Dark Echoes

You'll always be.

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Single mum sales agent Sarah dragged the toothbrush over her teeth, not excited at the prospect of another endless day of mindless rants from a micromanaging boss.

She paused in the middle of drawing circles over them and gazed at her reflection in the mirror.

Her gaze stayed on her wrinkles and furrows.

She seemed--

Older. Empty.

Joyless.

Visions of her heart.

Her boss screamed at her over the deadlines she's not met yet-- noisy muzak in her ears.

She tossed and turned in bed that night, trying to come up with a way to finish a pending project.

No answers.

Instead, whispers.

Her body stiffened.

She cracked her neck.

She chalked it up to tiredness and threw her head back onto the pillow.

Then, dreams.

Of how her boss had humiliated her in front of a customer--

Incompetent.

Irresponsible.

Of her being unable to finish preparing a simple dish of fried noodles.

Herself, missing a phone call from the job agency informing her of a new position--and a higher salary.

She sat up with a start.

The room seemed emptier-- more silent than usual.

She had installed solid ceramic floors in the rooms.

But-- creaks.

The whispers continued, now clearer.

"You'll never be...you'll never be...."

Too coordinated.

With her heartbeat.

Her 10-year-old daughter knocked at the door.

"Mom, you screamed louder than my friends in the playground. What's wrong?"

She pushed the little girl back to her bedroom, blushing at seem to be her own little-girl nightmare.

"Get to sleep. School tomorrow."

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The whispers increased in volume.

Sarah begin to feel someone gripping her toes when she wore shoes.

She could no longer chalk the voices up to imagination.

Scenes of herself failing at making sales grew clearer.

More intense.

Along with her guilt.

When she thought of her little girl.

The whispers turned into half-phrases.

" You'll never be..."

She chalked them up to fatigue. But she couldn't afford failure.

Her daughter.

But they were just too loud.

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Then, the whispers stopped.

Sarah could finally sleep---

For a few days.

Then, she heard them again.

But louder each night.

Until---

A clear voice.

Cold.

Commanding.

"You'll never make a sale. You'll never be."

It knew exactly when her presentations would fail.

"They'll laugh at you."

The gripping at her toes moved up to her ankles-- feeling the tug-- even when she was awake.

She stumbled about in her own home-- once nearly falling down the stairs.

Then visions of herself telling her daughter that she couldn't buy her toys because there were no sales.

Her daughter's face.

Covered in tears.

Then, the work papers she brought home turned into--

Something different.

"You'll never be" -- scrawled in bright red across each page.

One night, really loudly.

" You'll never be enough."

She shot up in bed, stunned.

The ominous sound seemed to sync with her heart.

She heard it again.

" I've always been here. You're a good listener."

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Sarah woke up the next morning, humming to herself as she prepared breakfast.

She knew what it meant.

She couldn't listen anymore-- she had to make a sale this month.

And she did.

The client was completely engaged-- he only had to sign the papers.

They arranged to sign them at her office the next day.

He was about to put the pen to paper.

Loud.

In her head.

" You'll never be."

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Original story by Michelle Liew Tsui-Lin. AI tags are coincidental.