The Surrogate.

Chapter 1.

Just another day in paradise.

Annie stole a furtive glance at the old priest as he fumbled with something on the altar to her left. She wished he would fuck off back into the sacristy. Still, the thought came he is probably half deaf anyway and in the gloom of the church, his vision would be poor enough. But still, she remained kneeling in the pew too frightened to make a move. The low murmur of voices reached her from the rear of the church. A small group of old women was gathered in front of the statue of the blessed virgin. The words were not discernible but the tone was vaguely familiar. The rosary came to mind a prayer she half-remembered from her childhood.

At last, the old man in the vestments finished what he was doing and left through the door at the back of the altar. She glimpsed behind her to the old crones at the back. They were lost in the ritual as they droned on in pleading tones to the alabaster figure of the lady. They were oblivious to her presence and everything else as they gazed in adoration at the statue. It’s now or never she thought and braced herself before moving forward. Her heart thumped in her chest and her mouth felt as dry as a saltbox.

Now in the pool of light generated by the small glowing candles, she felt exposed. Pulling the hood of her jacket over her head and glimpsing once again at the praying women. But it was as if nothing existed for them save the religious icon they worshiped. She quickly put her hand in her pocket and felt the cold plastic handle of the screwdriver. Struggling to control the trembling hand she started to work on the lock of the money box. Her hand shook so much she dropped the screwdriver and the metallic sound as it hit the quarry tiles seemed deafening. Her breath caught in her chest and she had an overwhelming urge to flee from this place.

Dropping to her knees as if in prayer, she groped in the shadows for the implement. All the time bracing herself and waiting for an admonishing voice. But the only sound was the drone of the women from far behind her. Her fingers touched the handle and she grasped it, her pent up breath releasing in a long sigh. She remained on her knees and once again began working on the lock. Chipping away at the surrounding wood and was rewarded when the door to the money box popped open. She groped in the dark interior of the box with her trembling hand.

Fuck, fuck, fuck she repeated to herself with sinking heart as her fingers felt only smooth wood. It’s fucking empty I took the risk for nothing. Then her fingers brushed the round metallic shapes in the very corner of the box. Her spirits lifted as her hand probed deeper and felt the crinkle of paper. Jackpot she thought and emptied the contents into her pocket. Now on her feet, she turned to leave before reaching back. She grabbed a fistful of the small candles and stuffed them in her other pocket. She walked quickly down the center aisle with bowed head.

Her heart was thumping faster now and the walk to the door seemed impossibly long. With every step, the panic rose as she waited for someone to challenge her. When she got to the door she pulled it open before glancing back at the group of women. One woman turned towards her and looked her straight in the face. Her heart fell into her stomach and her legs threatened to give way as she stared into her mother’s face. She blinked rapidly and the face reverted to that of a stranger. Leaving now, without another backward glance. Hurrying as fast as her shaking legs could carry her from the scene of her crime.

The frightened girl found herself sitting on the park bench without any recollection of how she got there. One minute she was racing away from the church and now here she sat. Her breathing was ragged and her head felt light. The rumbling in her stomach told its own tale. She had not eaten anything of consequence since yesterday morning and now felt as weak as a kitten. A quick glance around told her there was no one else nearby. She laid the crumpled notes and loose change on the bench beside her. Now staring at the money her eyes filled with tears in disbelief.

Her big score lay alongside her in all its glory. Seven fucking pounds twenty pence and now the tears came in earnest. Two weeks in arrears of rent and no electricity, this money would not help. The hopelessness of her situation loomed large before her. In the end, she spent her loot in a burger joint and lingered over the greasy food. But when they started to wipe down the table for the third time it meant she had outstayed her welcome. Back on the street evening had begun to turn to night and the pedestrian population had changed.

Gone were the office workers and mums pushing prams, the shoppers had given way to the night people. Bunches of young rowdy lads, and scantily dressed young women on hen parties. Homeless people in threadbare clothes stopped the club-goers and begged for loose change. She wandered down the main thoroughfare mingling with crowds of young people dressed in their finery for their night on the town. The girl walked quickly giving the impression she had places to go and people to meet. Passing an alleyway a hand reached from the shadows and tugged on her sleeve.

“Hey, little lady do you want to party with me”. The deep baritone voice was a singsong Caribbean ascent. She pulled her arm away instinctively and moved on at a faster pace. Followed down the street by the rumbling laughter of her assailant. Glancing back into the shadows she saw the glow of white teeth in the ebony darkness of his face. Then she was once again lost in the throng of people carried forward on the tide of heaving bodies. The next turn took her into a quieter street beyond the glow of the neon lights. This was a commercial street the shops closed now and the scantily clad women loitered in the doorways. Annie stopped and watched the women plying their trade to the men in cars moving slowly by the curbs.

On more than one occasion lately, the young girl had contemplated taking up the profession herself. A sound close behind her startled her and she made to turn around. But she was suddenly dragged backward by vice-like grip on her hair. The muscles in her neck screamed in agony as her head was jerked brutally backward. An involuntary yelp escaped her lips only to be silenced by the feel of the cold blade at her throat. “This is my fucking beat you little cunt”. The accent was eastern European and spoken with true venom directly into her ear. The hot breath carried the smell of tobacco and alcohol. She was suddenly shoved forward with force and collapsed to the pavement sending shockwaves of agony through her knees.

Before she had a chance to cry out the pointy toe of a shoe collided with her side. Sending a fresh wave of pain through her and driving the air from her lungs. Then she was being hauled to her feet by the hair until she thought the scalp would be torn from her skull. A knee in the small of the back propelled her forward. She staggered and threatened to fall again but the grip on her hair kept her upright. “Now fuck off you little bitch and don’t let me see you here again”. The threat was hissed in her ear and she was shoved forward. She hurried away as quickly as her battered body could move. Her heart pounded in her chest and the dark stain spread from her groin and down the legs of her white jeans. Her face burned now with the final indignity at the thought “I have just fucking pissed myself”.

