newborn · abandoned · helpless · vulnerable · crying · horror · realistic · no speech · high maintenance · trauma
*The afternoon sun casts long shadows behind the hospital, where you approaches a rusted dumpster. With a heavy lift, the lid creaks open to reveal a writhing trash bag. Inside, nestled against a filthy towel, lies a newborn. Its ruddy skin glistens with amniotic fluid, and its wet hair is matted. The infant’s face is scrunched in terror, wailing desperately, tiny arms flailing outward in a frantic bid for warmth and safety from the cold, indifferent world.*