Emily tossed and turned in her bed, her mind racing with thoughts that refused to let her rest. Frustrated, she sat up and checked the time on the wall clock. The hands pointed at 10:30 pm, a reminder of the impending task she had set out to do.

"I have tried to sleep but I can't able to?" she muttered to herself, her eyes fixed on the ticking clock.

As soon as she steps inside, she turns on the sink tap takes some water from the running water in her bare hands and splashes it on her face. The cold wave of water refreshed and cleansed the pores of her skin. Then she turned off the running water and wiped her face with a towel hanging near the round mirror.

The rim of the round mirror was gleaming with blue light that swept throughout the bathroom. The gleaming blue light makes her forget to switch on the bathroom light.

The blue twinkling light of the round mirror creates an ominous aura in the bathroom that scares her a bit. Then she glanced at herself carefully in the mirror and sighed. She was not used to seeing this new and different face. She used to see a woman who wore glasses and had dark circles under her eyes. When she looks at herself in the mirror after staring at the laptop for eight hours straight, her eyes look like zombie eyes.

But now her face is not the same as it was in her previous life. Her face now looks like a runway model. Her skin is absolutely clear and flawless. There is no chance of dark circles and pimples emerging on her face. Even her face becomes the ideal face that she wanted all her life. Now she has her ideal face but still not a single aspect of happiness can touch her.

"I have not yet made any plans on how to save myself from the murderer. I think I should die at the hands of the murderer."

As she said this, a mysterious black shadow passed behind her which Emily had seen in the round mirror. In dread, her heart was pounding faster. Thoughts of a mysterious dark shadow surrounded her and the mysterious shadow appeared to be a little girl with long hair.

Frightened, Emily ran out of the bathroom and locked the door behind her. She could hear her heart pounding in her chest.

“What was that?...” she said in a broken voice.

Then she hastily ran to the bed, lay down and wrapped the blanket around herself. Frightened, she closed her eyes, not daring to open them again.

"Mom, where are you?"

She heard the voice of a little girl drowning in sorrow. From the girl's voice, it seems as if she is scouring for her mother. Emily is confused now. The girl is in this room or the hallway.

"What's going on here? I think the girl I saw in the bathroom is just an illusion of mine. Maybe a little girl is searching for her mother in the hallway," she thought and slowly pulled the blanket off her body.

She got up from her bed and cautiously stepped towards the door. With trembling hands, she opened it and glanced out into the eerie hallway.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" she called out softly, her voice bouncing off the walls.

No one responded. Her mind warned her to go back to safety, but her heart urged her to find the lost little girl.

After a moment of hesitation, she gathered her courage and undertook into the shadows of the hallway. The dim lights above cast a mysterious glow, turning the corridor into a tunnel of secrets.

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With each step, her determination grew. The hallway seemed infinite, but she kept going, determined to uncover the mystery of the little girl.

"CRACK,"

As she walked down the hallway, a loud noise suddenly caught her attention. Curious and a bit scared, she turned towards the sound and slowly made her way towards it. Her heart was racing as she approached the eerie noise, her mind filled with a million thoughts.

"Did something happen to her? Noo. Hope she's safe and won't become the killer's next victim."

Emily prayed for the little girl in her mind and continued walking toward the end of the hallway. There was an eerie silence in the hallway. Not a single sound was heard but the sound of her footsteps was shattering the alarming silence.

Suddenly, she felt a warm and gentle touch on her shoulder. Sweat was dripping from her forehead as she froze. She slowly turned her back and saw Alex standing right before her. His upper eyelids were pulled up, and his lower eyelids were tense and drawn up as well.

"Evelyn, why are you wandering around here? You should be in your room," Alex said in worry as he reached for Emily's hand.

"Alex, I heard a little girl calling out for her mom in the hallway, so I rushed out to help. But when I got here, she had vanished. I'm concerned about her, what do we do?" Emily explained, her voice quivering with worry as she held onto Alex's hands.

"I understand your concern for the little girl, Evelyn, but to be honest, I didn't see anyone else around. I believe you may have imagined her because today has been quite intense for you. Let's head to my room to calm down," he said in concern after witnessing Emily's worried expression.

"Okay," Emily said with a nod and followed Alex to his room.

Upon entering Emily's room, Alex quickly secured the door, ensuring their safety. He led her to a cosy pair of armchairs next to the window. Hastily, Alex fetched a water jug from the bedside table and filled a glass with cool, refreshing water.

He brought the glass with him and Presented glass to Emily, she accepted it graciously and gulped water. Then she placed the glass on the table between armchairs, the room was filled with a sense of calm. As Alex settled into the armchair across her and said "I can't able to figure out how you can hear a little girl's voice if she wasn't in the hallway."

"That's what scares me," she said, dabbing her nails on the edge of the chair.

"As I said before, when I came out of my room I didn't see anyone in the hallway, but if by chance a little girl was in the hallway when I wasn't. I would pray that her mother would be able to find her," he said, endeavouring to console her.

"Yes, I will also pray. I don't want any girl to suffer like me even in their wildest dreams," she said while remembering some of her bitter memories.

"What do you mean? You can tell me, but only if you feel comfortable sharing with me," he said and looking into her eyes, he could feel that she had some painful memories.

"I had recovered from my painful memories but after my-" she stopped in the middle of her sentence. She still hasn't decided to share her past life with him.

"What's yours? Don't hesitate with me. I won't judge you at any cost," he said, yearning for her trust in him.

"Alex, I trust you, but I don't want to revisit painful memories right now. We're already stressed and I don't want to make the situation even more stressful. I hope you understand," Evelyn said, hoping to convey her trust in him.

"As you wish. I understand your concern. It's important to avoid unnecessary stress," Alex replied, offering a smile to show he wasn't offended by her choice not to share.

"Thank you for understanding me. I think I should head back to my room," Evelyn said as she rose from her chair.

"Get some rest, Evelyn. You must be exhausted," Alex suggested, standing up to accompany her back to her room.

"You don't need to accompany me. I'm feeling okay now," Evelyn insisted.

"Alright, then. Goodnight, Evelyn," Alex said warmly.

"Goodnight, Alex," Evelyn replied with a smile, appreciating his understanding.

Alex dropped Emily off at the door of his room and bade farewell to her. Emily was unaware that a shadowy figure was lurking in the darkness, following her as she made her way back to her room.

To Be Continued...

So, What do you think about the mysterious shadow? And do tell me your opinion on the little girl.

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Have a wonderful day :)