She could feel it as she stood there, eyes closed. Someone - or maybe it was something - was reaching out to her. Reaching for her.
Her heart started to beat a little bit harder in her chest. Another second and it was going to reach her, it would have her. She didn't know what would happen then. Breath catching in her throat, fear clamping around her heart, her eyes flew open. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting to see in front of her, but there was nothing there. The room was empty. Silent. Save for the sound of her own breathing.
Whatever had been there was gone now. Or maybe she just couldn't see it lurking in the shadows, waiting for its chance. Wait for her to close her eyes.
Next time.
Showing posts with label horror. Show all posts
Showing posts with label horror. Show all posts
Monday, July 01, 2019
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Mirror - Chapter One
You can't see her, but you know she's there, always watching.
---------
My name is Joanna Katzenellenbogen. I'm nothing special. Just a twenty-something year old girl with a lot on her plate. Like basically my entire life. I started out at school thinking I knew what I wanted, but realized a year in that I was wrong. So I dropped it all and started studying something completely different. To be quite honest, I'm still in school. And it kind of sucks. But I'm studying to be a lab technician, so that's pretty neat, I suppose.
But I'm not writing this to tell you about my boring twenty-something-year-old life. I'm writing this to warn you.
Now, this is very important: don't stare at the mirror. Don't even look at it if you can help it. Just...you need to believe me, okay?
----------
It started out just like any other day. You know the kind: simple, dull...regular. It was February, but I'm not sure that really matters. I was sitting there, on my bed with my laptop open and playing some radio station-- can I just take a minute to say how neat it is that I can play the radio on the internet? Anyways, I was listening to music, working on a project and other various homework tasks (like texting).
As I was sitting there, the door slams open, and I scream. My phone flew out of my hands and, luckily, landed on the bed rather than the floor.
It was my asshole roommate Cynthia. She laughed so hard at my reaction, I thought she was going to need CPR or something. So I kicked her. Not very hard... Okay, kinda hard. It was enough to get her to stop, at least. Mostly.
Still chuckling behind her hand, she glanced at my various (untouched) textbooks, the laptop, and my recently released phone. "C'mon, Jo. You need a night out," she practically whined at me. "You've gotten so boooooring." I rolled my eyes at her as I proceeded back to my comfy nest of a bed and grabbed my phone. No new messages.
"I can't, Cynthia. I've got homework. Besides, we both know that no one actually wants me to hangout."
It was Cynthia's turn to roll her eyes. "That's bullshit, and you know it. We're going out tonight, and that's that."
It went on like that for maybe an hour or two, through dinner. But Cynthia is possibly the only person I know who is more stubborn than I am, so I finally had to give in to her demands. She even insisted that I let her dress me. That was one of the worst decisions I have ever made. Well, not really. Actually, that was a total hyperbole. I made much worse decisions later on.
Anyways, I let Cynthia choose my outfit, do my hair and makeup, and all that other dressy stuff. It's not like I'm bad at it...I just prefer to choose the simplest route, rather than make everything more difficult or something. Whatever. I was dressed to the nines, but I felt like an idiot. It had been years since I'd dressed up and gone out. Especially on a weeknight. I'm not cure Cynthia classified Thursdays as weeknights, but that's not the point. Cynthia looked amazing, as always. She was basically a party princess, a social butterfly. Parties, bars, you name it...it was her domain. She fit in everywhere. Unlike me. I'm like...a hand with twenty sore thumbs. Man, do I stand out.
Cynthia took me to this bar first. It was packed with people. I think I recognized maybe three of them. Maybe. It was dark. I stuck to Cynthia like I was a growth on her arm. It might have been detrimental to her socializing, but she didn't complain. I'm pretty sure she could tell how awkward I was feeling.
We weren't there long before Cynthia started being accosted by people. Some of them already knew her. Some of them wanted to know her. And she dealt with all of them with such grace and suavity, it was enough to make anyone jealous, let alone me, the thumb. I slipped away and found a booth, emptying as I got there, which was perfect timing, honestly. I'd never felt so lucky in my entire life. I practically dove into the booth, claiming it by making myself look as big as I could, which wasn't exactly easy. I was one person in a booth that could easily hold like eight.
Cynthia had finally noticed my disappearance, but I'd been watching her (totally not creepy), and so I waved her over. She seemed to have some people in tow as she moved towards the booth I'd successfully claimed.
One of the people was Finn, who had the biggest damn crush on Cynthia. I swear to God, every time he found her, he would follow her around like a little lost puppy. Kind of cute, I guess. If you're into that sort of thing. Cynthia either didn't notice or didn't care. The other two were some people I didn't know, but that was more than apparent, and Cynthia quickly introduced me to them: Brennan, working on his nutrition PhD; and Alycia, his little sister who was just in town visiting. It was her birthday.
Brennan was the type who always wanted to be the center of attention. He liked to show off and have people be impressed by him. Kind of a dick. His sister seemed nice enough, though. She was probably my age, maybe a little older. She was quiet, like me, but she had this look on her face that said she was not happy to be at a bar on her birthday and not be the center of attention. or maybe she just wanted to kill everyone in the bar. I was kind of torn on that front.
For a while, I pretended to be a part of the conversation, nodding at the right moments and everything. Eventually, I just got bored and zoned out. That's always when plans are made. I don't know who suggested it, but I'll assume Brennan since he seems the type. But the next thing I know, Cynthia is grabbing my arm, telling me to get up. We were apparently going on an adventure.
----------
Next thing I knew, we were standing outside of this old house. It was beautiful, kept in such perfect repair that someone could easily have mistaken it for still being lived in. Yea, it was that nice. But, according to Alycia, it was completely empty. Abandoned. Looking at the pristine windows, the sterile white paint around the windows, I had an uneasy feeling. If this house was abandoned, why didn't it look like a ruin? Who was going through so much trouble to keep this house looking lived-in? And why?
Too bad Cynthia was super pumped to actually do the whole...breaking-and-entering thing, otherwise I might have appealed to her sane side and gotten her to change her mind. As it was, though, I failed miserably and got dragged up the front steps instead.
Turns out, this house was supposedly haunted or something like that, and it was the whole reason that Alycia had come here in the first place. She was big on the whole "ghost hunting" thing. It was kind of strange, to say the least. I don't know how I feel about it. I guess it wouldn't be my first choice of hobby. Then again, I never really believed in any supernatural sort of thing anyways. So I was just...not excited. But it was Alycia's birthday, and I guess the haunted house adventure was supposed to be her birthday present or something. Suckiest birthday gift ever, if you ask me. But seeing as it wasn't my birthday, I guess my opinion didn't really matter.
