Charlotte
Are you sure you gave me the right directions?
Charlotte
I’ve been driving for ages, but all I see are trees…
Charlotte
I think I’m lost 😬
Mia
OK, stay calm and keep your eyes peeled for any landmarks.
Mia
This cabin has been in my family for generations—
Mia
So I know the area like the back of my hand.
Mia
I’ll get you to this party! 🎉
Charlotte
Thanks, M. I’m just freaking out a bit…
Charlotte
It’s so dark and scary out here.
Just then, Charlotte’s headlights illuminate a silhouette in the road ahead of her.
As she drives nearer, a woman in a white dress takes shape.
Charlotte
There’s a woman in the road…
Charlotte
I’ll ask her for directions.
Mia
A woman in the road? All the way out here?
Mia
Is her car broken down?
Charlotte
No, I don’t see any other cars around.
Mia
That’s weird. No one else lives out here.
Mia
Not since old man Connors died.
Mia
This seems sketchy, Char.
Charlotte
She’s flagging me down.
Charlotte
I’m pulling over.
Mia
I’m not sure that’s a good idea.
Charlotte
Well, I can’t just drive by her…
Charlotte
What if she needs help?
Mia
Ugh. Be careful, okay?
Charlotte pulls over to the side of the road.
As she does so, the woman begins running toward the car…
Cradling something in her arms.
Charlotte
Mia! She’s carrying a baby!
Charlotte
Oh my god…the baby doesn’t look good.
Charlotte
Its face is blue!
Charlotte rolls down her window…
Just as the woman reaches her car—
Clutching an infant in a blood-soaked blanket.
Woman
I just had my baby and she isn’t breathing!
Charlotte unclicks her seatbelt and gets out of the car…
Frantically trying to remember the CPR course she took for lifeguard certification last summer.
Charlotte
We need to put her on a hard, flat surface.
Charlotte quickly shrugs out of her jacket and spreads it on the dirt road.
The woman places the infant on the jacket.
Unbundled, the baby looks even worse than before.
Its umbilical cord is tied off with a shoelace.
With shaking fingers, Charlotte kneels over the baby…
Charlotte’s own heart races, adrenaline pumping through her veins.
She leans in close, pinching the baby’s nose as she breathes into its mouth.
She sees its chest rise, so she knows she’s doing it right.
But still, the baby remains limp.
Woman
Why isn’t it working?!
Charlotte
J-Just give me a minute.
Charlotte places her palm flat on the baby’s chest and presses down—
Alternating chest compressions with breaths.
It feels like an eternity has passed.
But just when Charlotte’s about to give up…
The baby lets out a weak whimper.
Charlotte gasps, wondering if she heard right.
Then the baby lets out a great, hearty cry.
Its arms and legs flex like a healthy newborn.
Tears spring to Charlotte’s eyes.
She just saved this baby’s life!
Mia will never believe it.
The woman scoops up the baby and cradles it against her chest.
Woman
Thank you so much. I don’t know what I would have done without you.
Charlotte
I’m just happy I was able to help.
Charlotte
So what happened anyway?
Charlotte
Did you deliver your baby in your car?
Charlotte looks around again for a vehicle, but sees nothing.
Woman
No, I delivered her in my cabin.
Woman
It all happened so fast…
Woman
Suddenly she was just here and she wasn’t breathing.
Woman
Then I saw lights on the road, and ran out of the cabin to flag you down.
Charlotte
So your cabin’s nearby?
Woman
Yes, it’s just through those trees.
Charlotte
Did you just move out here?
Woman
No, I’ve been here for ages.
Weird — Mia must not know her neighbors as well as she thought.
Charlotte
Well, we’d better get off the road.
Charlotte stands and dusts off her pants.
Charlotte
You can wait in my car while we call 911.
Charlotte
Yeah…you should get your baby checked out.
Woman
Oh, I don’t think that’s necessary. She seems okay now.
For a moment, Charlotte is too stunned to speak.
Why wouldn’t this mother want to have her baby seen by a doctor?
Just moments ago, she wasn’t breathing!
Charlotte
Well, what about you?
