Author: David C. Nutt

We’ve been around you guys since the beginning of time. Part of your mythos, your psychological horror stories, your nightmares.
And we love it! It gives us power. Makes us high. Feeds us in ways mere bodily sustenance can’t. It’s been great to be the shadow creature, the Twilight Zone episode, the Fairy Tale. And now…well, the party’s over.
Something changed. I don’t know if it was your discovering film, internet, post war traumas, generational shifts…whatever. All I know now is me and mine, we’re fucked.
We used to creep into your lives. Complicating your interactions by confusing co-workers, friends, relatives, and lovers. Oh it was great! Your loss of control, the arguments, our relentless messing with your life. Making you doubt your sanity and then sucking up all that psychotic energy you were putting out.
Then it happened. Carol was the first. She was the perfect double. Took over the other’s life and made her target miserable. Then, when the reveal happened, when she stood face-to-face with her victim, a perfect mirror image, expecting to shatter her mind…the victim laughed. Not terror, not psychosis, not panic or insanity- laughter. Relief. Understanding. Nothing she could draw power from. Worse, Carol got stuck. She can’t change her looks, can’t move on, can’t even leave the area. Even worse, all her target’s acquaintances know about her “other.” Damn you and your smart phone cameras! She’s trapped in a nightmare and now has to lead a normal life looking like, well, that thing she was sucking all the joy from. She had to get a job. Has to stay in the light. She even had to get a social security number. Carol got a summons to court and had a protective order put in place.
Carol’s victim’s dilemma spread through the chat groups and online communities. It was in all the reddits and subreddits. We didn’t think much of it at first…thought Carol was a weird one off. Then it happened to Brad. And Margy. And Colin, And Ali. And then me.
We’re all stuck being you now. All of us. Every last one. Our community’s suicide rate is astronomical. We have our own support groups now and all we have left is nostalgia. We all have to have lives and be just like you.
And we hate it.