Alycia was chattering away about this and that ghost sighting and blah blah blah. I basically tuned her out. I thought I'd be better off that way. She was peering into the windows like a kid outside a candy shop. It might have been adorable had the circumstances been entirely different. I got distracted by the fact that one of the windows had a flower box. It wasn't just that it was a flower box-- it was the fact that the flowers were perfectly tended. There was no way in hell this house was actually abandoned. When I tried to point it out to everyone, though, they just talked over me. Whatever. When we all get caught for breaking and entering, I'll claim I was there against my will. Held under duress or something like that. With that Brennan jerk around, it might have even been believable.
I was ready to call it a night and just head back on my own. But that was when things got....well...interesting. Finn, who'd been kind of overshadowed by Brennan's ego, really wanted Cynthia to notice that he was still there. So he put on a brave face and walked right up to the front door. I hadn't noticed before that, but we'd all kind of been avoiding it the whole time, like it was a taboo sort of thing. Finn, though...man, he really wanted Cynthia. It's silly, the things people will do for love. Or whatever you want to call it. Anyways, Finn grabbed the doorknob and turned it without so much as a second of hesitation.
Just like that, the door opened inwards. No squeak, nothing. It just opened wide, gaping at the lot of us.
Finn gaped right back at it, obviously surprised that the door had opened on the first try. No breaking necessary. Alycia let out a sort of excited squeal. Everyone but Finn, who was still gaping at what he'd just done, shushed her quickly.
I had an uneasy feeling about all of this. An abandoned house, kept in perfect condition, with the front door left unlocked. Something just wasn't right about it all.
Alycia pushed Finn out of the way to stand in the center of the doorway. She was jumping up and down with excitement, I shit you not. I don't think I'd ever seen anyone do that before. Not in real life, anyways. It was a bit crazy. Then again, she was obviously crazy. She turned to look at all of us, her back to the gaping mouth of a doorway. I couldn't get over the way her eyes looked: either she had completely lost it, or this was basically her Christmas. Then again, nothing was stopping it from being both of those things.
"Well?!" Her voice cut through the silence and the dark, and I'm sure I saw Cynthia flinch. I know I jumped. She had been louder than expected. "Are we going in or not?!" She was way too excited about this. It made me....let's go with uncomfortable.
Brennan glanced around at the lot of us and shrugged. "I'm game." Cynthia raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Of course, having seen her reaction to Brennan's apparent lack of fear, Finn stepped up, too with a timid, "Seems like fun...," clearly not wanting to be shown up by this jock guy in front of Cynthia.
That meant three of them wanted to go in. I looked at Cynthia, mentally begging her to say she was out, that it was late and this was stupid. Instead she said, "Let's do it!" and turned to look at me, as if she were daring me to refuse. Letting out a long sigh, I trudged forward, nodding slowly. "Fine," was all I could muster.
With another squeal of excitement, Alycia turned around and took a step forward. She stopped dead in her tracks, and we all almost ran into her. "Jesus Christ, Alycia! What the hell!?" Brennan didn't seem to like stumbling and looking weak. I tried to peer around everyone to look at Alycia's face, but failed. After what felt like forever, but had really only been about fifteen seconds, Alycia shook her head and glanced back over her shoulder. Something about her face had changed. She offered a totally creepy smile and said, "Sorry, it's nothing. Let's go."
---------
My name is Joanna Katzenellenbogen. I'm nothing special. Just a twenty-something year old girl with a lot on her plate. Like basically my entire life. I started out at school thinking I knew what I wanted, but realized a year in that I was wrong. So I dropped it all and started studying something completely different. To be quite honest, I'm still in school. And it kind of sucks. But I'm studying to be a lab technician, so that's pretty neat, I suppose.
But I'm not writing this to tell you about my boring twenty-something-year-old life. I'm writing this to warn you.
Now, this is very important: don't stare at the mirror. Don't even look at it if you can help it. Just...you need to believe me, okay?
----------
It started out just like any other day. You know the kind: simple, dull...regular. It was February, but I'm not sure that really matters. I was sitting there, on my bed with my laptop open and playing some radio station-- can I just take a minute to say how neat it is that I can play the radio on the internet? Anyways, I was listening to music, working on a project and other various homework tasks (like texting).
As I was sitting there, the door slams open, and I scream. My phone flew out of my hands and, luckily, landed on the bed rather than the floor.
It was my asshole roommate Cynthia. She laughed so hard at my reaction, I thought she was going to need CPR or something. So I kicked her. Not very hard... Okay, kinda hard. It was enough to get her to stop, at least. Mostly.
Still chuckling behind her hand, she glanced at my various (untouched) textbooks, the laptop, and my recently released phone. "C'mon, Jo. You need a night out," she practically whined at me. "You've gotten so boooooring." I rolled my eyes at her as I proceeded back to my comfy nest of a bed and grabbed my phone. No new messages.
"I can't, Cynthia. I've got homework. Besides, we both know that no one actually wants me to hangout."
It was Cynthia's turn to roll her eyes. "That's bullshit, and you know it. We're going out tonight, and that's that."
It went on like that for maybe an hour or two, through dinner. But Cynthia is possibly the only person I know who is more stubborn than I am, so I finally had to give in to her demands. She even insisted that I let her dress me. That was one of the worst decisions I have ever made. Well, not really. Actually, that was a total hyperbole. I made much worse decisions later on.
Anyways, I let Cynthia choose my outfit, do my hair and makeup, and all that other dressy stuff. It's not like I'm bad at it...I just prefer to choose the simplest route, rather than make everything more difficult or something. Whatever. I was dressed to the nines, but I felt like an idiot. It had been years since I'd dressed up and gone out. Especially on a weeknight. I'm not cure Cynthia classified Thursdays as weeknights, but that's not the point. Cynthia looked amazing, as always. She was basically a party princess, a social butterfly. Parties, bars, you name it...it was her domain. She fit in everywhere. Unlike me. I'm like...a hand with twenty sore thumbs. Man, do I stand out.
Cynthia took me to this bar first. It was packed with people. I think I recognized maybe three of them. Maybe. It was dark. I stuck to Cynthia like I was a growth on her arm. It might have been detrimental to her socializing, but she didn't complain. I'm pretty sure she could tell how awkward I was feeling.
We weren't there long before Cynthia started being accosted by people. Some of them already knew her. Some of them wanted to know her. And she dealt with all of them with such grace and suavity, it was enough to make anyone jealous, let alone me, the thumb. I slipped away and found a booth, emptying as I got there, which was perfect timing, honestly. I'd never felt so lucky in my entire life. I practically dove into the booth, claiming it by making myself look as big as I could, which wasn't exactly easy. I was one person in a booth that could easily hold like eight.
