A Chance Encounter

Chapter Twenty-One: The Mirror of Shadows

The car remained eerily silent as everyone stared at the woman standing in the middle of the road, identical to the one who had been with them just moments ago. Kylie's heart raced as her mind struggled to process the impossible. How could the woman be in two places at once? And where had she gone from the backseat?

Joshua slowly turned the key, but the car engine sputtered and died, leaving them stranded in the middle of the desolate road.

"She was just here," Malia whispered, her voice shaking. "How is this possible?"

Everyone exchanged terrified glances, and it felt as though the walls were closing in. Kylie's pulse pounded in her ears as she locked eyes with the woman ahead—only this time, something was different. The woman's face was still, her eyes hollow, as if she was nothing more than a shell.

Joshua cursed under his breath, gripping the steering wheel. "What do we do? We can't just sit here."

Peder spoke up, his voice tight with panic. "That thing is not the woman we brought with us. She said they can take your shape. What if that's one of those shadows?"

Before anyone could respond, the woman in the road took a step forward. The movement was slow, deliberate, and inhumanly smooth. It sent chills down Kylie's spine.

"We need to move," Joshua urged, fumbling to restart the car. The engine groaned but refused to come back to life.

Dara's voice trembled as she looked back at the empty seat. "What if she's still here? What if she's one of them now?"

Kylie's skin prickled at the thought. She turned to Malia, whose wide eyes mirrored her own fear. "We need to get out of this car. We can't stay in one place."

Joshua nodded. "I'll try the other car."

They scrambled out of the vehicle, the tension palpable as they kept their eyes on the figure still standing on the road. As they backed away toward the other car, Kylie felt a strange pull from the forest, as if something was watching them, lurking just out of sight.

Joshua hurried to the second car, yanking the door open. "Come on, come on," he muttered, turning the key. The engine sputtered to life, and relief flooded through the group.

"Get in!" Joshua shouted, and everyone rushed toward the car.

But just as they were about to pile in, a low, unnatural voice echoed through the trees.

"You can't leave."

Kylie froze, her heart stopping in her chest. The voice was cold, detached, and it seemed to come from everywhere at once. The figure in the road had vanished, and the silence that followed was suffocating.

"What... what was that?" Ruby whispered, her face pale with fear.

The group looked around frantically, but there was no sign of the woman, or whatever she had been. The forest felt like it was closing in, the shadows growing darker and more oppressive with each passing second.

"We have to go, now!" Kylie urged, pulling Malia toward the car. They piled in, slamming the doors shut as Joshua hit the gas.

The car lurched forward, speeding down the road, but the oppressive feeling of being watched didn't disappear. It felt as though something was following them, hidden in the shadows just beyond the tree line.

As they sped down the seemingly endless road, Kylie glanced at the side mirror and gasped. A dark, shadowy figure was running alongside the car, keeping pace with them. Its form was vague, shifting and swirling, but there was no mistaking the malevolent presence.

"Drive faster!" Kylie yelled, her voice laced with panic.

Joshua pressed harder on the gas, but the figure continued to follow, its twisted shape growing clearer as it drew closer. Its eyes—empty, black voids—locked onto hers through the mirror, and Kylie's blood ran cold.

"It's not going to stop," Malia whispered, her voice barely audible over the roar of the engine.

The shadow figure seemed to morph and stretch, its form becoming more human-like, more familiar. It began to resemble one of them.

"Oh my God," Ruby said, her voice shaking. "It's copying us."

Kylie's heart raced as the figure took on Malia's appearance, its eyes still hollow and terrifying. It was like looking into a dark reflection—a version of Malia that was twisted and wrong.

"We have to lose it," Joshua said, his knuckles white on the steering wheel.

But no matter how fast they went, the shadowy doppelganger kept pace, its form growing clearer with each second. The road seemed endless, as though they were driving in circles, trapped in some kind of nightmare loop.

Suddenly, the car jerked as they hit something in the road, and the engine sputtered again. Joshua cursed, slamming his fist against the dashboard as the car rolled to a stop.

"We're not going to outrun it," Dara said, her voice barely a whisper. "It's too late."

The shadow figure stopped just ahead of them, standing in the middle of the road, perfectly mimicking Malia's appearance. It stared at the car, unmoving, as if waiting for them to make the next move.

"What do we do?" Peder asked, his voice filled with dread.

Kylie's mind raced. The car was dead again, and the shadow was blocking their path. They had nowhere to run.

"We fight," she said, her voice steady despite the terror gripping her. "We can't keep running. We have to face it."

Malia squeezed her hand, her eyes fierce despite the fear. "Together."