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The Mirror

The first thing that caught Liam’s attention when he woke up was the ear-ringing silence. A night of partying paled in comparison to the heavy grogginess he felt as he tried to focus on the semi-spinning room. The room seemed off, but he couldn’t seem to place what. The most noticeable difference was the missing mirror.

Jumping out of bed, lightheadedness nearly brought him to his knees as he stumbled to the solid dresser. It’s firm familiarity grounded him as blackness faded from the edges of his vision. Deep breaths eased the clenching of his stomach as he investigated the area closely. Nothing on the wall indicated the antique mirror had ever been there at all. He felt the sigh leave his lips, but he heard nothing. Anxiety coiled around his chest and squeezed. What the hell was going on? He tried humming and he could feel the vibration in his chest and throat, but he couldn’t hear anything. All was silent. A single thought raced through his mind in that moment: He needed that mirror.

He nearly fell as he ran down the stairs, taking them two at a time. He could feel the vibrations of his footfalls, but nothing reached his ears. That uncanny same-yet-different feeling was present here too, but, more unnerving, he felt he was being watched. Reaching the living room, he saw the downstairs mirror was still here, but it wasn’t the correct mirror. Plain and simple glass with no ornamentation which took up the majority of the wall across from the couch. His mother’s reflection stood in the mirror, staring silent and unmoving, but only in the mirror. He turned quickly to see if she knew what was going on. But the room itself was empty. When he looked back, the mirror was empty again. A cold sweat began to bead along his brow as he shook his head.

Movement outside of the window caught his peripheral and he ran, unthinking, to see. Outside, cars were frozen in place on the road. A bird, mid flight, hung in the air. He closed his eyes for a moment trying to process what insanity was happening. He couldn’t hear his own shocked gasp when he opened his eyes and saw things had shifted. The cars were further down the road and the bird was gone. In the distance, the sun began to set and horror took hold, clenching his throat and sending chills down his spine. He turned around quickly to look in the mirror again, to attempt to reach out to his mother somehow, but was greeted by cold, empty glass. Not even his own reflection looked back at him. He had to find his reflection if he ever wanted to get back.

His heart thrummed frantically in his chest creating a strong, soundless beat. With trembling hands he tore through the house in search of the antique mirror. “The mirror that shows your reflection is the only way out” her warning echoed repeatedly in his head.

* * * *

Empty containers lay strewn across the basement floor alongside various knickknacks which had been haphazardly thrust aside in search of the mirror. It wasn’t here. He was positive the mirror wasn’t even in the house. Cold sweat condensed and began to trickle down his neck and back as he slid down the wall and rested his head in his hands to focus on what he knew. He knew that mirror was, most likely, the only mirror to show his reflection. His mother had told him the mirror that shows his reflection is the only way home. He wasn’t sure how his mother had sent him here after he had vehemently refused to participate in her latest experiment, but he knew that he needed to leave as soon as possible. She had warned him how alternate dimensions could be unstable, especially with such a tenuous tether linking them together. It was just a matter of time before it closed. He just needed to figure out where in the hell that mirror was hidden.

Liam sighed silently and roughed his hair before standing. He considered all the places it could possibly be hidden and the amount of possibilities were nearly endless. She would want it somewhere out of the public eye. That narrowed it down. She would also want it somewhere only she could access it since she distrusted people so intensely. That narrowed it down further. Finally, she would want it somewhere close where she could access it quickly to study whenever the desire struck. He paced for a moment as locations narrowed further and further down until one option remained: Sanford Group, the research company his mother worked for.

A quick dart in his peripherals caught his attention and he snapped his head towards the movement, hair on the back of his neck on end. A flatscreen TV hung on the wall above an electric fireplace, flames frozen silently. Goosebumps pricked his skin and set him on edge as he slowly backed away towards the stairs. There was nothing left for him here. He prepared to sprint up the stairs as his hand hovered over the lightswitch. Deep breath. The lights flickered out and he turned to run up the stairs when, for the first time since waking up, a very quiet shuffling sounded from around the corner, near the TV. He stopped dead in his tracks, halfway up the stairs, frozen. Had he really heard something? He walked back down, hand hovering over the lightswitch, and gasped silently. There was nothing in the basement. Evidence of his frantic search, the overturned boxes, the open cabinets, and knicknacks littering the floor, all gone. Even the tv. Something akin to an object being dragged across the carpet sounded near where the TV should have been and, in his fear, he turned on the lights. Momentarily blinded, he blinked a few times before he could truly look.

