Maddie's Lapse, Her Shadow Consumes (Explicit Violence, Abuse)

 Madelaine walked down the road, interlaced with a muse about her disuse. This existence needed more substance. Rounding the corner, the smell of blood overwhelmed her sensations. A lot of the red liquid traveled into an alleyway.

 "Sometimes, it's hard to see the simple truth before you, Maddie? How do you know you can talk if all you do is think?" A man's deep voice rang in her ears. Maddie swallowed hard. A strong desire pushed her past the fear gripping her legs, and she entered the alley. The sound of crunching and slurping made chills run down her spine. "I lost the part of me that wanted to fight it. Don't you want to break those bounds?" 

Maddie looked at a few bodies, blinking as their bodies seemed to blur from her vision. Like ghosts or things that didn't belong, she couldn't focus on them. "You say it to yourself over and over and over and over again. You are helping the right people. You are doing the right thing. What if this feeling and desire to do the right thing leads to far worse bloodshed. Had you never appeared, what if.." The voice disappeared as she got to the back of the alley, rounding some boxes to stare at the creature hunched over another body, its sickening eating noises filling her ears. This body showed without the blur, and Madelaine felt her body grow tense. 

"Find the truth within yourself; you don't belong here. They'll eat you alive." Just as the monster feasted on Madelaine, that didn't make sense. Maddie was standing right here, okay and alive. Unrealizing it, she had backed up and jumped as she hit the wall. The pure black creature raised its head, long limbs cradling the fake Maddie's body. Guts and gore were covering its face. Razor-sharp teeth were smiling widely. "COME SEE! THIS COULD BE US! Isn't it beautiful? THIS COULD BE OUR REALITY!" The demon screamed.

Madelaine turned on her heels and ran away. No! That thing was not Maddie! That monster wasn't human. She placed a hand over her mouth. FAIR! She was not human, but she had more humanity than that thing! Without hesitating or looking back, she ran until she couldn't run. Maddie looked at one of the building windows, and to her horror, her reflection showed that large creature. Laughter escaped the monster, Maddie's brain struggling to comprehend the noise. It reached out, grabbing Maddie and pulling her into the glass. She screeched, her nails scratching at its arm. She bites into it, tears pouring down her face as she rips out a piece of its flesh. She kept at it, but it didn't stop her from being pulled into the mirror world. Her hand reached out to the outside world. Someone save me! PLEASE! 

Bolting up with her hand out, she panted, looking around her new room wildly. She jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom to check her reflection. She had seen it all. Maddie had seen nightmares come to life before. She had to make sure. Relief swept over her as her reflection appeared normal. Tears poured down her face as she leaned back, holding the sink counter. Uncontrollable laughter rang through the bathroom before stopping abruptly. 

"I'm no monster. Not yet. Maybe one day, but not now." Madelaine felt solemn, suddenly tiny and lonely in the big room. "We are our own demons, and we create our own hells." She reminded herself softly. Madelaine returned to her bed. Too shaken to sleep, she stared at a wall until every negative feeling faded.