Suspicious Behavior
Every single night for the last month, Abby noticed some strange behavior. When she woke up every morning, her dog wasn't in his bed. But he'd always rush out of her baby's room with a guilty look on his face.
Abby checked on her baby, and everything looked normal, but as more time went on, things would get much worse.
Changing
Not long after her dog started going into her baby's room at night, Abby noticed something alarming. Her newborn wasn't herself. She wasn't eating normally or sleeping properly either.
She knew it all had to do with her dog. If she wanted to find out the truth, she'd have to install cameras to watch them during the night. But the mother didn't know what she was stepping into.
Setting Them Up
The mother drove to a security store just a few blocks from her home and asked for a camera to set up. Thankfully, it wouldn't need any screws and would just sit on the dresser.
With the easy installation out of the way, the mother turned it on and went to bed. She had trouble sleeping, knowing that the next day, everything would be made clear.
Sitting Down
Abby sat down at her laptop and opened her security monitoring software. She knew she couldn't put it off any longer and had to look at the footage. She already half knew what she was going to see, but she wasn't ready.
Her hands trembled as she found the footage and pressed play. She saw a shadow slowly creep into her daughter's room.
Looking At The Footage
Abby couldn't understand what she was looking at as she watched through the cold glass screen. The loving dog she once knew was gone. And replaced by something else entirely.
As she covered her mouth and glanced back at the animal in broad daylight wagging his tail, she wondered what caused such a drastic change. She needed to figure it out before it was too late.
Watching Carefully
Then she saw something. It was subtle and easy to miss, but the mother's eyes were sharp. She decided to rewind the footage to look at it again. But this time, she noticed something else.
She gasped and raced to her newborn to be sure of what she saw in the footage. But the mother had no idea what she was dealing with.
Racing Out Of The House
The second Abby got to her daughter, her mind was made up. She picked her daughter up and raced out of the house with her. Tears formed in her eyes as she gripped the steering wheel tightly.
She knew exactly where to go. But the shocking truth behind everything would only be revealed once she got there.
Abigail Lawson
Abigail Lawson, or just Abby to her friends, was a caring woman who would never let anyone hurt anyone she was close to. Growing up with a single mother and four younger brothers meant that she was always helping to look after them.
With a six-year age gap between her oldest brother and her, she practically raised her siblings. It was just in her nature.
A Kind Nature
Abby had a kind nature to her that most people took for granted. She loved being a carer and looking out for those she loved. That's when she decided her biggest dream would be raising a child of her own one day.
But her dream would be harder than she initially thought. To have a child, she first needed to find a partner. Or so she thought.
Trouble In The Dating Scene
Although Abby desperately wanted to be a mother, she didn't seem to ever find a partner with the same values as her. Failed relationships later, she decided that she needed to find another way to her dream.
It just wasn't going to work with a man, but she had another idea. One some people would never understand.
In Vitro Fertilization
It took Abby months of preparation to finally decide that the best way forward would be in vitro fertilization. That way, she wouldn't need a partner or have to rely on anyone else.
It would be a long and hard path ahead, but she was so excited to become the mother she dreamed of. But she decided that she couldn't do it alone.
Pots
After careful consideration, in the months that led up to her pregnancy, Abby made the decision to get another family member to comfort her and her future child. She went to a shelter and found the sweetest dog waiting for a second chance.
The pup's name was Pots, and just wanted to be rescued. Abby welcomed him with open arms and took him back home.
A New Companion
Abby felt good knowing that her daughter would grow up with a canine companion watching over her. She felt like everything was falling into place nicely. But she had no idea what mistake she was making.
But with other things on her mind, who could blame her? She now had a baby growing inside of her.
Nine Months Later
Nine months passed in what felt like a heartbeat. But it wasn't easy. Abby had unforeseeable complications, and by the time she should have been giving birth, her baby just didn't want to come out.
The doctors insisted that they had to get her out, or she could lose her. With no other choice, an emergency C-section was done.
No Complications
Thankfully, the operation went off without complications, and Abby had her newborn in her arms. She was a beautiful baby girl with Abby's eyes. She named her Evelyn. This was the beginning of her dream.
But she should have paid more attention to what her body was telling her. Something was wrong, and she didn't notice it.
