Day two and three:

Part three:

Wonders never cease, I couldn't get my head to push beyond the realm of dreams; my mind flourished with too many distractions as I lay there on this twin bed. I believe when they had mentioned they had a guest room, the quests in question being the grandkids who came to visit and from the looks of it, not lately.

The room vaguely lit from the strays of moon light whipping across the walls. The pale color spreading hauntingly around me, as the light seemed to move slowly along.

I had the funniest sensation I had been in this room before, not anytime recently but possibly in the past; the mirror hanging on the wall; the scroll like carpentry housing it's glassy surface; the cardboard propped picture frame baring a striking resemblance to my own mother showcased on the slender stacked dresser drawer.
I held out my hand to touch it, only to be too afraid to achieve the gesture as must have fallen asleep with no knowledge of doing so.

Suddenly the small like room, granted the reasoning as to why is appeared to be so acquainted to me; its because this was my grandmother's house; the though of her suit bellowed in slow recreation, she had been buried in that suit around ten years ago; though an aged woman she ultimately had become ( as well all do) this couldn't be possible... err... could it? My mind raced.

Was I dreaming of being back home; back to where I felt the safest as a kid; away from the chaos of my mother; the continuing saga of worrying about the bad that's next to come?
I began to surrender to this surreal dream as a tear slipped onto my left cheek bone - I could cry in this dream; as compared to barring myself from ever doing so in reality. It felt good; it felt like a mountain had tumbled finally from my shoulders; I sensed relief.

A sudden patter of footsteps could be made out from behind the closed door. It even sounded like my grandmother's steps, that... flip... flap ... beat from her worn out house slippers, I was willingly wanting to fling myself to the wooden door; swing it open and ascend into her arms again; to say that I was sorry for missing her funeral; that I hoped she'd understood why I couldn't bring myself to go.

But that sentimental theory came to an excruciating halt as the being on the other side of the door had paused; shifting left to right continuously as the shadowy limbs demonstrated between the inch-wide gap between the carpet and unleveled hinged door.

A soft laughter gurgled against the white painted plywood. A sound I'd never heard before; not a noise that came from my grandmother that I'd ever remembered hearing.

I slowly parted away from the closeness I was to it; distancing myself enough to where the bed now sprawled between it and I.

I resisted any urge to speak or sound off any movements that would show I was aware of the ominous presence; though, I believed it already was aware that I stood a few feet away; barefoot and only in a pair of night shorts and tank top.
I whisked my attention to another possible escape from the room, though, that appeared to be out of question with the number of things stuffed and stacked in front of the window. The doorknob jangled slightly; (repurposing my wary glance) then roughly; it wouldn't hold to too much more abuse.

"My dear... are you alright?" the soft voice questioned. Hesitant in even speaking a word; my quivering lips pushed together to finally make out a yes; as I sat on the edge of the bed. Questioning my own sanity. "I'm fine..." I managed to hoarse out.

Just as I'd given myself a slap in the face for being incredibly ridiculous. The slight gurgling laughter began again; my head tilting slowly from the cupping of my hands to the eerily door.

BANG!

The door puttered in protest from the singular force of the hit. I looked to the gap, but instead of shadowy limbs swaying, there was nothing.

I sighed in relief. Unwillingly to admit I was exhausted... err... hallucinating... or very simply put - bat guano daft.

I placed my focus back on the photo again; only it had been manipulated; the woman wasn't the striking familiar female from before, this body now lacked any notable feature; barely decipherable as feminine at all. Though the feeling I gathered from the photo ensured that it was.

Wearing an elongated white robe instead of the Sheath dress prior; the face; forearms; hands were sunken in; dried up; like skin only attached to the bone with no muscle to support the frame. It disturbed me greatly; sending a chilling spell up and down my spine; finally escaping through the points in my toes. I refused to look again!

I shook the frame from my hand, letting it fall flat onto the wooden surface. As the frame swayed still, a violent crack whipped around the room.

BANG!

Another hard hit at the door sent me stumbling behind the right side of the bedframe; at least my back would be to the wall where nothing or anything could sneak up on me.

A shattering took hold of my hearing, as I instantly glowered towards the mirror sitting atop the slender stacked dresser. A singular scrap began scoring the glass from top left, to bottom right - it divided effortlessly.

