A/N So uh yeah, DorothyGale12 remember I said it wouldn't be as long? That was a lie.
This is a writing prompt contest for the user mentioned above; please go check her out, she is amazing!

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Summary
Two roommates, one lie. When the truth is revealed, will the other still be alive?
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An inky blackness enveloped my body, luring me to sleep. I was processing the happenings of the day, playing the events through my mind. Out of the blue, something woke me up. Like a switch, I turned on, and directed my head toward the noise.

The sound was loud and unusually high pitched, like whining. No, wait... more like crying. It took a second to process, but it was definitely crying. At the moment I didn't care. I just wanted to shut my eyes again; ignore the sound and push down the emotions it would bring. As I blocked it out, I figured I would just ask my roommate in the morning.

I woke up a few hours later, feeling good as new. Morning light filtered into my room, providing just enough light to see. I stretched and got up, not feeling like getting dressed yet. Walking into the kitchen, I greeted my roommate, Rachael, who's face and eyes were slightly red.

"Hey Rachael," I started, getting her attention, "were you crying last night?

"Yeah, that was me," she responded. I sighed in momentary relief. "Th-there was a... I thought I saw something watching you while you were asleep," she finished, letting out a shaky breath.

I stared at her in disbelief. "What do you mean, 'there was something watching me'? This is a locked apartment!" I raised my voice, although my irrational anger wasn't directed at her. "What did they look like?"

"I-I don't know," she replied, her eyes getting watery. "I was walking by your room to get a drink of water and there was a figure at the end of your bed. They saw me, and looked like they were going to come after me. I ran back to my room and locked the door." She bit her lip and blinked back tears.

I set my jaw, not happy with this situation. "Well, whatever came is gone now. But if you see it again, don't hesitate to get me," I warned her, hoping to lull her mind back to a safe place. "Why don't I make my famous pancakes?" I asked, trying to calm her down.

She nodded in response, sniffling and wiping her eyes free of the unshed tears. "That sounds marvelous," she replied, taking a shaky breath. "I'll go take a quick shower too, while you're doing that," she said, understanding what I was trying to do. I nodded in response and turned to make breakfast.

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Rachael left the room to shower when Skylar, her roomate, turned to get things ready for pancakes. Rachael was quick to get into the shower, like she said she'd be, but once the hot water hit her body, all the worries and fear seemed to melt away. She ended up staying in the shower a bit longer than she intended, but it was worth it. Her muscles were relaxed as she finally stepped out of the shower.

She got dressed in some casual clothes, not planning on doing anything today. As she finished getting ready, a figure was suddenly standing next to her in the bathroom. She must not have heard them come in. Before Rachael had the chance to scream, it rushed over and covered her mouth with its hand. "Don't scream please! I don't have much time!"

No sound came out of Rachael's mouth, as her panic was overtaken with confusion. The thing looked exactly like Skylar. The same long, blondish-brown hair, blue eyes, peach skin. The exception? Her straight hair seemed a bit too perfect, as if she was just some image or projection. The silence from Rachael's end gave Skylar the chance to speak.

"I know how weird this may seem, but you don't have much time left, nor do I. You're in danger. You're next on the list to be eradicated. You need to leave!" Skylar whisper-shouted in urgency.

Rachael shook her head, snapping out of her silence. "But, Skylar, aren't you... making pancakes? What kind of sick joke is this?" She huffed, believing it to be just a prank. It wasn't unusual for Skylar, but she hadn't played one on her in months. "Sky, this is kind of harsh, don't you think? I was really freaked out this morning."

"What? No!" Skylar gave a look of shock that her words were brushed off so easily. "I'm serious! You can't trust her! She's trying to—"

"Yeah, ha ha, very funny," Rachael rolled her green eyes and stormed out of the bathroom to her bedroom, not waiting for Skylar to follow. She dried out and brushed her shoulder length black hair in front of the mirror, her anger fading to annoyance before walking back into the kitchen. She found Skylar sitting on the kitchen table with her head resting on her arms.

"Hey, Skylar. I know you're pretending to be asleep," Rachael shook her, annoyance evident in her voice. She watched Skylar blink awake, as if systematically turning on in a rhythm or pattern.