Cynthia had finally noticed my disappearance, but I'd been watching her (totally not creepy), and so I waved her over. She seemed to have some people in tow as she moved towards the booth I'd successfully claimed.
One of the people was Finn, who had the biggest damn crush on Cynthia. I swear to God, every time he found her, he would follow her around like a little lost puppy. Kind of cute, I guess. If you're into that sort of thing. Cynthia either didn't notice or didn't care. The other two were some people I didn't know, but that was more than apparent, and Cynthia quickly introduced me to them: Brennan, working on his nutrition PhD; and Alycia, his little sister who was just in town visiting. It was her birthday.
Brennan was the type who always wanted to be the center of attention. He liked to show off and have people be impressed by him. Kind of a dick. His sister seemed nice enough, though. She was probably my age, maybe a little older. She was quiet, like me, but she had this look on her face that said she was not happy to be at a bar on her birthday and not be the center of attention. or maybe she just wanted to kill everyone in the bar. I was kind of torn on that front.
For a while, I pretended to be a part of the conversation, nodding at the right moments and everything. Eventually, I just got bored and zoned out. That's always when plans are made. I don't know who suggested it, but I'll assume Brennan since he seems the type. But the next thing I know, Cynthia is grabbing my arm, telling me to get up. We were apparently going on an adventure.
----------
Next thing I knew, we were standing outside of this old house. It was beautiful, kept in such perfect repair that someone could easily have mistaken it for still being lived in. Yea, it was that nice. But, according to Alycia, it was completely empty. Abandoned. Looking at the pristine windows, the sterile white paint around the windows, I had an uneasy feeling. If this house was abandoned, why didn't it look like a ruin? Who was going through so much trouble to keep this house looking lived-in? And why?
Too bad Cynthia was super pumped to actually do the whole...breaking-and-entering thing, otherwise I might have appealed to her sane side and gotten her to change her mind. As it was, though, I failed miserably and got dragged up the front steps instead.
Turns out, this house was supposedly haunted or something like that, and it was the whole reason that Alycia had come here in the first place. She was big on the whole "ghost hunting" thing. It was kind of strange, to say the least. I don't know how I feel about it. I guess it wouldn't be my first choice of hobby. Then again, I never really believed in any supernatural sort of thing anyways. So I was just...not excited. But it was Alycia's birthday, and I guess the haunted house adventure was supposed to be her birthday present or something. Suckiest birthday gift ever, if you ask me. But seeing as it wasn't my birthday, I guess my opinion didn't really matter.
Alycia was chattering away about this and that ghost sighting and blah blah blah. I basically tuned her out. I thought I'd be better off that way. She was peering into the windows like a kid outside a candy shop. It might have been adorable had the circumstances been entirely different. I got distracted by the fact that one of the windows had a flower box. It wasn't just that it was a flower box-- it was the fact that the flowers were perfectly tended. There was no way in hell this house was actually abandoned. When I tried to point it out to everyone, though, they just talked over me. Whatever. When we all get caught for breaking and entering, I'll claim I was there against my will. Held under duress or something like that. With that Brennan jerk around, it might have even been believable.
I was ready to call it a night and just head back on my own. But that was when things got....well...interesting. Finn, who'd been kind of overshadowed by Brennan's ego, really wanted Cynthia to notice that he was still there. So he put on a brave face and walked right up to the front door. I hadn't noticed before that, but we'd all kind of been avoiding it the whole time, like it was a taboo sort of thing. Finn, though...man, he really wanted Cynthia. It's silly, the things people will do for love. Or whatever you want to call it. Anyways, Finn grabbed the doorknob and turned it without so much as a second of hesitation.
Just like that, the door opened inwards. No squeak, nothing. It just opened wide, gaping at the lot of us.
Finn gaped right back at it, obviously surprised that the door had opened on the first try. No breaking necessary. Alycia let out a sort of excited squeal. Everyone but Finn, who was still gaping at what he'd just done, shushed her quickly.
I had an uneasy feeling about all of this. An abandoned house, kept in perfect condition, with the front door left unlocked. Something just wasn't right about it all.
Alycia pushed Finn out of the way to stand in the center of the doorway. She was jumping up and down with excitement, I shit you not. I don't think I'd ever seen anyone do that before. Not in real life, anyways. It was a bit crazy. Then again, she was obviously crazy. She turned to look at all of us, her back to the gaping mouth of a doorway. I couldn't get over the way her eyes looked: either she had completely lost it, or this was basically her Christmas. Then again, nothing was stopping it from being both of those things.
"Well?!" Her voice cut through the silence and the dark, and I'm sure I saw Cynthia flinch. I know I jumped. She had been louder than expected. "Are we going in or not?!" She was way too excited about this. It made me....let's go with uncomfortable.
Brennan glanced around at the lot of us and shrugged. "I'm game." Cynthia raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Of course, having seen her reaction to Brennan's apparent lack of fear, Finn stepped up, too with a timid, "Seems like fun...," clearly not wanting to be shown up by this jock guy in front of Cynthia.
That meant three of them wanted to go in. I looked at Cynthia, mentally begging her to say she was out, that it was late and this was stupid. Instead she said, "Let's do it!" and turned to look at me, as if she were daring me to refuse. Letting out a long sigh, I trudged forward, nodding slowly. "Fine," was all I could muster.
With another squeal of excitement, Alycia turned around and took a step forward. She stopped dead in her tracks, and we all almost ran into her. "Jesus Christ, Alycia! What the hell!?" Brennan didn't seem to like stumbling and looking weak. I tried to peer around everyone to look at Alycia's face, but failed. After what felt like forever, but had really only been about fifteen seconds, Alycia shook her head and glanced back over her shoulder. Something about her face had changed. She offered a totally creepy smile and said, "Sorry, it's nothing. Let's go."
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Writing Doodle 020 - Who Are They
Pressed against the cold hard metal, she tries so hard to stay silent. They are coming for her.
Fear leaks from her body in the form of sweat, giving her turquoise skin a glistening look. They are so close, and she is terrified of what they might do to her. Kicking herself mentally, she tries not to think about it. Instead, she tries to think of a way off the damn ship.
She can't just walk off the ship, not now that they've already left the port. It would be certain death. Then again, maybe it would be better than waiting for them to find her. Maybe she could get in an escape pod-- all she'd have to do is give them the slip and make a run for it, hope that none of them are watching the escape pods from the control room.
The clatter of metal on metal comes from down the corridor and she gasps. Her hand rushes to cover her mouth as the sound escapes. Time is running out, and she knows it all too well. It's time to run again. She can only hope she can outrun them one more time.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Writing Doodle 019 - Alone
Being alone was never something I enjoyed. As a matter of fact, I actually always hated it. Being alone was the absolute worst thing that could ever happen to me. No one ever seemed to understand that, though. They figured that because I'm introverted, I always wanted to be alone. No, I don't. I get lonely, too. I get scared...
