Mirror Image

Proverbs 5:22

The bed trembled beneath her as a deep rumble shook the walls, vibrating the bed in its intensity to be heard. Her eyes rounded as a flash of lightning illuminated the room, casting sharp shadows everywhere her eyes landed. Her breath caught as the air became heavy and electric with every pulse of light followed by the bone-rattling crack of thunder that seemed to be everywhere. She felt it then, the gentle probe of another as she stilled herself as an oily black presence found its way through the familiar opening in her mind.

“Come out, come out wherever you are.”

Its voice whispered into her mind as it slithered in all the places that made her who she was, snuffing out all the light.

“You hid from me.”

It said in a voice that sounded like grated chalk.

“Bad girl!”

It screamed, sending shards of ice prickling into her brain as she threw up a mental shield of fire in hopes of staving the worst of it off, the thing screamed and renewed its attack raining blow after blow upon her psychically.

Sweat drenched the sheets as she fought, her eyes flickering behind heavy lids, as her body attempted to dispel the sickness that oozed its way into her body. Her body jerked as her heart rate skyrocketed under the sheer force of the attack on her mind. It wanted in and was willing to do whatever it took to gain access to her completely, but she was no longer a weak and defenseless child at the whim of a monster any longer. Grace audibly sighed aloud as she relaxed her mind, no longer fighting the fall of her crumbling shields. The walls within Graces mind shimmered, flickering from blindingly white to translucent before winking out completely, sagging under the vicious assault on her mind. The thing appeared before her and she saw its lips curl slowly, revealing too many teeth, the corners of its mouth stretching unnaturally wide in delight. “Spider.” It said in a voice that sounded like a winters breeze slipping through a crack, sending a shiver down Graces spine, leaving a frosty chill in its wake.

Grace’s chest tightened as her heart pounded wildly against her ribs, each beat thudding louder and louder as its pace slowly brought it face to face with her. The thing stood before her chest to chest, mimicking her every movement. Grace knew there was nowhere she could hide, no place that he could not reach on the psychic level, but Grace had learned a trick or two since she was a small child with no shields and no training. She closed her eyes and the rooms temperature dropped as icy fingers gripped the things mind enfolding it in icy chilliness, the sudden pressure in its mind a weight it could not shake, It tried to open its mouth, but no sound emerged, as Graces light slipped into the mirrored opening in his mind, the things eyes rounded at the new trick, but it was unable to escape Grace’s light as she filled its mind with her brightness, she saw it then and as she moved closer a man slowly emerged from the shadows.

He was the same man of her nightmares, the thinning hair, the excess bulk, and the cold dead blue eyes. All the same she thought, weak and empty. This is the man that caged her and tortured her, she thought as her fingers began pulsing with sinister energy. Grace felt his attempt to gather energy, but the hold in which she had on his mind was one that was unshakable in its strength.

Grace smiled then, “I told you not to look for me. I told you what would happen Daniel. Yet, you still looked for me.” She shook her head, pity in every ounce of her gaze as she looked at him and saw exactly what he was. Daniel recoiled instinctively, bringing his hands to his head, trying to dispel the claws already forming inside his mind. The pain caused him to howl as invisible talons raked down, eviscerating all that he was, turning him into mush from the inside out, tearing at the very fabric of his consciousness. His vision blurring as a cascading pain radiated from his skull, causing his thoughts to scatter like dust on the wind. He tried to fight it, to push back against the intrusion, but the claws were relentless, tearing through thoughts and emotions with cold clear precision.

Grace’s expression was one of cold determination, with every twist of her hand. She watched as Daniels resistance crumbled, his knees buckling under the weight of emptiness. The claws dug deeper, and with a final, vicious slash, a screamed ripped from his throat – and his mind stuttered then stopped. She left a small piece of him behind, just enough to remain alive, but in a vegetative state. He would harm no more.

Grace came back to herself slowly the world snapping back into focus, but it felt wrong – alien. The familiar room seemed distant. As though she were seeing through warped dirty lenses. Shadows that were not hers loomed in the corners of her vision. She turned her head as she heard an all too familiar voice whisper its bone chilling rattle, “The itsy-bitsy spider crawled up the waterspout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Out came the sun, and dried up all the rain, and the itsy-bitsy spider went up the spout again.”

Daniels oily black presence slithered close as Graces strength wanned, she had no more left to give. She closed her eyes as Daniel said, “You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?"

His presence slithered over to hover over her - a mass of black shadows, his presence heavy and suffocating, driving the breath from Graces lungs. Without warning, a thick oily tendril slid out from the darkness, curling around her neck before creeping up to her face. Grace held herself still willing no sound to emerge as a slick, slimy textured tongued dragged slowly across her cheek, leaving a trail of coldness, that she could never wash off. Daniel smiled, "Mine." As he enfolded them in darkness.

Prompt ▼

Word Count: 1041
Prompt: Fire, Oh, and NO DEMONS!
Written for "Horror Writing Contest" August 2024