This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/Roos85 on 2024-09-19 20:03:21+00:00.

My son’s furious screams echoed through the mall as I dragged him toward the clothing store, his feet kicking out in defiance with every step.

People were staring as if I were the worst mother, but was too tired to care. His small fists pounded the air, his face flushed with frustration.

“I don’t want new clothes!” he yelled.

His shoes scuffed the polished floor as I dragged him forward. I muttered promises of ice cream, hoping to bribe him into submission.

“Can we get mint chip ice cream?” He asked as he began to calm.

As my son grudgingly stepped into the fitting room, I finally exhaled, hoping for a moment’s peace.

I glanced at my phone, scrolling through messages, as I waited, relieved at the short moment of peace while he tried on the clothes.

Minutes passed, and I barely noticed. When I finally looked up, the fitting room was eerily quiet. I called his name, but got no answer. Panic set in as I hurried over to the door, knocking gently.

I swung the door open and was stunned to find it empty. The pile of clothes lay untouched on the floor.

“Where could he have disappeared so quickly?” I thought to myself.

As I searched around the store, panic turned to absolute dread when I realized there was no sign of him anywhere.

The worst thoughts were running through my mind as I screamed his name. People looked at me dumbfounded when I asked them if they had seen my son.

When I begged the security guards to check the CCTV, they brought me to the malls control room. I watched closely at the screens as they scanned through the camera’s feeds.

When I spotted my son walking out of the store, the security guards were as stunned as I was when the person walking off with my son looked exactly like me. They even drove off in the car I drove to the store in.

The police wanted to confirm I wasn’t crazy when they suggested they drive me to my address, but when I spotted my car back in the driveway, I felt like I was going completely insane.

The two police officers looked at each other when my house key didn’t fit in the door lock.

“Are you sure this is your address, mam?”

“My husband will clarify for you who I am,” I shouted as I banged down the door.

When my husband came to the door, he looked at me as if I were a complete stranger.

“Someone kidnapped our…” Suddenly, my son ran out and jumped up into my husband’s arms.

I was relieved he was home safe, but when the woman I saw on security feed came to the door, I wasn’t sure what to believe.

“This woman is an imposter," I protested. I am that boy’s mother. Tell them, Sam.”

“I’ve never seen this woman in my life, officer. As you can see, my wife is here with me and my boy.”

The police said the handcuffs were for my own safety as they were putting me in the back of the police car.

There was no evidence to suggest I wasn’t who I was saying I was, so the police had no reason to keep me once we got back to the police station.

Although I promised the police I wouldn’t go back to the house, I had no choice; it was my house after all. It felt like I had my identity stolen, there was even a moment where I doubted who I was, but I wasn’t crazy, and I knew who I was.

I sat outside the house, heart pounding, trying to make sense of the madness. I knew I had to confront them. I gathered my nerve and walked to the door, pounding on it until my husband opened the door. The frustrated and cold expression on my husband’s face as my son clung to his leg shattered my soul.

“Sam, please! You have to listen to me!” I begged.

"That woman is an imposter. She’s pretending to be me. I don’t know how, but you know me. You have to know me.”

The woman appeared behind him and stood calm and collected. She rested a hand on Sam’s shoulder and looked at me with pity in her eyes.

“I think you should leave before things get worse for you,” she said softly, as if speaking to a lost child.

My son stared up at me with a confused look on his face. “Mommy?” he asked, unsure, glancing between us. My heart broke as I crouched down to his level.

“Sweetie, it’s me,” I whispered, tears welling up.

“I’m your mom. Remember our favorite bedtime stories? We went to the mall today; you were upset about getting clothes, and we were going to get mint chip ice cream afterward.”

His face scrunched up in confusion, but before he could say anything, the woman stepped forward.

“Honey, we already had mint chip ice cream at home, remember?” She said, kneeling down next to my son.

Sam pulled my son close, his eyes narrowing at me.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to pull,” he said coldly. "But this is my wife and our son. Please leave us alone.”