Once his eyes adjusted he saw everything was as it had been when before he turned off the light. Confusion cinched his brows and clenched his jaw as he stared, unsure if what he saw had even been real. Against his better judgement, he turned the light off again. Nothing changed. Light back on. Nothing changed. Not even a few hours in and he was starting to lose it. This didn’t bode well for him. He left the light on and ran up the stairs, feeling like he was being followed the entire way up.

* * * *

He had never understood the idea of uncanny valley until now. Some things he couldn’t articulate but he could only feel the wrongness. The lack of movement and sound did nothing to ease his paranoia that something bad was about to happen. He continually looked over his shoulder, things in a slightly different place each time he did, to see if anyone, or anything, followed him with malicious intent. Occasionally he swore he saw a flash of movement in the reflective surfaces he passed, but a double take showed only a blank surface. He had to resist the urge to run in panic, feeling as though that would trigger some nightmarish predatory chase. He had no doubt he was being watched.

On the horizon yellow bled into orange and red, followed by a sharp line where blue remained in the sky. There was no discernable movement, yet the sun continued setting. The sky behind him slowly leeching color from the world until it was washed in greys. He looked around the familiar-yet-not downtown area for a shop where he could find a flashlight, just in case. Maybe something to defend himself with too… if needed. He was disconcerted by the lack of cars he saw the more the sun went down. At least when he saw the cars frozen on the road he knew there were others. Now, he felt more alone than ever as car sightings decreased. He ran a hand through his curls in frustration that nothing seemed to be where it should be. He felt like a stranger in his own hometown.

Finally, he found the dollar store where the Sub Shop was usually located. Relief flooded through him now that he could probably find his way around for the most part. Places seemed to be in the same general location in this reality as they were in his reality.

* * * *

The store was locked. Because of course it was, he thought wryly. At first, he thought maybe he had pulled instead of pushed, but pushing did nothing either. He scanned the front of the building for any indication of store hours and was amazed that they closed at 6 p.m. It was nearing 8 p.m. “Fuck” left his lips with intensity and would have been quite loud had any sound actually escaped. He impatiently glanced back at the darkening sky as an ominous pressure bore down on him, increasing as it grew darker. No sign of life could be seen anywhere. No lights lit any windows, cars were parked and empty, and there weren’t even any birds frozen in place in the sky. It was as if everyone had collectively decided to stay in.

He laced his fingers together behind his back and took stock. He needed to get in there. He could get food, water, a flashlight, and maybe a weapon. The lack of life was concerning and his basic instincts were telling him to get inside and hide out for the night.

“Trust your instincts.” He heard clear as day. He turned frantically around, looking for whoever said it, but saw no one. With a start he realized he had imagined his father’s sage advice. Panic eased into chest-clenching sadness. He definitely could use his father’s advice right now, he was a master of survival. A wry grin graced his lips as he recalled the argument his mother and father had just days before he died. He desperately wanted to move into the country and start a self sustaining farm. When his mother refused, he suggested they build an underground bunker. Again, his mother refused and called him insane. Liam had been hiding on the stairs listening to them while they thought he was outside playing.

“Trust your instincts.” his father would say. “You have thousands and thousands of years of evolution in your blood. They’ve been sharpened by the experiences of our ancestors but dulled by modern society. Always trust your instincts and keep them sharp.” Then he would rough up Liam’s unruly curls and send him off to play. He had always loved going on his dad’s “survivalist” camping trips, much to his mother’s annoyance. Now, focusing on what his instincts were telling him, he grabbed a rock from the alley immediately next to the store. It wasn’t overly large, but had enough heft for its intended purpose. In one fluid motion he smashed the rock into the window on the door. He was sure there alarms going off, but his instincts told him nobody would come. Reaching in, he unlocked the door before pushing his way inside.

