Not much is known about what the people in town call Mirror House. You hear about it over the years. Kids say it’s on Clifton Avenue. Grown ups say it’s on Red Bear Drive. The police departs says it doesn’t exist. I think that a bunch of bullshit. I know I can find it. You always talk to that one person who’s been inside.

She’d been cut up pretty bad. The police say she’s suicidal. Vicky had been placed in my wing of the hospital. I made it a point to be assigned to serve her room. The first time I saw her. She could barely open her eyes. They had to keep her tied down. Her blonde hair still had traces of her blood. Her abdomen wrapped in gaze. She tried to eat, I ask her if she wanted something easier to chew, she said yes. And so I get it for her. I heard the nurses telling the staff how the night shift had complained from the other patients family’s. She demand the mirror be removed form her room. Violently moving the bed trying to roll it out. Everyone thought it best if the mirror was removed for everyones sanity.

I quickly volunteered.

Removing the mirror I smiled at her. “Will there be anything else you might like Vicky?”

She started to cry holding her stomach. “Just get that dam mirror out of my sight.”

Walking out the door I placed the mirror in the storage closet. After a week of observation the police finally showed up just as I was serving food. I stalled as much as I could next to her room. She told them in a frustrated voice. How she been followed by a dark figure. I could only hear parts of her story as I quickly made my way to each room. Her voice nearly audible as she grew more angry at the officers. I saved Vicky’s tray for last.

“I told you. I knew I had to go there. It wouldn’t leave me alone.”

Go where, I wondered. Was it mirror house? They left just as I set the tray down. Vicky started to cry. I placed my hand on hers. “It’s okay, you’re safe now. Whatever happened it’s over.”

“Thank you, Tina.” She smiled. “Your welcome honey. Here, eat your food.”

Wondering what would happen. I took out my poeket mirror and whiped my eye. Vicky screamed.

“Put it away!”

“I’m sorry, I forgot. Look putting it in my pocket. It’s okay.”

I didn’t think she be that freaked out by my pocket mirror. Until I learned she had been heavily sedated when I removed the one from her room. After calming her down I apologized and we started to talk. It took some time but I finally asked why she had been so scared of the mirrors.

She told me, everything. How she had been sleeping with a married man, and that somehow the black creature had lead her to a house at the end of Mist lake drive. Just before the main highway to the mountain onto Mist Lake. She started to stammer as the sun started to reflect from her spoon.

Closing the window she continued. She she she couldn’t remember much of the house, but she couldn’t find her way out.

“Each room just a mirror reflection of the other. The doorways weren’t’ doorways, they were mirrors. I know it sounds crazy, but they were I could see my in the reflection, but when I got closer the further my reflection would go.”

She started to mutter as her pain killers started to kick in. Taking her tray away. I finally knew were mirror house was. I knew it was stupid, but it was the last thing I wanted to do before leaving Red Bear. I had already visited Mist Lake, and that was a bust. Just water and a whole lot of nothing. I figured mirror house would just be another urban legend like the ones of the lake.

The weekend finally arrived and I would have two days to explore mirror house. I convinced by boyfriend Bill to explore the house with me. Bill and his family just moved to Red Bear three years ago. He, like most of the town thought the stories were just that. A story based off a real event that had turned into an legend. Still I had talked him into going with me. Driving up the house looked just like a regular house. It had been well kept and the windows covered with curtains, no paint chipping. Or loose boards anywhere to be found. Bill held my shoulder taking a large swig of his beer letting out a loud burp that could wake the dead.

“Are you sure it’s abandoned?” He asked. “Looks like someone just moved in if you ask me.”

I pulled his arm from my shoulder. He was wasn’t wrong, the house did look recently renovated. Looking through the windows I saw no signs of furniture. I only saw a single mirror with my reflection looking back at me. Bill was getting impatient as I walked around the house. The other windows gave me little help as the sun blinded me from several reflections. Even if hadn’t been the house I counted four mirrors. I knocked on the door and waited. After a moment I knocked again. Still no response. “See no ones home.” I said.

“So how the hell are suppose to get in? Break a window.”

“I don’t know, but this is suppose to be it.” I tried to remain calm as Bill threw his bottle in the air catching it before hitting the ground. The house looked too perfect, almost like a photo copy from better homes. I was expecting Bates Motel, or the house from Night of the living dead. Not Grandma’s house.

