The Shadow Of Sorrow

“You’re not good enough; you never will be,” said the shadow.

Looking away as the darkness crept in and dissolved the remaining splashes of sunlight against the buildings. I shivered, pulling my jacket closer as I ran down the empty street.

“You’re a failure. You have nothing to show for yourself,” hissed a voice from the shadows.

The inky darkness became tangible and oozed past my feet up to my ankles. Yanking my feet out, I stumbled backward. I turned and sprinted down the street.
The inky sludge chased me, threatening to drag me back down and swallow me whole.

“You’ll never make it! You’re past your prime. You’ll die alone,” it kept whispering.

From the blob, shadowy forms crept up against the walls, red eyes glaring. My heart was pounding in my chest, and my lungs felt like they were about to burst.

My home loomed overhead. A squat brick apartment complex that lurched free from the shadows. The ooze followed me as I pounded up the concrete stairs.
Slamming the door behind me, I turned on the bright overhead light, the shadows fading away.

Coughing hard, my lungs racking, I made my way to the restroom and splashed icy water on my face. A reflection stared back at me in the mirror, but it wasn’t me. She appeared to be me, but her eyes were completely black, her lips curled in a sinister smile.

“You can’t fight me forever. I’m part of you now. We will be as one. You are my dearest enemy.”

“One day, you might, but not today,” I said, gagging down the pills the doctor prescribed to me.

The shadows dissolved from the reflection, leaving only me.