Danger in me

I knew something was wrong the moment I woke up. --- Not because of the room. The ceiling looked the same. The faint crack above the fan hadn’t moved. The curtains still let in that dull, gray morning light. Everything looked normal. --- That was the problem. --- I didn’t feel normal. --- My body felt… off. Heavy. Like I had run for miles and forgotten when I stopped. --- I sat up slowly, pressing a hand to my head. A dull ache pulsed behind my eyes. Not sharp. Not painful enough to panic. Just… there. --- Lingering. --- “What did I do last night…” I muttered. --- Nothing came back. --- I tried harder. Closed my eyes. Focused. --- Fragments. That was all I got. --- Darkness. Cold air. The sound of something breaking— --- My eyes snapped open. --- My heart started beating faster. --- No. That wasn’t enough. --- I swung my legs off the bed and stood up. Bad idea. The room tilted slightly. --- “Okay…” I exhaled. “Not normal.” --- I steadied myself against the wall, waiting for the dizziness to pass. It did. Slowly. --- Too slowly. --- My gaze dropped to my hands. --- And that’s when I saw it. --- A faint stain. --- Dark. Dried. --- Blood. --- My breath caught. --- “No…” --- It wasn’t a lot. Just smeared across my fingers. Like I had tried to wash it off. --- But not well enough. --- My chest tightened. --- I don’t remember getting hurt. --- I checked my arms quickly. No cuts. No bruises. Nothing. --- So whose blood was it? --- The question hit harder than the sight of it. --- My stomach twisted. --- I stumbled back slightly, gripping the edge of my desk. Think. Think. --- What happened last night? --- Nothing. Still nothing. --- Just that same empty space in my memory. Like something had been there… and was ripped out. --- A quiet sound slipped through my thoughts. --- Not from the room. --- From inside. --- *You already know.* --- I froze. --- My fingers tightened against the desk. --- “…What?” --- Silence. --- I swallowed slowly. --- “Okay,” I whispered to myself. “That didn’t happen.” --- I pushed off the desk and walked to the mirror. Each step felt heavier than it should have. --- I stopped in front of it. --- For a moment— I just stared. --- I looked the same. Same face. Same tired eyes. Same everything. --- But something felt different. --- Off. --- Like I was looking at myself… but not entirely. --- My gaze dropped back to my hands. --- The blood. Still there. Still real. --- My chest rose slowly. --- “I need to clean this,” I muttered. --- Simple. Normal. Logical. --- I turned toward the door— --- Then stopped. --- Something pulled at me. --- That same feeling. --- Quiet. Subtle. --- But impossible to ignore. --- *Look closer.* --- My breath slowed. --- I turned back to the mirror. --- And leaned in slightly. --- My reflection stared back. --- Still. --- Unmoving. --- Then— --- It smiled. --- My heart stopped. --- I didn’t move. Didn’t breathe. Didn’t think. --- Because I wasn’t smiling. --- But it was. --- Slow. Wrong. --- Like it knew something I didn’t. --- Then— --- It was gone. --- Back to normal. --- Just me. --- I stumbled back from the mirror, my pulse racing now. --- “No… no, no, no…” --- That wasn’t real. --- It couldn’t be. --- I dragged a hand through my hair, pacing slightly. --- “I’m just tired,” I said quickly. “That’s all. Stress. Lack of sleep.” --- That made sense. --- It had to. --- Because the alternative— --- I stopped. --- My chest tightened again. --- Something was still there. --- Watching. --- Waiting. --- *You felt it, didn’t you?* --- The voice again. Clearer this time. --- Not loud. --- But close. --- Too close. --- I turned sharply. --- “Who’s there?” --- Silence. --- The room was empty. --- Of course it was. --- I laughed nervously. Short. Unsteady. --- “Okay… I’m losing it.” --- But even as I said it— --- I didn’t believe it. --- Because deep down… --- I knew something. --- Something I didn’t want to admit. --- That emptiness in my memory? --- It wasn’t an accident. --- It was hiding something. --- Something I did. --- My hands curled into fists. --- “What did I do…?” --- Silence answered. --- But this time— --- It didn’t feel empty. --- It felt patient. --- Like whatever was inside me… --- Was waiting for me to figure it out. --- Or worse— --- Waiting for it to happen again. --- I looked back at the mirror. --- Half-expecting— --- No. --- Hoping— --- That nothing would be there. --- And for now— --- There wasn’t. --- Just me. --- Breathing. --- Standing. --- Trying to convince myself everything was fine. --- But the truth sat quietly in my chest— --- Heavy. --- Unavoidable. --- Something happened last night. --- And whatever it was… --- It wasn’t normal. --- *Neither are you.* --- This time— --- I didn’t speak. --- I didn’t move. --- I just stood there. --- Because for the first time— --- I wasn’t trying to ignore it anymore. --- I was listening. --- And whatever was inside me— It was awake.