EPISODE 10
THE VERSION INSIDE
Darkness swallowed the house completely.
Elizabeth stood frozen in the hallway, unable to breathe.
The cracked mirror behind her whispered softly.
Not words.
Movement.
Like dozens of people speaking somewhere very far away.
Her phone flashlight flickered weakly as she turned it on.
The hallway looked wrong now.
Longer.
Narrower.
The family photographs hanging on the walls had changed.
Every face inside them was blurred.
Except hers.
In each picture, Elizabeth stared directly toward the camera with the same unnatural smile.
A floorboard creaked upstairs.
Then another.
Something was moving again.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
Elizabeth backed away from the staircase.
The mirror reflected her movement—
But a second too late.
Her chest tightened instantly.
The reflection was no longer perfectly copying her.
It was learning.
The phone buzzed again.
DO NOT LET IT REPLACE YOU COMPLETELY.
Elizabeth typed immediately.
WHAT DOES IT WANT?
Several seconds passed.
Then:
TO EXIST HERE.
A loud bang exploded somewhere upstairs.
Elizabeth jumped violently.
A door had slammed shut.
At the same moment, every blurred face in the hallway photographs turned toward her.
Not naturally.
Too fast.
Like frames skipping in a broken video.
Elizabeth ran.
She rushed into the kitchen, breathing hard, nearly slipping on the wooden floor.
The house felt colder now.
Not empty.
Occupied.
She grabbed the largest knife from the counter before stopping herself.
The message from earlier echoed in her mind.
It has finally found the right version of you.
Not a ghost.
Not a person.
Something trying to become one.
A soft sound came from behind her.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Elizabeth slowly turned toward the dark kitchen window.
Her reflection stood outside the house.
Smiling.
Rain had started falling heavily beyond the glass, yet the figure remained perfectly dry.
Its head twitched slightly to one side.
Then it lifted one hand and pointed upward.
Toward the second floor.
Another loud noise shook the ceiling above her.
This time, it sounded like furniture dragging across the floor.
Elizabeth stepped backward slowly.
Her flashlight flickered again.
For one brief second
The kitchen changed.
The walls appeared rotten.
Black stains spread across the ceiling.
And shadow-like figures stood silently around the room.
Watching her.
Then the normal kitchen returned instantly.
Elizabeth covered her mouth to stop herself from screaming.
The house was shifting between versions.
And something inside the other version was getting closer each time.
Her phone buzzed once more.
IT CAN ONLY TAKE YOUR PLACE IF YOU INVITE IT.
Elizabeth stared at the message.
Then slowly looked toward the front door.
Still locked.
Windows closed.
No way inside.
A horrible realization crept into her mind.
The mirror.
The cracked glass at the end of the hallway.
That was never a reflection.
It was a doorway.
Suddenly
The sound of footsteps sprinted across the second floor ceiling directly above her.
Fast.
Violent.
Not human.
Elizabeth ran back into the hallway just as the upstairs lights flashed on by themselves.
For a split second, she saw someone standing at the top of the stairs.
A woman.
Motionless.
Same height.
Same hair.
Same face.
Elizabeth’s face.
But older somehow.
Paler.
Smiling wider than any human mouth should allow.
The lights instantly went out again.
Darkness returned.
Then the voice finally spoke for the first time.
Not from upstairs.
Not from the mirror.
From directly beside her ear.
You left the door open.
Story continue on your Demand…………