Chapter 6: The Man in the Reflection

Chapter 6: The Man in the Reflection

Rick sat hunched over his laptop, the grainy CCTV footage playing on a loop. His doppelgänger—his *other self*—boarded the train over and over, each time turning to the camera with that same twisted expression.

"What are you trying to tell me?" Rick muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

He slowed the video down, frame by frame, focusing on the doppelgänger's mouth. The figure's lips moved deliberately, as if trying to communicate something. Rick leaned closer, his heart pounding.

"Find… me," he lip-read, his blood running cold.

The words echoed in his mind, sending a shiver down his spine. *Find me.* Was it a warning? A plea? Or was it a trap, luring him deeper into whatever nightmare he was caught in?

Rick replayed the footage again, but this time, the doppelgänger's eyes seemed to lock onto his, even through the screen.

"Stop it," Rick whispered, slamming his laptop shut. But the words lingered, haunting him. *Find me.*

---

The next morning, Rick stood in front of the bathroom mirror, brushing his teeth. His reflection stared back at him, tired and disheveled. But something felt… off.

He froze, his toothbrush halfway to his mouth.

His reflection was lagging.

It moved a split second after he did, like a delayed video. Rick blinked, and his reflection blinked a moment later.

"What the—"

Before he could finish, his reflection smiled—a slow, deliberate smile that Rick hadn't made.

He stumbled back, dropping his toothbrush. The reflection's lips moved, forming words he couldn't hear.

Rick bolted out of the bathroom, his heart racing.

---

The strange occurrences didn't stop there.

Later that day, Rick sat at his desk, writing in his notebook. He was sure he had filled an entire page with notes, but when he looked back, the page was blank.

"What the hell?" he muttered, flipping through the notebook. The pages were empty, as if he had never written a single word.

His phone, which he had left on the desk, was now on the bed. He didn't remember moving it.

And then he heard it—a whisper.

"Rick…"

He spun around, but the room was empty. The whisper came again, louder this time.

"Rick…"

It was his own voice.

---

Desperate for someone to confirm he wasn't losing his mind, Rick rushed to find Miki. She was in the library, studying with Rose.

"Miki, I need to talk to you," Rick said, his voice urgent.

Miki looked up, surprised. "Rick? What's wrong?"

He pulled her aside, away from Rose, and showed her the CCTV footage on his phone. "Look at this. That's me. But I wasn't on that train. I swear I wasn't."

Miki frowned, her brow furrowing as she watched the video. "Wait… you weren't even in town that day, right?"

Rick's stomach dropped. "What are you talking about? Of course I was. I was in class. You saw me."

Miki shook her head, her expression confused. "I… I don't remember. I thought you were out of town. Or maybe you left early? I can't…"

She clutched her head, wincing. "I feel like I forgot something important."

Rick stared at her, a cold dread settling in his chest. Reality was shifting around him, erasing his past, rewriting his memories.

---

That night, Rick decided to test the limits of his sanity. He set up his phone to film himself in the mirror, hoping to catch his reflection acting on its own.

He stood in front of the mirror, his heart pounding. For a moment, everything seemed normal.

Then his reflection smiled.

Rick's breath caught in his throat as the reflection mouthed the same words as the doppelgänger in the CCTV footage:

"Find me."

He grabbed his phone and played back the recording. There it was—his reflection, moving independently, mouthing the words.

His phone buzzed, startling him. It was another anonymous message:

**Unknown Number**: *"You're running out of time."*

Rick stared at the mirror, his reflection staring back. For the first time, he felt like he was looking at a stranger.

"What do you want from me?" he whispered.

The reflection didn't move. But then, slowly, it spoke—out loud.

"You're looking in the wrong place."

Rick's blood turned to ice. The reflection stepped forward, its hand pressing against the glass.

And then, it stepped *out* of the mirror.

To be continued...