People would tell me there's nothing to be afraid of, y'know? I was just hearing things, or imagining something. I did my best to believe them. That was when it got bad.
I had convinced myself that there was nothing there, that the weird noises, the dark shapes were all in my head. I had an overactive imagination, and it was trying to bleed into reality. It's not like I was anywhere dangerous, either. I was just sitting at home, watching a movie. Alone.
You see, that's when they strike. The things that hide when other people are around. They make those weird noises, they're the dark shapes you think you see out of the corner of your eye. Once you've lulled yourself into a false sense of safety, they get you.
They got me.
Now I'm one of them. I'm sitting in the shadows, watching and waiting. When you least expect it, we'll be coming for you.
People would tell me there's nothing to be afraid of, y'know? I was just hearing things, or imagining something. I did my best to believe them. That was when it got bad.
I had convinced myself that there was nothing there, that the weird noises, the dark shapes were all in my head. I had an overactive imagination, and it was trying to bleed into reality. It's not like I was anywhere dangerous, either. I was just sitting at home, watching a movie. Alone.
You see, that's when they strike. The things that hide when other people are around. They make those weird noises, they're the dark shapes you think you see out of the corner of your eye. Once you've lulled yourself into a false sense of safety, they get you.
They got me.
Now I'm one of them. I'm sitting in the shadows, watching and waiting. When you least expect it, we'll be coming for you.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Writing Doodle 012 - Keyboard Mashing
Based on a writing prompt found here.
Either
Foggy
Tumbled
Horrendous
Juniper
Quest
Iron
Officially
Painstaking
Goddesses
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Either one of them could have said, "Let's turn back," and the other would have gladly agreed. Foggy as it was, they could see decently well through the dark and the mist thanks to the single flashlight they had between them. Tumbling downwards, they both let out a shriek of fear as the ground gave way. Horrendous spiders glided down on silken strings to where the two girls lay in a terrified heap on the damp ground, a beam of moonlight faint through the fog cut it's way through the darkness from the opening they had fallen through. Juniper yelped when she noticed the massive arachnids descending upon them and grabbed for Carlie who was searching for the flashlight she'd dropped. Quests were supposed to be something fun, not terrifying, thought Juniper as she clung desperately to Carlie, tears welling in her eyes. "Iron," Carlie shouts at Juniper from beneath her, "They can't touch iron, June!" Officially sobbing in fear, Juniper tries desperately to retrieve the iron blade from her belt. Painstaking measures were taken to ensure that the blade had been carried with them since it was the only thing that could kill the eight-legged monsters. Goddesses and Gods alike watched in amusement as Juniper flailed with the knife in her hand, hoping beyond hope that she managed to kill even just one of the creatures that seemed to want to eat her and Carlie so badly, only just managing to kill one of the things, frightening the rest back, and ending the quest.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Writing Doodle 011 - Split Personality
The movies never really prepare you for anything. In this case, the movies were far from the truth. The zombie apocalypse was nothing like anyone had ever really imagined it would be. Not in the movies, anyways. They don't just change. They die, something takes over their bodies, the reanimated corpses hunt down the rest of us. I mean, I guess it kind of sounds like some of the movies...maybe, but it doesn't feel like it. We have to bury our dead in coffins made of steel. Steel. It's crazy. Their eyes don't turn that milky blue like you see in movies, though. They look normal. Bloodshot, sure, but normal. And something-- I guess it's whatever takes over the bodies-- keeps them from rotting, as if they were still alive. All of 'em. So, yea, it can be a little bit difficult to pick out the zombie ones sometimes. Until they start following you, chasing you...killing you. Y'know.
The worst thing I saw, though, was this kid. Must've been only four or five, and one of the cutest kids I ever saw. Anyways, he was with an officer who'd saved him from being eaten and all that, but the kid slipped away while the officer's back was turned. The kid walked right over to one of the zombies and tried to hold it's hand, calling it "Mommy." The officer noticed too late. Kid got massacred by the thing that was originally his mother. Terrible, huh?
So anyways, I've never really been one to believe in things like supernatural and all. These zombies have some definite scientific explanation-- I think I read that it's some crazy parasite born from some virus or other. I don't know. I'm not a scientist, so I didn't really understand what all the words meant. So, really, I always thought those people that claimed to see ghosts and things like that were insane. Actually insane. So when everything started happening, I really thought I'd lost it, too.
I was living in this shelter compound with at least a dozen other people. Honestly, though, I think we had about fifty people living there. It was a decent group-- enough of us to get all the work done and then some. And pretty much all the lazy ones had gotten picked off by the zombies, so we were doing okay. Anyways, there was this one girl-- she was gorgeous-- her name was Georgia, but everyone called her Jo. I was totally in love with her, but I never imagined anything would come of that, what with it being the middle of an apocalypse and all. Not to mention, with only about fifty of us living there, I hardly expected any of them to be like me. Queer, that is. But that's beside the point. Jo and I, we really had something, y'know? Something that makes people uncomfortable because they're jealous that they haven't got it as good. But it didn't seem to be a bother to anyone. Life went on as usual-- just that me and Jo usually got to work together from that point on.
We were put on scavenging duty a few months after we became a public..."thing." Wasn't the first time we'd been put to the task, either. And, actually, it was one of my favorites. We went out into the town, searching for anything that might be useful. Batteries, food, clothes...whatever. Anything that might help. So we were exploring this old house-- could tell it used to be real nice, too-- and we run into a kid. She must have been maybe eight years old? I don't know-- I'm no good at telling kids' ages. Anyways, Jo, with her gentle heart, calls out to the kid, telling her it'll be alright. Course, we both got this feeling in our guts that this kid is a zombie, but neither one of us wants it to be true. So Jo's trying to get the kid to come out of the corner she's huddled in, and when she's close enough, the kid rips Jo to bits, pretty much. Eats some parts of her and all that. I was bolting. We'd made a pact-- if either one of us got killed, the other one couldn't just stand there and wait to die, too. Had to run, had to live.
So with tears streaming from my eyes, I raced back to the compound with my bag full of the stuff I'd collected. I told 'em all what happened and they did their best to comfort me. I mean, really. They really tried. That was when I started to feel like I was part of a massive family, and I loved all of 'em.
Couple days later, I'm sitting in the compound mourning the loss of my girlfriend, when I think I hear her voice behind me. I turn and look, not expecting to see anything, expecting it just to be my grief getting the better of me. And there she is. A bit bloodied and pretty....transparent. I blink, I rub my eyes, I shake my head. Nothing I do makes the image go away. I even tried throwing something at her, but it did nothing. She smiled the way she used to and floated-- that's right, floated-- closer. I muttered aloud about seeing things and going crazy. Then, I remember, clear as day, she said, "You're not goin' crazy, Bug. I'm here. I'm really here." I was terrified of going insane, so I ran. I ran away from her for the second time, tears streaming all over again.