Charlotte
You just delivered a baby…you should be seen by a doctor.
Woman
I’m okay. I’ve recovered already.
Eyeing her suspiciously, Charlotte notices the woman’s dress for the first time.
It’s a white eyelet lace dress.
And it’s pristine…there isn’t a drop of blood on it.
When did she have time to clean up after labor?
The woman’s timeline doesn’t make sense.
But Charlotte can’t quite put her finger on it.
Charlotte
I still think you should get checked out.
Charlotte
If you don’t want me to call 911, at least let me drive you to a hospital.
Woman
We’re fine, really.
Woman
Thanks for everything, but we’ll be going now.
Cradling the cooing baby against her chest…
The woman stands abruptly.
As she does, her dress flattens against her stomach.
Charlotte isn’t an expert on pregnancy…
And it’s that a woman’s baby bump doesn’t just disappear the second the baby is born.
But this woman’s abdomen looks toned and flat under her dress.
Charlotte glances up to find the woman looking right at her.
Heat rushes to Charlotte’s cheeks.
The woman smiles tightly.
Woman
You know what, I think I will take you up on your offer.
She nods to the baby in her arms.
Woman
We should get checked out.
Unease worms through Charlotte’s stomach.
But she can’t leave this woman and her newborn baby out in the road…
Just because she has a strange feeling.
So she walks toward her waiting car.
Charlotte
Great. I’ll turn up the heat so it’s nice and warm.
Charlotte climbs into the driver’s seat…
While the woman makes herself comfortable in the back.
As she moves to put the key in the ignition…
Charlotte notices she’s missed dozens of texts from Mia.
She opens the text thread.
Mia
OMG!! Charlotte, don’t pick up that woman!
Mia
A hunter heard moaning coming from old man Connors’ empty cabin.
Mia
He went in and found a woman totally gutted!
Mia
Someone had cut her baby out of her and left her for dead!
Mia
That woman on the road must be her attacker!
Charlotte flinches at the sound of the woman’s voice.
She quickly flips her phone facedown.
Charlotte
Uh, no. Nothing…just…telling my friend I’m running late.
Suddenly, Charlotte feels cold steel against her throat…
And realizes with horror that it’s a knife.
Woman
You won’t be telling your friend anything.
Charlotte tries to speak, but the woman digs the knife into Charlotte’s neck—
She feels the cool drip of blood down her neck.
Woman
Drop your phone. Now.
Charlotte drops her phone into the center console.
Woman
Don’t move. And don’t reach for your phone…
Woman
Or you’ll regret it.
Charlotte sits paralyzed with fear…
Her pulse racing under the sharp edge of the knife.
Woman
You just had to ask all those questions, didn’t you?
Charlotte opens her mouth to answer…
But the slight movement causes the knife to slice further into her skin.
Tears spring to her eyes.
She chokes back a sob, trying to stay as still as possible.
Woman
I know you’re judging me.
Woman
Wondering how I could do this—
Woman
But you don’t know what I’ve been through…
Woman
You don’t know the heartache of infertility.
Charlotte speaks through the pain of the knife.
She just needs to keep this woman talking.
Anything to keep her from doing to her what she did to the woman in the cabin.
Woman
I’ve been trying to have a baby for eight years. EIGHT. YEARS.
Woman
The few times I did manage to get pregnant, I miscarried.
Charlotte
I’m s-so sorry. That’s awful.
Woman
Everyone else got to have a baby—
Woman
Even the bad women.
Woman
Even the women who wouldn’t make good mothers.
Woman
It wasn’t fair. I was maternal. I was a natural with kids…
Spittle hits the back of Charlotte’s neck with the force of her words.
Woman
And that woman — she deserved what she got.
Woman
What kind of mother would she have been—
Woman
Agreeing to meet me — a perfect stranger — in a cabin in the middle of nowhere.
Woman
All for the promise of free baby clothes.
Woman
It’s like she wanted something bad to happen to her baby.
Woman
She put this innocent child in harm’s way.
Woman
This little girl deserves a mommy who can look out for her.
Charlotte lies through gritted teeth.
