Exactly 3:33 am, again. It was the third night in a row. The overflowing rain from the drain fell against the window beside my bed, tip, tap, tip, tap, each drop perfectly timed after the other, growing louder after each drop. I tossed and turned, nothing was working, it was as if the sound was stuck in my head, growing louder and ever so slightly faster with each patter of rain, like a clock that’s gone into overdrive. I leaned over and opened my drawer, reaching for my headphones.
As I put on the headphones and turned on the music, the tapping of the rain grew even louder in my ears. It was as if the sound was coming from inside my head, and no matter how loud I turned up the music, I couldn’t drown it out.
I got out of bed and tried to walk away from the window, but the sound seemed to follow me wherever I went. I could feel a growing sense of dread in my chest as the rain continued to fall.
I stumbled into the bathroom and splashed water on my face, trying to clear my head. But as I looked up into the mirror, I saw something that made my blood run cold.
The face staring back at me from behind the glass. It simply wasn’t me. Everything was the same, down to the tiny grains of hair on my stubble, but those eyes, they were soulless. It felt like it was staring through me, like a corpse. It was the embodiment of my worst fears, and it was coming for me.
It blinked.
I screamed and backed away, tripping over my own feet and falling to the floor. I looked up at that mirror, transfixed. The creature smiled at me, a sinister, awful smile that expressed pure evilness.
It was trying to come out of the mirror.
Suddenly, the rain stopped and the creature disappeared. I lay on the floor, panting and sweating, unsure of what had just happened.
It was as if the rain had brought the creature to life, and now that it was gone, I was safe. But I knew that I wouldn’t be able to rest easy until the storm passed and the rain stopped for good.
I scrambled to my feet and ran out of the bathroom, not looking back. I crawled back into bed, and laid there, contemplating what I saw.
Sunlight approached, and I had not gotten a wink of sleep.
I made my way downstairs and into the kitchen, where my parents were having breakfast.
“What’s wrong, honey?” my mother asked, concern etched on her face. “You look so pale.”
I tried to explain what had happened, but the words wouldn’t come. I kept getting the feeling that somebody was watching me, from every place I wasn’t looking.
“I think I need to go outside for a bit,” I said, grabbing my jacket and heading for the door.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” my father asked, his brow furrowed with worry. “It’s freezing outside.”
“I’ll be fine,” I lied, not wanting to stay in the house any longer. “I just need some fresh air.”
I stepped outside and rain started spitting down, the water pelting against my skin and washing away my fear. I walked for what felt like hours, until the storm finally passed and the rain stopped.
I spent the rest of the day doing things to take my mind off of the event, playing video games, watching some shows, but every time I felt like I was starting enjoying the thing I was doing, the thought of those eyes kept crawling into my mind. It was getting late, and I was too tired to finish the show, so I headed upstairs.
As I settled back into my bed, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the creature was still in the mirror, waiting for its chance to strike again. I tried to tell myself that it was just my imagination, but the fear was still ingrained in me, lurking in the back of my mind. Deep down I knew it was real.
I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Every little noise made me jump, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that the creature was watching me. I couldn’t sleep at all.
The clock struck 3:33am again, I heard the sound of the rain starting to fall. It was as if the creature was calling to me, beckoning me to come to the mirror.
I knew that I had to face my fear and confront the creature otherwise this would go on forever. I grabbed a baseball bat and made my way to the bathroom, ready to face it.