Catoptrophobia

Chapter 1

Fear is as ubiquitous as sunlight on these cracked streets. Stacie would always tell that to herself.

Stacie was helpless, even when the bullies threw punches she wouldn't dare move nor say a word in her defence. Once confronted she would cower back the feeling of weakness boiling inside of her. She would be destitute and unable to move. Her memories were filled with horror and monotonous feelings.

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"And then.. the mirror man said, 'one in this house down, two to go. You are last so enjoy the show!' Scared yet, Stacie Hawkins!!?" Said the school bullies.

Stacie would always get scared of the Mirror Man story, each time she would hear it; it petrified her out of her wits every single time as if it were her first time listening to it.

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Stacie's mother was pregnant. Their house lacked space for the upcoming baby so her father decided to buy a new house far away from the main city, somewhere in the woods.
This was when Stacie started to have the dreams, the paranormal, sinister and blood-curdling dreams that happened about in the new house. Dreams that intensified her inevitable fear, her irrational fear.. of mirrors.

Stacie's P.O.V
It was almost midnight and needless to say, everything was pitch black.
We were driving to our new house which was somewhere in the woods. Mommy was on the back seat as she needed to stretch out. Daddy and I were on the front.
Daddy had turned the radio off, and I could hear nothing but the muffle roar of tyres on pavement and the dull hum of the engine.
I stole a glance into the middle rear view mirror, and saw nothing but darkness through the back window of the car.

I know that I looked backward and saw nothing. I'm sure of it. Just the seemingly endless blackness of the night. I remember it so clearly because not 10 seconds later a car passed me to the left. Headlights on. I had one of those sudden adrenaline rushes like when you think you see a person outside your bedroom window when it's just a tree, or when you start awake at night with the feeling of falling. Ten seconds earlier, nothing had been behind our car. Suddenly, a car.
I glanced at the rear-way mirror, it had deep scratches, as if some creature had been clinging onto it.
"What is the matter Stacie?" Daddy asked.
"Nothing daddy, I am tired." I answered.
"Sweetie, just go to sleep. It's midnight. We will wake you up when we reach home." Said mommy.
I tried to fall asleep. But I went the rest of the way home shivering and knowing something was off.
What could it have been? I thought.
Then suddenly, my mind came up with a theory, an extremely horrific one that something large and wide, and as black as the night had been clinging to the rear of our car, obscuring my view through the window and leaving deep scratches on the sides.

And daddy had inadvertently driven it to the new home with us.