Chapter 24: Panic

　　Heh heh heh...

　　The laughter echoed in my mind, and panic surged within me—it was my own voice. The guy with the ridiculous haircut had already run off in fear, but I was left clutching my throbbing temple, desperately trying to find my way home as I stumbled along.

　　“Xia Ning... let me kill him, let me kill him!” The voice reverberated in my head the entire way home.

　　Honk! Honk!

　　A car horn blared, followed by the screeching of brakes as a car came to a sudden stop right next to me.

　　“Are you crazy? Watch where you're going!” the driver shouted out the window at me as we reached the intersection.

　　I glanced at him, and just that one look was enough to silence him. He pulled his head back into the car, clearly spooked.

　　I don’t know how long I walked—hours, it seemed, though it might have been only minutes—until I finally managed to unlock the front door.

　　Clang! The door slammed shut behind me.

　　I kicked off my shoes and retreated to my room, locking the door behind me.

　　“This kid, she didn’t even say hello when she came in!” I could hear my mom’s voice through the door.

　　“Mom, I’m really tired. I’m going to sleep for a bit. Don’t call me for dinner.” I pressed my head against the door, struggling to keep my voice calm.

　　“This kid...”

　　“Oh, let her sleep if she’s tired. She’s finally home on break!” my dad chimed in.

　　“I didn’t say anything…”

　　“…”I slowly made my way to the bed and lay down. The voices in my head gradually faded, becoming more and more distant until they finally disappeared. The red haze that had clouded my vision also returned to normal.

　　Without bothering to undress, I pulled the blanket over myself, hoping that maybe sleep would make everything better. But lying there, I couldn’t drift off. The events that had just unfolded kept replaying in my mind over and over.

　　Ten minutes passed. Thirty minutes. An hour. Finally, I drifted off into a fitful sleep...

　　When I opened my eyes again, it was dark outside. Hunger had woken me up. Groggily, I reached over and turned on the bedside lamp, glancing at my phone—it was almost eleven o’clock. The lamp’s soft glow illuminated my bedside, but beyond that, the darkness still loomed, unyielding.

　　I got out of bed, slipped on my shoes, and shuffled to the door. Turning the handle, I stepped out of my room.

　　After a quick stop in the bathroom, I listened to the sound of the toilet flushing and splashed some water on my face at the sink. The cool water helped clear my mind, and I felt a little more awake.Suddenly, I froze. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something strange in the mirror. Slowly, I lifted my head and looked directly at it, only to see my reflection smiling back at me.

　　I stumbled back a step, my heart pounding as I realized that my reflection was still smiling—a twisted, eerie grin that sent chills down my spine. Despite everything I’d been through, I had changed. Even though fear gripped me, at least I didn’t scream.

　　My heartbeat was frantic, and I kept my gaze fixed on the mirror. My right hand clenched into a fist against my chest, my breathing shallow and quick.

　　"Xia Ning...!" Her voice wasn’t coming from the mirror; it echoed directly inside my head.

　　"What are you?" I asked, my voice trembling.

　　"I’m you, Xia Ning!" The reflection bared its teeth in a sinister smile.

　　"Why didn’t you let me kill him today? Let me taste his blood?" My reflection taunted, and behind her, six shadowy figures began to flicker.

　　I nearly suffocated at the sight—those shadows were my six skeletal hands from the hallucination!

　　That’s when it hit me: my second personality had emerged.

　　I shut my eyes, turned away, and bolted from the bathroom, sprinting back to my room. Slamming the door behind me, I leaned against it, shaking uncontrollably.

　　This was the price I paid for forcing myself to change in the hallucination.

　　But if this second personality hadn’t appeared, I would have become a complete "lunatic."

　　A sudden buzzing filled my ears—a high-pitched ringing like a child’s incessant scream, stoking my fear.

　　I clutched my ears and bit my lip, crouching down. The ringing lasted for what felt like forever—probably just over a minute—before it finally faded. Only then did I slowly stand up, walk quietly to my bed, and curl up under the covers, trembling all over.

