4 Scary Stories for the Dying Season

Prisoner

I woke up in a dark room, surrounded by cement walls. The wall to my right had a dark green metal door, it was thick, like the kind you'd use in an MRI lab. The only light was coming through a window in the door, and even then, it didn't do much. While still awaking from my slumber, I noticed a pounding noise coming from outside, it was loud and steady.

I stood from the cold ground and walked to this prison door, "Hello?" I yelled, there was a pause. No response echoed back, so I yelled once more, "Hello?" Still nothing. I stretched my neck out, trying to get a new perspective of the outside, but there was only so much I could do from my position. I took a few steps back and turned around. "Anyone here?" I said, slowly giving up hope. Only silence lurked. I walked over to my original spot and plopped down in my original seat. How did I get here? As I put my head in my hands I heard a voice call out from the darkness, "New here, huh?" My head shot up, and the pounding sound got louder and faster from outside this box. "Whose there?" The being giggled, as I heard the sound of someone getting up, and walking over to my position. At first, all I saw were feet, as they assumed a position in the darkness, not ready to reveal their identity. "Do you know how I got here?" The voice didn't say anything, rather it just watched. "Yeah, I know how you got here." I couldn't help but smile, finally some answers. I rose from my spot, and the being walked into the faint light. 

The smile fell from my face, only horror remained.

It was me... A replica, my features, posture, and gait all the same. The only difference is that this version of me was bloody, beaten, and bruised. I backed up against the wall, "Who are you?" I asked, my voice shaking, the pounding growing. My clone just chuckled, "I thought that would have been obvious... I'm you." It was evident this thing thought I was joking around. "I'm not playing games with you, this isn't possible. Who are you?" The clone's eyes narrowed. "I told you... I'm you." The sound outside our cell slowed little by little. "What?" I said as I slowly lurked forward toward the being. "Well, I'm the part about you that represents everything evil about yourself," it said. I couldn't help my nervous chuckle, "I am not evil." "Aren't you?" It retorted. The clone walked to the cell door and looked outside the small window. The light illuminated its features and I could see every scar, bruise, and broken part of it clear as day. "You might not think you're evil, but if you weren't then I wouldn't be here," it continued, "You see I'm every part of you that's scared, lonely, depressed, abused, and anxiety-ridden." It pointed to its scars, "You see these? You gave me these, each and everyone you cut and beat into our skin. I'm here because your own self-loathe thought me into existence." 

The clone walked over to me, and the pounding sound quickened. It shuttered at the sound. "Calm down." It said through gritted teeth, "What?" "CALM DOWN!" It was shouting now. The sound only quickened. The clone started violently shaking, "CALM DOWN NOW." It was screaming, the agony ripping through its vocal cords plus the pounding sound was deafening. "What is that?" I was screaming just to be able to hear myself. It screeched back at me, but the sounds were so hard to hear. "That's your heartbeat, you placed this prison here and put me in it to haunt me. The sound drives me wild, strengthens me. It calls for me like it's a drug, and when I partake I can't control myself anymore." The clone was on all fours now, looking at me with a feral look in its eyes, the sound of my heartbeat quickened. My body was shaking, teeth chattering, and my heart racing. Whatever was making this thing go crazy was working, and I had a feeling I couldn't control it anymore. My anxiety rose, and the clone before me grew. Its teeth sharpened, its nails lengthened and scratched at the ground, and it snarled, the sound tearing in its throat as if it hurt. 

In hopeless attempts to escape this prison, I ran past it and started to bang on the door. "HELP ME!" I screamed, but the sound of my heartbeat only flooded the cries. I turned and the being was staring me down with eyes that starved. With one swoop its terrible claw sliced through the air and cut its way through my torso. The sound of my heartbeat stopped instantly, and I closed my eyes. When they opened again, I only saw me, but I wasn't beaten and covered with scars this time. I was clean, well taken care of, and not a hair on my head was harmed. The clone smiled and I looked down at my hands and legs. 

I was now the broken one.

"I don't understand," were the only words able to escape my cold lips. The clone smiled. "You see, for as long as we've been alive I've been stuck in here. Your heartbeat drove me insane and knowing that while I was here taking the toll of your own selfish, sad, and anxious actions. You were sitting up on the surface, pretty as a picture. So, once I saw my chance, I killed your heartbeat and replaced it with mine. I'm in charge now, and your fate lies in the darkness now being taunted by my horrors. I'm tired of taking one for the team." My eyes widened in horror, "You can't do this." I cried, but the clone grinned from ear to ear, "Oh, but you see, I already have." The clone ripped its hand from my chest, and not a drop of blood escaped, it threw me into the darkness and started walking towards the door. It grabbed the handle, cracked open the door, and looked back at me, "You see, as long as we're alive, our anxiety will never die. You'll never be able to kill yourself, so don't try. It'll only cause you more pain."

And with that, it walked out the door, turned the lock, and shut the window. I sat in complete darkness now, a prisoner of my own accord.