step forward she took an apprehensive step forward in the thick darkness. further hands shaking, heartbeat erratic, she steadily slid a foot forward. past the black haze she saw an image. she was appalled at the person she saw before her. it was truly of the most hideous things she had ever seen. she actually began to feel pity, despite the overwhelming disgust, towards the pathetic creature. its face was contorted with an emotion she dubbed familiar. she shook her head in sorrow and halted in panic as it mimicked the action simultaneously. shh* she doubled over in what could only be described as a mixture of anguish and defeat. the emotion ran so deep as to strike tears into her eyes immediately as the familiarity turned into understanding. the creature was herself. her entire being shook violently with the emotion that came with her having given up. she was faced with the depth of this ringing truth about her reality and in that moment she had never felt so empty.