* * * *

The store was empty, as he assumed it would be. He hoped the alarms were silent as he stepped carefully over the glass scattered near the broken door window. On a display rack immediately in front of him were an assortment of charging cables and sunglasses, while various bags of beef jerky and chips lined the display on the counter near the register. He could feel an empty rumble in his stomach as he tried to remember the last time he ate something. Could he eat here? So far everything he’d seen had been closely similar so if anything, he reasoned, it would only taste a little different…right? He felt his stomach clench again and decided to throw caution to the wind as he grabbed a bag of chips, beef jerky, and made his way to get water. On his way, he noticed a plain pink drawstring bag hanging in an aisle littered with cheap childrens toys. He stared at it for a moment before deciding it would be best to use it to carry any essential supplies he might need. With the snack secured, he continued on his path to drinks. Maybe he could find a small first aid kit too, just in case.

* * * *

As his luck would have it, the store didn’t have any type of first aid supplies or anything he could use for a makeshift weapon. He did, however, find a nice selection of flavored waters, a flashlight, and some extra batteries. A bathroom was also a nice surprise, though he wasn’t sure if the flushing actually worked since he couldn’t make the water come out of the faucet to wash his hands. Sitting behind the counter near the register he took the batteries from their packaging, apparently child proofing was a thing here too, and examined them. The batteries in this world were thick and oval shaped instead of small and cylindrical. It took him a moment to figure out how to put the batteries in correctly, the only difference between the two sides being that one was copper colored while the other was silver. Eventually he figured it out and, to his surprise, the flashlight worked. The more he tested it he noticed that there was about a 3 second delay to turning on the flashlight and the flashlight actually emitting light. He chalked it up to another odd difference and set it aside before shoving beef jerky in his mouth.

He was immediately caught off guard by the flavor, and if he weren’t so hungry he would’ve gagged and spit the jerky out. It had a sickeningly sweet maple syrup flavor mixed with peppery hot sauce. He eyed the chips warily before taking a tiny bite. They tasted like cheesy jalapenos, for which he was grateful. In moments, the bag was empty. He made a mental note to grab another bag before he left.

Having eaten, drank, and rested, he figured that now was the time to get his bearings and think of a plan to get back home. The sun was nearly completely below the horizon at this point and he considered whether or not he should hunker down for the night, or try and find a way out. He leaned his head back against the counter and considered his options.

Option 1: Stay here for the night and leave before anyone comes in. Then, pray that he doesn’t get arrested for breaking in and stealing. If that didn’t happen, then he could make his way to his mother’s office. Which, he realized, presented a whole new problem: how would he get in? Did he have “another mother” here in this world that could help him?Considering his mother back home, he wasn’t sure whether he wanted to take a chance on his mother here being worse. He decided to shelf that rabbit hole until he decided what his plan was for the night.

Option 2: He had a strong suspicion nobody would come tonight. That being said, leave here right away and get to the office as quickly as possible and, under the cover of night when nobody was around, he could break in and find his back without any risk of being hauled off to jail. Knots of anxiety twisted in his stomach as he glanced around the now-dark store. He would never admit it aloud, but he was terrified of the dark. The idea of walking around a town he didn’t know, at night, to break into the place his mother worked, at night, in a universe he didn’t know or understand, at night, terrified him. Was it even safe? What if this place was riddled with crime? By the same token, could he afford to wait until tomorrow? He rubbed his eyes in a moment of frustration and decided to procrastinate his decision with another bag of chips.

As he stood he noticed a mirror leaned against a shelf close to the front window of the store. A white sheet covered it, strangely enough. Now that he thought about it, all the larger mirrors in the store were covered. Ice ran through his veins as he stared at it, swearing he just saw it move. He was rooted in place as he stared a moment longer. Heart pounding, he scolded himself for being so jumpy and let out the breath he’d been holding. Before he could continue, he saw it again. This time he did jump. He backed up and braced himself on the counter, knees slightly bent and ready to send him sprinting at a moment’s notice. He saw a slow bulge begin to form underneath the cover of the mirror, similar to how someone would stick a finger in water to test the temperature. Slowly, so slowly, it grew larger and more pronounced. It was the size of both his fists combined when it just as slowly retreated. The whole process took about 10 minutes, but it was enough.

