He blinked, rubbed his eyes, and looked back at the glass. The door in the reflection was shut now, too. "Just tired," he muttered, the sound of his own voice strangely hollow.
Elias hadn’t bought the mirror for its beauty. It was an antique—tarnished silver and heavy oak—pulled from the wreckage of an estate sale for five dollars. He placed it in the hallway of his new, quiet apartment, hoping it would make the narrow space feel a bit less claustrophobic.
Many great horror stories end on an ambiguous or cyclical note, leaving the reader wondering if the horror is truly over.
If you want to try putting together your own story, here are some key elements to include:
A moment later, Elias opened his eyes. He was standing in a narrow hallway. He looked out through a silver haze and saw a tall, spindly shadow standing in his apartment. The shadow adjusted Elias’s tie, smoothed its stolen hair, and walked toward the front door.
Elias finally looked away from the mirror and into the corner. But there was nothing there. Just shadows. He turned back to the mirror, desperate for the warning of his double. The mirror was empty.
But this time, the reflection wasn't looking at him. It was looking at something behind Elias.