Chereads / The Aphrodite’s Curse / Chapter 10 - The Shadow of Myself

Chapter 10 - The Shadow of Myself

I stared at the blood, my eyes locked onto the crimson stain, unable to tear myself away. The deep red seemed to spread, like it was alive, creeping across the white duvet, taunting me. It wasn't just blood. It was something more—a sign that everything was falling apart. My hands trembled, and I couldn't tear my gaze away, as if somehow, if I kept looking at it long enough, the universe would offer some kind of explanation.

I closed my eyes, trying to steady myself, but instead, flashes of something hit me—images I couldn't quite make sense of. It was like fragments of a broken memory, blurred and scattered. I could see blood, but it wasn't just on the sheets this time. It was falling from someone's arm, drip, drip, drip. But whose arm? I couldn't tell.It was like my brain was trapped in some slow-motion horror movie. The flashbacks hit me harder, faster.

Every second felt stretched out, like I was stuck in this nightmarish moment, unable to escape. In the far background, I heard something. A sound... faint... like a doorbell. Was it real? It didn't matter. I couldn't move. I couldn't focus on anything except the blood and the pounding in my chest.

Time slowed to a crawl. Seconds felt like minutes, stretching into eternity. The room was dead silent, except for the faint ringing in my ears. Somewhere far away, the chime of the doorbell echoed faintly. It was distant, like it was happening in another dimension, another life. I couldn't move, couldn't breathe right. Every breath I took was shallow, ragged, like my chest was being squeezed by an invisible hand. My heart pounded, thudding violently against my ribs, and all I could think was—What is happening to me?

Suddenly, the door crashed open, and I heard a rush of footsteps. Blue was there, her figure blurry at first, then clearer as she came closer. She grabbed me, her hands shaking me hard. "Grey! Grey, you're having a panic attack,stay with me!"

My lips parted like I was trying to say something, anything, to tell her what was happening but it was like they were weighed down, too heavy to form the words. All I could do was look at her..Blue's face swam in front of me, her blue eyes locking onto mine as if they could hold me in place, keep me from slipping away. I could hear her yelling my name,but the room was growing darker, colder, and my body was giving out, sinking into the pull of unconsciousness.She shook me harder, but my body wasn't responding.

The last thing I remembered before everything faded was the look in her eyes—those large, brilliant blue eyes filled with panic, pleading with me to stay awake. But I couldn't fight it anymore. The darkness was too strong, and it swallowed me whole.

And then—nothing.

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I stood alone in a dark room, the only light coming from above, a single dim spotlight focusing directly on me. My heart raced, my mind spinning with confusion. Where am I? What is this place? It was suffocating, the eerie silence pressing down on me. I couldn't make sense of any of it. Who did I offend? Why was this happening to me? Nothing—not even science—could explain the madness I was trapped in.

Across the room, a large mirror stood, stretching from floor to ceiling.Instinctively, I moved closer, drawn to it as if it held answers. As I approached, I caught my reflection—long dark hair, large brown eyes, plump lips, and a delicate face staring back at me. But something wasn't right. This doesn't feel like me. My reflection felt... off, foreign, like I was looking at a stranger's face.

Then, something shifted. The mirror—it wasn't just a mirror. It spanned the entire wall, stretching across the room like some kind of barrier, like a force blocking the way to another world. I took a deep breath, stepping closer, my heartbeat pounding in my ears. Suddenly, I saw it—a shadow. A figure, faint but unmistakable, right beside me inside the mirror.

My heart jumped. Panic shot through me, and I quickly turned around, expecting someone to be there. But there was no one. The room was empty. My chest tightened as I turned back to the mirror. I raised my hand slowly, and the shadow in the mirror did the same, mimicking my every move.

I stepped closer, my heart now racing with a strange sense of dread. The closer I got, the clearer the figure became, its features sharpening from the shadow.

And then it hit me. It was me. Not Lisa—Grey. My real body was staring back at me from the other side of the mirror."That's… that's me!" I screamed, my voice echoing in the empty room. 

I pressed my hands against the mirror, trying to break through, to reach the figure on the other side. "Give me back my body!" I shouted, my voice cracking with desperation. "I want my body back!" My hands slid down the smooth surface of the mirror, but it was no use. It was like an invisible wall stood between us, some kind of force field keeping me from crossing over.

The figure—the real me—stood there, motionless, like a statue. I screamed, my voice trembling with fear. "Grey! Don't go! Please, I need you!" I pounded on the mirror, my fists thudding against the cold glass, but nothing happened. Grey didn't move, didn't react. He just stood there, lifeless.

And then, the most horrifying thing happened. Blood. A slow, steady stream of blood started dripping from Grey's eyes—thick, crimson tears sliding down his pale face. My breath hitched in my throat. No... Then blood began pouring from his hands, spilling onto the floor. The sight was unbearable, like a nightmare unfolding in slow motion.

I stumbled back, watching in horror as the blood flooded the floor. It moved like a living thing, inching closer and closer

I stared at Grey's arm, at the blood dripping from his fingers, and it triggered something in me—a flashback, a memory. The blood... I've seen this before. It was the same blood from the vision earlier, the one that flashed before my eyes like a warning. What's happening? Am I dead? Did Grey die?

My thoughts spiraled as the blood surged forward, and just as it touched the tip of my shoe, the world around me exploded into a blinding white light. Everything disappeared—the blood, the mirror, Grey—everything. 

And then…