Fan Fiction ❯ ShadowBaby ❯ Prologue Hospital ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Prologue

A lone cry was heard from the maternity ward. It pierced through the stillness of the night. The night nurses had already left to take their ten minute break. The cry grew louder and louder as if someone was shaking the newborn to death.

An eerie shadow crept alongside the dim white walls. It slithered and squirmed past every small gleam of light that crept through from the overhead lights. When it reached the maternity ward it chuckled with delight. ‘This is the one that my master has been looking for. This little girl will awaken him, and he will rise once again.’

The baby girl still continued to wail with her might. A nurse finally heard her and came in to feed her.

“What’s wrong?” she cooed as she picked the young girl up, “It’s three in the morning all the other babies are asleep. Did you have a bad dream?”

The infant calmed down, but not by much. She still squirmed with all her might.

“Awe,” the nurse cooed again, “hush now young lady and try to get some rest.”

‘Awe is right,’ the shadow laughed to himself, ‘she’ll make a fine vessel for my master to harbor in.’

The shadow slithered closer toward the infant and chuckled with glee.

The nurse heard someone chuckle behind her and she quickly turned around. Wh-wh-who’s there?” she stuttered. Her legs froze from fear and a shiver ran down her whole body.

The shadow chuckled inside his head. ‘Might as well play it safe and freeze her from time and space. So the dark shadow said a chant and then a glow followed it.

The nurse nearly screamed, but her voice disappeared. Next thing she knew she was surrounded by darkness and she couldn’t move. Her head was screaming and her heart was pounding. Then she closed her eyes.

The shadow figure watched as she fell to the floor. He swiftly caught the baby girl as she fell too. He stared at the infant and then took on human form. “You are quite the handful.” He mused as he laid her back down in her small pink maternity crib.

The baby girl grinned with pride. A small gurgle escaped her lips.

“You do not fear me.” He whispered into her ear, “Because you do not know no better.”

The baby laughed a little.

“Ahhh,” he muttered, “you have no sense of fear. My master will like that.”

The baby yawned with boredom and closed its eyes.

“Yes,” he whispered as he laid her back down, “sleep little one, for tomorrow you will meet your loving new family.” An evil chuckle escaped his ebony sealed lips.

The baby girl drifted off into a peaceful slumber. While the evil shadow creature slipped off into the abyss.

A few minutes later, one of the night shift nurses came in and saw the other nurse on the floor unconscious. She would have screamed, but for fear of waking the sleeping infants, she did not. Instead she rushed over to her fallen assistant and helped her out of the room.

When the two nurses left the young infant that played a part in the events opened one eye and laughed. Then she slowly drifted back off into a peaceful slumber. Her dreams were quite pleasant and a young man haunted every seen.

The next day the young infant awoke to the beaming lights above her. Her eyes didn’t adjust at first and immediately she saw black. Then they relaxed and she saw the dangling lights that resided overhead. She looked around as far as she could and saw nothing. Her maternity crib walls were too big for her.

A slow humming sound was heard. Followed by heavy footsteps and a creaking door, that slammed behind the young woman.

Several babies began to cry form the noise. Not her though. She silently laid there in hopes of being feed soon.

The young nurse walked over to each baby and checked to make sure they were where they were suppose to be.

“Abigail…check. Cynthia…check. Basil…check. Betty…check. Michael…check. Robert…check. Scott…check.” She said.

She went on to name several other infants. On some she just said their number instead of their name. When she reached crib 666 she stopped and smiled at the little girl that dwelled within.

The baby girl stuck her fist in her mouth and began to slobber all over it.

“Awe,” the nurse cooed, “aren’t you a little cutie pie.”

She grabbed her pen and paper and searched for her name/number. “Let’s see…Anna, check.” She muttered as she walked on to the rest of the maternity cribs.

Anna yawned and stretched her tiny arms and legs. She looked up at the ceiling and saw a blur streak across the ceiling. She squealed with delight. It was as if she wanted to play with it.

The nurse heard her squeal, but ignored it. She had a job to do and she wasn’t about to slack off…again. So she continued counting the babies and when she was done she left so the first shift nurses could take care of them.

