The One Inside the Mirror
412 Words
The first hint of dawn hadn’t arrived yet. The air was still, but it felt heavier — like the house itself was holding its breath.
Aily stood frozen, her wide eyes locked on the mirror across the room.
It was no longer just reflecting her.
It was mimicking her.
Every movement she made, it copied — almost. But not quite. The reflection’s timing was off by half a heartbeat, a tiny delay that made her stomach twist. When she raised her hand, it followed a moment later… slower, deliberate, like it was pretending to be her.
Her throat tightened. She whispered, “Stop.”
The reflection smiled.
Her pulse raced. She stumbled back, bumping into her bed, her breath coming out in short gasps. The c***k in the mirror shimmered faintly in the dark, spreading wider — veins of silver bleeding into black glass.
The air in the room shifted, colder again. A faint sound echoed — something like the soft drag of a fingernail against the wall. It came from behind her.
Aily turned fast.
Nothing.
When she looked back at the mirror — the reflection had changed.
Her double wasn’t standing anymore.
It was closer to the glass, pressing its palm against the inside, as though testing the barrier.
Her own hand lifted unwillingly, trembling.
The reflection’s eyes flickered with that same pale glow — his glow — and it whispered something she couldn’t hear. Its lips moved slowly, forming a single word that made her blood freeze.
“Soon.”
The lights in her room buzzed, flickered once, then steadied. Everything looked normal again — the mirror still cracked but silent, unmoving. The scent of vanilla thinned, fading like smoke.
Aily fell onto her bed, wrapping the blanket around herself, whispering over and over, “It’s over. It’s over.”
But from the corner of the room, near the mirror, a faint sound answered —
a breath.
Soft. Careful. Almost curious.
Then silence.
Her eyes began to close, exhaustion pulling her under, but just before sleep took her, a sound came from the floor.
Her phone.
It buzzed once. The screen lit up on its own.
One new message.
Unknown Number:
Check the mirror.
Her heart stopped. Slowly, shaking, she looked toward it.
And froze.
Her reflection was smiling again.
But her face wasn’t.
The screen went black.
The clock struck 3:33 a.m.
The house went silent.
And from deep inside the mirror — something moved.
To Be Continued…
- Writer
