy and Cindy that they didn't exist except in stories made to frighten people. But no matter why, or how, Mommy was wrong. The Bad People were all around you. The Monsters walked among everyone. Timmy could see them now... He knew. The Monsters were real. And he would not be afraid of them again.
	Copyright © 2006 Jon Catron