Page 72 of Presence

It doesn’t stop. Instead, it moves faster, closing the gap between us in an instant. I barely have time to react before it’s lunging at me, its cold, clawed hands reaching for my throat.

With a surge of adrenaline, I twist my body and break free from the tar-like substance around my feet. I stumble backward, barely keeping my balance, and sprint towards the door. My hands fumble with the handle, but it won’t budge. Panic surges through me as I hear the creature’s laughter, closer now, almost at my back.

“Running won’t save you,” it taunts, its voice echoing in my ears. “It never did!”

I glance over my shoulder and see it creeping towards me, moving with an unnatural fluidity. Desperation fuels my movements, and I slam my shoulder against the door, forcing it open. I burst into the hallway, my breath coming in ragged gasps.

The corridor stretches out before me, dimly lit and seemingly endless. I can hear footsteps behind me, growing louder, more insistent. I push myself to run faster, my legs burning with the effort.

Doors line the hallway, each one a potential escape, but I know better than to waste time trying them. I need to find a way out, a way to lose this thing chasing me. I take a sharp turn at the end of the corridor, nearly slipping on the polished floor, and bolt down a staircase. It leads to some kind of basement.

“So weak! How could a whiny bitch like you ever deserve someone like Echo?”

The creature’s laughter follows me, a haunting sound that makes my skin crawl. I leap down the stairs two at a time, my heart hammering in my chest. As I reach the bottom, I crash into a table, sending some old vase shattering to the ground. I don’t stop to look back; I keep running, the sound of broken glass crunching underfoot.

I burst into another room, my eyes darting around for anything I can use to defend myself. The room is filled with shadows, the only light coming from the flickering candles, but there’s an unlit fireplace standing to my right. Quickly, I grab a fireplace poker.

A breath later, the creature appears in the doorway, its eyes fixed on me. “You can’t fight me,” it says. “I’m better than you.”

“Watch me,” I growl, raising the poker defensively.

It moves towards me, its body undulating like a snake. I swing the poker with all my strength, but it slips through its form as if it were made of smoke. Panic rises in my chest as I realize the weapon is useless.

“You’re weak,” it hisses, closing the distance between us. “Always have been, always will be.”

“If I’m weak, then you’re weak, too,” I say. But even though the words come from me, I don’t believe them.

I back away, my mind racing for another plan. The creature lunges again, and I dodge to the side, narrowly avoiding its grasp.

“I’m not the “I’m not the fake friend. Not the fake daughter. Not a fraud,” it whispers, voice dripping with venom. “I’m real. I know who I am and I embrace it. I never doubt myself.”

The words sting, sharp and unforgiving, like a slap to the face.

“No,” I whisper, trying to push the thoughts away. “You’re lying.”

Its grin widens, sensing my desperation. “Lying? You know it’s the truth, Clarity. You’ve always known. A bad daughter, abandoning her sick mother. Playing the victim. Jealous of Camilla and her perfect family. Brothers who care, loving parents, boys who pine for her—you want all of that. But poor little Claire is too unlucky to have any of it.” It steps closer, eyes boring into mine. “You pretend to be strong, the one dealt a bad hand who had to cope. You make it your strong suit, telling yourself you’re a survivor. But inside, you’re terrified. Just a scared little girl, afraid of the dark.”

I shake my head, backing away. “I’m not afraid,” I insist, but my voice trembles, betraying me.

The creature laughs, a chilling sound that echoes through the room. “Oh, but you are. The darkness consumes you. Every night, you lie awake, afraid of what might be lurking in the shadows. You can’t even sleep without a light on, can you? You leapt so hard at the idea of a perfect shiny prince coming to save you it was desperate. You thought you finally lucked out.”

My heart pounds in my chest, the truth of its words cutting deep. I can’t deny it. The fear that has plagued me for years, the nights spent staring into the darkness, unable to close my eyes.

So what if I thought something good might finally happen to me? Anyone would if they were me.

“Stop it,” I plead, tears welling up. “Just stop.”

“It is true, and you know it,” the creature says, its form looming over me. “You’re afraid of everything—of failure, of rejection, of the darkness within you. You’re so weak, Clarity, so pathetically weak.”

I can’t breathe, the room spinning around me. Every word it says feels like a knife, cutting deeper and deeper into my soul. “I’m not weak,” I choke out, but the words are hollow.

“Yes, you are,” it sneers. “And that’s why Echo will never truly want you. He just pretended all this time just to feed on your withering soul. You’re a fraud, a pathetic excuse for a person. You’re not like me. I’m pure. I could offer him more than just a cunt.”

Tears stream down my face, the despair threatening to overwhelm me. The darkness in the room seems to grow, the shadows closing in around me. I can feel the fear clawing at my mind, threatening to pull me under.

That’s when something in it makes me gasp in relief. The presence—it’s back.

“Echo,” I manage to say over my clenched throat. I never thought I’d still think of him as my savior, but there’s no denying that he’s better than this monstrosity in front of me. Whatever he does to me will be better than spending another moment with this… this version of me.

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