That night, as I tossed and turned on my bed pallet, I saw her again. She seemed to glow as she moved towards me. An eerie, otherworldly sort of glow. I knew I had to be dreaming. Until Moose, the big guy on the pallet next to mine woke up and freaked because he saw her, too. It was Jo. A ghost, but it was Jo. With just about everyone in the room stirring at Moose's rather loud and terrified chattering, Jo disappeared. I jumped up, reaching out for her, but she was gone. The ghost sighting was the talk of the compound for the next two days.
A week after Jo's death, I was back on the duty roster. I had elected to be put on scavenging duty. People thought I had a death wish after seeing my dead girlfriend and all that. I didn't-- not really-- I just liked scavenging. So I was out and about with Moose, of all people. He's not exactly graceful, y'know. Big and lumbery, makes a lot of noise. Good guy, though. Anyways, we're looting this corner store when Jo just sort of...appears in front of me. She smiles, says hi. I kind of smile back. Moose comes 'round the corner and yelps at the sight of her. She rolls her eyes in that adorable way and tells him that "if he's just gonna keep screamin' everytime he sees her, she'll stop showin' up" or somethin' like that. Moose quiets down and tries to touch her, but I swatted his hand away. No one gets to touch my girlfriend without her permission. But she turns and says the real reason she's here now is to warn us-- there's a group of zombies headed for right where we are.
So we grab what we can and scurry out of the store. As we do, we see the group Jo was talking about. At the head of the group? Jo's body. Pristine in it's beauty. I mean, yea, there's some blood splatters all over her, but I mean, it's Jo. It's really Jo. And I think it saw me-- recognized me. 'Cause it stopped in it's tracks, staring at me. Beside me, Jo's ghost is telling me I need to run, to get out of there. Moose is yelling the same thing from a ways away-- he's already started running. Jo's body is suddenly bolting towards me, her face distorted with something like rage. I run like hell, leaving Jo's ghost behind to face the body she came from.
I make it back to the compound about five minutes after Moose. They thought I'd let myself be killed. I grin and tell them I would never do something stupid like that. Then I go on to tell them about how Jo's body is still out there, and it's weird 'cause her ghost is out there two. It's like she got split into two people when she died. We wonder if it happens to everyone or if Jo's just a special case, but none of us are scientists, and ghosts aren't really science anyways.
As the years go on, I age. Jo stays the same. Her ghost as pretty as the day she died. Even her body, which I run into every now and then, is still young and perfect. I don't know how it does it-- the parasite virus thing, I mean. How does it preserve them all so perfectly? At least we've finally found a way to kill them now-- and keep 'em dead. It was kind of funny to see everyone going for headshots and all that-- damn zombie movies. I mean, yea, if you can cut off the head, that seems to work for the most part. The body's still animated, but it rots-- slowly, but it rots. Y'see, what you gotta do is burn 'em. Cut off the head, keep it away from the body, 'cause there was a couple cases a few years back where the heads reattached themselves, and then you gotta burn 'em. Set 'em on fire. And make sure they burn up all the way.
We were twenty-three when Jo died-- well, I was. She was twenty-one. Now I'm reaching fifty-five. It's been a long apocalypse, but it's almost over now. Just a few more of 'em left out there. One of 'em's Jo. And it's my job to burn her. I won't let just anyone do it. So out I go-- these kids with me, they never knew the world before the apocalypse, and it's crazy to think they were born into this shithole of a world, but they're good kids. I spot Jo, and we stare one another down, just like that day thirty-someodd years ago. She runs at me, finally. I tell the kids to get ready-- they do. I yell the signal, and they grab her just in time. They've got these crazy hazmat suits on-- gotta make sure they all stay uninfected. Anyways, I chop of Jo's head, her perfect hair now glistening with her own blood. One of the kids grabs the head the way we taught him, and two of others drag the still moving body. They throw the pieces into two pits-- one for the body, one for the head. I douse each with some gasoline, strike the matches, and toss 'em into the pits. We all stand back and watch as the fire licks at the sky. Through the flames, I can see Jo's ghost. She smiles at me the way she used to, blows me a kiss. I swear she almost looks like she's crying, but maybe that's just my vision blurring from my own tears. But I do know that she's saying goodbye. This is the last time I'll ever see her.
Years later, I die in a hospital. A hospital. The world is slowly going back to what it was before the apocalypse. Well, same but better, really. As the light fades, I see Jo. She's waiting for me, a smile on her face. I wish I would hurry up and die faster so I can get to her quicker. Finally, the world disappears, the pain slips away, and I'm standing there, hand-in-hand, with Jo.
The worst thing I saw, though, was this kid. Must've been only four or five, and one of the cutest kids I ever saw. Anyways, he was with an officer who'd saved him from being eaten and all that, but the kid slipped away while the officer's back was turned. The kid walked right over to one of the zombies and tried to hold it's hand, calling it "Mommy." The officer noticed too late. Kid got massacred by the thing that was originally his mother. Terrible, huh?
So anyways, I've never really been one to believe in things like supernatural and all. These zombies have some definite scientific explanation-- I think I read that it's some crazy parasite born from some virus or other. I don't know. I'm not a scientist, so I didn't really understand what all the words meant. So, really, I always thought those people that claimed to see ghosts and things like that were insane. Actually insane. So when everything started happening, I really thought I'd lost it, too.
I was living in this shelter compound with at least a dozen other people. Honestly, though, I think we had about fifty people living there. It was a decent group-- enough of us to get all the work done and then some. And pretty much all the lazy ones had gotten picked off by the zombies, so we were doing okay. Anyways, there was this one girl-- she was gorgeous-- her name was Georgia, but everyone called her Jo. I was totally in love with her, but I never imagined anything would come of that, what with it being the middle of an apocalypse and all. Not to mention, with only about fifty of us living there, I hardly expected any of them to be like me. Queer, that is. But that's beside the point. Jo and I, we really had something, y'know? Something that makes people uncomfortable because they're jealous that they haven't got it as good. But it didn't seem to be a bother to anyone. Life went on as usual-- just that me and Jo usually got to work together from that point on.
