Koda knew if he moved, his old desk chair would creak under his heavyweight. His legs wanted to run, but his eyes didn't budge from the figure in the corner of his room. The atmosphere felt so heavy and almost opaque like he couldn't see anything else. He felt so uncomfortable, the familiar prick of tears approached. The figure was both getting closer and feeling further away. Koda was both terrified and entranced. He should have been yelling and protecting Alfie and his home from the person standing in his room, but Koda wasn't sure if it was a person.

There was a sense of a connection, one coming from deep within. Yet, the situation was so alienated that Koda wouldn't allow the connection to get stronger. Whoever was standing in the corner of the room had some form of authority over Koda, a leadership, dominance.

The first tear fell from Koda's eyes. It was as cold as ice and streamed down his cheek, dripping onto his trembling hands.

The past three weeks caught up to him like pressure popping in his head. From the moment Alfie approached him in their art class, Koda felt like he had been living someone else's life. He believed what he believed, and that was all. Then Alfie threw around the topic of ghosts and Koda very quickly adopted the idea too. Maybe he was desperate to have another close connection with his mother and Alfie promised him that, so he took it. Maybe Koda's grieving opened his mind, or maybe Koda had not been in the right frame of mind for weeks.

Despite his weak doubts, the figure in the corner of his room was real enough to force tears from his eyes. The goosebumps on his skin were so prominent that his clothes felt uncomfortable. Koda didn't know what to do, but he could hear approaching footsteps and for the first time in years, he wanted his father.

Morlen knocked on Koda's door, harder than intended because he knew Alfie was asleep. Koda jumped, but his eyes didn't blink and the figure continued staring with a featureless face.

Morlen stood outside the door for a moment, oddly hyped about the gym and wanted to ask Koda if he had the appropriate equipment. He waited ten seconds and his son didn't reply, so he knocked again.

Still, no reply. Morlen should have just turned away and sent his son a text, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. He felt uneasy like there was a presence leaning over him, prickling the hairs on the back of his neck. Morlen felt the exact way when Koda had come home in a mood weeks ago, and the many flowers that Enya bought died in front of his eyes. Something was wrong.

Morlen ignored the fact that he shouldn't enter his son's room without an answer and yanked open the door. His son was sitting at his desk and through a single glance, everything seemed normal. The more Morlen looked, the more he noticed the sinister signs. Tears glinted against the moonlight on his son's face as he stared into the corner of the room, pale and trembling. Morlen followed his gaze and almost stumbled into the door frame with shock. Someone was standing there, or something.

Without a moment to waste, Morlen acted on instinct and picked up the guitar by the door and switched on the light. He leapt forwards and raised the instrument, ready to protect his family, but the corner of the room was empty. Nothing was there but a tall lamp, not even remotely close to resembling the figure he had seen.

"Dad," Koda whispered and Morlen- with the wooden guitar still in the air- turned around. Koda was fused into place, paralysed with fear. He was terrified with tears streaming down his face. His eyes were red around the edges and as wide as ten pence coins. "You saw it too?"

The last time Morlen had seen his child so petrified was when a huge storm caused a tree to fall onto their bungalow, and it tore down part of the house. Koda and Enya were metres away from getting squished by an overgrown conifer.

Morlen put down the guitar. He acted on another instinct, one he usually ignored, his fatherly instinct. "Come on now," he said in a tone too soft to be recognised as his and stood next to Koda, still frozen on his desk chair. Morlen put a strong arm around his shoulder and pushed Koda's head against his hip. He patted his back as Koda gripped his leg, still shivering. "It's gone. I'm here now," Morlen soothed, feeling slightly awkward, but getting over it to comfort his kid.

"You saw it?" Koda sobbed against his dad. "I'm not crazy, I'm not!"

"I saw it." Morlen squeezed Koda's shoulder when Alfie stirred. "Whatever it was- it's not-"

"It was the reaper," Koda whispered and ran the back of his hand along his cheek. "The Grim Reaper, I know it was. I felt it."

Morlen then wished that Alfie was awake so he had some form of input. "Maybe you should get into bed too and calm down-"

"No." Koda stood up. His legs wobbled like matchsticks trying to hold up a brick. "I want to talk about it. I can't ignore any of this anymore!"