The laughter had commenced again; only the laughter had shifted areas; the slight rumbled hilarity no longer hid behind the safety of the door; it had instantly migrated towards the dresser.

Scuffing and scrapping against the wood; merriment erupting. It was only when the chortling became clearer that the slit between the glass bared scrawny fingertips; evenly drumming; wanting to showcase its whereabouts.
As the fingers tapped on, the darker shade between the replicated surface, harbored the palest blue eyes I'd ever witnessed; perhaps the beams of moon wilting across every exterior bolstered the hue. Those pierced through me as if I too were one of the dead.

The palest blue eyes quickly withdrew their stare, falling back into the Stygian ink; one by one the fingertips lifted from the mangled glass they held onto. The room became eerily silent as hesitancy and fear grew; this wasn't over... couldn't be that easy.

The air suddenly ruptured into decadent smells; the wood planks beneath my knees quivered; the bed began to rattle on its legs; the room was essentially coming to life.

The wooden door kicked in; breaking. The two mirrors now reflected my own face; slight shades of purple encircled my eye sockets; my cheeks a tad drawn in; my color less of normal, and more insipid.
Was I only seeing what it wanted to show... or was this me that I echoed? The walloping shriek ruptured into the air, as the glass gave way; sending the white robbed form from the picture, into full erected position just a few feet away - what was this?

The question only lingered for a fraction as the bony robbed female offered its equally lanky fingers towards me. Never saying a word, she held out the lone index finger as she wavered the freakishly drawn-out appendage of an arm (which could have easily been mistaken for a birch tree losing its bark during the summer months) with some spider veined skin remained visibly dripping calculatingly as she pointed somewhat behind her; landing on the mirror itself.

I halfway expected her to expel some hosanna about life and how I feel I may be wasting it, but on the contrary, the mirror only reproduced something from the past; some very recent past; the train car; it revealed me sitting as I did just yesterday, alone in my seat - fairly peaceful as I look to be only resting my eyes; it had been a few trying days as I remember sitting there contemplating what my next move was going to be as I patted my first step onto newer land.

Being there was nothing to have me stay, I did what I knew was right at the time - hell, I still believe the initiative sparked held prominent meaning. If I had remained there, I don't think I would've been capable of holding myself together any longer than I had already done. It had been a long time coming, and for my future, a rational chance.

As I watched the static show, reanimating just yesterday, an eerie and a sullen sensation pierced my chest; something had happened; something to me.

An ominous dressed figure pass by my sleeping body; quickly in and out for a few seconds of frame; zipping by not for the faint of eye to catch; no wonder I never remembered this happening; no one would've been able to catch this rapidly moving presence.

Though, I do recall a moment when just before this incident, a wicked bite of caution had crept along and up my back; causing me to slant my eyes open for a moment to briefly spy on my surroundings; as I recollected (as if the white robbed lady had heard or even seen my reiterating these events, the images retracted to a fraction before the passing figure) my body reacted precisely as my memory had detailed.

As the train clucked on, I found the rhythm to rock her (well, me) to an ease; just as 'I' closed my eyes again, they had appeared; expertly or possibly in a frantic run to their stop?

As the images paused to a slow crawl; slowly progressing as if I had been tapping the pause button on a remote control; the figure wasn't a portentous wave; the black was nothing more than a silk like rob with slightly exaggerated hips and trail (the material had to be heavy and hideous I may add) only it were colored black along with the short veil covering the face - how convenient, as that information wouldn't help me understand what was... err... had happened.

With the girth and wide shoulders, I could only assume this hooded Merryman to be just that: a man.

Was this man only passing by and stumbled; pressing his hand against my chair only to catch himself from falling?
Accidentally, snapping his right hand onto my left wrist inactive on the armrest. Then if it had occurred simultaneously as I watched, my left wrist suddenly burned in a fiery hiss. His large and lanky members had imprinted themselves into my flesh; causing irritation to erupt as it appeared to be bubbling; I quickly returned to the glass surface for what materialized next.

There was another shadowy figure creeping behind him; only there was no substance to the transparent body; it appeared disfigured; crumbling; crackling movements as it made its way towards me.