How Terrifying

It is like a dark shadow

solidified

crawling down his spine and inside his rib cage

in

and out

suddenly he finds that

he cannot breathe!

and

relief washes over him as his lungs expand with air

is it over, then?

is it gone?

he does not even comprehend its existence until, one day,

as he glances into the mirror and his eyes are illuminated, at last, to that thing protruding from his own self

he watches, horrified, as it manifests deeper and deeper into his flesh, up his neck

he can no longer see his face

and,

the end.