Sentiments

Part the Eighth

Reality Unraveled

Charlie sat in his flat in dim light. The only illumination was from a very old streetlight outside his window. All was in silence. A waiting silence. That silence which seems to press in from all sides. He was gain scrolling through his phone. The rational Charlie was screaming that everything he had seen, experienced, must have been some sort of elaborate hoax. Some prank orchestrated by Kim. Just like the old days. But his gut was screaming a different story. A story with no rational explanation. All of the messages had disappeared. The obituary could no longer be found. The old photos - the ones with Kim in them - inexplicably were now altered. The spaces where Kim had stood were now empty. It was as if Kim had never existed.

Then, there was the message. The last one. Short. Chilling in its simplicity.
'It’s too late. You saw me.'
Charlie was breathing heavily as he stared at the screen. Those three words throbbing in his head.  You saw me. You saw me. You saw me. Another buzz. A new message.
'Now they see you too.'
His entire body froze. Fingers tightening around the phone. A cold shiver down his spine. All of his instincts were yelling for him to throw it away. Leave it behind. To run. But where? There wasn't anywhere to go. Nowhere safe. Not any more.

Whilst the room was quite dark already it somehow felt darker. Even the air felt heavier. Pressing down on Charlie. Like something unseen was pressing it down on him. With a pounding heart he tried to tell himself that it was his imagination. That it was his mind playing silly buggers. Then there was a whisper. Soft. Distant. But unmistakeable. He let out a breath that he hadn't realised he had been holding. Slowly. Reluctantly. He turned his head. The window reflected his silhouette. The dim city lights beyond casting shadows on the walls. But. Something was not right. He blinked. Then lifted his hand slowly. A second later the reflection followed the movement. Not simultaneously. Unnaturally. It was too slow like the reflections was trying to catch up with reality.

His blood felt like ice in his veins. Again that whisper. Closer now. Just behind him. With his pull pounding in his ears Charlie wanted to turn around. Wanted to prove to himself that there was nothing there. There primal part of him knew beyond doubt that if he turned. If he looked directly at it. He would never be able to unsee it.  The whisper increased, shifting towards something like laughter. Low. Distorted. Tugging at the edges of his sanity. Then all of the lights went out. A breath that was not his brushed against his neck. He opened his mouth to scream. The world descended into darkness.

To be continued???

Authors Note
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