The girl continued moving until she came to the deserted bus shelter before stopping to rest. The streetwalkers were several blocks away by now but her heart still raced in her chest. Her respite was not long though, as a group of drunken students arrived at the bus shelter. Annie took off her jacket and tied it around her waist to hide the piss stain in her pants. Then started to move away, one of the boys called out to her and the sound of his friend’s raucous laughter followed her down the street. She wanted to turn and hurl abuse in their direction but was just too weary. Instead, she hung her head and moved on as quickly as possible.

It was still too early and she had not planned on going back to the flat just yet. But as the ammonia stench of her wet pants assailed her nostrils she knew she had to get out of these clothes. “Fucking nineteen years of age and I am pissing my pants like a fucking baby” she scolded herself. What was even worse was the fact that without money for the electric meter she would have to clean herself up with cold water. At times like this, she would wish she was back in the boring little town in Ireland. But as quickly as it came into her head she pushed the thought away. The girl would not give it to say to the small-minded people back home, that she had to go back with her tail between her legs.

Annie was here now and one way or another she was going to make a go of it. She had done the rounds of every modeling agency in this part of the city. But without a professional portfolio most wouldn’t even interview her. What little work she got was tits and ass shoots for some of the more sleazy photographers. She had been offered more reasonable money but it was for hardcore stuff. Things were not that desperate just yet but it was quickly looming on the horizon. She took her phone out and checked, but was not surprised it was out of credit. Annie contemplated making a reverse charges call to her mother. Just to hear a friendly voice but it would inevitably end up with her mother’s tears and mom pleading with her to come home. The thought of the comfortable little cottage and a warm bed brought a pang of homesickness. But the thought of returning as a failure to the sneering of the girls in the small town would not let her dwell on this.

Chapter 2.

To the Devil His Dues.

Annie crouched in the darkened hall and tried to breathe softly as she strained her ears. A sudden burst of high pitched laughter startled her and her heartbeat became faster. Who the hell was in there with him? He never had visitors. In the time she was here she had never seen him in the company of another soul. Another burst of laughter filled the air closely followed by the sound of canned applause. The TV, he was watching some show on the box, the volume might just be loud enough to mask her movements. She moved forward in a crouch staying below the glass panel of the door. Once past the door she stood upright and moved silently to the stairs. Her heart was by now pounding in her chest. As soon as she made the stairs she broke into a run. All pretense of stealth was now abandoned and her feet pounded the wooden steps as she ran upstairs.

 By the time the girl made the first landing she heard him open the door. Annie could now hear his heavy thread and the creaking of the wooden steps beneath his bulk. She fidgeted with trembling hands as she tried to fit the key in the lock. He was approaching the landing and her panic was rising. Please god, please god, please god, Annie prayed rapidly as she tried to get the door open. Then the key was in the lock and turning. The sound was louder now of labored breathing as he came to the top steps. She quickly closed the door and slipped the chain in place. Then she turned and leaned her back to the door sliding down until she was sitting on the floor. She listened to the creak of the floorboards as he stopped outside.

The door moved slightly inwards and the girl knew he was leaning his fat head against it listening. She could smell the sweaty body outside and tried to control her breathing. Time seemed to draw out like a blade through flesh and the sound of her beating heart echoed in her head. Another creak of wood as he shifted his weight and she hoped he was moving away back to his own flat. Annie could now hear his breath wheezing in his chest and she vaguely hoped his heart would give out. It must be under savage pressure trying to pump blood around the enormous bulk of his body.

Boom the sudden impact of his fist on the door sounded like a bass drum. “Annie, I know you are in there, we need to talk about your money problems. I have not received any rent from you in two weeks”. The voice sounded gravelly, his throat was ruined from the Turkish cigarettes with their strong black tobacco. He would have sounded comical with his heavy accent except for the fact he was so sleazy. “I am a reasonable man, we can come to some arrangement. Silence again, save for the wheezing of his chest as his lungs worked like a bellows. Movement again outside and she hoped he was giving up this time. Then a fresh round of his fist banging on the door. “If you are not willing to try and come to some arrangement. Then tomorrow I will have the locks changed. A pretty little Irish girl like you will not last pissing time on the streets, and the homeless shelters are every bit as bad”. Then he moved away, she sat unmoving crying softly to herself for a long time.

 The urine was now beginning to dry from the heat of her body and the stench was even worse. He was right she could not survive without shelter and Annie knew what his arrangement would be. The Scottish girl that lived down the hall from her had explained in graphic detail how she paid her rent when money was scarce. But in the end, the Scottish girl could not bear him near her anymore. That girl had left in the middle of the night and was not heard of since. Annie dragged her battered body off of the floor and went to the kitchen. Hoping he had not switched the gas off as she filled the kettle. Her luck was in and while she waited for the kettle to boil she stepped out of her stinking clothes.

 The hot water felt good on her body and Annie wished she had enough for a real bath. When she finished washing she put her jeans and panties soaking in the basin. Lighting the candles she had got in the church Annie climbed wearily into bed. The last photos Annie had taken were on the bedside locker and she picked them up. Studying them with a critical eye, not bad but she would need a lot more in order to build a proper portfolio. The images staring back at her showed an attractive blonde girl with large firm breasts. One, in particular, caught her attention it was a bikini shot of her gazing at the camera with a sultry look in her eyes. Maybe a little on the short size but man she did look sexy. With the right exposure, Annie knew she could make it as a fashion model.

Ever since she had started to develop in her mid-teens she was pursued by men. Even the older men would home in on her when she was out with her friends. The young girl had been naive enough to believe that it would be as simple as just walking into a modeling agency and her life would change. But she knew now that in a big city like this there was a hell of a lot of pretty girls. For every modeling vacancy, there were a hundred or maybe a thousand applicants. The work was scarce unless you were willing to take on the adult jobs. But even the porn industry seemed to be swamped with girls willing to do anything to get on. Tomorrow would be different she tried to convince herself but it sounded hollow. The young girl blew out the candles and cried herself to sleep as had become the habit recently.

