Gravity Read Online Free PDF

with his
shoulders confidently back. The green in his eyes are too bright
for it to be mine and the sinister grin doesn’t display correctly
my own quivering lips. My reflection's hand rubs his chest and digs
his fingernails where his heart is.
    I look down at my own body in which my
hands have not moved from my pockets.
    My reflection's hand breaks flesh and
reaches into his chest. My hands retreat from my pockets and touch
the area over my rapidly beating heart. My reflection pulls out his
coated black hand. The blood-like substance oozes out of my
reflection’s chest until his blue jeans are dyed in the unnatural
shade of black.
    Instinctively,
my feet move away from the window of illusion to notice that black
blood is seeping out around the window frame, dripping onto the
pavement at my feet.
    I stumble back as the blackness pools
quickly. It creeps toward me. My mirror image's black blood is
endlessly flooding out of his chest. His mouth opens and more of
the evil liquid seeps out.
    I run.
    A brief look
behind me, the blood paints
the walkway into tar. My own shadow is following me. The other shop
windows are blackening as if the reflection is also chasing
me.
    I reach an intersection. All of the stores
close their doors and shut their blinds. I walk into the street to
watch the sidewalks change from pavement to black tar. The sun is
veiled in dark clouds; the warm afternoon turns to a cold night in
an instant. There’s nowhere else to run without stepping into the
fearsome shadows.
    Everything is
painted in darkness—except one door. An antique shop is untainted
and the path to it unchanged. I walk to it with the dark substance
pulsing at the edges of the path; frightened of the light casting
from the shop's lamp.
    I go into the shop and immediately feel
relief in the atmosphere. Nothing is oozing anywhere. I peek out of
the door window. It seems night has fallen and Main Street looks
normal for the exception of no people; nothing is going on outside.
All traces of the nightmarish scene have disappeared. I'm not
taking any chances and decide to hang out in the shop for a
bit.
    A pile of bowls wobbles when my elbow hits
them. A deer horn coat rack nearly takes out an eye. I'm used to
places like this; often browsing to delay the time before having to
go home. It’s seems like an ordinary place, yet it feels not—maybe
because it isn’t contaminated with the black stuff.
    I follow a narrow path among the
disarray of items. The labyrinth of stuff leads to the back of the
store where the shop keeper catches my eye. All shop keepers tend
to look the same; cookie cutter old men with reading glasses, but
this one is different. He looks too young and too attractive to fit
the mold.
    I usually avoid the counter where the
shopkeeper sits. They usually watch me browse, thinking I might
steal their junk. Right now all I want to do is go to the counter
to take a closer look at the handsome man.
    The shopkeeper is tending to another boy, so
I wait patiently at the very far end of the counter. As I get
closer to listen, I get a good look at the man behind the counter.
His simple black clothes, black hair is a lot like mine. His eyes
are the most striking—gray, no wait blue. No. I swear that they’re
changing color. It’s so fast I miss the transition from one to the
next. What's even stranger than the rainbow eyes is the attraction
I feel toward him; a need to know this man like I would a pretty
girl.
    I approach the counter and overhear the
boy's name—Alex. He reminds me of Josh with the dirty blond hair,
only taller. I can tell from the way he looks, he's one of those
popular boys girls seem to naturally flock too. He has an older
look and a more defined jaw than boys my age. The way he stands
shows he's a confident guy; probably plays sports. Yes, this Alex
is the ones girls want. Alex browses at the various weaponry and
war collectibles displayed in the counter case.
    Alex points to
a dark green helmet.
    The