Fear (A Scarecrow Fanfic)

Chapter Twenty-Four

For some reason, I found myself standing in Arkham, the hallway in front of me twisting away into a mess of cell doors.  Around me, I could hear echos entangling themselves together until everything was indistinguishable and I felt like I was underwater.  I tentatively took a step forward, watching the hall in front of me suddenly snap straight.  The noise immediately stopped in response, replaced with silence.

I would've sworn I was alone if one of the heavy cell doors down the hallway didn't slowly squeal open.  Hesitating, I held my breath and watched, swearing I saw fingers disappear from around the edge.

When there were no further disturbances, I took another step forward, marveled by how stupid it was to get closer to potential danger, and yet, I was too curious to not take a look.

"Hello?"  My voice echoed around until it faded into the silence, "Is anyone there?"

There was no response, so I took another step, and another, and another, until I came within a yard or so from the door.  It felt as if someone was watching me from the way I came, sending shivers down my spine.  I resisted the urge to look behind me, not willing to turn my attention away from the door, knowing someone had to of opened it.

Faintly, I could hear something coming from inside of the room, so I leaned forward, straining to hear.  "Hello?" My own voice called out to me in a whisper.

Confused, I took another step forward, trying to peek inside.  My urge to look behind me grew more intense before I heard my voice again, this time a whisper in my ear, "Go in."

I was violently shoved forward, stumbling through the door, into the room, the door slamming shut behind me.  My eyes struggled to see in the sudden darkness, my back finding the door and pressing against it, feeling the presence of someone across the room.  I could just barely hear their whimpering over my pounding heart.

"Failure!"  The door behind me suddenly vibrated as someone pounded on it, making me scuttle away.

The whimpering stopped in response.  Suddenly I was able to see, finding I was locked in one of the cells in Arkham, the words "freedom, coward," and "failure" etched into the walls repeatedly in no order, sometimes etched over one another.  However, what was strange was the full-length mirror in the otherwise empty room.

I wandered over to it for closer inspection, stopping when my reflection suddenly smiled at me.  My fingers wandered to my lips to find they were drawn in a tight line.  Odder still, my reflection didn't move her hand.

"Are you really that confused?" Her voice was muffled by the glass, "You can't keep hiding me, Sarah."

"Who are you?"

She scowled, "Who do you think?  I'm you."

I frowned, stepping closer, "What do you mean?  Where am I?"

"Despite your effort, you're in the depths of your mind.  It's a lovely place, so I don't know why you fight to avoid it so much." She smiled again, "Every thought you've had ends up here.  Both good and bad.  And I get to enjoy it.  I am the better you.  I am Sarah."

I stopped moving, keeping my distance from her when she claimed to be a "better" me.  "I still don't understand...."

"Everything you try to suppress because you think it makes you weak ends up here; and I'm the bit of your personality that gets to enjoy every moment of pain, fear, and sadness that you don't want to recognize.  It makes me -us- angry."  She lifted her hand to touch the glass, but it passed through instead.

I took a step back, finding myself pressed against the door again as she kept coming forward, stepping out of the mirror as if it were nothing.  She smiled, her eyes cold as she took in my fear.

"If you don't do something about it," she came closer, her voice threatening, "I will."

**

Hi, everyone!

Not gonna lie, I wrote this chapter late at night and now I'm too scared to sleep.  (-.-)

Why did I do this to myself?  XD

Thank you all for reading!  I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!  Sorry it's a little short, but I couldn't think of a better way to end it.