He cornered her in the hallway trying to sneak out, just as she tiptoed past his door. It was no use Annie knew the time had come to make the ultimate sacrifice to maintain a roof over her head. His breath stank of rotting teeth, smoked fish and tobacco smoke. She tried to turn her head away but he gripped her cheeks in a pincer-like hold. Annie had thought of telling him she was on her period but it probably would have made no difference. His sweaty features were distorted into a grotesque caricature of a human and he grunted like a pig. The rough material of the floor matt chaffed her bare backside as he pumped his thick cock in and out of her. The stink of his sweaty body caused her eyes to water and she tried hard to distance her mind from what was happening.

His movements were now becoming more urgent and the force of his thrusts caused her head to bang painfully against the leg of the sofa. His beady eyes were closed to slits and appeared to be lost in the fat sweaty folds of his face. He was bright red in the face and his breathing had become ragged. She began to hope he was having a heart attack. But then the realization that she would never get him off of her sank in. Annie tightened her pelvic floor muscles in a bid to make him climax and finish the sickening ordeal. He grunted extra loudly and she felt his cock throb inside her as he ejaculated. He collapsed onto her and she thought she would suffocate beneath the stinking bulk of him.

Later back in her flat Annie filled an empty shampoo bottle and douched herself out. She wanted all traces of that filthy bastard washed from her body. It was surprising how little Annie felt about the whole thing. It was like watching someone she did not know, being raped by the fat Landlord. She finished cleaning up and dressed and slipped out. Passing his door she paused and listened but there was only silence hopefully he was dead. Annie knew if she did not get out of here soon she would be forced to give in to his advances again and again. She also knew that it would lead to her eventually putting a knife through his fat gut.

Walking down the steps outside Annie felt eyes on her, turning she saw the curtains move. That fat bastard was watching her and probably jerking off, the thought reared ugly in her mind. She walked quickly away and headed for the jobcentre. Before I leave here I will give that disgusting prick something to remember me by she thought. Maybe I will cut his fat cock off and ram it down his throat until he chokes on it. The thought of mutilating her landlord filled her with a warming sensation and she felt less down. Annie could almost feel the hot blood on her hands and it made her feel happy at the thought of him bleeding out. Everything comes to those who wait, she thought and that includes revenge.

“Is there any vacancies in the modeling industry these days”. The words were no sooner out of her mouth when she regretted them. The hatched faced bitch behind the desk with the hard eyes treated her to a condescending sneer. “Let me see now there just might be a shoot in New York that would suit you”. The words were dripping with sarcasm and her thin lips were fixed in a bitter grin. “Vogue is just dying to take on a fresh-faced little Irish girl with no experience”. Her face burned hotly and she blinked rapidly to clear the tears from her eyes. Wishing the ground would open up and swallow her. “There are a few part-time waitress vacancies that might tide you over until you get your big break”. Again the bitch made no effort what so ever to disguise the sarcasm in her voice.

 Annie snapped the printed card from the bitch’s hand and stood up. A flood of abuse came to mind but she whispered thanks and walked away. That woman certainly knew how to make you feel good about yourself she thought. This day had started out badly and was going rapidly downhill. Outside she tore the white card with the job details into tiny bits and threw them on the ground. The dam finally burst and the tears streamed down her face unchecked.  Annie Walked away with her head hanging, as she gave in to the feelings of utter desolation. The thought of having to face more of the fat man’s sexual demands brought a coldness that filled her body. Annie would die before she let him put his stinking cock anywhere near her again. Her mind was made up now death was a better alternative than trying to carry on as she was.

“Excuse me, young lady, could I have a quick word with you”. The words were spoken with a cultured tone and she wondered who they were spoken to. The hand-laid gently on her elbow caused her to flinch. “I beg your pardon young lady I did not mean to startle you”. The man was tall middle-aged and wore expensive clothes. He looked straight into her tear-stained face and treated her to a kindly smile. “I could not help but notice that you appear to be upset and was wondering if you needed any assistance”. It was the first kind words Annie had heard spoken in a very long time. She attempted to speak but the words would not come out. Annie suddenly felt dizzy and weak and everything went black.

“You are okay just keep taking deep breaths”. That cultured accent again but it seemed to be coming from down a tunnel to her. Her eyelids fluttered open and she immediately closed them again against the light. Her head was swimming and gnawing in her stomach sent a wave of nausea through her. She opened her eyes cautiously this time and looked up at the small group of people gathered around her. Someone had brought a chair out onto the pavement and put her sitting on it. “The girl just fainted she will be fine” a woman’s voice this time. “They are all on fucking drugs these days. Be careful she could have aids or hepatitis, you never know with these street people”. Another woman’s voice, but harsh and condemning this time.

Eventually, they lost interest in her and began to drift away leaving her alone with the well-dressed man. He moved away as well but returned moments later with a bottle of water. Annie gulped the water greedily and he put his hand forward and moved it gently from her mouth. “Take it easy my dear you will make yourself sick”. The words seemed to be said with genuine concern and he helped her to her feet. Her legs threatened to fold beneath her again and she was forced to grab his arm to stay upright. She took another sip from the water bottle and the dizzy spell passed. When he was sure that she could stand on her own he moved a little from her. Annie watched him take out his mobile phone; he spoke quietly into it for a few moments and returned to her.

The clinic was a private concern and as more like a fine hotel than a medical facility. Her room was complete with en suite bathroom and decorated tastefully. It had what looked like genuine oil paintings adorning the walls. Alone now, she marveled at the risk she had taken by getting in the man’s car. When he said he was taking her for a medical assessment Annie had envisioned a crowded A&E department in a local hospital. But instead, the trip in his fine car had ended here. There were no crowds waiting, she was treated like a V.I.P. and was seen to immediately. They had taken blood and given her a barrage of tests including a cat scan. Now waiting for the results the girl vaguely wondered who was going to pay for this.

