The clock read 5:30. I started getting ready for this sophomore party that day, hosted by one of the high school's football jocks - an embodiment of lust in the flesh. The majority of the students were coming over to this party. I thought attending this party would probably be my best shot towards breaking the social anxiety bubble I had lived in all my life. It was one of those times when I got dressed, finally left my computer and step outside the wall of my sanctuary. I got to my bathroom, stood in front of the mirror and saw my reflection. After about 5 minutes of talking to my image, satisfied with how I looked, I left. Little did I know about what was going to happen that night.
My parents were out of town. As an only child of working parents, I had grown habitual of living all by myself. I took my parents' Honda SUV and drove to the party venue. On my arrival, I looked around the place. The party was in a high-class mansion on a hill. The gate was too tall to climb over and trespass. As I drove inside, I could see a lot of people all over the lawn, the pool and the terrace, and this wasn't even half the students. I went inside and was greeted by the host and some other fellow students. I went to the kitchen to grab something to drink.
Amidst all the PDA, marijuana, drugs, drinking and merrymaking, I seated myself on a couch in a relatively quiet, unhappening corner of the room. There were a lot more people at this party by then. Not really “PG-13” stuff. The football team was having this beer bong game, and despite my reluctance, they invited me in. I was coerced into playing this game, and by the time it was over, I had lost count of how many cups of beer I had shoved down my throat. I was so wasted that I was about to throw up. I rushed upstairs, looking for a bathroom. I opened a door only to chance upon my ex sleeping with their new partner. Unable to hold it back anymore, I puked all over the door.
I went to another room's bathroom. The silence was broken only by the muffled music and the water dripping from the tap. I locked myself in, so no one could enter while I wept about what I had just witnessed. I was so devastated by the sight of it. Suddenly the light buzz, and the environment became a little spooky. It was as if I could hear a voice. It was so eerie; it gave me chills. It was coming from the sink. I gathered all my courage, stood up and bent over to hear it. The whispers pitched up. It was like a soul from hell screaming for my soul. And suddenly, the voices died down. I looked up in the mirror and saw someone standing behind me. A shadow with gleaming eyes. I turned around and found no one. I looked back in the mirror, and it was still standing there, right behind me. Before I could even react, I felt a stab marked by a sharp pain in my lower back. Within the blink of an eye, it was gone. There was no blood, yet, a moment before, I did feel pain.
I was scared, and I ran back downstairs. I left the party in a hurry.
On the way home, driving. The beautiful night had turned into a horrific nightmare with trees shadowing the road and the warm yellow from the streetlights. The macabre face of my death stayed imprinted in my head, and I could think and focus on nothing else. Suddenly the car came to a screeching halt. I turned the keys again and again, but the vehicle didn't budge. I sat there, frustrated. I tried ringing up my parents, but there was no signal. A gust of freezing air blew past, sending chills down my spine. I felt as if somebody was watching me. I turn my head to the rearview mirror to find that shadow figure sitting in the back seat. I rushed myself out of the car. I got off the car. And now I could see no one inside it. It was going to be a long walk home.
With every passing minute, I was finding it difficult to breathe. The entire way, I knew something was off, but I was so scared that I didn't think of turning and looking back. I headed back to my house, locked the door and went to the bedroom. No sooner had I entered the room than I heard a knock on our front door. The moment frightened me. I thought to call out to know who was there, but I heard the door open just a few minutes later. The door creaking was terrifying. I could hear the sound of footsteps getting louder. Whatever it was, it was coming upstairs and then twisted my bedroom’s doorknob.
I didn't know what was happening, so I rushed to the bathroom attached to my bedroom. Locked myself in. The footsteps grew louder with every moment. The light buzz was a lot darker. I stepped back towards the basin as there was nowhere to run or hide. Suddenly the footsteps stopped, and someone from behind yanked me into the mirror. I could see nothing with these hands covering my face. They were pale, white and cold, with blisters all over. A moment of struggle later, I managed to pull myself out of it and looked back in the mirror. The same shadow was behind me, its countenance one of the grim reaper. Before I could get a moment to make sense of what was happening, it choked me.
My feet couldn’t feel the floor, and I was coughing, frantic for breath. I couldn't budge its hands. The mirror cracked, and blood gushed out of it. I was shocked to see the face of a shadow that looked like me. In the crack of the mirror, I could see my eyes turning white, and that's the last thing I remember.
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