Silent Jack

The Midnight Reckoning

The night was passing, and Jack was trying to ascertain what he should do. The memories of his whole life were flashing in front of his eyes, and he wasn't able to sleep at all. It was a night to recall his old life, and that's what he had been doing for a long time.

Although he wanted to think about the present, the memories of the orphanage where he used to live with Mia and many other children, the brutal memories of the farmhouse, moments of love he spent with Amanda, the night when Mia became uncontrollable and killed eight people from the Harris family, and the sluggish and harsh memories of the mental asylum, where despite having no real mental issues, were flashing behind his open eyes one by one and not letting him concentrate on what he needed to do.

After some time, he lay down on his back and spread a gray blanket over his legs. Amanda's words teased him: if he didn't speak the truth, she would leave Ireland forever. He knew he wouldn't survive without Amanda's support. He wanted to call Amanda and try to stop her from leaving him alone, but suddenly, a tightness gripped his chest. He felt as if some invisible hands were squeezing the life out of him. His breath became shallow, and in a desperate attempt to normalize his breathing, he started gasping.

"What is happening?" Jack said.

He got up and looked around, realizing that the cell was no longer just a prison of concrete and metal; it was a nightmarish expanse of swirling shadows. He saw those shadows pressing in on him from all sides, their forms shifting and writhing, seeming to grow closer with each passing second.

Jack was gasping, and his eyes widened with terror.

"Not again, please."

Jack rubbed his chest, trying to escape the grip of the invisible hands. His forehead had become wet with sweat. He saw the shadows converging upon him, their dark forms blotting out any semblance of light. He wanted to get up and run out of his cell, but before he could do so, a whisper cut through the noise and said, "Jack... look at me." The voice was soft, yet commanding.

Jack instantly looked toward the source of the whisper and found a figure standing apart from all the other shadows that were circling him. He saw that the figure was much more defined and distinct than all the other shadows, with a cover of mist surrounding it.

Jack was scared, but he gathered all of his courage and spoke in a trembling voice. "Who are you?"

The figure came one step closer and spoke in a soothing yet eerie voice. "Didn't you recognize me?"

"I am Mia. I came to see you."

Jack heard the words and shook his head. "No, this can't be you. You're just a shadow. My sister can't be a shadow."

The misty figure kept staring at the scared Jack and said, "I am Mia. I came to see you, and I'm not doing it for the first time; I've been doing it for a long time."

This time, Jack looked closely at the figure and realized that the misty figure was reflecting hints of Mia's personality. He gasped and said, "Mia..."

"Yes, I am Mia." The shadow spoke again.

"I cannot believe this... Where are you in actuality and how have you converted into this shadow?" He asked.

"I am far away from this prison... but I wanted to talk to you and see you, so I used the technique of astral projections to do so... and I've been using this technique to see you for a long time." The shadow of Mia spoke.

Jack heard the words and then he said, "Yes, I have seen this shadow many times... but you never told me before today that it was you.

"Because it wasn't necessary." The shadow of Mia spoke.