Ilya looked at the mass of flesh spread out on the cold metallic table of the autopsy room. She donned her surgical gown and gloves, the room brightly lit, making every organ visible. The metallic smell of antiseptic hung in the air, mingling with the faint, lingering scent of decay. She picked up her scalpel, her hands steady.
Outside the autopsy room, Detective Black sat on the floor, his back against the wall, waiting for Dr. Morewood to finish her report. The door soon opened, and he stood up quickly to face her.
"You're still here, Detective?" she asked, seeing him.
"I figured it would be faster this way," he said.
"Well, I have the report, so I can just tell you. Everlyn should not be alive, but she is. Her heart is still beating, and her brain is still intact. There's something else that's really strange."
Detective Black waited for her to finish.
"Her uterus... there is a placenta. She was pregnant."
Detective Black stared at Dr. Morewood blankly. "But I thought—"
"When I saw her this morning, she wasn’t pregnant. She said she was, but I examined her, and she was not. This placenta belongs to a full-term baby. Everlyn Taylor was not nine months pregnant."
Detective Black didn’t know how to take this. "So there’s some kind of serial killer stealing babies?"
Dr. Morewood sighed; he still wasn’t getting it. "Detective Black, this woman was not pregnant this morning, and yet she is now in a half-alive, mangled state, and someone has torn through her uterus. This doesn’t seem like something a serial killer would do."
Something sinister was happening here, something she honestly didn’t want to be a part of.
"I will take your opinion into consideration. Thank you, Dr. Morewood."
Ilya looked at him; he didn’t seem convinced, so she could only sigh and give him the paper report. "God’s grace with your investigation, Detective."
He nodded and let her leave.
Ilya got home rather late. Her street was silent, so she remained as quiet as possible when opening the door in case Agnes was asleep.
"Welcome back, Ilya."
Agnes was waiting for her in the receiving room with a candle. She was wearing her night shawl as it was quite cold that night.
"I’m sorry I’m late, Agnes. That took longer than I expected."
Agnes helped her in and put her shoes away. "It's alright, Ilya. Come, let’s get you warmed up. Would you like some tea?"
Ilya nodded, exhaustion seeping into her bones. "Yes, please. Thank you, Agnes."
As Agnes went to prepare the tea, Ilya sank into a chair, her mind and body were spent. She reclined on her armchair, unable to move anymore.
She hadn’t slept a lot the night before and now she had gone the entire night without sleeping. Did she still need to go to work late that day?
“Here you go.” Agnes came back with a cup of hot tea.
“Thank you, Agnes.”
Agnes watched her settle in and slowly drink her tea, she wanted to ask what had happened with the investigation but didn’t know if it was her place to ask.
“If it’s ok, I will retire, I am really too tired.”
“Do you want a bath first?” Agnes asked.
“That would be amazing, thank you Agnes.”
A bubble bath was just was Ilya needed, her body felt relaxed, she had no idea how tense she was from what she saw that night. Agnes retired after she left Ilya upstairs and so now her house was silent.
She drank her cup as she listened to the foam, she couldn’t help but hum to fill the void of silence. Slowly, she slipped off to sleep in the water.
That morning: Agnes knocked on the door to wake her up for work.
Ilya groaned and got up from her bed, she was nicely tucked in and didn’t want to get out of her warm cosy bed.
“Miss Ilya, if you don’t wake up your boss will be cross!”
Remembering that dandy made her force herself out of bed.
“I’m awake!” She shouted so Agnes would stop knocking on the door.
She dragged her body to the bathroom, her tub was still full of now cold water, she couldn’t remember getting to the bed, but she must have gotten there somehow. She freshened up and dressed up as usual and started her walk to the clinic.
This time she arrived as the head nurse was preparing the schedule for today.
“Morning.”
“Morning Ilya, today’s schedule is not too bad.” She handed the list to Ilya who skimmed through.
“Thanks, who is my emergency patient?”
“Actually, there is a detective here to see you.”
‘A detective?’
She wondered if it was Detective Black.
Going through to the back she went to the VIP room again.
“Detective Black?”
There he was waiting for her, this time with another woman in tow.
