I ran through the dark corridor, my legs barely carrying me, my breaths coming in ragged gasps. It felt like I was escaping from a living nightmare. But the truth was worse—because I wasn't asleep.
I glanced behind me, stopping for a brief moment… nothing. No shadow, no whispers, just endless darkness stretching behind me.
Was I imagining things? Was this all just a trick my mind was playing on me?
No, that wasn't possible. The mirror, the fingerprints, the whispers… they were real.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself, but before I could take another step—
"Iris..."
That voice… it wasn't behind me this time.
It was in front of me.
I froze in place, my eyes widening in shock.
At the end of the corridor, amidst the darkness, stood a figure… I couldn't see its features, but it was there, motionless, its mere presence enough to paralyze me with fear.
Then, without warning, it began to move.
Slow, steady steps—silent, as if the ground didn't even exist beneath it.
I stepped back, then again, but I felt something cold press against my back.
The wall.
I was trapped.
"Don't run, Iris… We chose you."
I gasped, my hands hitting the wall as if I could break through it and escape. But there was no way out. No escape.
The shadowy figure moved closer… and closer… until it was just a few steps away.
Then, for the first time, I saw its face.
And I saw my own.
It looked exactly like me.
To be continued...