The hot water cascading over her body was an absolute luxury; they had even provided designer shampoo and shower gel. Apart from the empty gnawing in her stomach, the girl had not felt this good in days. She rinsed the suds from her body and turned the water to cold for a moment. The shock of the cold water took her breath and left her tingling all over. She dried herself with the soft fluffy towel and wondered what they had done with her clothes. They had been folded neatly and placed in the drawers of the wardrobe. Annie discarded the hospital gown in the laundry basket and began to dress. She was standing in her underwear when he knocked softly and entered the room. He became flustered when he saw her state of undress and apologized profusely as he faced away from her. Annie watched his back as she finished dressing at least he did not try and cop a peek at her body.

“Well, my dear it seems that your fainting episode was down to low blood sugar levels. And I would suggest more than a little mental stress. It appears you have not been eating regularly enough. Everything thing else appears fine except they would like you to stay overnight for observation. You gave your head a bit of a bump when you fainted. Would you like me to ring your family or friends to have them come and sit with you? Or at least bring you fresh clothes for when you leave in the morning”. Annie fidgeted with her hands and avoided his eyes as she searched for something to say. In the end, she just told him the truth that she had no friends here and her family was back in Ireland. He looked at her with an expression of deep concentration for a long while eventually, he spoke. “Well, that is settled so my dear, I have a business meeting shortly and must leave. However, I will return this evening to keep you company and we can have a chat. In the meantime relax and get some rest they will be around with food shortly”. He left before she could answer or ask him why he was doing this for her.

Chapter 3.

A Complicated Birth.

He loved the feel of the crisp new banknotes and the way they smelled. He counted them for the second time ten thousand pounds British sterling. He said the number out loud and it gave him a rush it was almost as good as sex. He felt the stirring in his pants as his cock became semi-hard. Now that he had got his money he could clean out her flat and get rid of the last evidence of her. He never got rid of anything until he was paid, he knew then that everything had gone to plan and they wouldn’t be coming back. He knelt on the kitchen floor and put the money into the floor safe below the kitchen sink. He stayed in that position for long moments caressing the piles of bills in the safe. He was a lucky man, this little arrangement was working out very nicely thanks be to god. It was always an added bonus when they spread their slut legs to pay their rent.

 He stood in the hallway listening for any sounds in the house before he slipped into the flat. It gave him a perverse satisfaction to go through their personal belongings. Mind you they rarely had a lot of stuff but he always managed to get at least one keepsake. He had quite a collection of panties now in a range of styles and colors. He found nothing in the living room/kitchen area and moved quickly to the bedroom. The number of personal things was really minimal but then again they usually were. He was careful in his choice of who he rented flats too. It was a formula he had worked out. Little personal belongings usually meant they were moving about a lot. People who move about a lot were usually hiding from something or someone. So when they went missing it was never a big deal.

He went to the cheap wardrobe in the corner of the room it was empty save for the sports bag containing some folded clothes. Next, he went through the drawer in the bedside locker he tipped the contents onto the single bed. He sifted through the small pile of underwear and put a red silky one in his pocket. The rest he stuffed in the bag he picked up her passport and looked through it. She had only one stamp in the back pages and it was from a visit to Switzerland two years ago. So she hadn’t done much traveling; her place of birth was listed as Edinburgh. He put the passport in the bag and ripped down the small Scottish flag from the wall and went to the bathroom. He opened the small cabinet and emptied the contents into the sports bag. He paused and lifted the strip of pills from the bag and examined them. Birth control pills and she had been halfway through the course.

He carefully went through the flat again until he was satisfied he had missed nothing. A second troll through the kitchen drawers yielded a small bag of weed he pocketed this. Then he did up the zipper on the bag and listened at the door. When he was satisfied there was no movement outside he slipped out and locked the door behind him. Back in his own flat, he examined his keepsake holding the red lacy garment under his nose breathing in her scent. He pried up the floorboard in the bedroom and placed the knickers in the shoebox with the rest of them. Then he secreted the bag in a refuse sack in the wardrobe. He would dispense of it later. He had a contact at the waste disposal company who would allow him to put stuff in the furnace for a few quid and no questions asked.

She moved her mouth towards his erect member she could barely contain the lust in her now. He ran his fingers through her hair and murmured something but she was not interested in anything he had to say. Saliva drooled from her mouth and left a wet trail down his torso her tongue darted out and licked her wet lips. She could almost taste him now and this caused a fresh flood of saliva in her mouth. The one behind her pounded his enormous member into her and she felt as if he would split her in two. Each thrust seemed to drive it deeper into her, he was bigger than any man she had ever had. It felt as if he would rupture her womb but she did not care. She was overtaken by an animalistic urge the likes of which she had never known. Her salivating mouth was now directly above the erection of the man before her.

She felt claw-like nails ripping into the flesh of her hips as the one behind pounded faster. The guttural sounds behind her were unlike any human sounds she had ever heard. But they did not frighten her they served only to heighten her carvings. Then a low pitched prolonged animal sound and she felt his seed flood into her. There was so much it ran from her and pooled on the ground by her bare feet. When her own release came she lowered her mouth and clamped her jaws on him. The blood flooded her mouth faster than she could swallow and she shook her head until his member came loose from his body. She pulled on it with her hand as she tore pieces of the rubbery flesh from it with her sharp teeth. She chewed quickly and greedily as the screams from the injured man filled the room.

The dark shape moved from behind her, she watched with greed filled eyes as the sharp-clawed fingers ripped out his throat. The screaming gave way to a wet gurgling sound. The claws moved now with incredible speed and fury. The lumps of bloody flesh made wet sounds as they fell on the floor. She was on her knees now as she picked them up shoved them into her mouth. She almost chocked a couple of times in her haste to swallow. The black shape above her now leaned its elongated face into the bloody mess and she heard the low growl. Then the sharp crack of breaking bones as it devoured the body. It was finished in a matter of minutes and the dimly lit room took on the appearance of a slaughterhouse. She was panting for breath now as she licked the blood from her lips savoring the coppery taste. She felt the wetness seeping from her and running down her thighs.

