Short Stories Collection

3. Black, Soulless Eyes

   Her room was as dark as the night. Outside, it was raining and there was a thunderstorm. Penelope was sleeping when she heard a loud creak in the room. It startled her, but it was an old house with wooden floor. She calmed herself but heard the same sound again... And again, but this time it seemed closer. There was a louder creak now, and it felt as if it had come from the wardrobe. I must be out of my mind. She looked at her roommate and saw that she was sleeping peacefully. I'm definitely hearing things, what the hell? Penelope knew she shouldn't give credit to horror stories and creatures but it was stronger than her. She tried to forget the noise, to clear her head, but it just got louder. Outside, the whistling of the wind and the storm got worse.

   In a moment of bravery – or stupidity – she decided to turn on the lights, but they weren't working so she grabbed her phone and turned on its flashlight. She felt a cold breeze when stepping out of bed but kept walking towards the wardrobe. Penelope looked at her reflection in the wardrobe's mirror and as she approached it she felt someone, or something, watching her. The wardrobe creaked once more and her body started sweating and trembling. She did not know if she should open it or not. She did: nothing inside. Penelope rummaged among all her clothes looking for something that could be causing that annoying sound, but found nothing. She felt annoyed and angry at herself for believing that something spooky might be in her room, in her own closet. What was I thinking? I'd better get some sleep.

   Her hand touched the wardrobe handle to close it but it felt as cold as ice, and sent shivers down her spine. When she looked again into the mirror she saw something. A shadow, far away, but it was getting closer... and the closer it got, the louder the creaking became. She paralyzed with fear, she couldn't move, it was as if her body was no longer hers to control. When it approached her it got out of the mirror; a shadow form with black, soulless eyes. Its cold hands grabbed her wrist, burning into her skin. She tried to scream but nothing came out. She tried to free herself but the more she moved, the tighter its hand got on her wrist, trying to take her with it back into the mirror. There was nothing that she could do... until...

   "Penelope!Wake up! What's wrong?" she heard her roommate, Alice, calling for her and realized she had been dreaming the whole time. But it felt so real... 

   "You were having a nightmare, it looked bad, I had to wake you up. You all right?"

   Penelope couldn't speak, still in shock, and that's when she looked at her wrist. It was red and it looked burnt. She looked once more at the wardrobe and heard the same sound again.

   "Hey, you're fine, you're no longer dreaming. If you need me, I'll be downstairs."

   She tried to remain calm, but why did she have that mark? That's when she looked at Alice. She bore the same black and soulless eyes as the shadow's figure from her dream.