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“Sorry for bothering you again Dr Morewood.” He said standing and the woman stood promptly too, she looked nervous and fidgety. A little mouse of a girl, brown hair, green eyes and beautiful freckles across her rosy cheeks.
Seeing Ilya look at the girl Detective Black spoke up, “can we talk in your office Dr?”
“Oh of course, I’m sorry, right this way.”
She led them to her office and they sat her across her desk as she sat on the opposite side of the desk.
“So Detective, what can I help you with? Again.” Her again was emphasised on, she was too tired to think too much about Everlyn’s case.
“This is Ms Beauchamp, she says she’s.. pregnant.”
‘Not this again.’
“Ms Beauchamp, are you ok with Detective Black being in the room?” The girl jumped at the sound of her name, she looked up with big scared eyes and eventually nodded.
‘Where did he find her? She looks petrified.’
“Alright Ms Beauchamp, when was your last cycle?”
“Um.. 12 months ago.” Her voice was almost unbearably quiet.
’12 months is a long time, but at least she’s probably not pregnant.’
“Then, has it been a concern to you?”
“She says she’s pregnant.” Detective Black said getting impatient.
“I see, then let me examine her. Detective?”
He got the hint and stepped outside. Ilya looked at the scared girl and sighed.
Detective black found himself sitting on the floor in the hallway, the bags under his eyes were heavy. He yawned trying to stay up, the girl had showed up to the police station this morning alone and scared out of her mind. He offered to come with her to get checked out and this was the only clinic he could think of.
The door opened and Ilya stepped out.
“Is everything ok?” He asked looking up.
“I’m just getting a second opinion. Give me a few minutes.”
She stalked up to get another Doctor, this time she was not pregnant either, she was beginning to think it was her mistake.
By the time Ms Beauchamp was checked a second time she was still not pregnant.
Ilya looked at the girl and the Detective sitting in her office and didn’t know what to do. 12 months without a cycle and no symptoms of pregnancy, it was weird.
“Why do you think you’re pregnant?” She finally asked.
“An angel gave me a baby.”
Ilya felt a chill up her spine, she had a bad feeling.
“What’s her full name?” She asked Detective Black, the look on his face confirmed all she wanted to know.
“Everlyn Beauchamp.”
Ilya looked blankly at Detective Black, this was weird, he had to admit this was weird.
He understood the look in her eyes and he also had to admit, this was starting to freak him out.
“Why did you come in today? How long have you known you were pregnant?” Ilya asked the girl.
“I had a dream last night that I would be giving birth soon, I was a big concerned since my belly hasn’t grown, so I was worried I had lost the baby.”
‘The on earth does that mean?’
“Can you tell us a bit about it – the dream I mean.” Detective Black quickly spoke up.
"I've had multiple dreams, but the first one was a year ago. I was approached by an angel." She paused, a look of adoration crossed her face. "He was beautiful, with blonde hair like the sun, and beautiful blue eyes. He promised me that I would bear the child of god."
Ilya felt her heart skip a beat as she listened to Everlyn's description, she glanced at Detective Black, who was scribbling notes, his expression tense.
"Everlyn," Ilya began gently, "did the angel say anything else to you in the dream? Did he give you any instructions or guidance?"
Everlyn nodded again, her eyes distant as she recalled the memory. “He said that I must protect the baby at all costs and trust in the divine plan."
Detective Black looked up from his notes, his face grim. "Everlyn, has anyone else heard about these dreams or your pregnancy?"
Everlyn shook her head. "No, I haven't told anyone except for you both now. I was afraid people would think I'm mad."
Ilya exchanged a worried glance with Detective Black.
"Everlyn, I am worried for your safety, do you mind staying at the station just for tonight?"
The girl looked uncomfortable at the idea, Detective Black looked up at Ilya, “Dr Morewood, is it possible..”
Ilya sighed, “she can stay at my place tonight, but you should stay with her as well. I do not feel comfortable hosting a stranger without some form of protection.”
He nodded, “that is understandable Dr Morewood.”
“But please keep this under raps, my reputation is at stake here.”
“Naturally.”
She was still unmarried, to have a man at her house would set people’s tongues on fire.