　　After a while, I poked my head out from under the blanket, staring blankly at the lamp-lit room. I tried to push the recent images from my mind, but they kept coming back.

　　I knew there would be serious consequences, but I had to change myself in the hallucination—for them!

　　Am I a lunatic now?

　　A lunatic?

　　A lunatic!

　　The word kept gnawing at me, over and over, until I squeezed my eyes shut, tears soaking my pillow.When I opened my eyes, I was shocked to find it was pitch dark. Had I really slept until nightfall? Confused, I fumbled for the switch on my bedside lamp. Click. Click. But nothing happened. The light wouldn’t turn on. A blackout? I wondered.

　　I sat up, tossed aside the covers, and climbed out of bed. Glancing at the clock, I saw that both the hour and minute hands were frozen at twelve, and the second hand wasn’t moving at all. Did my clock just stop?

　　Slipping on my slippers, I headed to turn on the light. Out of nowhere, a deafening crash erupted, and my door was violently torn off its hinges, flung across the room, and landed on my bed with a loud thud, tearing a long gash in my comforter.

　　Terrified, I stumbled back, slamming into the wall. My heart pounded as I slowly turned my head toward the doorway. The dim moonlight barely illuminated the living room, where a long-haired silhouette stood eerily still, wrapped in shadows. Behind her, six skeletal arms swayed menacingly in the darkness.

　　“Xia Ning...” the figure whispered, her voice soft but chilling.

　　I stared at her, frozen with terror, completely paralyzed with fear.

　　“Xia Ning!!” she suddenly screamed, charging toward me. Her hand shot out, grabbing my throat and lifting me off the ground.

　　I tried to scream, but my voice was trapped, strangled in my throat as her grip tightened. She grinned at me, her smile twisted and terrifying.

　　“Hehehe…”

　　I jolted awake, gasping for breath, frantically scanning the room. The sunlight outside was dim, obscured by heavy clouds. What time was it? I glanced back at the clock on the wall—5:30 PM.

　　Was that just a nightmare? But deep down, I knew she was real, whether I wanted to believe it or not. I didn’t know when she would appear again, or what would trigger her. Could it be my extreme anger?

　　My thoughts wandered back to that phone call from Professor Li.

　　Knock, knock, knock!

　　“Xia Ning, come on out and eat!” My mom’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

　　“Got it, Mom!” I replied softly.

　　Still shaken, I picked up my phone and searched for information about dual personalities. But all I found were mentions of “mental illness,” and that sent a wave of fear crashing over me.

　　No one can know about this—not even my parents.

　　Feeling completely overwhelmed, I dragged myself out of bed and headed to the kitchen. I sat down at the dining table, slowly eating the rice my mom had served me.

　　“What’s wrong, Xia Ning? Are you feeling okay?” My dad noticed something was off and asked, concern in his voice.

　　“No, I’m fine. It’s just that college is starting soon, and I’ve been thinking about my studies.” My heart skipped a beat as I tried to sound casual.

　　“Oh, Xia Ning, don’t think about studying all the time. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. Relax a bit, okay?” My dad smiled at me reassuringly.

　　“Yeah, take it easy, Xia Ning. It’s good to unwind sometimes,” my mom added with a smile.

　　Looking at my parents, I felt a surge of warmth, and tears welled up in my eyes. I quickly looked down and focused on my food, afraid I might break down in front of them.

　　After dinner, I went back to my room, took out my laptop, and placed it on my desk. I powered it on, and after a few seconds, my desktop appeared.

　　I immediately opened the browser and began searching for more information about dual personalities.

　　An hour passed, and I slumped back in my chair, feeling completely drained. All I’d found in that hour were references to mental illness and doctors urging early treatment.

　　Am I really going insane?

　　No, it can’t be. There has to be a way to deal with this without going to a psychiatric hospital!

　　Suddenly, a name popped into my head—Professor Li!

　　I sat up straight, grabbed my phone, and scrolled through my missed calls, stopping at the brief conversation with the unknown number.

　　Should I really contact him? I wondered. He’s researching hallucinogens—maybe he really can help me.

　　But a voice inside me warned, he’s dangerous. Stay away from him!