So I’ve been home alone for the past few days. Grandparents out of town, dog with a sitter because of my long hours. This is usually fine, but lately something has been… different
Yesterday when I got home from work the back door was unlocked. I could have sworn I locked it when I left but it’s a sliding glass door so I brushed it off as me not flipping the lock latch far enough.
I forgot about it and went on with my night, smoked a bowl or two made some dinner. At this point it was dark, probably close to two AM, the only lights were the ones I had turned on. Which weren’t many, as I was in the process of shutting everything down for the night.
I was brushing my teeth for the night when I saw it. Out of the corner of my eye. A shadow. It moved across my peripheries so fast I almost didn’t see it. I brushed it off as my hair moving in the breeze of the AC or something.
I have anxiety so it’s not unusual for me to get freaked out over nothing like that. Assuming it was just that I kept getting ready for bed.
But then I saw it again. It ran down the hall in front of my door gliding like a black shadow rather than a person. A trick of the eyes- it must be.
But the door to my grandmas office creaked open. My heart froze, anxiety going full force adrenaline coursing through me I mustered all my courage and went to check out the office. I slowly pushed open the door shining my phones flashlight around until I was comfortably sure the room was empty.
I don’t know why I didn’t just turn on the light and go in but it was as if something was telling me not to. So I simply closed the door and left, trying to tell myself it was all just my imagination. That I had left that door open a tad earlier.
I would go to the bathroom one last time, go to bed, and everything would be normal in the morning.
At night before bed I like to pee in the dark, it’s a weird habit I’ve developed over the years to try to help make sleep come easier. My bedroom is right next door with a lamp on, it’s bright enough to see by from the bathroom.
As I was washing my hands the light flickered. Instinctively I turned to look. I wish I hadn’t. There was nothing in the hallway but when I turned back something was different. My blood felt like ice in my veins as I tried frantically to both find the difference and stay calm enough to sleep.
And that’s when I noticed. My reflection in the mirror. It was staring at me. No- not just at me, into me. I was sure my face must be frozen in horror but the reflection didn’t look scared at all. It looked like… it was smirking. It looked like me, but something was off. Her hair was too tangled eyed too dark and sunken. Her cheeks too gaunt and bones poking through the skin in a way I was sure mine hadn’t in years.
I didn’t know what to do I bolted to my bedroom and pulled the covers over my head like it would protect me from it. Like it could protect me from it. I’m sitting here typing this now, it’s set to auto upload tomorrow.
I don’t know if I didn’t the right thing. Something in me is telling me I shouldn’t have stopped looking at her. That I should have left the bathroom light on. That I should have never looked in that mirror after dark.
I see the shadows more clearly now. I don’t know how I could have ever confused them for humans. They’re waiting on me to come out, on me to turn the light off and fall asleep. It’s her fault I know it is. I’m praying that this was just my anxiety, and if is not that she’s still stuck in that mirror.