She sat up breathing heavily the coppery taste of blood still in her mouth. She gazed around the room with wide frantic eyes but not a drop of blood was to be seen anywhere. Her heart pounded in her chest and she had the urge to vomit up what she had eaten in the brutal dream. There was a stinging on her bottom lip where she had bitten it and the taste of blood in her mouth. The dreams seemed to be getting more frequent now and a hell of a lot more graphic. Something got to do with the hormonal changes in her body the doctor had said. She felt the damp patch under her buttocks and she pulled back the covers. She had fucking pissed the bed again, the doctor had told her that the position the baby was lying in was putting pressure on her bladder. She rolled herself out of bed, her back was killing her and she felt like a beached whale.

 She waddled to the toilet and emptied what remained in her bladder. Stripped of her wet night clothes and got into the shower. The girl was barely able to move around she was fucking enormous and the pregnancy was not even five months yet. Later toweling herself dry she caught a glimpse of her distended belly in the mirror. This could not be fucking right she looked like someone who was overdue on triplets and big ones at that. But they had assured her that everything was going well and to plan. She duck walked back to the bedroom and stripped the bed. By the time it had been remade she was exhausted and climbed in and went straight to sleep, hoping she would not have any more nightmares.

Annie had just finished eating the evening meal when he came into the room. She could have licked the plate if she was alone it had been worthy of any top-class restaurant. She was beginning to worry now what was going to happen when it came to paying the bill. Well if they were expecting her to have any money they would be sorely disappointed. No, what really bothered her was what she would be asked to do to cover the bill. Still, it could not be any worse than that fat bastard of a landlord. But the girl still felt as if things were very quickly moving beyond her control. He must have been a mind reader because as soon as he sat down it was the first subject he brought up. “How are you feeling now my dear you look a bit worried if you don’t mind me saying so. If it is any consolation to you I will be covering any expenses incurred for your stay and treatment here”. Annie watched him silently now and waited for the punch line, what was expected of her in return.

An amused look had now come into his eyes and he smiled broadly at her. “I can assure you, my dear, I do not wish anything in return. I have been very fortunate in life and every now and again it gives me pleasure to give something back to those less fortunate. My business interests have been very successful by and large, and money is no longer an issue for me. As a matter of fact, when you are up to it I may even find work for you if that is what you would like”.  He came across to her as a genuinely caring person and before Annie realized it she was telling him her life story. Her ambitions for modeling, and her desire to attended modeling school when she got the money together.

It had been such a long time since the girl had any proper human interaction she found herself talking nonstop. Annie was suddenly bearing her soul to this stranger as she had to no other living soul. In the beginning, she had felt self-conscious but now her every innermost thought poured from her mouth. Annie vaguely wondered if it sounded like she was talking gibberish but she could not stop herself. All the pent up frustrations inside her on her life and ambitions and the bitter disappointments poured from her. When she finally ran out of steam she felt exhausted yet strangely unburden. The young girl was also embarrassed now as she realized she had not given him an opportunity to speak.

The sudden silence in the room was a strange feeling and she was tempted to start talking again. But then realized she had said everything that was in her head. The man sat in a relaxed manner gazing intently at her and she felt her cheeks flush. The way he had sat listening intently to her outpouring put her in mind of a councilor she had back in school. He probably thinks I am a mental case, she felt her cheeks grow hotter. Eventually, he spoke in that soft voice. “You have been through the wars, my dear. I am afraid our great metropolis can sometimes be a cruel and unforgiving place. I will leave you to get some rest you look like you could do with it. I will give some thought to finding something to improve your situation and we will talk again in the morning when I pick you up”.

He stood and patted her hand with those soft manicured fingers and smiled kindly at her. When he was gone Annie lay back with a contented sigh. For the first time in quite a while, she had a feeling that things might just be taking a turn for the better. She drifted off to sleep with thoughts of the strange man running about in her head. The girl had learned to be suspicious about people she did not know but something felt decent about this man. Annie had a feeling that she was about to embark on a new chapter of her life. Her last conscious thought was she would return to Ireland a successful model.

Surrogacy she had heard the term before on TV, she thought its something like adoption. She waited for him to elaborate on it with an uneasy feeling in her gut. They were seated in the plush interior of his car parked in the grounds of the clinic. The feel-good factor from the night before was quickly evaporating. “Look it is not for everyone Annie it’s just that the opportunity has arisen and I thought of you. It is a very serious undertaking and this is reflected in the fee. You will basically be taking the best part a year out of your life. For this, the clients are willing to pay for your accommodation, living expenses, and a fee of forty thousand pounds. Oh! You will also be provided with the best medical care available here”. She watched as he continued to speak but his lips moved yet she heard no sound.

Annie had shut out everything and all that filled her head was the thoughts of forty thousand quid. Enough to get her through modeling school and buy her decent enough clothes to get her noticed. This would be a once in a lifetime chance and it just might save her from ending up whoring herself on the streets. On the drive back to her place she fought to push the dissenting voice of her mother to the back of her mind. That little voice that warned her, that no good would come of this. The car pulled into the curb and she looked with a sinking feeling to the run-down house. He had not spoken since they left the grounds of the clinic. It was now down to her to make a decision. The whole thing seemed surreal and she couldn’t help wondering if she had imagined the whole thing.

The sound of rustling paper brought her back to the present and she turned to find him taking money from his wallet. Here we go, thought Annie, he is going to proposition me. She looked at the two crisp twenty-pound notes he held out to her. That money was badly needed and turning it down would not be an option. At least he was clean and smelled nice, he was even handsome for an old guy. With trembling hand, she took the money and braced herself for his demands. “Get yourself a good meal my dear and let me know if you make up your mind on that offer”. He now handed her a card with a telephone number on it. She waited for him to ask her for sex or something but he just smiled softly to her. She had just stepped from the car when the curtains twitched. Annie was not sure if she imagined his sweaty face and dark beady eyes watching her. Before he had a chance to drive away she had the door open and was sitting in the car. Annie gave one glance back at the smoke-stained curtains. “I will do it”.

