A Little Nudge Out The Door

PROLOGUE

The Devil At the Doorstep

Annalise McCarthy was ecstatic as she bustled out of the bathroom of her upscale suburban home, pining on a pair of golden earrings to match with the black sheath dress. On the bureau lay a black and white photograph that had succeeded in turning her life upside-down in a very special way.

She was pregnant!

She'd become suspicious a couple of months ago, when she started vomiting into the toilet every morning and was unable to eat anything except for a couple of foods without getting nauseous. At first she'd chalked it up to a virus that was passing through the community at the time. But she had no other symptoms, and after she missed her first two periods, one right after the next, she got suspicious and tentatively took a pregnancy test.

It was positive.

There was no describing the tsunami of emotions that Annalise felt as she sat in the bathroom staring at the stick that had just changed her life. Pure joy. She wanted to laugh and sob at the same time. She wanted to shout her relation to the whole word! She was pregnant! She was going to be a mom! For ten years she'd been trying to get pregnant with no success. She had miscarried ten times and was finally giving up on her dreams of becoming a parent, convinced that she would never ever be able to conceive. Her boyfriend, however, convinced her to try one last time. Who knew, he said, it might be different. Annalise hardly thought so, but she agreed to try once more, though she didn't believe that it would actually happen.

But it had. It really, really had. Her prayers were finally answered.

Yesterday was her first ultrasound appointment. She'd consulted with a great midwife and had a list of do's and don'ts written up for the next nine months. Tonight was the anniversary of her and her boyfriend, Louis. They Annalise planned on telling him the great news. He would be every bit as happy as she was.

"We're gonna be great, kid," she whispered, patting her abdomen (still smooth and flat as yet but it was only a matter of time until she started showing). "You, Daddy and I are going to be one happy family. We've wanted you for so long I can hardly believe that you're really here." She sniffled slightly and smiled. "I can't wait to meet you. You're gonna be so beautiful. I don't care if you are a boy or a girl! I'm just so happy that we'll finally get to meet you, and hold you and love you with all our hearts."

The clock chimed eight pm. Time to get going or else she was going to be late. Annalise quickly sprayed her hair and slipped on a pair of flats. She grabbed her purse and checked to make sure that it had everything she needed, including the ultrasound photograph. Check. Grabbing her colorful scarf, Annalise headed toward the bedroom door.

The lights went out.

She stopped walking and glanced around confusedly. There was no sudden warning, no fizzling or blinking; just an instant blackout. Annalise tested the lightswitch. It did not turn on. Oh well. Something must be broken, or a power line got knocked down or whatever. No big deal. She'd call the electrical company later. Annalise grasped the doorknob and tugged.

It wouldn't open.

She frowned and tried again, this time harder. The knob refused to turn. She wriggled and jiggled it, trying to get it unstuck, but it did not move an inch. Fear began to creep into her heart and shivers slipped down her spine. This wasn't normal. Something wasn't right. Annalise jerked the knob, trying to force it open, and banged on the door. "Hello?" she shouted. "Hello? Is anyone there? This isn't funny! Let me out right now!"

No response. A cold sweat gathered on her brow. Dread formed a cold, hard knot in the pit of her stomach. The shadows pressed down around her like an inky blanket, deepening and elongating, tendrils reaching out as if trying to smother her in it's embrace. Annalise backed away from her door, her eyes wide and fear shaking her body. A deep terror took root in her heart, which pounded wildly as it to beat out of her chest. It was so dark, she could barely see a foot in front of her. The silence was stifling.

Fearfully, she whispered to the darkness.

Her skin was clammy and cold. Her fingertips were like ice. A flicker of movement caught the edge of her vision, and slowly, dreadful inch by inch, she turned around…

And then she saw it.

Annalise screamed as hands of darkness reached out and gripped her with iron fingers, dragging her into a pool of nothingness. She screamed and screamed and screamed, kicking and flailing wildly. A small figure danced wildly in her peripheral vision; a black figure with unnaturally long limbs and a pair of blood red eyes that were lit with an inner flame. Annalise screamed again in pain. Her vision flared red and white and cackling, maniacal laughter resonated in the air. Blood bubbled from her mouth and her eyes seared with fire, burning with sheer agony.

And then pain exploded in her abdomen and tore and tore, ripping out a ball of flaming light. A clawed hand shoved itself and curled around the tiny being that resided within, then ripped it out. For one millisecond, for a single brief instant, Annalise thought she heard the wail of a baby, faint and distant, before it was abruptly silenced, and the echo faded away into eternity. For a moment she hung in the being's grip, mouth open, with deadened eyes, her human heart pounding.

The shadowy figure smiled. Then it snapped her neck with a snap of it's fingers.

A/N: Hi guys. This is my first fanfiction, and my first Supernatural fanfiction. :) This story is mostly a story with a cast of original characters from of 29pieces' fanfiction, The One You Feed. So, if you haven't, go check out her story before you read this! It's so awesome and amazing and full of Cas!whump and hurt/comfort and amazingness so GO READ IT YOU WON'T REGRET IT I PROMISE! *smiles* ^_^ I will probably edit this chapter extensively over the next few weeks, because this is the first draft and I'm sort of a perfectionist. Also, my posting will be very slow because I have a hectic school schedule, but rest assured, I will not abandon this fic. Please review, and I hope to have the first chapter up soon!