The Invisible Shadow Behind

When Rina first heard it, it had been past midnight. A quiet creak of a door that never moved, followed by a faint, nearly indiscernible rustle. She went completely still, her heart racing in her chest as the surrounding blackness grew progressively colder.

Her voice was barely heard as she muttered, "Is someone there?"

The only sound in the room was her own breathing. The atmosphere seemed heavy, as if she was being watched by something unseen that lurked in the shadows. She got out of bed and moved slowly over to the window.

The trees outside were softly swaying, throwing long, unsettling shadows across the moonlit ground. Everything appeared to be typical. However, the emotion? That unsettling sensation of being observed remained.

Rina had always trusted reason and explicable phenomena. But something had changed in the last few evenings. Strange events have grown more often since she moved into this old mansion.

Things would shift in their positions, lights would flicker, and she would always get the sensation that something or someone was following her.

It felt stronger than ever tonight.

Rina pivoted and cautiously surveyed the room. Nothing seemed out of place, yet the feeling of someone watching over us became intolerable. She shook her head and murmured, "This is ridiculous." Perhaps it was all in her head, or maybe she was just exhausted.

Trying to shake the unease, she moved back towards her bed. But, as she switched out the lamp, she noticed something: a shadow. It was only a moment, but it flashed on the wall long enough for her to realize it wasn't hers.

Her heartbeat became faster. She took another look around the room, but nobody was present. She wondered, panic sending shivers down her spine, "How can there be a shadow when there's no one?" Was she seeing things? Or was there really something there, there in front of her eyes but out of sight?

Although her legs felt like lead, she still wanted to run. She felt as though the air was becoming more dense, nearly smothering her. Pulling herself together, Rina turned slowly in the hopes of catching whatever it was in the act. However, all she saw was the empty room gazing back at her.

Still, the shadow remained, shifting on the wall.

Her thoughts were racing. "This is not possible," she exclaimed. The shadow moved differently from hers; it moved as if it were alive and had free will. It moved, changing shape and extending like an arm to embrace her. With a weak breath and a building panic in her chest, she retreated.

A gentle whisper sounded in the room at that moment. "You can't escape..."

Rina let out a cry, her heart racing madly. "Who’s there?" she cried out, her voice breaking, but there was stillness. Then the room got really cold, really really cold. Desperate to get away, her breath caught in her throat as she staggered in the direction of the door.

She felt it as her hand approached the doorknob: a cool, delicate touch on her shoulder. Too scared to move, she just froze in place. She twisted her head slowly to peer over her shoulder, fearing what could appear. However, nothing existed this time—no one. Still, the darker and bigger shadow seemed to have taken over the entire space as it loomed on the wall.

Rina's thoughts were racing. Was she losing her mind? How could anything simultaneously exist and not exist? It all made no sense, the murmurs, the chilly hand.

Abruptly, the murmur surfaced again, although this time it was more distinct and powerful. "You will never be alone, Rina..."

She faltered as her knees gave way and she fell to the ground. The shadow approached her, drawing nearer, as if it wished to engulf her in its gloom. She closed her eyes, thinking that everything would be gone by the time she opened them again.

But when she opened them, the shadow was in front of her, not on the wall.

She came to the terrible realization that the darkness had followed her from the beginning. It was a part of her, not something that followed her.

The shadow breathed out one last, cold breath and said, "I am you."

After a second flicker, the lights went out completely.