“When you die,” my shadow whispered in my mind, “I will take over. You will have no control over what happened when I do. I could kill everyone you love, burn this very house down. But until then, I will wait.”

It acted as if my body would give out any day now. I’m a woman in my late twenties. I’ve never had any major surgery, any major medical problems. I work out, eat healthy. There is no reason this parasite should be in my mind.

Month turned into years, and the words my shadow spoke grew angrier. To solve its problem, it decided to try and use my body in my sleep. After many failures, it continues to try and kill me during the night. Sometimes I wake up on the roof of my apartment. Sometimes I am in the kitchen, hand outstretched toward the knives. My shadow seemed to not realize I am an extremely light sleeper.

Until I woke up in a hospital bed.

My vision is blurred, but I can recognize the white and turquoise colors of nurse and doctor uniforms. Commands are yelled from one person to another. Bright fluorescent lights blind me.

“Goodnight, Avery.” Its voice pierced me, adding more to my sensory overload. “Sleep well. Have sweet dreams.”

The world around me quiets down. The bright whiteness around me fades to black.

The sound of a heart monitor flatlining doesn’t bring me back.