We were put on scavenging duty a few months after we became a public..."thing." Wasn't the first time we'd been put to the task, either. And, actually, it was one of my favorites. We went out into the town, searching for anything that might be useful. Batteries, food, clothes...whatever. Anything that might help. So we were exploring this old house-- could tell it used to be real nice, too-- and we run into a kid. She must have been maybe eight years old? I don't know-- I'm no good at telling kids' ages. Anyways, Jo, with her gentle heart, calls out to the kid, telling her it'll be alright. Course, we both got this feeling in our guts that this kid is a zombie, but neither one of us wants it to be true. So Jo's trying to get the kid to come out of the corner she's huddled in, and when she's close enough, the kid rips Jo to bits, pretty much. Eats some parts of her and all that. I was bolting. We'd made a pact-- if either one of us got killed, the other one couldn't just stand there and wait to die, too. Had to run, had to live.
So with tears streaming from my eyes, I raced back to the compound with my bag full of the stuff I'd collected. I told 'em all what happened and they did their best to comfort me. I mean, really. They really tried. That was when I started to feel like I was part of a massive family, and I loved all of 'em.
Couple days later, I'm sitting in the compound mourning the loss of my girlfriend, when I think I hear her voice behind me. I turn and look, not expecting to see anything, expecting it just to be my grief getting the better of me. And there she is. A bit bloodied and pretty....transparent. I blink, I rub my eyes, I shake my head. Nothing I do makes the image go away. I even tried throwing something at her, but it did nothing. She smiled the way she used to and floated-- that's right, floated-- closer. I muttered aloud about seeing things and going crazy. Then, I remember, clear as day, she said, "You're not goin' crazy, Bug. I'm here. I'm really here." I was terrified of going insane, so I ran. I ran away from her for the second time, tears streaming all over again.
That night, as I tossed and turned on my bed pallet, I saw her again. She seemed to glow as she moved towards me. An eerie, otherworldly sort of glow. I knew I had to be dreaming. Until Moose, the big guy on the pallet next to mine woke up and freaked because he saw her, too. It was Jo. A ghost, but it was Jo. With just about everyone in the room stirring at Moose's rather loud and terrified chattering, Jo disappeared. I jumped up, reaching out for her, but she was gone. The ghost sighting was the talk of the compound for the next two days.
A week after Jo's death, I was back on the duty roster. I had elected to be put on scavenging duty. People thought I had a death wish after seeing my dead girlfriend and all that. I didn't-- not really-- I just liked scavenging. So I was out and about with Moose, of all people. He's not exactly graceful, y'know. Big and lumbery, makes a lot of noise. Good guy, though. Anyways, we're looting this corner store when Jo just sort of...appears in front of me. She smiles, says hi. I kind of smile back. Moose comes 'round the corner and yelps at the sight of her. She rolls her eyes in that adorable way and tells him that "if he's just gonna keep screamin' everytime he sees her, she'll stop showin' up" or somethin' like that. Moose quiets down and tries to touch her, but I swatted his hand away. No one gets to touch my girlfriend without her permission. But she turns and says the real reason she's here now is to warn us-- there's a group of zombies headed for right where we are.
So we grab what we can and scurry out of the store. As we do, we see the group Jo was talking about. At the head of the group? Jo's body. Pristine in it's beauty. I mean, yea, there's some blood splatters all over her, but I mean, it's Jo. It's really Jo. And I think it saw me-- recognized me. 'Cause it stopped in it's tracks, staring at me. Beside me, Jo's ghost is telling me I need to run, to get out of there. Moose is yelling the same thing from a ways away-- he's already started running. Jo's body is suddenly bolting towards me, her face distorted with something like rage. I run like hell, leaving Jo's ghost behind to face the body she came from.
I make it back to the compound about five minutes after Moose. They thought I'd let myself be killed. I grin and tell them I would never do something stupid like that. Then I go on to tell them about how Jo's body is still out there, and it's weird 'cause her ghost is out there two. It's like she got split into two people when she died. We wonder if it happens to everyone or if Jo's just a special case, but none of us are scientists, and ghosts aren't really science anyways.
As the years go on, I age. Jo stays the same. Her ghost as pretty as the day she died. Even her body, which I run into every now and then, is still young and perfect. I don't know how it does it-- the parasite virus thing, I mean. How does it preserve them all so perfectly? At least we've finally found a way to kill them now-- and keep 'em dead. It was kind of funny to see everyone going for headshots and all that-- damn zombie movies. I mean, yea, if you can cut off the head, that seems to work for the most part. The body's still animated, but it rots-- slowly, but it rots. Y'see, what you gotta do is burn 'em. Cut off the head, keep it away from the body, 'cause there was a couple cases a few years back where the heads reattached themselves, and then you gotta burn 'em. Set 'em on fire. And make sure they burn up all the way.
We were twenty-three when Jo died-- well, I was. She was twenty-one. Now I'm reaching fifty-five. It's been a long apocalypse, but it's almost over now. Just a few more of 'em left out there. One of 'em's Jo. And it's my job to burn her. I won't let just anyone do it. So out I go-- these kids with me, they never knew the world before the apocalypse, and it's crazy to think they were born into this shithole of a world, but they're good kids. I spot Jo, and we stare one another down, just like that day thirty-someodd years ago. She runs at me, finally. I tell the kids to get ready-- they do. I yell the signal, and they grab her just in time. They've got these crazy hazmat suits on-- gotta make sure they all stay uninfected. Anyways, I chop of Jo's head, her perfect hair now glistening with her own blood. One of the kids grabs the head the way we taught him, and two of others drag the still moving body. They throw the pieces into two pits-- one for the body, one for the head. I douse each with some gasoline, strike the matches, and toss 'em into the pits. We all stand back and watch as the fire licks at the sky. Through the flames, I can see Jo's ghost. She smiles at me the way she used to, blows me a kiss. I swear she almost looks like she's crying, but maybe that's just my vision blurring from my own tears. But I do know that she's saying goodbye. This is the last time I'll ever see her.
Years later, I die in a hospital. A hospital. The world is slowly going back to what it was before the apocalypse. Well, same but better, really. As the light fades, I see Jo. She's waiting for me, a smile on her face. I wish I would hurry up and die faster so I can get to her quicker. Finally, the world disappears, the pain slips away, and I'm standing there, hand-in-hand, with Jo.
Wednesday, October 01, 2014
Don't Pause
Laughter, cold and mechanical, sliced through the air in hopes of finding anyone to listen to it. It was the kind of laughter you might expect to hear from the creepiest clown doll in existence. Luckily for Shaylan, the girl who heard it, it wasn't real. The laughter was coming from the game she was absorbed in. The game was all that mattered, but that wasn't uncommon for Shaylan-- games were her weakness, her passion. Being as absorbed in the game as she was, the sound of banging caused her to jump and look about the room wildly. Again, the sound of banging reached her ears, and, pausing the game, Shaylan got up to investigate. The sound led her to her front door, and upon opening it, she saw it was just Brian delivering a pizza she forgot she had ordered.