Bringing Her Home
After a few days, Abby was allowed to bring her baby home and had everything made up for her. She had her own room with a crib and a baby monitor. Pots was ecstatic to have another family member and wagged his tail when she came home.
Everything seemed perfect in her life. But just a few months after bringing her baby home, it would start.
A Bond Grew
As months went by, Abby noticed a bond between her baby and her dog grow. Pots would insist on guarding her while she slept. Something that she thought was sweet. But she should have paid more attention to her dog's behavior.
Pots was getting more possessive of her baby, probably through instinct. Abby brushed it off and assumed it would pass, but it was only beginning.
Dread Creeping Up Her Spine
Abby thought that having a dog to look after the family would be a good thing. But things started heading south quickly, and she had no idea why. But she was unaware that dread would creep up her spine just a day later.
She overslept the next morning, but she had no idea why. She was so accustomed to her baby waking her up. Was she okay?
Checking On Evelyn
Abby was so used to the cries of Evelyn being the alarm clock that she had slept in for an additional two hours. She scrambled from her bed to go see what was going on.
She crept up the hallway, still not hearing a sound. Was Evelyn just sleeping? It wasn’t like her to not wake up at least once during the morning. Something was wrong.
Into Her Room
Abby got to her baby’s room and slowly walked inside. She got to the crib and stared inside, but what she saw made her stomach queasy. The crib was empty. There was no Evelyn inside.
Where was her baby? Her heart started to pound as she came to grips with the reality she was living in. She looked around the room, but she wasn’t anywhere.
Checking Everywhere
The panicked mother searched the room, picking up pillows and blankets and tossing them aside. Maybe she had climbed out and crawled somewhere? She wasn’t in her room, but she had to be somewhere.
Abby ran out of her room and looked up and down the hallway. Where could she look next? But then she had a dark realization.
Panic
The dog was nowhere to be found either. Abby’s heart pounded in her chest as her stomach twisted into a tight knot. Evelyn was far too young to climb out of the crib by herself. She couldn’t even walk yet.
Was it possible that Pots had taken her out? In a panicked state, Abby began rushing through the house, but that’s when she heard something that shook her to her very core.
Dread
Abby stood frozen in place as she listened to the slow and steady footsteps of another human being. Dread filled her heart. Another person was inside her house.
The woman was a nervous wreck as she stood in the middle of the room, frozen in place. She knew she had to do something, but at that moment, she couldn’t move. Something was seriously wrong.
No Permission
Her mind began spinning as she took slow, shallow breaths, desperately trying not to make a sound. Someone had entered her house without her permission, and now, they were lurking around inside of it.
Did the unknown person have her dog and her baby? All she could hear were the steady footsteps that moved further away from Evenlyn’s room.
Fight Or Flight
Evelyn wanted to run after the individual, but she was just too scared. What if they hurt her or Evelyn? For all her life, she’d heard about the fight or flight response, but she was surprised to find herself just frozen.
But who would want to come into their home? They lived in a safe neighborhood. Tears burned behind her eyes. She felt like she couldn’t do anything. But then, she heard another sound.
She Wondered
It was obvious that someone was sneaking around inside her house, but when she heard the front door, her blood ran cold. For a moment, Abby wondered if she was in some kind of nightmare.
But she wasn’t. In a state of shock, she ran for the front door, but when she looked outside, there was no one. Whoever was inside of her house had left. If only she had acted sooner.
Sobbing
Abby was a sobbing mess as she ran through the house, calling out for Evelyn and Pots, but there was no response. The house was silent as she moved through it. In the back of her mind, Evelyn knew that whoever was inside her house had taken the baby.
But still, she searched high and low for some sign of life. But she had no idea what the next few hours had in store for her.
Where Was Pots?
Where was her baby and dog? How could both have just vanished? She went to the kitchen and looked around there, but there was nothing to find.
If she had a partner, she could have chalked it up to them taking the baby and dog out for a walk, but she lived alone. An eerie feeling crept over her.
Thinking About It
Abby kept thinking about the strange sounds from earlier. She was starting to wonder if it was all her imagination. Why would anyone break into her home just to take her baby and her pet?
She was in an anxiety-induced haze as she went room by room, searching for what mattered most to her.
Searching Every Room
The mother searched every room in her home, including every cupboard, drawer, and hamper. But Evelyn was gone. She didn’t understand how the most important things in her life could have disappeared.
