"Officer Scott, nice to meet you here. Hope you know your job description and we're looking forward to working with you. And this is a relatively calm town with a minimal crime rate, so we basically have no work to do except laze around," my boss ranted on in one breath, extending his hand with a grin pasted on his round face.

It was my first day in job as a detective and I didn't want to disappoint my seniors. I was actually very enthusiastic as to what kind of crimes I'd get to deal with.

"By the way Hannah," said Officer Forbes from the other side of the room, releasing a puff of cigarette smoke, "Isn't being a detective too odd a job for a girl?"

"Colt Anaconda point 44 Magnum," My voice was cold as ice as I placed my revolver in front of him, "I believe I can execute my job as good as any of you."

Forbes turned away without a word, defeated.

Storming out of the office, I felt for the revolver in my pocket and caressed the cold metallic thing. It gave me a sense of security.

Keeping a watch out for any sign of disturbance, patrolling the area, I headed to the police station.

It was evening.

As I neared the corner, suddenly I heard Forbes' strangled scream.

I rushed there to find something lying crumpled on the steps of the station with Forbes standing helplessly defeated.

He raised his shaking hands and I saw blood on them. I hadn't expected to find a gruesome murder on the steps of the law.

Stunned and dazed, I deftly moved to the side of the corpse to get the shock of my life. It was staring at me, eyes widened, lips quivering, it's windpipe slashed brutally as it bled and writhed, it's face pale.

But that was not what creeped me out, because lying on the floor, just before me was I.

Yes, it was my dead body. There was no mistake about it.

My knees shook as I held onto Officer Forbes for support.

He looked at me horrified and stumbled backwards.

"Sir," I tried to explain, "Sir, this must be a prank. I... I'm alive. This isn't me."

Though I tried to convince him, I myself wasn't sure if I was alive anymore.

Forbes looked at me, still biting his lips. Finally he shrugged and said, "Are you glad now Hannah that you came to this job?"

I nodded but suddenly wasn't sure anymore.

The body was removed and sent for postmortem. I refused to go along so Officer Winnipeg proposed to take my place. There was something definitely disturbing about someone like me being ripped apart to pieces under a knife.

Unknowingly I shivered.

"Officer Scott, we need to get to the bottom of this," said Forbes sitting right across the table, "Now are you quite sure that you don't have a twin."

"None that I know of," I tried in vain to get an explanation for the weird happenings.

"I need you to be very careful. There must be someone who wants to harm you. This thing, creature, creep, human, ghost whatever it is definitely took the blow meant for you. But you do need to be cautious," he sighed.

Suddenly the phone rang. Forbes' face turned pale when the voice at the other end spoke.

He turned to me, his hands shaking," They say that she has vanished somewhere. "

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" This is crazy," I mumbled to myself.

Why would somebody want to kill me? Why would actually some spirit or whatever come to save me? The paranormal activities and all these mystery was definitely spooking me out.

As I was walking down the street, a cold chill swept over me. It was as if someone with icy fingers had touched me.

As I tried to cross the road, there she was, standing before me, my reflection, waving in the air. She still had her blood dripping.

I froze.

And just then a car whizzed past me at breakneck speed, missing me by an inch.

Gasping I collapsed on the pavement. Did she just save me from the murderous car? Was it a plot again?

I couldn't shake those thoughts out of my mind as I quickened my speed. My only aim was to reach home safe.

And suddenly there she was beside the road, my frightening incarnation, translucent and eerie.

I backed off.

She lifted her hands, frantically pointing at something behind me.

On an instinct I looked back just in time to see a metallic rod aiming for my head. I dunked, intercepting the blow with my hand. It became numb with the impact.

I fumbled for my Colt as the rod came down over my shoulders. My entire body jolted with pain.

Somehow I managed to drag out the revolver and fired two shots in the darkness.

Caring for nothing else, I started to run. Soon I heard heavy footsteps and muffled voices behind me.

I pulled out my walkie-talkie, screaming for help.

Forbes muttered something from the other end before a hand grabbed me out of the darkness. I struggled against my captor, trying to use my karate skills, but he deftly avoided my blows and overpowered me.

Another man came and pressed a cloth to my nose. The sweet smell of chloroform numbed me, as I fell down unconscious.

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I woke up in a dark room, with a little blue light straying from a small window.

I tried to move my sore limbs but to my horror, I was tied up in  ropes, gagged and chained to the floor.

I tried in vain to pull against my restraints, till the nylon ropes cut into my flesh.

A man stirred in the corner of the room, as he heard the clanking of my chains.

He quickly walked up to me, bending down to grab my neck.

I whimpered against the gag.

"Shut up you bitch. Boss will come in a hour," he said through clenched teeth.

My eyes watered as he strangled me.

He let out a laugh, "Don't worry. I want you alive, at least for boss."

Just then there were footsteps as people came down an iron staircase.

The man in front came right up, knelt down beside me and pressed my revolver to my forehead.

"Let her scream," he said tearing my gag, "I'd like to hear her beg."

"J... Jared? " I stuttered unsure.

What was my brother doing there? Everything was so weird.

"Yes, Jared, big sis. It's me," he mocked, "You know, I'm kinda tired of obeying you and Amanda. I need money to start a business and you were kinda controlling the strings on my purse on account of being the heir to the property. How could I let that happen?"

"So you decided to eliminate me, you ungrateful pig," I cried.

"Exactly. But I need you to sign on this will, bequeathing all your legacy to me," he croaked.

"I won't, because you'll kill me either way," I spat.

He grabbed my neck and thrust my head on the stone floor. I winced as blood trickled down my forehead.

"I can forge signatures. No problem in that," he grinned, "But if you sign it, I'll make your death swift and painless. Otherwise you'll stay here till you die and every moment you'll be begging me for death. But I won't grant you that. The choice is yours."

My own brother, trying to kill me for money. The irony of fate.

"Fine, I'll sign. I know whatever I'll say can't stop you. You'll have your end either way. Just be fast with it. It's better to die that live with someone like you," I smiled grimly.

His face was emotionless as his men grabbed me, untying my hands. I didn't resist as I knew it was useless.

He thrust the paper into my lap. I signed my death sentence with shaking hands.

Snatching away the paper from my hand, he stared at it with glee.

"Finish her off," he ordered as I saw a man move towards me with a syringe.

I closed my eyes in fear, waiting for the poison to be injected, and it to spread through my system?

What does it feel like to die? Does it hurt?

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Suddenly my eyes flew open at the sound of a strangled cry.

I saw the will on the floor, burning and there stood before Jared, my replica. Her face was contorted with fury.

Jared started to back off.

Suddenly the figure changed form.

"Amanda," I gasped.

"You killed me," Amanda's apparition said, pointing at Jared.

She grabbed his neck and twisted it with a sickening crack.

His limp body sank to the floor.

My recently murdered sister turned once to look at me and then she was gone with the sounds of approaching sirens, leaving me alone with my dead brother.

"A-M-A-N-D-A," I screamed frantically.

500 words completed.

A/N Thanks to mystery and Paranormal for this awesome Collab prompt.

Dedicated to Pipigrin, the best reader ever.

Once again, thanks MaryFahey for introducing me to the mystery genre...

Thanks for your support KashishBelikov
Euna__ teamhathaway