Powerless

I stare at the usual portrait lying on the countertop.

It’s a family portrait.

Mina, my parents, and I are smiling in it.

Mina and I are standing between them.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with the composition of the picture. Everybody is in their usual places.

But behind my father…

There’s something standing behind him.

I pick up the portrait to get a better look of it.

A dark silhouette with a big white smile hovers in the area between me and my father.

Its eyes are wide open. Far more open than any human eye could ever open.

What is it?

Its features are already creepy enough to make my skin crawl, but there’s something else about it that’s really bothering me.

It’s looking at me.

Well, it feels like it is.

I can’t say for sure that it’s actually looking at me, but something is telling me that it is.

I look at the creature for a few more seconds.

It doesn’t move.

Well, obviously.

It’s a picture.

Maybe I’m just imagining things.

I’ve been through enough today to make anyone paranoid.

I slowly lower the portrait back onto the countertop.

I take a step back to calm myself.

I look away.

Just for a second.

Then I look back at the portrait once more.

But as I look back again, something makes my heart sink.

The creature is gone.

“What?”

I immediately rush to pick up the portrait again.

I look at the space behind my father.

There’s nothing there.

Just the living room wall in the background.

I blink a few times.

Did I imagine it?

I look at Mina.

My parents.

Myself.

Everyone is still exactly where they’re supposed to be.

Except…

I freeze.

Something is wrong again.

I bring the portrait closer to my face.

The creature is still there.

But it's not behind my father anymore.

It’s standing behind Mina.

Head tilted slightly to the side.

That same creepy smile is still plastered across its face.

“How…”

I stare at it.

The creature stares back.

No.

This isn’t right.

I turn the portrait around.

Nothing.

Just the wooden backing.

I turn it back around.

It’s still there.

Except now…

It’s standing behind me.

My blood runs cold.

I hesitantly look at the tiny version of myself standing between my parents.

It’s right there.

Its face is pressed against the back of my head.

That huge white smile almost touching my ear.

I drop the portrait.

CRACK!

The glass shatters across the floor.

I stumble backwards.

“What the hell is this?”

I gawk at the now broken frame.

The photograph is still intact.

The creature is still there.

Even through the shattered glass, I can see that smile.

Then I notice something.

The photograph is moving.

No.

Not the photograph.

The creature.

Its hand slowly rises.

It presses its palm against the center of the photo.

I stop breathing.

There’s no way.

It pushes harder.

The paper bends outward.

Something is coming through.

I scramble backwards.

“No. No, no, no…”

Five fingers push through the photograph.

The paper stretches around them.

Then tears.

A black hand reaches out from the picture.

I try to get away.

My back hits the couch.

The hand grabs my wrist.

“AH!”

I desperately try to pull myself free.

It’s too strong.

My wrist is getting crushed by the sheer amount of force it's exerting.

My feet scrape against the floor as I try to push myself backwards.

The creature’s face peeks out from the photo.

All I can see is its smile stretching even further as it pulls on me.

I struggle a bit more, but it’s no use.

It pulls once more.

My entire body stumbles forward.

“LET GO!”

I grab onto the edge of the couch with my free hand.

For a moment, I manage to hold myself in place.

Then the photograph pulls harder.

My fingers slip.

I feel myself being dragged across the floor.

Straight towards the photograph.

“No!”

I dig my heels into the carpet.

It doesn’t matter.

The photograph is getting closer.

Or maybe I’m getting smaller.

I can’t tell anymore.

The edges of my vision begin to blur.

The living room stretches around me.

All of the furniture.

Everything begins to warp.

And then I feel my hand pass through the surface of the photograph.

It’s cold.

Freezing cold.

My whole arm disappears.

Then my shoulder.

Then my chest.

I scream.

And the world goes black.

…

I can’t feel the floor anymore.

Am I falling?

No, that’s not right.

I’m not moving at all.

Yet it feels like I’m constantly falling.

I try to move my arms.

Nothing.

I can’t feel my body.

I try to open my eyes but I can’t see anything either.

Everything is black.

I try to imagine myself opening my eyes once more.

It works.

A ceiling is the first thing I see.

Am I still in my house?

I slowly sit up, taking a moment to get my bearings. My body feels strangely heavy, as if I had just woken up from a deep sleep.

I look around the room.

At first glance, everything seems normal. The couch is where it should be, the television sits against the wall, and the countertop looks as familiar as ever.

For a moment, I wonder if I’m actually back home.

But I’ve already gone through this.

I know this isn’t my home.

I stand up.

Something feels wrong already.

I take a few steps toward the hallway, trying to figure out where I am and what happened after I was pulled into the photograph.

Then I hear something.

Scrape

A faint scraping sound comes from somewhere ahead of me.

I stop.

I listen carefully.

Scrape…scrape

There it is again.

Something is dragging itself across the floor.

My heart starts beating faster.

I look toward the hallway, trying to see if anything is there. However, the lights are off, leaving most of the hallway hidden in darkness.

I take a cautious step forward.

I see nothing.

I take another step.

The scraping sound comes again.

Closer this time.

