The Shadow

I woke up just like any other day. Get up, get dressed, go to school. It was all normal up until recess. I was on the swing set the first time I saw him. A shadow of a figure that looked. . . like me? It blinked out of my vision so fast I thought nothing of it. Then it happened again. Same time, same place, on the swing set. Staring at me but this time it was. . .closer? It was gone so fast I couldn't tell. This kept happening for about a week and by the end of it I knew that that. . . thing was getting closer, ever so slowly closer. One day I decided to test an idea that I had. Perhaps whatever it was I saw was only heading for the swings and I just happened to be there so I thought it was coming for me. So, I went to the monkey bars. The monkey bars were always full and chaotic, but today they weren't. Weird. I thought to myself as I climbed the ladder to get on. Well, I’m not complaining! I get to go on now! I was about halfway across when it appeared in front of me. This time, though it was not a shadow, it was me. I screamed. I screamed and screamed and screamed. But no one seemed to hear me. I tried to let go of the bar I was hanging from but my hands were frozen in place. That's when it spoke.

“Don’t be scared. I’m here to help.” It sounded just like me.

“What are you?” I asked. But it just faded away leaving me alone. I noticed that the playground was empty. Huh, that’s weird I didn’t hear the bell. I dropped from the monkey bars and walked towards the school. When everything started glitching. What the hell? Everything around me was glitching like an old T.V screen when the Wi-Fi went out. Then everything became static. The school, the ground, the sky. I was surrounded by black and white noise. Then I heard myself say something. But that was impossible, I had not opened my mouth.

“Don’t be scared.”

“I’m here to help.”

“Let me help you.”

“Who are you?!” I screamed.

“Don’t be scared.”

“I’m here to help.”

“Let me help you.”

Then I woke up. In my bed at home. Safe and sound from that weird fever dream I just had. I rolled over and opened my eyes to look at the clock, I was staring myself in the face. I couldn't scream, I just got out of bed and ran to my door. That wasn’t there? I turned around to face myself. It walked towards me. As it did so it grew. It grew into a twisted horrible shade when I saw its eyes, they looked scared. It opened its mouth to reveal a gaping maw of teeth and mucus and a tongue that was reaching out for me. Wrapping around my chest. Pulling me into its mouth. The last thing I saw was a slimy disgusting mouth swallowing me whole. Then it all went black.

The End