Reflection

She tossed and turned in the dead of night, her bed becoming increasingly uncomfortable as the clock ticked on. Sweat littered her brow as expressions of terror cross her features and moans escape her lips. Turning to her side, she clutched the covers against her chest, desperation oozing into the air around her as her subconscious fights to keep the nightmares away. Death taints the air she breathes as the nightmare is dragged on, her lips forming the mumbles of a quieted plea. Flinging the suffocating cloth from her sweat soaked body; she clawed at her flesh in a futile attempt to fight off that of which plagued her sleep.
Her ginger hair clung to her face, wet with salty tears. Her face grew paler as the moon raised higher into the night sky, a crescent that little solace in the darkness. As the clock struck twelve and the great clock below rang true, a blood curdling scream was ripped from her throat. Propelling herself upwards in a hurry to escape, she stared at her hands as she caught her breath. Trembling in fear, absolute terror coursing through every nerve, she cried, tears dripping down her flushed cheeks and scattering on the blanket. Long forgotten memories, an evil of the past, haunt her still in the present.
Sniffling, she threw her legs over the edge of her bed. Her feet barely reached the carpet and so she shuffled herself forward until they were flat. Lifting her body with her arms, she tested the solidity of the floor before standing completely. At this moment, she needed an anchor and anything that did not give way beneath her touch would do. With a slow and soft stride, she made her way to the room across the hall, the bathroom used by only her in this too large of a house. Flicking on the light, she was faced with her reflection in a mirror, pale and tear-stained.
Rubbing her fingers under her eyes, she wiped away her remaining tears that threatened to fall. Taking in a shaky breath, she reached forth and turned on the tap, letting the sound of flowing water sooth her nerves. She sighed heavily, her thoughts preoccupied by the nightmare that has visited her for the fifth night in a row. Shoving her hands under the cool liquid, she slashed herself to clean the egg off her face.
Opening her eyes to view her reflection once more, a different face stared back. It was one much like her own, but it was full of confidence and malice. A smirk twisted itself onto what should be her lips and yet she could not feel the tugging upon them. Awestruck, she reached forward to touch the stone cold glass. The reflected grinned and laughed in her face, humored by her caution.
Biting her lip, she lowered her head in shame. She felt pathetic, terrorized by nightmares night after night and then her own reflection laughed at her weakness. Lifting her head slightly, she gazed at the confidence etched into her features through the mirror. The woman she saw in front of her radiated power and control, everything she lacked. This woman in the mirror could fight against the memories, against the nightmares the plagued her slumber. She was everything she wished she could be.
Her eyes drifted down to look at the floor when she heard a tsk close to her ear. Glancing up, the reflection was sneering down at her, the smirk gone and disgust flooding the space around her. The bathroom was no longer being reflected, just her. The reflected her faded into nothing and she rushed to reach for it. Her fingers touched only glass, no reflection to be seen. Tears threatened to fall as she stared into the darkness, a menacing laughter echoing around her- the same laugh that came from the man in her nightmares.
Her heart raced and blood drained from her face. She banged her fists on the sides of the mirror, calling out to her reflection to come back and save her. The laughter grew louder as she continued to struggle and fear seized her heart. Her fist pounded harder on the sides until she slipped and punched the glass itself. Mirror fragments littered the floor, crashing over her body as she stared at the wall numbly.
The walls seemed to close in around her, squeezing the breath from her lungs as she slid to the floor. Glass crunched beneath her knees, cutting and slicing through her fragile skin. Tears flowed freely now, her lips trembling and struggling to form words. Closing her eyes, she begged the nightmare to leave her be, to torment another. Another tsk was heard from below her and she looked down at the shattered mirror. In the fragments showed her, whole and pitying the woman that lay at the mercy of fear.
Lunging forward, she grasped a piece in her hands. “Don’t leave me!” she cried out. The room seemed to begin to shake, the lights flickering around her. His laughter haunted her, pushing her toward insanity. Her reflection glared at her and flipped her off, a smirk adorning her lips once more.
“Pathetic.”
Darkness engulfed her sensed and she tumbled into the nightmare once more. His laughter and the cold cut of the knife against her abdomen filled her senses. Blood flooded the scene around her and she tumbled into oblivion. She bled as a child, a woman no more. This time, unlike what her memories promise, no one is coming to save her from this nightmare.

As the sun rose to greet a new morning, police walked about the house. A crying woman stood to the side in her husband’s arms, a man in uniform delivering the news. Their daughter, a survivor of the serial killer ten years ago, lay dead in her private bathroom. Shattered glass surrounded her body, soaked in her blood. A piece is clutched in her hand and a jagged slice runs right up her wrist. She had no chance of surviving. The police officer stated that it was the result of a diminished mental state brought upon the anniversary of her attack.
The woman confirmed that her daughter had been waking late at night, screams echoing the household. The two simply learned to ignore the screams, seeing no harm in their daughter or any change during the day. The policeman nodded in understanding and tipped his hat farewell, leaving the couple to mourn their loss.
It wasn't until the next day that her body was removed from the scene. The parents insisted on an investigation to be sure that their little girl was not murdered. The result was still the same. As the coroner supervised the removal of the body, the world had to accept the reality of the child’s death. Suicide caused by insanity.