I turn my head. Now Nicole is standing next to the bed, but it’s the broken, shattered Nicole with the lifeless eyes. I stumble backwards. I momentarily look down at the floor to regain my footing. When I glance back, she’s gone.

I don’t see her but I can feel it. It’s not over. There’s still something here, with me.

In a panic, I run to the bedroom door and throw it open.

Instantly, I’m hit by a wall of black mist. It surrounds me and seeps into my skin. Then, in the blink of an eye, it evaporates.

Everything about the hall is different but the same.

Gas lamps line the walls of the hallway, giving off a rich, soft glow. It’s like a dream and I never want to leave. This is a comfort I’ve never known.

The door to my bedroom at the end of the hall is open. The flickering light of the fire in the fireplace dances on the walls of the hallway, next to the open door.

I begin making my way down the hallway, running my hand down the wall.

This isn’t me … but it is me. I’m seeing this. I can feel the wall but I’m not doing this. I’m not in control. It’s like I’m locked inside myself, like before in the lake and in the living room.

The warmth of the fireplace fills the room as I enter. There’s my magnificent four-poster bed. The settee sits next to the vanity. The ornate dresser is in the corner. On the mantle over the fireplace is a photo of myself, my wife, and my daughter.

That’s not me. That’s not me in the photo. That’s not my family.

I’m never going to leave. We’re never going to leave. It’s so simple. I know what I have to do. The woman won’t come in here. She got in once, for a second, but not anymore. I won’t allow her in here.

With perfect calm, I walk over to the dresser. I run my fingers over the delicate carvings. I open the top drawer and pull out the derringer pistol. I open the drawer below and remove the bullets. I load them one by one and snap the cylinder closed, exactly as I remember it.

I go to the bed.

I can feel the gun in my hand. I can feel the weight but I’m helpless. I have no control. Stop! STOP!

I lie down on the bed and rest my head on the pillow.

I’m never going to leave this room. He’s never going to leave this room and he’s never going to find her.

I raise the gun to my head and point the barrel at my temple.

STOP! PLEASE!

I smile, close my eyes and begin to apply pressure to the trigger.