The Alien in My Womb

Chapter One

Mae stepped out of the shower, wet strands of dark brown hair dripping water onto the yellowing tile of the bathroom floor. She plodded down the hall and into her bedroom, sitting down on her bed and turning on her phone, proceeding to scroll through social media. The house was a bit quiet that night, as it had been for the past five days. Her mother had gone to see her sister who had just given birth. Admittedly, Mae had lied and said that she had the flu and miraculously got away with it. She genuinely disliked her aunt Samantha. The woman was absolutely crazy when it came to her own opinions, which were most of the time atrociously ridiculous.

The only noise in the house was the low hum of the air conditioner, the cool air chilling Mae's pale, wet skin. Freckles peppered her complexion, dotting her arms, chest, and face. She decided against getting dressed, as she had nowhere else to go for the night. She inhaled, laying back and relaxing, closing her eyes for a moment, enjoying the peace and quiet. Over time, she had gotten used to the sound of the air conditioner and was even soothed by it. Before she even realized it, Mae had dozed off, her phone still in her hand, and the damp towel still loosely wrapped around her waist.

She awoke with a start, the sound of something moving in the hallway alerting her. There was something... skittering against the wooden planks. Like a strange animal. How had an animal gotten into the house? All of the doors and windows were closed, right?

Cautious, Mae rose from her bed, still fully nude. She left the towel on the bed as she crept into the dark hallway. Her nimble hands fumbled for the light switch, eventually finding it and switching it on. For several minutes, there was nothing but silence. No movements. No scratching noises. Nothing.

Far too frightened to actually check it out, she just stood in the doorway, completely paralyzed with fear. It was very sudden, the noise of skittering being her only warning for what was charging at her. It was the strangest creature Mae had ever seen, with fast, spider-like limbs and almost scorpion-like body. It clung to her leg, deftly scaling her entire body. She let out a loud scream, thrashing her limbs and stumbling backward, falling straight onto her bed. The thing has latched onto her face, half inside of her mouth.

It seemed to be injecting something.

Mae found her vision darkening, unable to remove this alien creature from her face. After several minutes of fear, she fell unconscious.

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The teen awoke with a minor bellyache, but nothing else. There was no weird creature latched to her face. No skittering sounds. Nothing out of the ordinary. The morning sunshine graced her skin, warming it with its lovely light.

Ah... She thought. Just another nightmare.

She yawned and stretched, relieved but a bit uncomfortable due to her stomach pain. It was most likely period cramps, as she was due around this time. Though, it didn't really feel like the familiar pain of menstrual cramps. It was something rather different... Was she overthinking? After making herself a breakfast of oatmeal, she sat in front of the steaming bowl with her phone in her hand. She was surprised to see several messages wishing her happy birthday.

Happy eighteenth, Mae! Happy birthday! Love you girly! You're growing up so fast!

She smiled, face-palming as she realized that she had forgotten her own birthday. She didn't really feel like celebrating it, however. She felt so tired and weak. Maybe she really had caught the flu. The oatmeal did not look appetizing. Mae was not hungry at all for some reason. She decided to spend the day indoors, her birthday meaning basically nothing to her. It was something she always did. Birthdays didn't mean a lot to her. It was just how she was raised. Her belly groaned, gurgling as pain struck her tummy.

She doubled over, rubbing it. She wasn't hungry, so what was it? This pain was so odd. She dumped the now cold oatmeal and grabbed her phone, heading to her bedroom and laying in her bed, clutching her stomach. She managed to relax again, the pain dying down but continuing to linger. She scrolled through her phone, just like any other day. After about an hour... something odd happened. There came another gurgle, louder and more painful this time. She rolled over and groaned, holding her pulsing gut.

She gasped in sheer pain and fear as she watched her belly grow. There was a constant groaning emitting from her stomach as her belly grew to roughly the size of a very deflated football. Though the growth was small, it was still visible. The pain died down a little and the gurgles grew a bit quieter. She was panting, rubbing her now bigger belly. What was this... What could possibly be inside of her? Should she call a hospital?

No... it was probably gas. Gas could make you bloat, right?

Best birthday ever...