“Fuck this shit.” he thought as he leaned down and picked up his bag. He would chance the night and end this nightmare as quickly as possible. As he shouldered his bag and headed towards the broken door, flashlight at the ready, he glanced one more time at the mirror. The bulging and swelling started again. This time it was the size of a basketball and nearly made the cover slide off the mirror. He looked out into the dark night with trepidation before opening the door and leaving. Facing the open night might be easier than facing whatever was in that mirror in a small store with nowhere to go. Of course the first thing he had seen move in this world could be potentially dangerous, why should anything be easy?

Once outside he backed away from the store and looked to where the mirror was. The cover had fallen off. He swallowed the urge to sprint in a panic and leaned against the wall while taking deep breaths. He looked out into the darkness, illuminated only by the full moon and the intermittent street lamps. With shaking hands he walked on towards the science lab, looking over his shoulder every few seconds.

* * * *

The walk so far had been eerily uneventful. He would’ve been perturbed by the profound silence, but at this point he was fairly used to it. Coming up on his left was the park he’d spent many warm days at as a child. He’d always come here alone or with his father, his mother always too busy with work. A small, sad smile sat on his lips as he observed the park. Everything was in the same relative place except for a few things swapped. As he was about to continue on, he was only a few blocks away at this point, a shadow caught his peripherals. On instinct, he shut off his flashlight. The 3 second delay made him panic for a moment before it finally did turn off.

He focused on the raised platform attached to the slide and waited. At first he was completely stunned at what he saw, feeling nothing until he was able to register what in the hell he was looking at. Then his heart jumped in panic. A long, black, spindly leg appeared out of the entrance of the slide. It reminded him somewhat of a spider leg but with an extra bend in the leg. Another leg followed a few seconds after. It felt similar to watching a stop motion animation the way the thing moved. It jerked suddenly forward and it froze for a moment, 6 legs poised to move the bulbous black body. In the light of the street lamp, it shimmered like oil on water which gave it a strange, liquid-like appearance on the surface. It lurched forward again as a small nub began forming and growing larger on what he assumed to be the head until a tail with a sharp barb on the end swished in a stilted motion, as if he had pressed pause and then immediately hit play on a movie over and over.

He watched in fascinated horror, unable to look away or move, as it began to draw some of the legs back into its body. The tail stretched and latched onto a bar above it and it squirmed up to the top of the slide, its legs wrapping along the bars and stuck to the slide, until it reached the top for a birds-eye view. For a moment, it sat still. Then he saw a bubbling and rippling until a small opening formed, the same side as where the tail was, and continued opening until multiple rows of small, and wicked sharp, teeth were visible. Goosebumps pricked his skin as the creature contorted backwards for a moment before it closed its mouth quickly. If it had a spine it would surely be broken with the way it had stretched back. Finally gaining control of himself he slowly backed away until he was no longer in direct view.

As he walked away quickly, a high pitched screech, a cross between nails on a chalkboard and the squealing of a pig, brought him to his knees in fear. For a brief moment he expected the thing to be upon him, a barbed tail stabbing into his chest while the tiny razor teeth ripped open his throat. After a moment’s pause he looked up and saw nothing. Shaking, he stood up and realized there must have been a delay on sound as well as with movement, not dissimilar to the flashlight delay. Not wanting to find out more, he began a slow jog away, adrenaline fueling his paranoia. He sent a silent prayer to whatever higher power existed that he had gone to the bathroom at the store or he most definitely would’ve pissed himself in fear in that moment.

* * * *

After a few tense blocks, the building was finally in sight and just across the street. It was relatively boxy in shape, white brick, with the entire front covered in windows. An enclosed bridge connected the main building to a smaller dedicated office building next to it. A soft glow pulsed lightly from a window on the top floor of this office space and his gut told him that would be where he needed to go. He looked around again for any sign of the stop-motion creatures before he walked across the street to the main building building.

