Mirrored In The Dark

Chapter 3

A few months after starting her photography business, Scarlett is contacted by a gallery owner who is interested in featuring her work. The gallery is prestigious and highly respected, and the opportunity is a huge honor for her. But there's one problem - the gallery wants to feature her work in a month, and she doesn't have nearly enough photos ready.

Scarlett is determined to make the most of this opportunity, so she decides to put everything else on hold and focus on creating new work. She spends days and nights working on her photos, editing and perfecting them. She barely sleeps, and she misses out on time with friends and family. But she knows it will all be worth it if she can make a good impression at the gallery.

As the day of the gallery opening approaches, Scarlett's nerves are at an all-time high. She's worried that her work won't be good enough, and that she's made a mistake by accepting the invitation. She's also worried that no one will show up to the opening. But on the night of the opening, something unexpected happens - the gallery is packed with people.

As Scarlett walks into the gallery, she sees people admiring her photos. She's surprised and overwhelmed by the positive response. She's approached by people who are interested in purchasing her work, and she even gets an offer from a magazine to do a photo shoot. The evening is a huge success, and Scarlett is thrilled. But something is still bothering her - she realizes that in her pursuit of success, she's neglected her friends and family.

The next morning, Scarlett wakes up feeling conflicted. On the one hand, she's elated by the success of the gallery opening. On the other hand, she feels guilty about neglecting her loved ones. She knows that she needs to find a better balance in her life. So she makes a decision - she will continue to pursue her photography career, but she will also make time for the people who matter most to her.

Scarlett receives a disturbing phone call. It's a man with a scratchy voice, who says he's been watching her. He tells her he has a message for her, and hangs up. She's unnerved by the call, but she tries to brush it off as a prank. But then, she starts to notice strange things happening around her.

One day, she comes home to find that all of the photos in her apartment have been vandalized. The faces of the people in the photos have been scratched out, and there are words scribbled on the walls. The words say, "You don't deserve this." Scarlett is terrified, and she calls the police. They arrive and tell her that there's nothing they can do without any evidence, and they advise her to change the locks on her door.

That night, Scarlett has trouble sleeping. She's kept awake by the sound of footsteps outside her door. She peeks out the window, but she doesn't see anyone there. The next morning, she wakes up to find a strange, handmade doll on her doorstep. It's a disturbing sight, and she can't shake the feeling that someone is watching her. She's starting to feel like she's going crazy. Is the doll just a creepy prank, or is someone really out to get her?

As Scarlett is trying to make sense of the situation, she receives another disturbing phone call. The voice on the other end is distorted, but she recognizes it as the same person who called before. He tells her, "I'm always watching you. You can't escape me." She hangs up the phone, but she can't stop shaking. She feels like she's being stalked, and she's starting to lose her grip on reality.

Determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, Scarlett starts investigating on her own. She looks up her phone records and discovers that the calls are coming from a number she doesn't recognize. She also looks up the address where the doll was sent, but the address doesn't exist. As she digs deeper, she discovers something even more disturbing - someone has been using her credit card without her permission.

Panicked, Scarlett calls the credit card company to try to get to the bottom of things. They tell her that there have been several recent charges to her account that she didn't make. She asks them for more information, but they won't give it to her. They tell her that she needs to file a police report. Frantic, she calls the police again, but they still can't help her without any evidence. She feels like she's caught in a nightmare that she can't wake up from.

At her wit's end, Scarlett decides to visit a psychic. She hopes that they'll be able to give her some answers. When she arrives, the psychic takes one look at her and says, "I can feel the darkness that's following you. Someone is trying to hurt you." Scarlett is shocked by the psychic's words, but she doesn't know what to make of them. She leaves feeling more confused than ever.

That night, Scarlett goes to bed, but she can't sleep. She tosses and turns, feeling like something is watching her. Suddenly, she hears a strange sound coming from her living room. She creeps out of her bedroom and into the living room, where she sees a shadowy figure standing in the corner. She screams, and the figure vanishes. When she turns on the light, she sees that a window is open, and the curtains are blowing in the wind. She feels like she's losing her mind.

The next day, Scarlett can't stop thinking about what happened the night before. She goes to see her doctor, hoping that they'll be able to help her. But her doctor can't find anything wrong with her physically. He tells her that she may be suffering from paranoia, and suggests that she sees a therapist. But Scarlett is convinced that what she saw was real, and she knows that there's something more going on.

Scarlett's doctor gives her a prescription for sleeping pills, but she doesn't take them. She's afraid that if she falls asleep, the shadowy figure will return. That night, she hears the same strange sound from the night before, and she sees the figure again. But this time, it's clearer, and she sees that it's a person wearing a dark cloak. They're standing in the shadows, and she can't see their face. They start to move towards her, and she screams. Suddenly, she wakes up.