The air outside was thick with the scent of rain, the city still slick with the remnants of the storm. Adrian's feet splashed through shallow puddles as he fled down the empty street, his breath ragged, heart hammering in his chest. The notebook felt heavy in his grip, its cryptic words gnawing at the edge of his sanity. He didn't know where he was going, but anywhere was better than facing that thing again—the twisted reflection of himself.
His mind raced as he replayed the events of the last few hours. The shattered mirror, the eerie distortion in the room, and the reflection that had spoken with a voice too much like his own. He had thought breaking the glass would free him, but it had only unleashed something darker, something far more dangerous than he could have imagined.
Adrian's thoughts fractured, a tangled mess of fear and desperation. He couldn't stop thinking about the reflection's words: The reflection is just one of many. One of many what? How many versions of him were lurking, waiting for their chance to take control?
The streets were deserted, the usual hum of city life absent, replaced by an oppressive silence that clung to him like a shadow. Adrian slowed his pace, glancing over his shoulder as if expecting the reflection to follow. But there was nothing. Just the empty street, the dim streetlights casting long, distorted shadows on the ground.
His mind felt like it was teetering on the edge of a precipice, threatening to tumble into chaos. He needed to think, to understand what was happening, but how could he make sense of the impossible?
Adrian ducked into a narrow alleyway, leaning against the cold brick wall as he tried to catch his breath. His lungs burned, and his legs ached, but his mind was far from clear. The rain had stopped completely now, leaving behind an eerie stillness.
With trembling hands, he opened the notebook again. The pages felt damp, the ink slightly smudged from the moisture, but the words were still legible. They stared up at him, cryptic and ominous:
"The reflection is just one of many. The door has been opened. Only through the abyss can the truth be found."
Adrian's pulse quickened. The abyss. Was that what this was? Some kind of metaphysical darkness that had been unleashed? His rational mind screamed for an explanation, but logic had abandoned him long ago. He flipped through the pages, desperate for something more—something that could offer a way out.
But the words were fragmented, disjointed sentences that made little sense. The mirror is a gateway. Reality is fragile. Trust no one—not even yourself.
He slammed the notebook shut, frustration and fear boiling over. None of this made sense. What was the abyss? How was he supposed to face it? And what did it mean that he couldn't even trust himself?
Adrian pressed his hands to his temples, trying to steady his thoughts. He couldn't lose control—not now. But the more he tried to calm himself, the more his mind spiraled. Images of the reflection flashed in his head, the dark eyes, the malevolent grin.
His stomach twisted with nausea, the memory of its touch, cold and wrong, still fresh. He had felt the reflection's presence in his bones, an invasion of his very soul. It was more than just a haunting—it was a part of him, a piece he could no longer deny.
Suddenly, a movement at the edge of his vision snapped him out of his thoughts. Adrian's heart jumped as he turned his head sharply, his breath catching in his throat.
A figure stood at the entrance to the alleyway, half hidden in shadow.
For a terrifying moment, Adrian thought it was the reflection again. But no—this figure was different. It wasn't distorted like the reflection, wasn't twisted and grotesque. This figure was real.
Adrian squinted, trying to make out who it was. The figure stepped closer, the faint glow of a nearby streetlight illuminating their face.
It was the girl.
The girl from the hospital—the one whose surgery had consumed his thoughts, whose mysterious presence had triggered all of this madness. Her pale skin seemed to glow faintly in the dim light, and her eyes… her eyes were the same deep, knowing gaze that had unnerved him before.
Adrian's body went rigid with shock. How was she here? He had left her in the hospital, unconscious and recovering. She had no identification, no name, no past. And yet, here she was, standing before him like a ghost.
"You…" Adrian stammered, his voice barely more than a whisper. "How…?"
The girl said nothing. She simply stood there, her gaze fixed on him with an intensity that sent a shiver down his spine. She looked almost the same as the last time he had seen her—fragile, delicate, like she could break at any moment. But there was something else now, something darker. Her presence felt charged, electric, like the air before a storm.
Adrian took a tentative step forward, his mind racing with questions. "Who are you? How did you find me?"
Still, she said nothing. But her eyes… they were different now. They no longer held fear or vulnerability. Instead, there was a strange calmness, as if she knew exactly what was happening—what had been happening all along.
Adrian's skin prickled as he closed the distance between them, his instincts screaming at him to be cautious. Something was off. The girl—she wasn't right. There was an energy around her, a pull that made his heart beat faster, his breaths shallow.
"You're part of this, aren't you?" Adrian asked, his voice hoarse. "All of it—the reflection, the notebook… you're connected to it."
For the first time, she blinked. A slow, deliberate movement that sent a wave of unease through Adrian's chest. She stepped forward, her small frame seeming to take up more space than it should have. The shadows around her twisted, bending toward her as if drawn by some invisible force.
And then, she spoke.
"I warned you, Adrian."
Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper, but it cut through the silence like a knife. Adrian's blood ran cold.
"You warned me?" he echoed, his mind struggling to keep up. "When?"
Her gaze never wavered. "You knew from the moment you saw me. You felt it. The connection. The darkness."
Adrian shook his head, trying to clear the fog that had settled over his thoughts. "What are you talking about? What is this? What are you?"
The girl tilted her head slightly, her expression unreadable. "The door has been opened. The abyss is waiting."
Adrian's breath caught in his throat. The abyss. That word again. The one that had been haunting him ever since the notebook appeared in his life.
The girl took another step closer, her eyes locked onto his. "You can't run from it anymore. The truth is coming, and you're not ready."
Adrian felt his heart pound against his ribs, his vision blurring as panic surged through him. He wanted to scream, to demand answers, but his throat tightened, his voice caught in his chest.
The girl leaned in closer, her breath cold against his skin.
"You were never meant to survive."