The rain had started just as I finished setting the table. Crisp white linens, porcelain plates, and a modest bouquet of fresh flowers. Everything was perfect for the brunch I had invited Lisa, the new mother from across the street, to. She had looked so tired, so overwhelmed, that I thought a break and a warm meal might cheer her up.
She arrived at my door, baby in hand. Her eyes were hollow, her hair slightly disheveled, but she smiled faintly. I tried not to stare. The baby… there was something odd about him. His skin seemed too pale, his little eyes wide and unblinking. But I brushed it off. Newborns always looked a bit strange to me.
As we sat at the table, Lisa barely touched her food. She stared at me with an intensity that made my skin crawl. Her baby was unnervingly silent in the bassinet beside her, not moving, not making a sound. I nervously sipped my tea.
“You’ve been so kind,” she said suddenly, her voice barely above a whisper. “I haven’t had a moment to myself since… well, since he arrived.”
I nodded, unsure of what to say. “It must be exhausting.”
She smiled, but there was no warmth in it. “It is. He’s… very demanding.”
I glanced at the baby again. He hadn’t moved once since they arrived. I wanted to ask if everything was alright, but I didn’t want to seem rude.
Suddenly, Lisa’s expression darkened. “I need to tell you something,” she said, her voice trembling slightly.
My heart quickened. “Of course. You can tell me anything.”
She leaned forward, her eyes wild. “He’s not mine.”
I froze, confused. “What do you mean? You just had him…”
“No.” Her voice cracked. “That… thing… it’s not my baby. I… I made a terrible mistake.”
I felt a chill crawl up my spine. “Lisa, what are you talking about?”
Her eyes filled with tears. “The night he was born, something went wrong. I was alone in the hospital room, and the lights… they flickered. When they came back on, he was there. But that’s not my baby. I know it.”
My breath caught in my throat. “Lisa, that’s… that’s impossible.”
She shook her head violently. “No! You don’t understand. He doesn’t cry. He doesn’t sleep. He just stares… always watching me.” Her voice lowered to a frantic whisper. “And now he’s… he’s in my head.”
Before I could respond, the baby moved. For the first time since they arrived, his tiny hands twitched. My eyes darted toward the bassinet, and I gasped.
The baby’s eyes were wide open, and they weren’t human. They glowed faintly, an unnatural green light that pierced through me. The air grew thick, and I felt a strange, oppressive presence closing in around us.
“Lisa, we need to leave,” I stammered, standing up quickly.
But Lisa didn’t move. Her eyes were locked on the baby, and her face twisted into a grimace of fear. “It’s too late,” she whispered. “He’s already inside.”
As I backed away from the table, I heard a soft, unnatural cooing sound from the bassinet. I turned and bolted for the door, but before I could reach it, the room went dark.
And then, I felt it. A cold, creeping sensation slithering into my mind, a voice whispering in the back of my skull.
“I’m here now,” it said, a voice that wasn’t Lisa’s. “And I’m not leaving.”
I should have never invited her over. I should have known something was wrong. But now, it’s too late. He’s here. He’s everywhere.
And I can’t escape.