I parked down the street, keeping my eyes fixed on the house. My mind raced with everything that had happened, and I felt trapped in some twisted nightmare. Hours passed before I saw Sam leave with our son, heading off in his car.

I got out of the car and cautiously approached the house as my heart pounded in my chest.

As I neared the door, it suddenly opened, and there she was, stepping out onto the porch like she owned the place.

“Who are you?” I demanded, my voice shaking with both rage and fear. “What do you want with my family?”

She just smirked, tilting her head slightly. “You’re not supposed to be here,” she said calmly, as if I were the intruder in my own life.

“That’s my life inside. You can’t just take it,” I snapped, stepping closer.

Her smile didn’t falter. “I already have,” she whispered. “You should leave. You don’t belong here anymore.”

I stood frozen as the rage built inside me. As soon as her smug words hit me, something inside snapped. Without thinking, I lunged forward and shoved the imposter into the house. She stumbled back, eyes wide in surprise, before quickly regaining her balance. I rushed in after her, but before I could get another word out, she struck. Her fist slammed into my stomach, knocking the wind out of me. I gasped, doubling over in pain.

“You’re making a mistake,” she hissed.

I tried to fight back, but she was terrifyingly strong. She grabbed me by the collar and threw me against the wall, the impact sending shockwaves through my body. Dazed, I scrambled to my feet, my only thought now was survival.

She lunged for me again, but I dodged her grasp, and ran toward the stairs. I could hear her footsteps pounding behind me, getting closer. My heart raced as I sprinted up the stairs, desperate to get away. But just as I reached the top, she grabbed my ankle, pulling me backward. I kicked out wildly, and in one desperate move, I twisted and shoved her as hard as I could.

She toppled backward, tumbling down the stairs. I heard the sickening crack as her neck snapped at the bottom and her body twisted unnaturally. For a moment, there was silence, and I caught my breath, thinking it was over.

But then, to my horror, her body twitched. Her head jerked to the side with a grinding noise, and sparks flickered from her neck. She began to rise slowly, her movements stiff and mechanical. Pieces of her skin peeled away, revealing metal and wires.

She wasn’t human; she was a robot.

Her eyes flickered, and a distorted voice emerged. “I just wanted to be perfect. "Isn’t that what you always wanted?”

Suddenly the light in her eyes flickered and slowly dimmed before she fell to the floor.

The front door creaked open, and I froze at the top of the stairs. My heart was pounding as Sam stepped into the house with our son.

His smile faded instantly when he saw the mangled android at the bottom of the stairs, sparks flickering from its broken neck. His expression changed from shock to something dark.

He slowly set our son down before telling him to wait in the car. As the boy ran outside, Sam’s gaze focused back to me, his eyes narrowing in a way I’d never seen before.

“You weren’t supposed to find out like this,” he muttered, his voice eerily calm as he approached the stairs.

"I thought I had more time to perfect her.”

I backed away, as dread crept up my spine as the weight of his words began sinking in.

“Sam… what is this? What did you do?”

He didn’t answer immediately, his eyes drifting toward the broken android.

“You always wondered what I did at work, didn’t you? I’ve been working on this for years. Life-like androids. Advanced robotics. She was supposed to be perfect. The perfect wife. The perfect mother. No flaws. No doubts.”

His voice became bitter as his gaze locked onto mine.

"Unlike you.”

I took a step back, my mind racing. I knew Sam worked for a robotics company, but I had no idea how close he was to creating something so real, something meant to replace me.

“You were going to replace me?” I whispered, my voice trembling.

“Not replace,” he said, a twisted smile creeping across his face as he took another step closer.

“Improve. She was everything you’re not. She didn’t argue. She didn’t fight me. She was obedient, loving, and everything you refused to be.”

Panic surged through me as he edged closer, his demeanor growing more threatening with every step.

“Sam, you can’t seriously believe this,” I said as the words struggled to get out of my mouth. “You tried to build a family?”

He chuckled darkly, his eyes gleaming with something unhinged. "I did more than try. I succeeded.”

My heart pounded in my chest, but all I could think about now was getting out and getting my son and running as far away as possible.

I bolted for the door, adrenaline kicking in. …

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