Madness

chapter 9- no name lane

Elena felt alone. She had woken up with a lurch and had spent a long-time panting like a timeworn engine. The nightmare had left her mind crumpled like paper and darker then death itself. A dream, just a dream. In her mind, she had already decided that couldn't have been a dream. You're not supposed to feel things in dreams, you're not supposed to remember them so well. Why did it feel so real? What...what if it's happening in my head? She thought, casting fearful glimpses at Frank.  The nightmare never included mum before- so why now? Was mother really her mother, though? The question remained stubborn as stone in her mind.

Her hands ached. It wasn't sharp like a knife but almost muffled as if she was drowning in layers of absence. Holding her breath, Elena glanced downwards. A thistle sharp shriek clawed out from her mouth. Even to her the shriek sounded wrong. Demonising. Monster-like.

"No, no...no..." She stammered in disbelief. "No!" The panic exploded from her.

Crushed into her skin were thick shards of glass. Blood ran over her shaky hands.  Underneath the dappled shadows, the crimson stood out indecently. Elena's entire body broke into shudders. The colour burned in her mind, imprinting itself in her shabby, shattered memory. Black misted around the edges of her vision. It's not real! She winced in pain. How could it not be?

Her face remained unmoving and still as if spell-bound. Facial expressions were preserved for those who could control their emotions, for those whose minds are able.  Here dark, hollow eyes showed none of that, not even the slightest humanity. Her sanity simply did not exist.

What if the dream had been real? What if the glass had come from the dream thing? What if...

The beginnings of a realisation started to form in her mind. Her mind wandered down her memory, clouding the throbbing pain. Hadn't she brought the mirror the same time it had all started happening? Scraping through her memory, Elena shivered.  She had. A crazy, chaotic click exploded within her. Oh frack! The dream or whatever it was... I was inside the mirror- I was trapped. Fake-Elena is me- my reflection. Maybe that's why it looks so blotchy and dark and twisted... the night it had all happened the mirror seemed darker- it always seemed out of place. Even my own reflection looks different-

She swore, loudly. That's when the tears came. Weaker then wine, Elena began wheezing coarsely.

Jolting awake, Frank squinted around flustered. Inaudible mutterings followed before he managed to grasp onto his surroundings. Swiveling to face Elena, he felt his face droop at her grief- stricken expression.

"My hands..." She began, raising her searing arms. Trailing of helplessly, Elena glanced around the car as shafts of dread shifted over her. Nothing was there. The glass had vanished like it had never existed, leaving no visible scar or mark but it still managed to burn at the back of her mind. Relief didn't come. Instead a drunk, delusional fear imprisoned her. "I..." She winced at her own voice. It felt and sounded wrong.

Fear flitted through her. Creeping through every part of her like a chill was fear. It lived in her now. It was holding her hostage. It had become her.

You see what I want you to see, the words passed through her mind like breath from the face of glass. What if she could feel what it wanted her to as well? Panic rose in chest.

"Elena!" He exploded, shakily. "You're bloody scaring me!"

"Don't be... this is all my damn fault and I dragged you into this," Elena sniveled, her eyes misting. "It wasn't a dream- I killed..." But the rest of the words never came. They simply couldn't form. Instead throbbing, choking sounds forced its way out of her throat like poison.