Ilya could not focus for the rest of her day; Detective Black and Everlyn had left and so she saw the rest of her patients as usual.
When it was time for her to leave, she was stopped by the head nurse.
“Is everything alright?” Ilya asked.
“Someone came and left you a parcel.”
She handed Ilya a small brown parcel, It was light and didn’t really sound like anything.
“Thank you, I think I won’t be in tomorrow. So I might see you next week.”
“Have a lovely weekend, Dr Morewood.”
Ilya walked home, the parcel tucked under her arm. When she arrived, Agnes was there to welcome her. "Good evening, Ilya," Agnes greeted with a warm smile, her black hair was tied back in a ponytail.
"Good evening, Agnes. You’ll be pleased to hear we’ll have guests tonight," Ilya informed her.
Agnes’s eyes lit up with excitement. "Guests! Wonderful! I’ll make something special for dinner."
Ilya smiled. She didn't stop Agnes; "Thank you, Agnes."
Ilya went straight upstairs, feeling the weight of the day pressing down on her. She left the parcel on her desk and fell into bed, exhausted, falling asleep almost immediately.
Later that night, Detective Black arrived with Everlyn. Agnes, true to her word, had prepared a special dinner and was her usual hospitable self, making Everlyn feel as welcome as possible.
"I hope you like roast chicken," Agnes said cheerily as they all sat down to eat.
"It's lovely, thank you," Everlyn replied, her discomfort from earlier easing under Agnes’s warmth.
Detective Black maintained his professional demeanour but appreciated the hospitality. "Thank you for allowing us to stay here, Dr. Morewood."
"It's no trouble," Ilya replied. "Given the circumstances, it's the least I could do."
She really didn’t want this to happen again, so hopefully this situation would pass with no more deaths and the case of Everlyn Taylor was just a fluke.
After they ate, Ilya took Everlyn to her room, a small side room with a skylight.
“I’m just in the next room so if you need anything or feel uncomfortable in anyway tonight, you know where to find me.”
“Thank you Dr Morewood.” She said softly, Ilya closed the door behind her and met with Detective black who seemed like he wanted to talk to her.
"Dr. Morewood, are you free to talk for a moment?" he asked.
"Of course," she replied. They both went downstairs to the receiving room. Ilya lit a candle since Agnes had retired for the night. The soft glow of the candle cast long shadows on the walls, adding a sense of intimacy to their conversation.
Detective Black sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I have to admit, I feel increasingly out of my depth with this case. It's like nothing I've ever encountered before."
Ilya didn't offer the reassurance he seemed to be seeking. Instead, she said, "Call a priest." Because why was he telling her? What was she supposed to do?
He laughed, though there was little humour in it. "If I were a hundred percent sure this was supernatural, I would. But I still think there's a rational explanation."
"Call a priest," she insisted, her tone leaving no room for argument. “Seriously, it feels like something serious is going on that we should not be unearthing.”
Detective Black looked exasperated by her insistence but didn't argue further. "Alright, alright. I'll consider it."
Just then, a sudden silence fell over the house. Not the natural silence of night with the occasional low murmur of the outside world, but deadly silence.
Detective Black frowned, pointing it out. "Do you hear that? Or rather, not hear anything?"
Ilya's heart began to race. The entire house was dark, save for the single candle they had lit. She quickly lit another and handed it to Detective Black. "We need to check on Everlyn," she said, her voice trembling slightly.
They moved upstairs quietly, the flickering candlelight casting eerie shadows on the walls. Ilya held on to Detective Black and called out softly, "Everlyn?" But there was no answer.
Detective Black gestured for Ilya to check the girl's room. Ilya hesitated before approaching the door with trepidation, her heart pounding in her chest. She opened the door slowly, and instead of Everlyn, a figure stood in the room. Its head turned towards her as the door creaked open, revealing a face shrouded in darkness and malevolence.
Ilya's breath caught in her throat, and the candle in her hand flickered violently as she stared into the eyes of the unknown figure. The scene ended with a chill running down her spine.
“Dr Morewood?”
That was Everlyn’s voice, but that wasn’t Everlyn.