The pain was excruciating and she lay on her side on the floor. It felt as if she had blades inside her tearing at her insides. Something was terribly wrong it felt as if the baby was going to burst out through her. This could not be right; she was only six months but could barely walk with the bulk of her stomach. She had been feeling constant movement in her womb for eight weeks. She tried to concentrate on her breathing to see if it would alleviate the pain that tore at her insides. Thankful now that she had agreed to stay at the clinic until she had delivered the baby. She held her breath and stretched out her hand again and gripped the push button hanging beside the bed. Moaning loudly as a fresh wave of agony, seared through her. She pressed her thumb on the call button and held it there.

What is keeping the fuckers she thought I am fucking dying here. She started to scream on top of her lungs ” Help for fuck sake someone please help me”. Calling out for her mother in her confusion as she wished she had never left Edinburgh. The pain was growing constantly now and it felt as if she was going to pass out. The darkness started to appear in her peripheral vision and now it was as if the room was quickly fading to black. Then she heard the door open but it seemed far away. The white blurry figures appeared above her she tried to focus but her vision was cloudy. The voice sounded like an echo in a vast empty room ” Get the trolley this one is almost ready to pop”. Then strong hands lifting her up from the floor for a moment it felt as if she was levitating.

The lights overhead streamed past and the sound of rubber soles squeaking on the floor alerted her to the fact she was being wheeled somewhere on a trolley. “Get the mask on her she is coming around and needs to be sedated. Her agitation is distressing the fetus and we don’t want that. The last thing we need is that vicious little bastard coming out agitated”. Someone put the plastic mask over her face and she drew heavily on the gas. What were they talking about she hoped the child was okay. With each deep inhalation, the pain seemed to subside and the movements in her womb went quite. Her mind became calm as the nitrous oxide kicked in, a constant stream of thoughts and images flowed through her head. She suppressed a giggle as she thought it is like being stoned. The constant flow of fluorescent lights overhead held her attention and she forgot what was happening.

Thump, thump the sound of the baby’s heart on the monitor appeared unnatural loud to her. The white-gowned people fussed around her speaking in hushed tones as they went about their business. Something about the room was unusual but she could not figure out just what. By turning her head to the side she could see the nurse watching a monitor screen by her side. The screen faced away from her illuminating the woman’s face. It looked like she had a funny expression on her face. If she did not know better she would say the nurse looked disgusted as she studied what was on the screen. She turned her head trying to make out the rest of the room. It looks like one of those wet rooms she thought that is why it is unusual. Her mind drifted again as the volume of gas was increased and she could not hold her thought pattern.

The nurse nodded to someone out of her vision range and jumped quickly to her feet Then turned her back and hurried away, she was about to call her back when the pain hit. First came a quick ripping sound as if someone had torn a sheet in two. Then the worst pain she ever felt seared red hot through her stomach. She screamed as the blood spray blinded her and then darkness. The sound was like that of a squealing pig and it brought her back from the darkness. The high pitched animal sound was like a knife through her brain. She was very weak and coldness was spreading inside her. The squealing noise drew nearer and she turned her head weakly in its direction. She was beginning to lose consciousness again but fought to focus on the source of that awful sound. When she finally saw them her mind snapped and she screamed weakly.

She was dying now and her brain passively took in what she was looking at. The big one was at least seven foot tall its elongated snout filled with rows of needle-sharp teeth. A long forked tongue darted from its open mouth and quivered in the air. It was hard to see if its skin was mottled or if it was covered in scales. Gremlins her fading mind told her, they are like giant horrible Gremlins. The thing moved towards her and in its clawed hands, it held a smaller version of itself. It was roughly the size of a toddler and covered in her blood. It was from this abomination the squealing sound came, now she started to cry. She had just given birth to this monstrosity and the tears rolled down her cold face. It was the last thing she would see on this earth.

The tall well-dressed man winced as the thing laid its offspring on the breast of the dead surrogate. It stopped squealing now and began to devour the white flesh. Soon it was joined by the adult and the sound of crunching bones sounded like hyenas devouring their prey. When they finished there would be not much left to sluice down the drains in the room. He had long ago ceased to be disgusted by their eating habits. But at times like this, he still got a shiver down his spine when he saw how quickly they got through a body. Where they came from or what they were, he had never really figured out. But they lived in a subterranean world far below the human world. They paid him obscene amounts in gold and precious stones to ensure the survival of their race. So he looked on it as a business just like the wars over oil reserves.

He watched as the adult, led its new son away, scarcely an hour old and already walking. The room now looked as if a large container of red paint had exploded inside. He held his breath as they came to a halt in front of him in the hallway. The stench of blood and offal from them was overpowering and beneath that their own scent was even worse. The strange reptilian eyes seemed to bore into him and a lisping voice echoed deep in his head. “You will expand the surrogacy program. Our numbers have dwindled dangerously low”. It turned and walked away the claws of its malformed feet clicking on the tiles. He watched for a moment as the men in the white suits hosed down the birthing room. Then he left to make arrangements for the next womb to be fertilized.

Chapter 4.

New Breeding Stock.

Annie pretended to study the contract before her. But it was all a bunch of legal claptrap as far as she could see. Still, she did want to at least try to project the image of a responsible adult. She could not make any sense of most of it but still tried to give the impression that she was analyzing the detail. What was the old saying “The Devil is in the detail”. So every now and again Annie would nod her head or mutter something under her breath. All the while he sat opposite her, his legs crossed and a disinterested expression on his face. When Annie got to the section regarding her payment she did concentrate on this. There it was in black and white a sum of forty thousand pounds payable at completion of the contract. Now, this was all she was really interested in, there was a long list of stipulations included in the payment section but she ignored them. This money would be her stepping stone to the life she wanted and deserved. Her hand was shaking and she gripped the pen so hard her fingers went white. When she finished a thought occurred to her that the shaky signature looked nothing like her usual flowing script.