As he got closer he noticed something. He paused and tilted his head slightly, trying to identify if he had actually heard something. There it was again! A quiet, muffled humming sound. He walked around in confusion trying to find the source of the sound. Nearly on the steps of the building, he noticed an AC unit running. He leaned in close and realized the hum was coming from that. He laughed at the sound, ecstatic that his hearing was starting to come back. His own laugh startled him for a moment, the abrupt, yet muffled, laugh sounding loud and out of place in the previously known silence. It sounded as if he were hearing things from underwater and it wasn’t entirely clear, but it was a good start.

Feeling a little more comfortable and at ease, he walked back to the steps leading to the front of the main building. He pulled on the door and immediately felt stupid. It was night, of course the building was locked. He sighed and looked down for a moment and considered his options. He could break in again, but the sound might attract one of those…things. He had no way to defend himself or any idea what it was capable of, so that was out of the question. Maybe he could pry open a side window or something. Turning around to find such a window, he froze as one of the creatures stood silently about 10 feet away from him.

A barbed tail whipped back and forth, not nearly as jerky as the previous one had been. The surface of the creature began to ripple like waves as it slowly stood on it’s back legs, retracting the excess into itself, until it stood on two legs. It awkwardly hunched forward as a round bulge began expanding on the top until it roughly resembled a human. It was significantly bigger than the thing in the park had been, roughly the size of a small dog, while this one rivaled him in height at nearly 6 feet. He had never regretted not working out more than right now. He glanced to the left and saw the nearest window was roughly 8 feet away. He could potentially sprint and make it…but he would never be able to open it and crawl through in time. Not to mention, the space that the window could be pushed open might not be big enough for him to squeeze through. He wasn’t exactly a small man. Another ear-ringing screech nearly brought him down again as the creature dripped green from the circular rows of tiny sharp teeth in the newly-made maw. It’s skin rippled and bubbled. Squaring his shoulders, planting his feet in a wide stance, and lowering his body slightly, he braced for impact. A glint caught his eye, and looking over, he saw a window. He quickly weighed his choices and sighed in resignation. With no option left, he sprinted toward the window and hoped luck was on his side this time.

* * * *

He heard the skittering drag of talons on concrete by the time he reached the window and he furiously yanked on the handle, but it would not budge. In a panic, he grabbed the first rock he saw and hit it against the window with all the strength his adrenaline-fueled muscles could manage. To his numbed shock, the rock bounced harmlessly off the window. He was doomed. He turned quickly, rock in hand, and brought his arm back to strike out. Before he could locate the creature he heard what sounded like a wet washcloth being thrown to the ground with a splat. Searching, he saw the creature lying on the ground in a sticky black pile of thick sludge.

Standing over the creature, with a bat wrapped in barbed wire poised to swing again, stood his father

* * * *

His heart skipped a beat when he made eye contact. Was this real? Was his father alive here? He took a tentative step towards him, stomach clenched painfully. He was hesitant to believe any of this was real, that reality wasn’t playing a cruel trick on him. His father moved as if he were wading through water as he looked around for more creatures before setting his sights on Liam. The same dark eyes crinkled in the corners as a familiar smile washed over him. Liam began to feel a little lightheaded as he realized he’d been holding his breath. His father tried talking to him, but everything was muffled and slow. He felt like he had earplugs in and couldn’t quite make out what he was trying to say. His father must have seen the confusion on his face because he slowly motioned towards a window off to the side, cracked open.

Liam nodded in understanding and walked towards it. He wondered if he appeared to be moving too fast or too slow to his father. In fact, he wondered a lot of things.