Walking next to me he throwing his bottle at the door. It let out a loud pop as the door opened.

“Ooo. Scary. Did you plan this?”

I stood still as the door continued to open. “No, but I didn’t come all this way just to turn back now.”

Walking inside the slammed the door behind us. I screamed turning around. Bill laughed. “Oh, God that was so work it!”

“You dick! You almost gave me heart attack!” I said, frogged his arm as hard as I could.

“Sorry babe, just wanted to make it scary for you.” Bill said smiling.

He held his arm trying to hold back the pain. I laughed.

“Just don’t do that.”

We saw two archways from the living room. In between the two archways were equally tall mirrors. The angles from the crossing reelections gave the illusion of five hall ways. The living room was empty except the front door between two mirrors. Whoever desined the angle of the walls had lined up the mirrors perfectly. I had to be one foot in front to see my own reflection. Bill had been under the the first archway by the door. Looking down the the hall.

“Tina you got to see this.”

Standing next to Bill I saw seven more hallways. Walking in further it was like stepping into a fun house. Bill and I decided to see how far back the hall went. The dimensions of the mirrors and archways seemed to go on forever. We finally hit a mirror our refections standing in front.

“This is crazy. I wonder who built it.” said Bill.

We decided to see how lost we could get. Walking around outside, I knew the house hadn’t been that big. It was like being a child again. We we explored each room. Some of the rooms had small mirrors, while others had large mirrors. Not a single window could be found. I thought the mirrors must have covered them. I used my dry erase marker to mark off each room we explored. We played a game of hide and go seek, using our phones as flashlights. I was surprised how big the mirrors made the house feel. Nothing about the home seemed dangerous at all. After thirty minutes we walked to down the hall toward the door.

We figured the other side would be the same, and it was. The only difference had been that more mirrors were missing or broken. The air smelled fowl almost like the floor had been covered in rooting food. We held our noses going room to room. Seven halls and seven rooms. The smell had been intolerable. My hand on the front door I took one last look at the mirrors. They grew darker as the sun went down.

I opened the door to a bright light. Bill and I covered our eyes as we walked out. Slamming the door behind us. Mirrors. They were the same mirrors. I rolled my eyes at Bill thinking he must have turned me around while shutting the door. I opened the front door again. The same mirrors. We started to panic. “This has to be one of the rooms right?” I walked to the first archway. My markings for the rooms were still in place. We went into each room staying no more than an arms length away from each other. The same. Walking down the second archway the smell grew stronger. Sounds of broken glass beneath our feet as we went down the second hallway.

Bill pulled me back to the front door. We could see the sun shinning through the window. He pulled off his jacket wrapping it around his fist. Breaking the window. A cool burst of air filled the house. I cried out. “We should have did this first.”

He placed his jacket on the broken edge jumping over into the light. Helping me step out the sun kept shinning bright. Just as we adjusted to the light we found ourselves back in the front room. Broken pieces of mirror beneath our feet. A blank wall surround by a window frame. Now next to the door.

“This can’t be happening!” Bill cried. “What is this shit?”

’A prison’

I stopped and looked around, Bill still yelling. He hadn’t heard the voice. Was it a voice? I wasn’t sure myself. Ignoring it I dialed my work.

Service error

I pulled Bill’s phone out. The same message on his screen. No signal. No internet. We were trapped. I felt faint at the thought of being in the house. I had no one but myself to blame. I had been fascinated by the stories surrounding Red Bear and Mist Lake that I went out of my way to see if they were real. I thought mirror house would just be harmless fun.

Calming Bill down I sat on the floor trying to think. “How did Vicky get out?” I shouted.

“What?”

”Vicky, she the woman that told me about this place.”

’She made a sacrifice.’

“What did you say?”

“I just said, what.”

It was the same voice. Bill still couldn’t hear it. Sacrifice what? I wondered. “Just, help me find a way out well go room by room again. Well take down or break every mirror if we have too.”

Bill agreed. We decided to spare ourselves from the smell, and went down the first hall. We placed each mirror facedown on the floor. Only one remained in place.

“This has to be the window.” I said.

Bill smashed the mirror with his wrapped arm. A loud pop echoed through the house. Bill screamed as his hand was shattered covered with glass. I quickly pulled off his jacket releasing most of the glass from his hand. “Fuck me! Shit! Did it work?” he cried.

