Page 71 of Presence

Fuck! I shouldn’t have come here. I shouldn’t have fucking come here…

The scraping sound resumes, louder and more insistent, coming from somewhere behind the mirror. I step back.

“Whatever you want from me, I…” What the hell do I say? “I’m not an enemy.”

Sure, you’re not.

Panic surges through me, and I turn to flee. I don’t even take two steps before something appears in front of me, blocking the door. Its eyes are black voids, devoid of any humanity, and its skin is pale, almost translucent, with dark blue veins visible underneath. Its mouth stretches into a wide, unnatural grin, revealing rows of sharp, jagged teeth.

I freeze, my breath caught in my throat, as I realize who—or rather, what—is blocking my path. It’s me. Or at least, a twisted, demonic version of myself. It has the same features but they’re distorted and horrifying.

“Sure, you’re not,” it says in an overwhelmingly sweet voice. It’s like it heard my thoughts. “You’re too weak to be an enemy.”

It steps closer, its movements fluid and almost predatory.

Oh shit, shit, shit.

“Who are you?” I manage to choke out, my voice trembling.

“Weak and stupid,” it says without answering my question.

I take a step back, my mind racing. Then, I try to take another but the tar-like substance on the floor holds me back, making it a struggle. The creature mirrors my movements, its smile widening.

“Stay back,” I warn, my voice faltering. “I don’t know what you are, but you need to stay away from me.”

It tilts its head, mocking my fear. “You don’t know what I am? I am you, the better you. The you that could have been but never was.”

The way it speaks… It hisses instead of letting the vowels flow. It squints its black eyes, body moving more like a snake than a human. Its hands are black like Echo’s, but its feet are human. They’re dirty, smeared in tar, but they’re human.

Still, there’s something else that terrifies me: the pure malice I feel from it.

“No,” I whisper, shaking my head. “You’re not me. You’re a monster.”

It laughs, a chilling, guttural sound that echoes through the room. “Monster? Perhaps. But you’re not that saint either, are you, Clarity?”

The sound of my nickname, twisted and spat out by this demonic version of myself, sends a shiver down my spine. How does it know my name? The room seems to close in, the air growing thicker and colder.

“Yes, Clarity,” it continues, its grin widening. “I know everything about you. Every fear, every doubt, every dark thought you’ve ever had. I am those things.”

I try to back away, but the tar-like substance clings to my feet, holding me in place. It seems to pool at my legs and grow in quantity. Like the whole house is working against me.

“You can’t run from me,” it whispers. “You can’t hide from yourself.”

“There’s nothing to hide from,” I choke out. Of course, there is. Stupid, stupid, stupid. “If you’re me, you wouldn’t want to hurt me.”

The thing licks its lips, an unnatural grin widening its face as its eyes get bigger like it’s… excited.

“Are you sure about that?” it asks, its voice dripping with that same sickly sweetness. “You didn’t want to kill yourself? Didn’t crave an escape?”

Damn. I open my mouth, ready to retort, but nothing comes out. The truth gnaws at me. I did want an escape. I did want death. But there’s no way I’m confessing that to this thing. I just can’t.

The creature’s grin only widens, revealing more of its sharp, jagged teeth.

“Don’t even try to lie,” it hisses. “You’ve wished for an end, a release from your suffering. I’m here to grant that wish.”

My heart pounds in my chest as it steps closer, its words slicing through me like a knife. I force myself to stay calm, my mind racing for a way out. It doesn’t work, not really.

“Stay back,” I warn, my voice trembling.

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