The mother was at her wit's end. She leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor. She started crying and holding her head in her hands. But she had no idea what had happened.
Crying
She sat on the floor, crying into her hands for what felt like hours. She couldn’t help but feel like this was all her fault. If only she had set an alarm and woke up earlier, she could’ve been there to help.
But as she sat there, feeling hopeless, she realized something. If she wanted to find her daughter, she needed help.
Realization
Abby shot up from the floor and dashed into her bedroom. She was panicking all over again. She was slowly leaving her trans, and only now was she realizing how terrible the situation was.
She couldn’t believe that she hadn’t run after whoever had come into her house. She reached for her phone and dialed the three-digit number.
Calling 911
She couldn’t waste any more time. She knew that the more time that passed, the slimmer her chances were of finding her daughter alive and well. The second the operator answered the phone, she told them what had happened.
“Alright ma’am, what is your address, we’ll send someone right away,” The woman said over the phone. Finally, help was on the way.
Waiting
All she could do now was wait. Abby took a seat on the couch in the living room, her mind spinning with a thousand thoughts a second. She couldn’t believe that her day had taken such a sudden turn.
Who would come into her house and do something like that? She just wished the police would be able to help.
Dread
The mother spent five minutes crying quietly to herself. Her hormones weren’t still in perfect balance, and she had mood swings. She had to compose herself and find her baby. She got up and walked towards her front door.
But as the mother rounded her corner, she saw something that filled her body with dread. This wasn’t possible.
A Bag
Abby was staring at the entry hall right by her front door and noticed something that she didn’t recognize. There was a bag sitting next to the door, but it wasn’t hers. She had never seen the bag before in her life.
It definitely wasn’t hers. She walked cautiously towards it and unzipped it. But she had no idea what horrors lay within.
A Stranger
The bag had clothing that wasn’t hers either. Someone must have left the bag in her entryway, but how did they get in? She examined the door, but it didn’t look like it was forced open. What was going on?
The mother kept searching the bag for any kind of evidence of who could have taken her baby and her dog.
Finding Evidence
After rifling through all of the compartments in the bag to try and find out what was going on, she found toiletries and other odd items that only confused her more than before.
But then she felt a strange booklet. She pulled it out and stared at the cover. It was someone’s I.D. But once she opened it, there was no going back.
A Familiar Face
Abby opened the booklet and saw a face printed in black and white. It was an I.D. card, but the birth date, the face, and even the name were all too familiar. She mouthed the name to herself and shook her head.
But as she examined the card, she noticed the blue lights by her front door. The police had finally arrived.
Rushing
She dropped the ID card as she rushed to the front door and opened it for the officers. They stood on the front porch, asking Abby a bunch of questions about what had happened that morning.
“I don’t know. I was asleep, and when I woke up, she was just gone,” She said, tears streaming down her face once again.
Investigation
The officers stepped into the house and began investigating. At first, Abby followed them into each room, desperately hoping that they could find her baby.
But as they stepped into the hallway, her eyes landed on the bag from earlier. The I.D. card was still on the floor where she had dropped it. She quickly picked it up.
The Picture
She stared at it once more, her eyes not leaving the small picture in the top, right corner. She needed an explanation.
How was this possible? She thought to herself. But she wouldn’t be able to think anymore. The door to her apartment rattled and opened.
Intruder
Abby jumped back from the door. Had the intruder come back to abduct her, too? She heard an excitable bark from the other side of the door. It was Pots. Once the door flung open, she recognized the face.
It was the same person from the I.D. card. The bag at the entrance also belonged to them. What were they doing here?
Mom
“Mom, what are you doing here? And how could you take my child and dog from me?” She said in an annoyed tone. “Sorry, love. I haven’t seen you in ages and didn’t want to wake you. I wanted some alone time with my granddaughter.”
Abby was annoyed but relieved that nothing had actually happened to Evelyn. Her grandmother had decided to visit unannounced.
Far From Over
Abby felt beyond embarrassed as she approached the officers and explained the situation. Her heart was still racing in her chest. How could her mother do something like this without telling her?
The officers seemed annoyed as they stepped out of the apartment. But Abby’s problems were far from over.
