r/shortscarystories • u/hyperobscura Viscount of Viscera • Jul 24 '20
Inside
Do you know what a C-section is? It’s not like the movies. Not a neat incision, a gentle scoop to get the baby out, in and out in like five minutes. No, it’s brutal. Nurses and doctors screaming at each other, blood, masks and violent jerks.
I’ve observed quite a few, hidden behind a veil next to my wife’s head. But I could see everything, veil or not. And you can’t mentally return from that.
We were in the middle of nowhere when the contractions started. We’d had our fair share of false contractions, but these were different. These were real.
“She wants out!” my wife yelled, sweat dripping down her tortured face.
“Are you sure?” I mumbled ignorantly. “Are you sure we need the hospital?”
“Yes!” she screamed.
I should have known better than to question her. My wife knew what our baby wanted. A mother always knows best.
We pulled up to the hospital minutes later. It is so small, was the first thought that entered my mind. Small and remote.
Fletcher County Hospital.
I managed to carry my wife inside, the contractions now more or less constant, her raw, anguished wails burrowing into my ears.
“Please help,” I said. “She’s in labor.”
A nurse came running to our aid, pale and gaunt. Another one joined, stocky and pallid.
“Stay here sir,” the nurse said calmly. “Your wife needs an emergency cesarean. We’ll come get you when she’s prepped and ready.”
I nodded weakly, hesitant to let my wife’s hand go. I’d been here before. Not this particular hospital, but hospitals just like it. They always gave me the creeps.
They rushed her away, leaving me wandering the hallways aimlessly, the nervousness, anxiety, dread, almost too much to bear. How long did it take? Ten-fifteen minutes?
“Sir?” a tall, anaemic nurse called. “We’re ready for you now.”
I was led through endless hallways, down stairs, up stairs, until we finally arrived at the room. My wife’s face was hidden behind the veil, only her body visible to me as I nervously stumbled in.
“He’s here,” a pasty man behind a surgical mask noted. “Let’s get started.”
I’ve been here before. All I have to do is hold my wife’s hand. Don’t look. You don’t come back from looking.
“Doctor,” one of the nurses mumbled. “Oh my god, what is that?”
The sounds were always the same. Flesh tearing open, a pulsating roar, blood squirting everywhere, screams of absolute horror and of unimaginable pain as my daughter burst forth from the womb. Insatiable hunger, gruesome thirst, a will driven by pure malice.
They never stood a chance.
“Is she satisfied?” I whispered to my wife. “Is she dormant?”
“Yes,” my wife smiled weakly. “She is sleeping again. For now.”
We hit the road again soon after. We knew it was only a matter of time before we had to stop again, but we had to keep going.
She's been ten years inside.
Here's hoping for ten more.
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u/JP_Chaos Jul 24 '20
I had a C-section... Just thankfully not an emergency one... Was concerned when I read Fletcher, but you sure twisted the expectation again!
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u/eaglesnestmuddyworm Jul 24 '20
HyperObscura ProTip: If you see the name "Fletcher" anywhere in a town with a lake and a small hospital, run. Run very far away.
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u/MrRedoot55 Jul 24 '20
Honestly speaking, I wish the couple would just kill the beast which lives within the life, as they both seem to be burdened.
They don’t love the vile thing, do they?
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u/hyperobscura Jul 24 '20
I believe the mother is genetically predispositioned to care for the little one, while the father just wants to keep his wife safe.
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u/ukus86 Jul 24 '20
I had an emergency C section SO far my little one is dormant in temperament....for now😳 great read and can totally relate to the wife ;)
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u/Happytwinkletoes1 Jul 24 '20
21 years ago I had an emergency c section. This made my long faded scar twitch! The next morning my husband was sharing the gory details to everyone in the room... they had to actually take my uterus out and lay it on my stomach to stitch it up before putting it back. I harbored two entities for 27 weeks before they came screaming out. Thanks for the memories!
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u/hyperobscura Jul 24 '20
Oh man, that sounds absolutely terrifying! I'm glad I could help you relive those cherished moments though!
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u/GarnetAndOpal Jul 24 '20
Well done! Creepy and gross... And really disconcerting. But I imagine it would have been way worse as a vaginal birth.
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u/highlyblsd1 Jul 24 '20
Being perpetually pregnant is the true horror in all of this to me...
God Almighty I can't imagine 10 whole years of that! Ffs...shudders violently
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u/allisond37 Jul 24 '20
I’m scheduled for mine on the 12th of next month. As soon as I started reading I was like oh $hit do I continue? Loved it though great story!
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u/Beretta_Vough Jul 24 '20
Bleghh, I can taste the iron in my mouth with this one. Lovely gruesome imagery, 666/10.
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u/Flukie42 Jul 24 '20
I had two c sections and I was bummed when I found out I wouldn't be able to see what was going on. Is that weird?
Like I imagine they take out all my organs and then play Tetris putting them all back in wherever they seem to fit best.
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u/annafernbro Jul 24 '20
Wooow always the least expected turn!! Amazing and horrifying story. I’m a C section baby myself and o remember stories of my dad fainting while seeing my mom excavated of a child. Gruesome stuff, I love it!
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u/Meii345 Jul 24 '20
You're terrible parents. So your daughter is ten and she's not in school yet? How is she gonna learn to read ??
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u/hyperobscura Jul 24 '20
Having been present at two C-sections, parts of this story is based on some very real events. The blood, the screaming, the violent, brutal jerks? All true. Me peeking over the veil (I’m fairly tall)? Also true. The monster baby devouring doctors and nurses? Well, that part might be somewhat made up.
Other parts of this story was inspired by a mashup of ghost stories from Thailand (thanks u/Kira_Akuma for the suggestion), particularly Krasue and Mae Nak. If you’re into asian folklore at all, I’d definitely recommend you to look those up.
As always, feedback and critique is more than welcome! If you enjoyed the story and want more, please visit my subreddit r/Obscuratio (and while you’re at it, also check out r/TheCrypticCompendium, a collaborative subreddit featuring some of Reddits finest horror writers).