4

Taylor hears footsteps and slamming doors. Underneath those familiar sounds is something else. Something inhuman. It's a rasping snarling type of sound, sort of like an extremely large, angry crocodile. Every tiny hair on Taylor's arms is raising. Rae's cronies are working their way toward Taylor's hiding spot. Their heavy footfalls are so close she can almost feel the vibrations in the  floor.

Taylor's belly tightens and cramps hard. She bites back a grunt and tries to breathe as quietly as possible. One of the men steps into the  room. Peeking around the chair, Taylor sees him standing there, big as one of the wrestlers she sees on television.  His chin and all around his mouth is now dark scarlet. Looking more menacing than ever, he looks around, his second set of eyelids blink. He inhales and his nostrils lift and fold  out from his face. He opens his mouth wider than a normal human could and the same odd growl noise Rae made comes out of him. The skin on his face ripples with the  sound. Taylor wets herself. She is riveting with pain, and a puddle of  fluid is forming around her, but she doesn't make a peep. Sophia's life depends on it.

The thing obviously can't detect her. Perhaps she's lucky she chose a bloody room. He walks out and Taylor hears the trio carry on down the  hall. She breathes deeply, riding out the contraction. As soon as it  passes, she gets up. The floor all around her is wet, but it doesn't feel like pee. Her legs are more sturdy now and she stands in a giant  puddle. Clear liquid is still running down her leg. She realizes her  water has broke.

Those odd growling noises are at least two rooms away. Seizing the moment, Taylor creeps to the door, hugging her file to her chest. It's smeared all over with red from crawling on the floor, same as her hands and  knees. She pokes her head out the door  timidly and sees an empty corridor. The coast is clear.

Quick and as quiet as she can, Taylor takes off down the opposite end of the hallway from where they went. Now that she can control her legs, her feet are almost silent   while she runs on tip-toes. She's almost to the corner, when she hears one of the things shout, "Found her!"

It feels like she's going to rip in half, but she pushes herself to go faster. It's not enough.  She hears them close by. There's some kind of opening in the wall coming up. It's a laundry chute. There is nothing else nearby that will put as much distance between her and the monsters. She ignores the fresh blood around the chute opening and plunges head first. Smooth metal in a frightening slant surrounds her. There's nothing to grab hold of, no way to slow down. Careful not to fall on her belly, she twists onto her  back as she continues plummets downward, picking up speed.

Finally, the chute ends. For a moment, she's flying through the air, then an awful stinging pain stabs her calf as she lands on a great lumpy surface. Whatever is beneath her, it's wet and warm. She looks down and screams. It's human remains. She's laying on a mangled woman. It looks like she's been bit by a shark. Her torso flesh is shredded. All  around are bodies in different stages of decomposition. Among them are  tiny   bones. Little skulls. Small phalanges and metatarsals. Taylor can't hold back the scream that comes. When she checks why her calf  is stinging, she screams anew. A baby spine is stabbed into her flesh.  She reaches down with shaky hands, pulls it out, and immediately drops it in the carnage.

Tremors rack her body as she fights awkwardly to climb out of the mess. She rises and looks around for an exit, but her eyes rest on a pile of laundry. It's grimy, but  something in the pile, printed clearly is the name Rosehill Hospital. She know the  place. It's been shut down and deemed haunted for years. Have those things been doing this that long? Beside that is a large pile of  luggage and overnight bags. Some of them look at least a decade old. One in the front is covered in little rabbits and says Sophia.

She gasps.

Another  contraction grips her and she breathes hard until it passes. This one seems closer than the others. She looks down at her watch and notes the time. The file is still in her hand. She's been gripping it for so long now, it's bent and a little tore. It's silent where she is. The monsters are too big to fit in the chute. And she doubts Rae would plunge in, knowing what's at the bottom. They are all away for now, so she opens the file.

The first thing she sees in huge red letters are the words full term. Behind that, there's her photo and name. That's all. There's nothing else. They didn't bother learning anything else about her because she isn't important. What was the word Rae used? Host? They only care about the baby being 'ready'. Taylor's shaky hands close the file and she wonders desperately how she's going to get out of here.

Hobbling on her injured leg, she walks out of the laundry room.

Another contraction shakes her. She checks her watch. That was only two minutes apart.

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