I'm not alone.

I sit up, pulling up my knees to my chest. A shiver runs down my back as I stare through the room. Nothing is out of place, but I feel it, down to the pit of my stomach, that I'm not alone.

Someone is watching me.

My heart is pumping too fast, so loud that I can't hear anything beyond it. Yet I hear it.

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It's as if a dog is walking across the wooden floor.

I don't have a dog.

My chest feels tight. I pull my knees even closer.

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It's closer. Much closer.

I don't want to look to the side, but I feel it.

It's here.

I can smell it too.

It smells like rotten meat.

The bed dips.

I can't breathe.

I can't move.

Cold seeps through my veins and I jump out of bed.

I run to my bathroom, turn on the light.

It feels warm.

I swallow hard and place both palms on the sink. I take a deep breath, closing my eyes.

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I open my eyes and stare through the mirror.

I'm alone.

There's nothing here.

My reflection looks back at me.

It actually looks back at me.

There's a mischievous glint in its eyes, my eyes, as the lips move.

I'm not moving them.

My heart skips a beat.

The reflection taunts me.

It smiles at me.

The teeth are pointier and the eyes are darker.

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I feel it.

Inside me.

I'm not alone.