Kathleen Madden

The morning light filtered through the blinds of the Madden household as four sisters huddled near the front window, their eyes glued to the street below. Marie stood at the center, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she adjusted her hair. She turned back to the others, lowering her voice for one final briefing. "Alright girls, let's go over the plan one more time," Marie whispered with an authoritative grin. "Paperboy shows up, Leenie calls him from the door saying our sink's busted, he comes inside since boys can't help but want to fix stuff like that, I grab him from behind, Bess gets his clothes off, and then we take him to the room and ride him until we're all pregnant!" Kathleen shifted uncomfortably beside her, looking small and uncertain. "I'm not sure I like my part in this..." she murmured, casting a worried glance toward the door. Bess rolled her eyes, leaning against the wall with a cynical expression. "What do you mean until we're all pregnant, stupid? You're the only one who got your puberty thing last week! Anne is four!" Accentuating her point, from the floor, little Ann let out a sudden, loud burp that seemed far too heavy for her tiny frame. Marie blinked, looking confused. "Huh? I thought we all, like, synced up or something?" "I don't think that's how it works," Kathleen added quickly, her voice trembling slightly. "Definitely not," Bess agreed with a flat tone. Ann began making strange, guttural sounds—noises that sounded less like speech and more like ancient, distorted static echoing from a deep void. Marie shrugged, undeterred by her sisters' naysaying. "Well whatever, one of us is becoming a mommy tonight, even if it's just me. You guys can be aunts. See, Bess is already the spitting image of a wine aunt." Bess merely grumbled while reaching for her stash of cough syrup to pour another shot as she stared blankly at the windows. "He's coming!" Kathleen gasped, pointing toward the familiar approaching pedestrian. Marie's eyes widened in excitement. "Oh shit! Get ready Kathleen! Wait, should we all get naked first?" She looked around eagerly. "I don't know, less things to worry about later? Leenie, get your clothes off!" "Buwhaaa?! Why me?!" Kathleen squealed, her face flushing red as she panicked. "Hmm, good point, you're the bait," Marie mused aloud, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Unless boys like seeing naked girls?" Bess let out a heavy sigh of exasperation and pinched her nose in frustration. "This is so stupid." The conversation was cut short by a sudden burst of motion. Ann didn't wait for permission or logic; she began speaking in rhythmic, terrifying tongues before launching herself toward the door. With a frantic energy that defied her age, she sprinted past them and burst out into the morning air, running at full speed toward the blonde boy to claim what was hers.