I immediately step backwards.

Whatever is making that sound is moving toward me.

I turn around and look for somewhere to hide. But the living room doesn’t exactly offer me many options. Hiding behind the couch seems meaningless, and going under the table wouldn’t hide me for more than a few seconds.

I need to get out.

I move toward the front door.

Another scrape.

I stop.

The sound isn’t coming from the hallway anymore.

…

It’s behind me.

I slowly turn my head.

Nothing.

The hallway is still empty.

I gaze into the darkness, waiting for something to move.

Then I see it.

Two white eyes appear at the end of the hallway.

They’re staring directly at me.

I don’t wait to see the rest of it.

I run.

I grab the door handle and pull, but the door doesn’t move.

“Come on!”

I pull harder.

But it doesn’t budge even a little bit.

Behind me, I hear something hit the wall.

BANG!

I look over my shoulder.

The thing is crawling out of the darkness.

At first, I can’t make sense of what I’m seeing. Its body is far too long, its arms stretching across the floor as it pulls itself forward. Its head hangs low between its shoulders, and every movement comes with that same awful scraping sound.

It’s not the creature from the photograph.

I don’t know what it is.

But all I know is that it’s coming for me.

I yank the handle once more.

The door actually opens.

I stumble outside and nearly fall down the front steps. I catch myself against the railing before turning around.

The creature is standing in the doorway.

It doesn’t follow me.

It simply watches.

I back away slowly.

Why isn’t it coming after me?

Then I notice its smile.

It’s the same smile from the photograph.

My stomach drops.

The creature takes one step forward.

I turn away and start sprinting.

I don’t know where I’m going.

I just need to get away from that thing.

I run down the front steps and onto the stone pathway.

But there’s a crucial fact that I almost forgot about.

The gate.

I can’t leave.

The last time I touched this thing, I almost passed out from the pain alone.

But there’s no choice.

I take a deep breath and close my eyes as I reach for the gate in one swift motion.

Creak

The gate opens.

I stare at it in disbelief.

No pain.

No electricity.

Nothing.

Finally, something good.

But my relief is short-lived because I can hear the scraping behind me again.

I run through the gate.

I make it a few steps before stopping.

No, this isn’t right.

The street doesn’t look the same anymore.

I turn around.

The gate is gone.

So is my house.

My breathing becomes heavier.

“...What?”

SCRAPE SCRAPE

It’s the scraping sound again.

But this time, it’s the loudest I’ve heard it.

I slowly turn my head back around where my house was moments ago.

My body freezes.

Two white eyes stare at me.

It smiles.

“I’m done for.”

STAB

A warm feeling enters my stomach.

My breath catches in my throat.

A sharp, burning pain shoots through my entire body.

My hands tremble as I collapse onto the ground.

I try to move.

It’s impossible.

The creature slowly approaches.

…

My vision blurs.

My ears begin ringing.

I can barely feel my hands anymore.

Each breath comes out weaker than the last.

My body feels strangely cold despite the heat spreading through my stomach.

I try to move, but my limbs barely respond.

Is this really how I die?

It’s always like this.

I can’t ever do anything right.

First it was Mom and Dad.

Then it was Mina.

And now I’m going to die all alone in some sick monster’s world.

I really thought I could do something with my life.

Even without a power.

I had a job.

I was doing fine.

Maybe I wasn’t going anywhere special, but I had a future.

I could have worked my way up.

I could have made something of myself.

I thought that was enough.

Being powerless never stopped me before.

At least, I didn’t think it did.

Then Mom and Dad disappeared.

Everything changed.

I had to drop everything to take care of Mina.

I gave up the future I had planned for myself.

But even then…

I still thought I could keep going.

I thought if I just worked hard enough, I could make things work.

I thought I could protect Mina.

I thought I could be enough for her.

That would’ve been enough for me.

But look at me now.

Lying on the ground.

Unable to move.

Unable to fight.

Unable to protect anyone.

The creature gets closer.

No.

Please.

I want to run.

I want to fight.

I want to do something.

Anything.

But my body won’t listen.

If I had a power…

Maybe I could have done something.

Maybe I could have saved Mom and Dad.

Maybe I could have saved Mina.

Maybe I could have saved myself.

…

But I don’t.

I never did.

I’m the powerless one.

Like always.

For years, I told myself it didn’t matter.

That I could still have a life without one.

That I didn’t need to be special.

But I was wrong.

Because when it actually matters…

What can I do?

Nothing.

I’m tired.

I’m so tired.

I don’t want to die.

Not like this.

Scrape scrape

I close my eyes.

“Sorry for being such a lousy brother, Mina.”

SCRAPE SCRAPE

The creature stops.

I slowly open my eyes.

It’s standing right above me.

Its arm rises.

I close my eyes.

STAB

…

…

…

Nothing.

I wait for the pain.

It never comes.

The creature’s arm is still raised

Its claws are inches from my face.

It’s trying to move.

But it can’t

Its entire body is trembling as it struggles against something I can’t see.

I stare at it.

What’s stopping it?

Then I hear a voice.

< How pathetic >