A Mounting Problem
But Abby’s mother visiting didn’t mean that the mounting problem on her hands with her dog was getting any better. Pots was still getting overly protective of Evelyn. But then she thought of something.
Why had Pots let her mother take Evelyn out for a walk? Maybe she had a technique that she hadn’t tried. She had to know.
An Explanation
“How did you get Pots to let you get near Evelyn? He’s normally very protective.” Abby asked. “Well, dear. I guess I just have a way with animals that you’ll never understand.” Her mother said before chuckling.
It annoyed Abby, but she couldn’t pry much more. She just hoped that the problem would go away, especially now that she had the support of her mother.
An Empty Bed
That's when it started. Abby started noticing that every morning, the dog bed that Pots used to sleep in was empty. He wasn't sleeping in his bed anymore. If not there, then where was he sleeping?
The mother had no idea where her dog was going at night. But one morning, she'd catch him in the act.
Baby's Room
Every single night for the last month, Abby noticed some strange behavior. When she woke up every morning, her dog wasn't in his bed. But he'd always rush out of her baby's room with a guilty look on his face.
Abby checked on her baby, and everything looked normal, but as more time went on, things would get much worse.
The Truth
Not long after her dog started going into her baby's room at night, Abby noticed something alarming. Her newborn wasn't herself. She wasn't eating normally or sleeping properly either.
She knew it all had to do with her dog. If she wanted to find out the truth, she'd have to install cameras to watch them during the night. But the mother didn't know what she was stepping into.
Cameras
The mother drove to a security store just a few blocks from her home and asked for a camera to set up. Thankfully, it wouldn't need any screws and would just sit on the dresser.
With the easy installation out of the way, the mother turned it on and went to bed. She had trouble sleeping, knowing that the next day, everything would be made clear.
Security Software
Abby sat down at her laptop and opened her security monitoring software. She knew she couldn't put it off any longer and had to look at the footage. She already half knew what she was going to see, but she wasn't ready.
Her hands trembled as she found the footage and pressed play. She saw a shadow slowly creep into her daughter's room.
The Footage
Abby couldn't understand what she was looking at as she watched through the cold glass screen. The loving dog she once knew was gone. And replaced by something else entirely.
As she covered her mouth and glanced back at the animal in broad daylight wagging his tail, she wondered what caused such a drastic change. She needed to figure it out before it was too late.
Seeing Something
Then she saw something. It was subtle and easy to miss, but the mother's eyes were sharp. She decided to rewind the footage to look at it again. But this time, she noticed something else.
She gasped and raced to her newborn to be sure of what she saw in the footage. But the mother had no idea what she was dealing with.
Going Somewhere
The second Abby got to her daughter, her mind was made up. She picked her daughter up and raced out of the house with her. Tears formed in her eyes as she gripped the steering wheel tightly.
She knew exactly where to go. But the shocking truth behind everything would only be revealed once she got there.
Hospital
There was no time to lose. Anxiety shot through her body as she drove as fast as she dared. She knew exactly where she was going - the hospital. She wanted them to check on her baby immediately.
She made it to the reception and insisted that a doctor see her. But Evelyn looked completely fine. What was going on?
Seeing A Doctor
A passing doctor heard the commotion and told Abby that he'd happily look at Evelyn. They went to his office, where he examined her. He, too, didn't seem to see anything strange.
But after a few minutes, his face dropped. He finally noticed what Abby had in the footage. He couldn't believe it. But was it treatable?
Fixing Her Up
The doctor treated Evelyn and told Abby that she was incredibly lucky that she noticed the symptoms of her daughter's condition. The baby was in the early stages of pneumonia, and if she hadn't been treated, it could have been fatal.
But that's when Abby teared up and told the doctor the truth. It wasn't her that had noticed it after all. There was another hero.
Hero
She explained that every night, Pots would go into her daughter's room and sleep at the foot of the crib, protecting Evelyn from any predators. But as a side effect, Abby installed the cameras.
If she had never installed the cameras, she would never have noticed the change in her daughter's behavior when she slept - the only time she showed symptoms.
Happy Ending
After treatment, baby Evelyn was free to go back home with her mother. She would be just fine, and Abby would be a little more careful in the future. Now, she has a video feed of her baby for the future.
When she got back home, she promised Pots more treats than she'd ever had before as a reward for being a hero. It was a happy ending.