I stood there in the dark, scared out of my mind, my heart pounding and sweat trickling down my back, even though, before, it had been colder than underground water in winter and there were winds blowing. For the millionth time, I wished that I had never come here, that I'd never left my bed. My thoughts kept drifting to the grotesque, disheveled, and dirty face I had seen through the mirror. What if that...thing was right behind me? I would never know, because it was pitch black. I seemed to stand forever in the dark, scared, cold, and alone, until a faint, faraway light ahead got the blood running through my veins. It seemed to be coming closer, and slightly swinging side to side as if the light was enclosed in a lantern. But someone had to be holding it. There couldn't possibly be a lantern moving by itself. The reason of what I thought sank into my head, and a new strike of fear hurtled through me. I tried to move again, and found that my feet had more control than before. Before, they were completely rooted to the ground, and all I could do was turn around and stand. Now, I could barely wiggle them, and with enough pulling and wiggling, one foot popped out of the invisible force and I was now balancing on one leg. I reached down with trembling hands, trying to free my other foot while keeping the other one aloft, all while keeping an eye on that approaching light. It looked to be at least 100 feet away, but it was slowly moving closer, and was I imagining it, or was I starting to see my hands a little bit? It was hard, but I freed my other foot, stumbled forward, and started running. Towards the light. I pulled my coat closer to me, running my hand over my pocket to feel that my mirror was there, and slowed my pace to a jog. The light was much closer now, and I could make out the faint outlines of dark, tall buildings. I stretched my hands in front of me and soon walked into a brick wall. It hid me from the light and whoever was holding it, so I crouched behind it. I sat there for a couple of minutes, every once in a while peering out at the ever-advancing light. Right before the light was almost passing the building I was hiding behind, I felt it. That same, cold breath on my neck. Chills ran down my back, and I peered out again, in desperate need of that light. It was gone, nothing more than a candle blown away by the winds. "Calm down, Meredith," I said to myself. "It's probably the Secret Keeper. She means no harm." As I said those words internally, doubt and disbelief crept into my heart. Everyone who had supposedly gone to see the Secret Keeper had never returned. No one knew what she did with them. I think I was just trying to convince myself with positive thoughts. Once again, I reached for the mirror, but then realized I had no light. How was I to see what was undoubtedly behind me? Just then, I heard a scraping sound, like a wooden match across a pad. I whirled around behind me and stared agape at the fully lit lantern behind me. Behind the lantern, gripping it with a thin, bony hand, was a body possessing the same evil, creepy old woman face I had seen not too long before.
