The cat with the tophat

The phantom reveals himself

Niklaus von Hertzerz gave me a look of understanding and reassurance. "Are you sure you are alright? I can get a Doctor if you-".
"NO! No...that won't be necessary your excellency". The Baron straightforwardly nodded, and we never spoke of the matter again.

Once more, the Baron patched me up properly. And I soon found that the day swiftly faded, and it was night once again. And with night reappearing so did the ghastly phantom. This time, he was closer, oh ever so close! And I could make out his features flawlessly.

Whereon I did so...all the colour drained from my face..and the blood rushed to my head. How was that possible...he...looked...

EXACTLY LIKE ME!

"Y- YOU'RE ME!". I yelled and he placed his finger to his lips "Shhhh". His eyes were cold and dead, and he bore a stare, one that conveyed a hollow steel blade, so deadly and sharp.

Gently, he placed a hand on my cheek, and I shivered at how cold his skin was...it was unbearably uncomfortable, it was as if I  was being touched by the stone, polar hand of a corpse.

I looked up at him in horror, and he whispered into my ear, his voice shrewd and callous. "You will never leave this place alive. Run away while you still can....".

~

I woke up, to the stench of something foul and musty, I looked around the room in delirium, and started knocking over chairs, pulling paintings off their hangings, and tearing off the wallpaper, I could not see it, yet I sensed something very ominous and sinful. The phantoms word's ringed inside my head nonstop, like an fiendish bell.

Ring....ring....ring the sound intensified and as it did so, my vision began to blur, and I started suffering a malicious migraine. Howbeit, I didn't stop I continued my searching, shredding off layer after layer of wallpaper, until I finally found what I was looking for.

There, before me infested with flies and maggots, was a severed hand, the skin was bruised and blue, the rotten bone hanging out at the end of it..the disgusting piece of flesh, throbbed as bugs were crawling inside of it, making it appear like it was moving by itself.

I tried my hardest not to vomit, as my eyes started to water from the dreadful stench, however I couldn't help but do so, and I quickly grabbed a bucket from under the bed.

Meanwhile, a hideous chorus commenced, and I began to hear sinister voices, with a cruel tone "Kill yourself, Kill yourself, Kill yourself". These brassy voices encircled my mind, I felt as I were inside a demented bad dream, and that I would soon wake up!
However, I didn't wake up, and the chaotic chorus only grew louder and louder...until I blinked! Then, right before me, in my own hand, I saw a jaggered piece of glass, the edge razor sharp, then I took a look at my wrist...a river of scarlet sweeped across my arm, and stained the wooden floorboards beneath me, what laid beside me, was my severed wrist.

And only then, did I properly open my eyes, and realise..the Baron wasn't here..he was never here! It was all in my head! The mansion was freezing and empty, no longer was the feeling of warmth and coziness, as I glanced at my surroundings, they soon become real. The house was barren and frozen, no longer were the furnishings, the paintings or anything of the sort. The once grand mansion was in disrepair, the walls were cracked, and engulfed with mould, colossal cobwebs hung on the ceiling.

For the last time, I closed my eyes, and let eternal darkness take me, and from this point onward, all of my pain and suffering would disappear.