"What is it?" The blonde asked politely. "Your pancakes are ready, by the way."

Rachael frowned. "Don't play dumb. You came into the bathroom a little bit ago saying I'm in danger and that I'm going to die," she explained, her annoyance with the situation showing.

"Did I?" It was Skylar's turn to frown. She proceeded to stand up, a new vibe to her actions. First going to the small kitchen window, she closed the blinds, before walking to the small living room. Rachael followed in confusion.

"Skylar? What are you closing the blinds for?" The black haired girl questioned. It went unnoticed. Skylar only continued to walk over to the balcony doors, closing the curtains. The doors to their rooms were closed as well, giving the apartment an eerie darkness. As a last move, the blonde walked over to the apartment door and locked it. The sound echoed louder than it should throughout the apartment.

"S-Skylar?" Rachael stammered, fear beginning to lace its way back in her voice.

"A change of plan," Skylar said sweetly, turning around to stare at her roommate. Except... the look in her eyes was different. It didn't match her tone. They were cold and dead — almost robotic, in a way. "So I warned you, did I?" She spoke again. But her voice was low, menacing. Contradictory to that, the voice also had an emotionless, monotone sound to it.

Rachael's legs and voice trembled. "I-I don't understand—" her voice cracked. "I-if this is another prank, I swear..." she took a shaky step backwards, but her knees buckled and she collapsed on herself.

Skylar's eyes locked with Rachael's. She reached out a hand to the wall, not breaking contact, and switched off the lights. Her eyes glowed in the darkness as she strode slowly over to her friend, her footfalls sounding more mechanical with each step.

Rachael was paralyzed with fear, not being able to move a muscle. "S-Sky-Skylar—" she attempted. Her feeble plea was cut off when Skylar stopped in front of her and bent down, now eye level. All was still, until she shot out her hand. The blond's fist clenched around the Rachael's neck, squeezing tighter with each passing second. She slowly straightened, dragging the now pale-skinned body up with her.

Rachael gagged, trying without success to fill her lungs with air. Her arms attempted to claw at the hand on her neck, failing to get them off. Soon her arms fell, and her body went limp.

        All of a sudden, the hand loosened, and dropped the body they were holding. Rachael fell to the ground, gasping and coughing for the air her lungs longed for. She scrambled backwards as much as she could, her body still not completely cooperating with her. She looked back up at Skylar, and became confused at the sight. There was another Skylar, standing in front of the first. The one in front shimmered slightly, despite the near-darkness. The Skylar behind her stood limp, her limbs hanging down with no life. Her eyes had stopped glowing, as well. The appearance made her look like a turned off machine.

        The shimmering Skylar looked at Rachael with pain in her eyes. "I tried to tell you... I'm sorry." She looked so defeated.

        "W-who...?" Rachael's damages throat struggled to ask, also buying herself more time. She felt the heat going back into her numb legs, the pins and needles a welcomed pain. She would be able to stand soon.

        The second Skylar smiled grimly. "I am a projection of the only human piece left in Skylar," she paused, letting that sink in. "The Skylar you know was never real. She is a new type of android system designed and secretly distributed by the government to lower population. This process uses the bodies of humans and changes them in ways... I can't even begin to explain or understand," she looked down sadly. "I tried warning you. Last night, and this morning. She planned on killing you tonight, when—" she flinched, cutting off her sentence.

        Rachael could move again, but still struggled to stand up. She was alarmed when the human Skylar started glitching and grimacing, bringing her hands to her head while flashing in and out of sight. "Go! You can move now, can't you? I can't hold her back for much longer!" She shouted, throwing Rachael a last, desperate glance before disappearing.

        Fear and adrenaline flushed back into Rachael's system, and she finally scrambled up, rushing to the door. She swiftly undid the bolt and grabbed the knob. As if in slow motion, her hand twisted it and began to pull open the heavy wooden door. I'm almost free...!

        The freedom was ripped from her as easily as her neck was ripped from her body.

        Crack.

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Published: June 5, 2019
Last Edited: October 24, 2019