With her back to the room, Shaylan had missed the shadows moving. The room was growing darker of its own accord.
A fresh, hot pizza in her hand, Shaylan closed the door behind Brian and turned back to the room. Strange, it seemed darker somehow, but she couldn't tell why or how. Flicking the nearest switch, an overhead light came on, driving some of the shadows back, but not quite far enough. Shaylan set the pizza box down on the coffee table beside the game controller and went to her bedroom where her phone lay half-forgotten on her bed. Glancing around the room, as if to be sure she was alone, Shaylan scurried to the bed, grabbed her phone, and rushed back to the living room where her pizza sat waiting for her.
One eye behind her, Shaylan all but leaped onto the couch. She made certain that her feet were well away from the floor, afraid of the shadows lurking under the couch, waiting to grab her ankles. Grabbing the remote, she switched the input on the television and sound flooded the room making it feel simultaneously less and more foreboding. While the television showed scenes of cartoon comedy, and Shaylan ate the pizza, the shadows moved in closer and closer, pressing against the light.
More than half the pizza was gone by the time Shaylan was done with it. The box lay open on the nearby coffee table as the air nipped at the pizza, chilling it. As the hours wore on, Shaylan gave into sleep on the couch, the television's light flickered, giving the room a eerie look. As the young woman slept on the couch, her fingertips brushing against the carpet, the shadows came out to play. The television flipped back to the game Shaylan had paused, and the sound of laughter that had seemed so innocuous before reached out for the sleeping woman.
The sound woke her with a start. Eyes wide, she searched for any signs of another person in the apartment, but quickly found that she was alone. Pausing the game, that she was so certain she had paused before falling asleep, Shaylan stood up cautiously as she made her way to the nearest light. When she tried to turn it on, nothing happened. Again, she tried to turn the light on, and again, nothing happened. Scuffling her feet along the carpet, Shaylan picked a cautious route to the circuit breaker on the wall behind her bedroom door. The game unpaused once again, the laughter filling the room with its ominous tones. Shaylan froze with her hand on the doorframe, about to enter the bedroom. With guarded movements, she turned to look at the television, expecting one of her friends to jump out at any moment to scare the shit out of her. Standing in front of the television was the shape of a person, darkened by the glow of the television from behind.
"Heh-hello...? Brian? That you?" The words came out as little more than a quivering whisper.
The only response she got was the laughter. The same, horrifying laughter that had been in the game, and it dawned on her that the sound was no longer coming through the speakers. It was coming from the figure in front of the television.
"This...this isn't funny..." Shaylan took a step backwards, stepping on a shirt she'd left lying on the floor. A shriek of terror ripped from her lungs as she jumped forward, her eyes focusing on the lump of innocuous fabric on the ground. When she lifted her eyes back to the figure, she found it to be closer. Much closer. It was barely two feet away from her now. Shaylan could feel her heart pounding like a jackhammer in her chest. Never before had she been more terrified than she was then. It was too dark to make out the figure's face, but Shaylan had the distinct feeling that it was smiling at her. "B-Brian...?" Even though she knew now that it wasn't him, she asked out of desperation, one final hope that maybe this was all some elaborate prank.
Flickering, much like a television, the figure disappeared from view. Shaylan took a jerky step forward, nearly petrified with terror, trying to figure out where the thing was or if it had gone for good. Just as her foot slid forward, Shaylan felt a slimy hand on her upper arm. Her first instinct was to run, but her fear held her as if she'd been frozen in place. The hand slithered to her shoulder, gripping her tightly. It-- whatever it was-- turned her around.
Finally, Shaylan saw its face. It was like something that had stepped right out of a horror movie with its rotting flesh, a smile cut into its horrifying face that stretched from one ear to the other. Over the rotting flesh was the remnants of what appeared to be clown make-up. Shaylan felt her fear expanding from her chest. Her heart stopped before beating in a way that made it feel like there was a jackhammer in her chest. Bile rose up the back of her throat, followed by a scream that tore from her fast enough to cause her voice to crack into a shrill screech of terror.
The thing that had climbed right out of the game she had been playing now had a hold of Shaylan. It's laughter filled the apartment as it grabbed her by the throat and she was plunged into a darkness that pushed against her with so much force, it might have knocked the air from her lungs had there been any in them to begin with. It was a darkness that couldn't be penetrated even by sound, let alone light, but the clown's laughter still rang in her ears.
The sound woke her with a start. Eyes wide, she searched for any signs of another person in the apartment, but quickly found that she was alone. Pausing the game, that she was so certain she had paused before falling asleep, Shaylan stood up cautiously as she made her way to the nearest light. When she tried to turn it on, nothing happened. Again, she tried to turn the light on, and again, nothing happened. Scuffling her feet along the carpet, Shaylan picked a cautious route to the circuit breaker on the wall behind her bedroom door. The game unpaused once again, the laughter filling the room with its ominous tones. Shaylan froze with her hand on the doorframe, about to enter the bedroom. With guarded movements, she turned to look at the television, expecting one of her friends to jump out at any moment to scare the shit out of her. Standing in front of the television was the shape of a person, darkened by the glow of the television from behind.
"Heh-hello...? Brian? That you?" The words came out as little more than a quivering whisper.
The only response she got was the laughter. The same, horrifying laughter that had been in the game, and it dawned on her that the sound was no longer coming through the speakers. It was coming from the figure in front of the television.
"This...this isn't funny..." Shaylan took a step backwards, stepping on a shirt she'd left lying on the floor. A shriek of terror ripped from her lungs as she jumped forward, her eyes focusing on the lump of innocuous fabric on the ground. When she lifted her eyes back to the figure, she found it to be closer. Much closer. It was barely two feet away from her now. Shaylan could feel her heart pounding like a jackhammer in her chest. Never before had she been more terrified than she was then. It was too dark to make out the figure's face, but Shaylan had the distinct feeling that it was smiling at her. "B-Brian...?" Even though she knew now that it wasn't him, she asked out of desperation, one final hope that maybe this was all some elaborate prank.
Flickering, much like a television, the figure disappeared from view. Shaylan took a jerky step forward, nearly petrified with terror, trying to figure out where the thing was or if it had gone for good. Just as her foot slid forward, Shaylan felt a slimy hand on her upper arm. Her first instinct was to run, but her fear held her as if she'd been frozen in place. The hand slithered to her shoulder, gripping her tightly. It-- whatever it was-- turned her around.
Finally, Shaylan saw its face. It was like something that had stepped right out of a horror movie with its rotting flesh, a smile cut into its horrifying face that stretched from one ear to the other. Over the rotting flesh was the remnants of what appeared to be clown make-up. Shaylan felt her fear expanding from her chest. Her heart stopped before beating in a way that made it feel like there was a jackhammer in her chest. Bile rose up the back of her throat, followed by a scream that tore from her fast enough to cause her voice to crack into a shrill screech of terror.