* * * *

High vaulted ceilings with simple chandelier’s contrasted sharply to the sterile white walls and sparse decoration and furniture in the main lobby. He walked further in and looked around while his father squirmed his way in through the window. Slow footsteps began to echo behind him and he realized he could hear a little more clearly. He turned and saw his father walking towards him. Liam’s heart skipped a beat when his father reached out and, with a smile, put a hand on his shoulder. Warm, solid, and strong. Just as he remembered. He felt his throat begin to tighten and knew that if he kept looking at “his” father that he would start to tear up. He cleared his throat and looked around again. There were various offices and a few doors that led to staircases. Overall, he wasn’t sure where to even begin.

“You’re…looking….for…her.” Liam spun, jumping out of his skin at the unexpected sound of his father’s deep, yet slow and muffled, voice. It was a little more clear than it had been. Liam shook his head, wondering what was changing.

“I need a mirror, but I don’t know where to look.” He admitted. His father stared at him for a moment after he spoke and Liam wondered if he had heard him at all. Finally, his father nodded in understanding.

“She…hid…it.” His father looked angry as he said it. The telltale wrinkle of his nose and slight curl of his lip was not so unfamiliar to him. His father was normally very laid back and kind, always willing to give a second chance. To make him angry would mean an extreme betrayal or breach of trust had occurred. A question hung at the edge of his lips, held back only by his questioning desire to not actually know the answer. His father always warned him not to speak bad luck into existence, but he couldn’t help himself.

“What did she do? Do you know what she’s done?” The words left him before he could consider whether or not he truly wanted to know the answer. There was a slight delay before his father reacted. His face grew hard and his eyebrows drew in, adding years to his normally youthful face. He nodded.

“She used..you. In..experiments. I..left her. She..wouldn’t…let me..take… you. She…won.” Unshed tears misted his father’s eyes and Liam felt another burning question. His father wasn’t one to cry. But, if his father was alive here…

“Am I…” He began. But the heaviness of the question formed a lump in his throat and he couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence. He swallowed hard and tried again.

“Am I…dead..here?” This time the pause was longer and Liam knew his father was trying to decide how to answer. He closed his eyes and sighed for a moment before taking a few slow steps towards Liam.

“She sent…you..through..the mirror…and…you never..came…back.” Cold chills washed over Liam again and his mind reeled at the reality of what was going on. His own mother, in his reality, was following the footsteps of this other reality. Here, his mother had used him for experiments. Had sent him through the mirror to never return for the sake of her science. It was very likely Other Liam faced a similarly dangerous universe such as he was facing now. Or maybe it was worse. He couldn’t believe the callousness of the woman who was supposed to keep him safe and love him. She sent him straight into the jaws of danger to further her own career. Sadness and disbelief gave way to anger and the intensity of his own rage caught him off guard as hot tears began to streak down his cheeks. It wasn’t fair. None of this was fair.

His father pulled him into a hug and years of loneliness and ache poured out as he held on the man he thought he would never see again. The only one who truly ever protected him.

* * * *

Shrieks echoed in the night and the temperature began to dip. Autumn was on the horizon and the nights were beginning to get uncomfortably cool. The inside of this building was no exception, the AC most likely hadn’t been turned off yet. Liam shivered as he pulled away from his father. He wiped quickly at his face and looked around.

“Do you know where her office is?” He asked, ready to finish this nightmare. Before his father could answer, a loud metallic BANG echoed in the room. His father quickly had his bat ready as he began walking towards the stairwell leading to the next floor.

Glancing around, Liam saw nothing he could use for a weapon. He could probably use a pen as a shank, but given the size of those…things, he wouldn’t last long.

“Here.” Liam looked at his father who was holding a small handaxe. He took it gratefully and nodded towards the door where another creature threw itself against the metal. Both stood ready.

Then, nothing happened. A few minutes passed and all was silent. Liam was about to suggest they find somewhere else to go, when he saw black begin to ooze from all the cracks and crevices in the door. It bubbled as it slowly dripped down, congealing like blood in front of the door and becoming more solid as more dripped down and joined. Liam couldn’t stop his hands from shaking as the pile grew larger and began to bubble.

“Get…ready.” His father said. Liam, hands sweaty, gripped the axe to the best of his ability.

Finally, the bubbling pile began roiling into a semi-recognizable state.