Young Anna was restless in her crib. She arched around and reached for the sky. She murmured something, and waited for a response.

All the babies suddenly froze. Their cries halted and the shadow slithered back unto the ceiling when the nurse left. He peered down at the baby and smirked. As he dropped to the floor his human form regenerated and he peered down at the little infant.

“Soon, my child.” He muttered as he stroked her head.

The baby smiled and waved its arms frantically.

“Soon I will play with you, at your new house.” He said as he lifted the infant out of the small crib. He threw her up into the air and caught her as she came tumbling back down.

The small baby laughed with joy as she was thrown into the air once again.

“You have a lot of spunk in you kid.” He said as he laid her back down, “I’ll come back later tonight to check up on you. We wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.” Then he turned back into an oozing shadow and merged with the other shadows along the wall.

The babies suddenly started to whine again, and move again as if nothing happened.

A nurse opened the main entrance door and came in with several bottles.

“Alright,” she said, “feeding time!”

Anna’s ears perked up and she whined a little for attention.

The nurse went around feeding the babies.

After five minutes another nurse came in to help ease off the slack.

“Sorry I’m late.” She huffed, “I had to drop my kids off this morning and the traffic was crazy.”

“No big,” said the other nurse, “now that you’re here you can actually help.” Then she began to chuckle and feed another baby.

The other nurse took one cart full of bottles and strolled it down to the end and worked her way up.

Anna smiled when she finally reached her.

The shadows seemed to lift off the ground a little as if to see what she was doing. Then when they realized the nurse was just feeding her they slammed back down onto the floor.

No one paid any attention to it though. They figured their eyes were playing tricks on them or someone was passing by.

The tired nurse reached out and picked up Anna. Then she cradled her in her restless arms and placed the bottle in her mouth.

Anna literally sucked it dry in a matter of minutes.

The nurse smiled and placed her upright to burp her.

Anna let out a small elegant burp and cooed with happiness.

Then nurse smiled and gently laid Anna back down into her soft pink crib. “Yes,” she cooed, “today is the big day for you. You’re due to leave in one hour.” She played with her toes a little and then smiled inwardly.

Anna giggled with drool hanging from her mouth.

Another nurse came in and prepared a carryout bag for Anna, for when she leaves.

The nurse that was playing with her toes stopped to glance at the clock.

“Well, well,” she mused to herself, “you’re due to leave in fifty more minutes. Better get your mommy prepared to go home too.”

The nurse peered back down at Anna and whispered, “Don’t worry; I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Anna cooed as she walked out the door. Then she giggled as an eerie shadow crept amongst the walls toward the main entrance doors.

The shadow easily slipped through the cracks and followed the nurse to the room where Anna’s mother lay resting. When he reached his destination he smirked and deformed among the other shadows. Finally he waited; waited until the time was right to posses the young nurse.

‘I must posses her in order to work among them. My master has commanded the infant goes now, not in fifty minutes. He’s waited for so long, I have to speed it up.’ He thought as he saw her enter the bathroom. The shadow quickly followed her and then he arched up as far as he could muster and slowly reached out for her.

Well it just so happened the young nurse glanced up in the mirror and saw the gruesome shadow lurking behind her. She would have screamed to if it was not for the fact that he temporarily immobilized her through his mind.

The eerie shadow lunged at her body and took on her form.

The nurse fell backwards and knocked over several items that lay on the slick bathroom counter.

Anna's young teenage mother heard the awoke from the clutter of items that fell.

"Who's there?" she asked.

A nurse slowly appeared from the bathroom door and said, "I'm sorry to frighten you Mrs. Lowe, but I lost my footing in there and knocked several items down."

Ms. Lowe smiled with relief and said, "It's alright, how is my little girl doing?"

The nurse smiled a creepy smile and said, "Yes little Anna, she is fine, but we need to get you ready. You two are set to depart in a few minutes."

Ms. Lowe gasped and quickly scurried out of her small white hospital bed. "Oh no," she gasped, "I better get ready."

The nurse eagerly licked her lips and said, "Yes, you must."