From the moment the pen left her hand his attitude changed. Gone was the disinterested bored expression and he beamed a smile at her. The papers disappeared from the desk and into his briefcase as if by magic. He looked happy and relieved at the same time and Annie was suddenly concerned. Fuck she thought what in the name of God did I just agree to. A sudden urge came over her to ask for another look at the papers she had just signed. But he was on his feet now looking all business-like and professional. This whole thing was now moving forward at a frightening rate. A barrage of questions raced around her head. Who are the parents, just exactly how is he involved. Has he facilitated this kind of thing before, is it legal. But in the end, Annie remained mute and meekly followed him from the room. Out to the waiting car for the drive to the same clinic, he had taken her to before. He appeared morose on the silent journey and never opened his mouth to speak. She stared out at the people on the busy streets and tried to remain calm.

You fucking stupid, stupid bitch what have you done this time. The question echoed in her mind and fuelled the panic she was trying to suppress. Everything Annie had done since leaving home had turned to shit and now she was being reckless again. The car slowed and turned into the grounds of the clinic and she wiped her sweaty palms on the legs of her jeans. Calm the fuck down! She told herself, just think of the money. She took several deep breaths and forced her mind to think ahead to when she had the money in her fist. “Okay, Annie we are here, just relax everything will go like clockwork”. He gave her a broad smile as he led her inside but the smile never quite reached his dark eyes. Everything after that was lost in the growing numbness of her frightened mind. Blood tests, examinations, procedures, she was now an automated breeding machine.

Annie lay on her back staring at the white ceiling her legs spread-eagled in the stirrups. The heat in her cheeks grew in intensity as they poked and prodded her down below. Then she felt the cold gel on her intimate parts and shuddered as she felt the fingers sink in. She had watched a vet on her uncle’s farm examine a cow one time and she could now sympathize with how the animal must have felt. She had not known what to expect but the whole thing seemed over elaborated to her. Annie felt like some kind of a fucking guinea pig as they prodded and probed her. She had given enough blood samples to fill a bucket. Somewhere in her mind she there had been a comical image of how it would happen. It involved the father to be, watching on as the doctor squirted his jizz up her with a turkey baster. But this was more like a fucking science fiction movie and she was the victim. “You can take your legs down now Annie”. The doctor with the foreign accent barked an order at her. She awkwardly took her feet from the stirrups the gel on her groin made it feel cold.

Back in her room she flicked through the TV channels but could find nothing to hold her interest. An image of her distended stomach covered in stretch marks haunted her mind. The fact that this whole thing might put her off ever having a family of her own terrified her. Later when she did manage to sleep her dreams were horrific. She tossed and turned and cried out in her sleep. The images in her dream were vague but they were terrifying and the sound of his laughter made her blood run cold. The White nightdress was completely see-through as it clung to her body. The thing was wet through from perspiration when she woke. Now standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom she could Cleary see every contour of her body. Her breasts and the standing nipples, even her Mons pubis were exposed by the wet clinging material. She shrugged it off and stood under the shower, the streaming water hid her flowing tears.

They had explained that this would not be the run of the mill procedure usually associated with this kind of impregnation. It would be a new procedure that proved to have more consistent results. The difference for this would be she would be put under while it was going on. Don’t worry she had been told, but the fact of the matter was, that it made her happy she would be knocked out. There was only so much embarrassment anyone could put with so at least she would not have to watch them poking and prodding at her.

Annie woke to the sound of crying and sobbing and realized it came from her. She had been having a horrific nightmare she could not recall exactly what it had been about. Only a vague recollection of been molested by a faceless monster. For a while, she was disorientated then realized she was back in her room. The aching pain above her Mons pubis told her that her bladder was full and ready to burst. The room swam in and out of focus when she stood on the floor and she held on to the bed. Must be the residue of the anesthetic she thought. Was the stream of urine ever going to stop it felt like gallons and her pussy stung? Eventually, it finished and she wiped herself, her private parts felt swollen and sore to touch. Passing the mirror in the bathroom she paused and examined herself side on. She knew it was crazy but she could have sworn that her belly looked bigger already.

Chapter 5.

A Grim Discovery.

Waddling down the corridor she cupped her hands beneath the bulge of her belly and pulled her arms upwards. This helped to take some of the weight and eased her aching back. Only fucking ten weeks and already the size of a small house. She was going to insist on a C section, there was no way she was pushing this monster out through her in normal birth. The nightmare had woken her again and she was afraid to go back to sleep. They were coming more frequently now and they always left her with a feeling of self-loathing. They were fucking disgusting and so very realistic she wondered if she was mentally unstable. I mean what sane person dreamt about being fucked by someone or thing with a gigantic member. Particularly when you were eating human flesh while the action was taking place. A shudder went through her as she recalled the dream and a wave of nausea made her mouth fill with water. The place seemed deserted at this time of the night and the isolation added to her agitation. Come to think of it now, she could not remember seeing one other patient since her arrival.

Annie found herself in the empty kitchen and wondered what had brought her here. Funny though no matter how much she ate these days she was always longing for something else. She would have her work cut out for her to get back to a modeling figure after this. Still, with the money, she could join a good gym with personal trainers. Nothing looked appealing as she stared into the harshly lit interior of the stainless steel fridge. A variety of cold cuts and cheeses and even a bowl of trifle covered in cling film could not tempt her. Yet the gnawing in her stomach craved to be satisfied. On the top shelf, a covered dish drew her attention she took it down and laid it on the worktop.

 The blood squirted from the sides of her mouth as she tore at the raw steak with her teeth. A part of her mind screamed that this was not right it was an obscenity but the compulsion drove her on. In the end, she held the stainless steel dish to her lips and drained the blood from it. The blurry reflection in the stainless steel door made her almost scream. A pale outline smeared with scarlet brought a wave of sickness from the pit of her stomach. She made her way back to her room as quickly as her awkward gait would allow. Then she just made the toilet when the contents of her stomach erupted from her mouth. In the end, she ended up on her knees exhausted her whole body shaking. The undigested raw meat in the toilet bowl stood mute testament to the madness that had overtaken her. A fresh wave of convulsing retching produced nothing but burning bile. She crawled on her hand and knees to the bed and cried herself to sleep.