"You're waking Alfie," Morlen murmured, eyeing the teenager in Koda's bed who tiredly pushed hair from his eyes.

"What's going on?" Alfie mumbled. He propped himself up onto his elbows, staring through half-opened eyes. "Wait..." He sat up and stared into the corner of the room. "I can see my breath."

Morlen and Koda watched as Alfie scrambled out of bed and wandered to the corner where they saw the figure. Alfie stood for a moment, observing the space until he turned with a raised brow. "Death has visited."

Morlen crossed his arm with a scowl. Koda had to seat himself again. "Has anyone ever told you that you're a creepy kid?" he asked then scoffed. "Of course they have."

Alfie ignored him, stepping in and out of the cool air. He turned to ask what the Grim Reaper looked like and saw the terror in Koda's eyes. "Are you alright?"

Koda could only stare. His emotions were frozen into place, as well as his features.

"He's not okay. Get your other medium over here. He can help can't he?" Morlen asked.

"Connor," Alfie said glumly, thinking of their ruptured trust. "He can definitely help. I'll call him."

* * * * *

In the time it took for Connor to arrive, the boys had moved to the living room and Koda barely looked Alfie in the eye. Seeing the figure in his room had shaken his stability until it was all over the place. Morlen didn't know what to do, other than making too much tea and offering too much toast.

Alfie sank into the couch cushions. The brightness from the living room light was giving him a headache and stinging his eyes, but he had to stay awake to help Koda through his panicking. A small part of Alfie was upset that he missed the Grim Reapers visit. Some part of him was glad because he would have most likely freaked out with Koda.

"Death has visited," Connor said when he entered the house. Morlen grumbled something about creeps and shut the door behind him. "Koda, you reek of fear. The Grim Reaper feeds on fear."

"Do you expect me to be totally fine after witnessing that?" Koda shivered and shifted on the couch. "It felt- I felt like I'd never be happy again. I'm living in a horror movie."

"You'll learn to enjoy that." Connor sat down, folding his cane and placing it on his lap. "As wrong as it sounds, you will crave the fear in those who are about to die. You'll enjoy the thrill of trepidation as you wait to claim souls for Alfie. It is an odd thing to get used to, but a natural gift you are yet to access."

Koda glanced at Morlen who was a little too captivated for his liking. What Connor said was hard for an average human to believe. Morlen liked to think of himself as straight-laced, but he didn't mind uncanny situations on occasion.

"So, you're saying that sweet Koda will eventually be disturbed Koda, like me?" Alfie asked, trying to lighten the topic.

"Well, he'll still be sweet Koda, but have an unnatural love for death."

"Cool."

Koda finally turned to the short kid sitting next to him. He noticed how Alfie had already robbed one of his hoodies and it drowned him. That was now not important. "Cool?" he repeated, finally able to swallow down his tears.

"Koda, you may not have noticed, but I talk to dead people for a living. This is cool for me."

Koda wasn't sure how to respond, but kissing him might not be favoured by his father.

"I knew there was more to life than just working till you die." Morlen sat on the same couch as Connor and rested his feet on the table. One of his socks had a hole near the big toe, and Alfie's eyes kept drawing to it with annoyance.

"Connor, is it normal for the Grim Reaper to visit?" Alfie asked, knowing that Koda might still be a tad speechless.

"Yes, quite normal. Death shows up when it matters. I guess it's time to make themself known."

"Themself?"

"The Grim Reaper has no gender, Alfie. At least not in their true form."

"Interesting," Alfie said, nodding his head with a confirming frown. "Got any more cool facts about Grimmie? Like who their human form is?"

The tight squeezing in Koda's chest loosened the more he listened to Alfie's voice. He talked about important topics like they were no big deal and it helped to rationalise Koda's stress.

"Just because I'm no longer the Reaper's sidekick doesn't mean I get to spill such secrets," Connor smiled. "I'm here to help Koda because I am aware that this will be hard for you to understand. Death knows that, which is why they are making appearances now. When you are used to your own fear, it will be easier to handle others."