Charlotte
You’re right. I agree with you.
She doesn’t, but the woman is clearly unhinged.
So she’ll say anything right now…
Anything to get the woman to let her go.
Woman
I’ll be a good mom.
Charlotte
Of c-course you will. I already can see how much you love her.
Woman
I’ve been faking a pregnancy for 9 months.
Woman
Do you have any idea how hard that was?
Charlotte
I can’t even imagine.
Woman
You’re the only person who’s seen me like this.
The woman gestures toward her abdomen.
Woman
The only person who would ever suspect that I didn’t have the home birth I was planning.
Woman
But when you’re gone…
Charlotte feels the hot slice of the knife against her throat again.
Woman
We can finally start our life together.
Woman
The life we were meant to have.
Panic races through Charlotte’s body—
As she realizes her fate is sealed.
She’s going to die out here…
Just then, the baby starts crying.
Charlotte feels the woman falter.
Charlotte
Your baby needs you.
Charlotte
She needs her mommy.
The words have the right effect.
The woman grunts and removes the knife from Charlotte’s throat.
She scoops up the baby and begins shushing her.
While the woman’s distracted, Charlotte grabs her phone—
Then jumps out of the car…
Breaking into a full sprint.
She hears the woman yell after her.
But she doesn’t stop running.
She dashes into the thick trees.
It’s so dark, she can barely see a thing.
She stumbles blindly through the dense forest—
Twigs and leaves crunching under her feet.
Woman
You won’t get away from me!
Charlotte fumbles for her phone.
Charlotte
The woman is trying to kill me!
Charlotte
She has a knife!
Charlotte
And she’s chasing me through the woods!
Mia
Oh my god! I’m calling the cops.
Just as Charlotte looks up from her phone…
Her foot catches on a branch.
She crashes to the forest floor…
Letting out a yelp on her way down—
Alerting the woman to her location.
She hears a twig snap to her left.
And sees the woman’s shadow moving through the trees toward her.
Moonlight glints off her knife…
As her footsteps get closer and louder.
Charlotte heaves herself up and keeps running.
Woman
There’s no point in running. I’ll find you!
Woman
And I’ll do anything for my baby. ANYTHING.
Charlotte swallows hard, trying to quiet her breathing.
Seeing a break in the trees ahead…
She desperately pushes forward.
There must be a cabin in that opening.
If she can just reach it, she can lock the woman out.
But when she finally reaches the break in the trees…
A vast, dark lake…with nowhere to hide.
Footsteps sound behind her…
As Charlotte types out a frantic text to Mia.
Charlotte
She has me cornered at a lake. There’s nowhere to go!
Charlotte
I’m going to die!
The woman emerges from the trees.
Already stained with Charlotte’s blood.
Charlotte backs up, into the shallow water.
Charlotte
Your baby needs you. She’s all alone in the car.
Charlotte
She’s probably crying!
Woman
I won’t fall for that again…
Woman
I tucked her into the backseat. She’s taking a nice little nap.
Woman
And you’ll be dead by the time she wakes up.
The woman lunges forward—
Charlotte screams and dives out of the way.
She crashes into the water, choking and sputtering.
Charlotte frantically tries to propel herself away…
But the woman grabs her ankle and yanks her back.
Charlotte splashes wildly, trying to break free.
Just then, Charlotte sees movement behind the woman.
And she’s holding a fire poker.
Mia swings the fire poker right at the woman’s head—
A sickening “crack” erupts on contact.
The woman crumples into the water…
Just as policemen emerge from the trees.
Police Officer
Police! Put your hands up!
Mia drops the fire poker, and both girls raise their hands.
Charlotte
The woman who attacked the pregnant lady is here!
The policemen splash into the water.
They haul the woman out of the water toward the shore.
Charlotte
Oh my god, Mia, you saved my life!
Mia
I’m just so glad you’re okay!
Charlotte
How did you find me?
Mia
I told you — I know this area like the back of my hand.
Newspaper Headline
“Mother and baby survive attack by “womb raider.”’
Newspaper Headline
A 38-year-old woman has been arrested and charged in the attack. Read more on Page 2.”