The mirror was broken, and so was the window. I almost cried, but not for joy. On the other side of the window I could see the same room we were standing in. The mirrors in the corner facing the floor. Bill got up letting out a loud cried as he saw the room. “Fuck!”

Using his shirt I did my best to clean and wrap his hand. We were trapped. Mirror house had us, we had no way out. Walking across the hall I pulled mirrors off yelling in anger.

’A sacrifice will set you free.’

The voice was clearer now. Bill remained still holding his shirt tightly around his hand.

’You know were to go.’

I did. It was the only place we didn’t want to follow. That smell. Getting Bill I told him how the smell had been the one constant in all the times they explored the house. Holding his bloody hand. We made our way down the hallway. The rooms grew darker, each frame on the wall looked more degraded than before. Dust covering pieces of mirrors. The smell came from the right side of the hall on the last room. Walking in the ground was covered in blood. On the walls bones had been used for frames. Flies hovering over a dead body in the corner, it’s flesh torn apart. I could barely stand to open my mouth. Bill used his good hand to cover his mouth. I saw it before Bill. A single chair In the corner. One red, and white eye looking at me. Something was sitting in the chair. Seven candles lite the room as a mirror fell covering the doorway. A crow sitting in a cage at its feet. 

Cawing rapidly a voice spoke. “It has no real power...”

The beast threw the cage at a mirror, I held Bills arm as the crow vanished threw a portal. The creature laughed. It just there moving one of its three hands for us to move closer. I felt helpless, holding Bill close we walked closer to the creature. It’s body disfigured, below it’s red and white eye two mouths smiled at us. Teeth chattering as each drop of Bill’s blood hit the floor. A single insect flew to the small pool. It soaked up Bill’s blood, running back to that thing.

Crunch

We held each other tight. It stood, a single wing left behind as the other on it’s body started to move. It’s breath icy cold covered me. I tried to close my eyes trying to spare myself from the horror that stood over me. I could feel it’s eyes blinking with each flare of its nostril. I cried as I heard Bill scream. The beast held Bill’s hand to his mouth. A blue red flare came from the creatures mouths. Bill pulled his hand back using the other to punch the monster. It laughed, and growled at Bill.

’Sacrifice can set you free.’

It pointed at a mirror. I couldn’t help but look at it. Bill was kissing someones neck, his body shaking as he finished. It was his old girlfriend Olivia. I turned away, Bill looking into another mirror not only was he sleeping with Olivia. They had been in my bed.

“Stop!” Bill punched the mirror with his bloody hand.

The creature looked at me, then to Bill. Both mouths smiling at me. More flashes filled the mirror, Bill was sleeping with not only Olivia, but other girls I had never meet. Each of them in my bed.

’Sacrifice can set you free.’

I knew what it meant. Vicky had made her own sacrifice. I knew now why her abdomen was wrapped. She made the ultimate sacrifice. The entire room had been covered with those who had been sacrificed.

Looking at Bill I started to cry. He told me the images in the mirror weren’t real. Nothing I saw was real. His phone started to vibrate. Pulling it from his hand I saw messages from Olivia sitting outside my house threatening to leave a note if he didn’t answer her.

“Take him!”

The creature laughed. It’s arms opened slitting into tendrils. It wrapped Bill, his bones crunching with each second. The mirror behind me started to glow. My car sitting in front of the house. I could feel something pull at me. I found myself outside mirror house. I could hear Bill’s cries coming from inside. I ran crying. I just sacrificed the man I loved. I put mirror house far behind me. I didn’t want anything to do with happened to Bill. I drove away from the house, from Red Bear, it felt like I had been driving for hours. My phone still had no signal. The headlights made a sign glow in the vast darkness, a single crow perched on the edge.

I read the sign in the mirror.

Now leaving Red Bear.

The crow cawed as Tina drove off “It has no real power.”

It knew Tina would be safe driving out of Red Bear. She had made a sacrifice, but so had Bill just before he died. He would live not as his old self, but as a new shell for the dark half of the monster.

Hoping Tina would come home. The creatures new body felt good. Looking at the mirror, it saw Tina drove out of town. Angry it threw the mirror on the ground. He was hungry. His new body required food. It would have to settle for Olivia.

Next Chapter: Wandering Darkness