This story is set in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Holly and Ava were walking back from the playground with their children. It was 5pm in the afternoon. As Ava pushed her daughter Isabel along the sidewalk over a crack, something weird happened. It was weird because Holly had walked over that spot a minute before and nothing odd occurred.
Blue slime came out of the crack and attached itself to the pram. Holly and Ava stopped outside her building with their prams. She went inside her building with the pram and the shopping bags. Isabel's pram rolled out of the door and away down the street unseen by her mom, Ava.
"Holly could you help me lift Isabel out of her pram please" Ava asked politely. "Your baby has gone" a stranger nearby said. "What, I thought I put the brakes on" she gasped. As the young mom went to where she left the pram, the door opened once more. "Ava, watch Noah and Jonathan" Holly said. "Ok" replied Ava too stunned to do anything else. The door opened and Holly vanished.
"A baby is in that pram" Holly yelled to a passenger by as she tore down the street. Several people tried yet failed to grab the pram that pulled away. In the end, Holly managed to steer the pram back up the street towards the apartment building. A terrified Ava waited at the door with Noah. "She is safe" remarked Holly as she walked back up the street.
Ava saw that Holly was carrying Isabel and steering the pram as well. "I can never thank you for this. If you want a favour ask me, I'll return it" Ava told Holly as she held her son close to her. Both women went up in the lift to their apartments that were on the first floor. All the while, Holly mulled over what had just happened to Ava's kid.
"Ava is it okay if I tell the gang about this" asked Holly while her friend began to open her front door. Ava stopped and demanded" Why" nervously. "Do relax; I just want to tell Connor about what happened to Isabel today".
"Okay" muttered Ava unsure. "Ava only my partner will know" Holly assured her friend. "You won't tell Richard, promise" Ava insisted firmly. "I'll only tell Connor who will do his own investigation" Holly quipped. Ava agreed.
Holly opened her front door and walked inside the apartment with her two sons and the pram at the same time. Seeing that the matter was closed, Ava promptly did the same. She decided to give her daughter a bath, as Isabel was quite dirty.
Ava took Isabel into the bathroom. After turning on the taps, she put her daughter down on the mat and began to undress her. Since her back was turned, she didn't see the red oozing slime shoot out of the taps into the bath.
Smiling, Ava turned round and then let out a cry of horror. The water was full of red slime that was oozing. The slime began to rise higher and higher up the walls.
Ava grabbed Isabel and fled out of the bathroom in terror. She fled to Richard's apartment not wishing to annoy Holly who would be busy with Noah, she knew.
"Hi, come inside" said Richard as she opened the door. Ava did so while she shut the door. "Why didn't you marry me" said Connor who was playing with Noah on the floor. "Oh I'm sorry Richard" Ava apologised and left it at that. Richard shrugged.
"Umm is it okay if I do an investigation" said Connor. "What kind of things do you wish to discover" Ava asked. "I'm not sure but I will find something that will help" was all Connor said as he left.
Richard came up and said "I've got a bed for you and Isabel" nodding. Ava suddenly found that she was really tired and agreed. He led Ava and Isabel into the spare room. Once Ava and Isabel were sleeping, Richard called Connor and clamoured to know how his investigation was progressing.
Connor gave an update, saying he had collected samples of the stuff and was about to do tests when he called. Richard then ended the conversation knowing Ava's daughter was in danger. But he decided not to tell Ava yet as it would scare her. No, he would take her out to dinner then inform her that her child was being stalked.
"Will you have dinner with me" Richard begged Ava at breakfast the next day. Ava was about to say no when she saw the pleading look and said yes not wishing to disappoint her former lover. "But will someone be here to watch Isabel" she said worriedly. Richard smiled and said he had arranged a surprise for Ava. "Who" asked Ava, surprised? But, Richard wouldn't give the game away.
"You sure do think of everything" Ava said surprised. Richard just smiled a knowing smile in secret when Ava had gone into the bedroom. Nice things were always appreciated even from former girlfriends. Ava glanced at the clock, saying "Well I'm going to take a bath now, could you watch Isabel". "Yeah sure I will" Richard told her. Ava vanished into the bathroom and Richard played with Isabel on the floor.
"Now, do you want to sleep with me in the bed? "Your baby could sleep in my old crib" Richard suggested playfully. Ava shook her head. "How about I sleep in the bed with the baby instead? You could rough it out on the couch" she offered as a truce.