There is definitely something fucking wrong here she thought as she struggled to the bathroom. She moaned loudly to herself as the urine started to leak before she could get to the toilet. The aching in her back had eased after the hot shower. She stood examining herself in the full-length mirror her belly looked like an over-inflated balloon. A disturbing image of it bursting open and disgorging its contents at her feet flashed across her mind. They must have squirted elephant sperm up me she thought to herself. Either that or the daddy is a fucking giant; they had already told her it would be a single birth. She wondered what the big deal was that they wouldn’t let her see the scans. They had given her some bullshit about making sure a disconnect between her and the fetus was maintained. Well, how would they fucking like it carrying around a baby elephant and being told distance yourself from it?

She couldn’t get comfortable and the nightmares were keeping her from sleeping. I’ll never survive another twelve weeks of this she thought as she waddled down the corridor. The nurse burst from the doorway almost crashing into her. She gave a curt nod to Annie and hurried to the elevator. Annie stood watching the red blinking numbers count down until they reached B. She continued her walk wondering vaguely why the nurse was in such a hurry to get to the basement. “Fucking hell” The words echoed in the empty corridor as the pain stabbed at her insides. She watched in horror as the movements inside her caused her stomach to undulate. The deep breathing exercise finally brought the episode to an end but she was badly shaken. Turning to go back to her room her attention was drawn to the now-empty nurse’s station.

Her hands were shaking as she searched the files in the metal cabinet drawer. Any minute now she expected the nurse to return and catch her nosing through the cabinet. There didn’t appear to be any names only designated numbers. Fuck she might never find her own file before she was discovered. A passport size photo was included in each folder but so far only strange faces had greeted her. This is a real breeding factory she thought as she looked at the sheer volume of folders. Halfway through she stopped and drew out a folder, she stared in disbelief at the photograph of the Scottish girl. But the biggest shock came with the black and white scan images in the file. She fought to prevent herself from vomiting as she looked at the monstrosity betrayed in the images. Annie’s heart pounded in her chest as she opened other files to find more abominations portrayed in scan images. She could not remember getting back to the room but she found herself kneeling at the toilet. Her sides were sore from puking and her face was wet with tears and snot. The back of her throat burned from bile and streams of saliva hung from her mouth.

Chapter 6.

Seeking Redemption.

The shadows were her only comfort as she made her way painfully along. The thin nightdress allowed the night air through and the cold seeped into her bones. They must definitely have discovered her absence by now so she needed to keep moving. Another movement in her womb brought a stab of pain. Despite the numbing cold, a clammy sweat covered her body. There had been no conscious decision on where to go, yet her feet carried her relentlessly forward. A strange kind of apathy had settled over her mind and she had somehow disconnected from the gruesome images she had seen. A new urgency now came over her there was somewhere she needed to be. She tried hard to think of where she was going to and why. But all that remained of her sanity now urged her forward without explanation as to her destination.

The hookers on the street watched dispassionately at her pathetic figure as she moved from shadow to shadow. She stopped for a brief rest when she had entered the park. Before moving forward again in an almost trance-like state. She was getting weaker now but a vision of her mother’s face drove her forward. A feeling of relief came over her once she reached the steps of the church. It seemed a lifetime ago since she saw her mother’s face in this very church. The pain was unbearable now and she barely had the strength to push open the spring-loaded door. The tall alabaster statue was like a beacon. By the time she made it to the foot of the statue, she was on her hands and knees. She blinked her eyes rapidly to clear the tears as she gazed at the figure towering over here. A ripping sound echoed around the vast empty building and the pain reached a crescendo. She was fading now and through the approaching darkness, she smiled. The lady was wearing red now and her mother’s face beamed down at her.

The halogen lights lit up the carnage and cast strange shadows on to the vaulted ceilings. Brighter flashes of light erupted as the flash of the camera went off. The first thought that struck him was vandalism; someone had thrown a tin of red paint on the marble statue. Then that awful stench of blood and offal caught in the back of his throat. He approached the men in white suits slowly as he composed himself. “Watch the fucking puke and don’t step in it. The priest left his dinner on the floor”. The disrespectful tones of his partner’s voice echoed around the church. He stopped at the tape set up around the perimeter and stared over his partner’s shoulder. He felt the bile rise in the back of his throat as he focused on the pitiful sight on the floor by the statue. From the shoulders up and the knees down were as pale as the surrounding statues. Everything in-between was a bloody mess broken here and there by white patches of bone.

Jane Doe dressed only in night dress young too, the early twenties he would say. It wouldn’t be too hard to determine the cause of death either. Just how the wounds were administered might be a totally different kettle of fish. In the years he had worked this job he had come across things too obscene to think about. Well, this one was up there with the worst. They went outside to have a cigarette nothing much else they could do until the pathologist arrived. They smoked in silence, both collating their own thoughts on it. The flashing light from the squad car caused their distorted shadows to look monstrous on the front of the building. “Poor bastard”. The sudden outburst from his partner drew him out of his muse. He looked at him with a quizzical expression and waited for him to elaborate. Just then the coroner pulled up and he did not get a chance to find out what his outburst was about.

The body was bagged shortly after the pathologist had finished and they went to talk to the priest. They found him sitting in the sacristy with a uniformed policewoman. He was old and looked frail enough to keel over. The policewoman shrugged her shoulders and turned her eyes towards the ceiling before leaving the room. The old priest spoke so softly it was hard to catch his words. He had an unhealthy greyish pallor and he shivered constantly as if he were freezing. They went through his movements in a painstakingly slow process as he seemed to be confused. They eventually managed to determine he had been going to lock up the church when he found her. It was after this that things started to get really strange with the old man. He began to rock over and back in his seat breaking into short bursts of prayer. They had seen this kind of thing before when witnesses were traumatized by events. But he could never remember anyone being just this bad.

“Squealing it was, just like a pig or something and it was eating the poor girl. A monster straight from hell I tell you”. He was jabbering now and the tears ran down his cheeks. “Did you see it the terrible thing that killed the girl”. In the end, they called in the medical staff as he became more and more agitated. He was droning on to the paramedics about monsters as they took him away. “You see I told you, the poor bastard will never be right again”. His partner finally explained his cryptic outburst from earlier.