The thing that had climbed right out of the game she had been playing now had a hold of Shaylan. It's laughter filled the apartment as it grabbed her by the throat and she was plunged into a darkness that pushed against her with so much force, it might have knocked the air from her lungs had there been any in them to begin with. It was a darkness that couldn't be penetrated even by sound, let alone light, but the clown's laughter still rang in her ears.
* * * * *
It was nearly five days later when they came to check on Shaylan. Brian had reported having not heard from her for a couple of days and was beginning to worry.
What they found was a game, paused, and a half-eaten pizza that was a few days old. And Shaylan. The woman was slumped near her bedroom door. The corpse looked as through it had been wrung out entirely of fluids. Her face was contorted in a scream. Studying the body, they could have sworn they heard the sound of laughter. Cold, mechanical laughter. The kind of laughter you might expect to hear from the creepiest clown doll in existence, but when they searched the apartment for the source, they found nothing but the paused game.
Friday, September 19, 2014
Writing Doodle 009 - Two Sentences
So I saw this and decided to try my hand at it. These are the best I've got.
Waking up and feeling a body beside me reminded me of how much I had missed having another person in my life. Then I remembered I had come home alone last night.
You know how sometimes, you think you see something moving out of the corner of your eye, but when you look, nothing's there? That's me, and I'm coming for you.
Waking up and feeling a body beside me reminded me of how much I had missed having another person in my life. Then I remembered I had come home alone last night.
You know how sometimes, you think you see something moving out of the corner of your eye, but when you look, nothing's there? That's me, and I'm coming for you.
Friday, September 05, 2014
Writing Doodle 005 - Whistling
You hear it don't you? The whistling. I can't be the only one who can hear it. Oh Lord, please. Someone please. Please tell me you can hear it! Please tell me I'm not going crazy! Wait...no. Wha-what are you doing?! Stop! Don't open that! No! Come back... Come back!
Shit. Shit shit shit shit. Sam? Sam?! Shit! Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit...
AHHH! Shit, Sam. You scared the fu-- What? What is it? What's wrong. Stop it, Sam. Stop... Please. You're scaring me. No...please stop. Don't come any closer! Shit. You saw it, didn't you. It was out there. It was trying to get us, wasn't it. That's what the whistling was for...but you didn't...
Sam!! SAM, SNAP OUT OF IT. Shit. Shit shit shit. I'm trapped. Sam, please! Please! I...I don't want to die... WHAT DO YOU WANT?! SAM, STOP. THIS ISN'T YOU! It's...it's that thing...
I don't want to die... I don't wan--
Shit. Shit shit shit shit. Sam? Sam?! Shit! Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit...
AHHH! Shit, Sam. You scared the fu-- What? What is it? What's wrong. Stop it, Sam. Stop... Please. You're scaring me. No...please stop. Don't come any closer! Shit. You saw it, didn't you. It was out there. It was trying to get us, wasn't it. That's what the whistling was for...but you didn't...
Sam!! SAM, SNAP OUT OF IT. Shit. Shit shit shit. I'm trapped. Sam, please! Please! I...I don't want to die... WHAT DO YOU WANT?! SAM, STOP. THIS ISN'T YOU! It's...it's that thing...
I don't want to die... I don't wan--
Sunday, May 04, 2014
Untitled Horror Bit
It was just one in the morning-- not really that late, but Maia was already asleep. Rain splattered against the window as the wind took control of it. Aside from Maia's gentle breathing and the rain, though, it was silent. It was almost as though the entire world around Maia had stopped for the moment.
Stirring, Maia woke up. Sitting up in her bed-- which was really just a mattress on the floor of the room-- she looked around, trying to find what had woken her up. With sleep-blurred eyes, she looked at her phone. No messages, no new emails, nothing. Confused, she got up and opened her door. Nothing seemed amiss in the hallway. Maia shrugged it off and crawled back under the blankets where it was warm.
Deciding it was nothing more than a strange hitch in her sleep cycle, Maia settled back into bed, ready to sleep once more. Ahead of Maia, at the foot of the bed, was the closet, each door a full length mirror. Maia always kept the doors pushed to one side so she didn't have to look in the mirror when she woke up. When she'd been a girl, she had been afraid of mirrors, but she was an adult now, twenty-five years old. As an adult, it was silly for her to feel so afraid of a harmless looking glass. But just then, in the black of the room, at a time that was hardly that late at all, Maia was afraid. There was something wrong. It felt like something was watching her.
Her eyes kept returning to gaze at the mirror. For a second, she thought for sure she had seen something-- someone?-- in the mirror, looking back at her. It was as though whomever it was had been peering around the edge of the mirror, from nowhere. Maia tumbled from the mattress as she hurried to flip on the light. The room was washed in white as soon as she hit the switch. Looking back at the mirror, Maia saw nothing. Not even something that might have been mistaken for a face peering out at her. Nothing.
With the light left on, Maia fell into a restless sleep. As she lay there, dreaming of terrors, the face showed itself in the mirror again, it's sunken and hollow eyes staring at the sleeping woman.
Stirring, Maia woke up. Sitting up in her bed-- which was really just a mattress on the floor of the room-- she looked around, trying to find what had woken her up. With sleep-blurred eyes, she looked at her phone. No messages, no new emails, nothing. Confused, she got up and opened her door. Nothing seemed amiss in the hallway. Maia shrugged it off and crawled back under the blankets where it was warm.
Deciding it was nothing more than a strange hitch in her sleep cycle, Maia settled back into bed, ready to sleep once more. Ahead of Maia, at the foot of the bed, was the closet, each door a full length mirror. Maia always kept the doors pushed to one side so she didn't have to look in the mirror when she woke up. When she'd been a girl, she had been afraid of mirrors, but she was an adult now, twenty-five years old. As an adult, it was silly for her to feel so afraid of a harmless looking glass. But just then, in the black of the room, at a time that was hardly that late at all, Maia was afraid. There was something wrong. It felt like something was watching her.
Her eyes kept returning to gaze at the mirror. For a second, she thought for sure she had seen something-- someone?-- in the mirror, looking back at her. It was as though whomever it was had been peering around the edge of the mirror, from nowhere. Maia tumbled from the mattress as she hurried to flip on the light. The room was washed in white as soon as she hit the switch. Looking back at the mirror, Maia saw nothing. Not even something that might have been mistaken for a face peering out at her. Nothing.
With the light left on, Maia fell into a restless sleep. As she lay there, dreaming of terrors, the face showed itself in the mirror again, it's sunken and hollow eyes staring at the sleeping woman.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)