The black began to shift and writhe upwards and chunks fought for space to settle, as if fighting for the best place to be when the creature inevitably tried to maul him. Seemingly being sculpted by the invisible hand of a monstrous and unholy God, the creature grew taller and thinner until it could nearly look Liam in the eye. Humanoid legs formed and soon after arms sprouted out. A head bubbled up last of all.

Liam glanced at his father, unsure if they should attack now while it may be vulnerable, but his father maintained his firm stance as he watched the creature, poised to attack. When he looked back the creature had stopped bubbling. The oil-on-water shine seemed to shimmer in that darkened room as holes formed in the head, creating black voids that likely led straight back to whatever hellscape void this creature came from. Liam wondered if he continued to stare at them if he would be transported to this creature’s home.

“Liam.” He heard his father murmur to him slowly “When I attack, you run up the stairs. Find her office.”

It took Liam a moment to process what his father had said, but when he did, he didn’t like the implications.

“But you-” Liam was cut off by a rasping, undulating shriek. He stepped backwards as a slit began to form a mouth, cutting a jagged smile in the humanoid face. His hands were slick from panic-induced sweat and he nearly dropped the handaxe, but seeing his father stand resolutely gave him the strength to avoid running.

“How…nice.” The creature rasped, taking a step closer to the pair. It’s movements were more fluid than the other creatures he had seen so far, which was frankly more terrifying.

“A…reunion.” The creature turned it’s abysmal gaze on Liam and opened the jagged line into the semblance of a smile. He felt his stomach churn when he saw the rows of teeth. The smile, if you could even call it that, seemed to be the lovechild of Predator and the alien he hunted. His throat burned with the urge to throw up.

“What are you talking about.” Liam tried to sound brave, but his voice came out with a prepubescent crack instead of the deep and sure voice he wanted. The laughing rasp came again and this time his father stepped forward, much more fluid than he had ever seen before.

“Back off.” His father warned.

“You wouldn’t…allow me to…greet my son?” The creature turned it’s gaze back on Liam. He felt lightheaded for a moment as blood roared in his ears. Black began to appear at the edges of his vision and he wobbled backwards for a moment.

“Shut the hell up! You stopped being Anna a long time ago!” He yelled back.

“Is that..why… you let me just have him?” The creature’s surface rippled for a moment, appearing delighted to cause more emotional damage than it had already.

“You knew…about my..experiments. Really, its mostly your fault.”

As soon as the words left it’s maw, his father lunged in enraged fury. These words had been the final straw. The bat sunk deep into the creature’s shoulder, causing green to ooze down in a thick trail. Liam realized this is the moment his father was warning him about. He ran, sidling left to go around the fight, and ducked into the stairwell as he ran up the stairs 2 at a time.

Reaching the third floor, he shut the door to the stairwell and prayed that it would be enough. He took 2 steps before a sob escaped. 4 steps later, tears mixed with bile as he threw up because he knew, deep down, he lost his father again.

* * * *

Liam sprinted towards the light coming from down the hallway, having composed himself enough to forge ahead. He slowed to a jog as he neared the door, a light gently pulsing from under the door. Hand shaking, he tried pulling it open. Of course it was locked. All would have been lost had it not been for his father giving him the axe. His father. He shook his head to clear the emotions and swallowed them down. Those would have to be dealt with another day.

Taking a deep breath he brought the axe down on the door handle as hard as he could, channeling all his emotions into that one swing. For once, luck was on his side and the doorknob fell to the ground with a loud, metallic, clang. More light came through where the handle had been and, for the first time, Liam had hope. He pushed open the door.

He was almost disappointed at how normal the office looked. Plain white walls, a mass produced picture of a scenic mountainside valley was the only real decoration. A few filing cabinets flanked the left side of the room and a wooden desk in the center of the room sat in front of 2 large windows. Then, to his right, sat a glowing antique mirror. He shut the door behind him, realizing it was likely useless with no lock, and turned towards the filing cabinets. If this didn’t work he would at least be able to block her out long enough to make a plan. The filing cabinets were sturdy but not overly heavy as he dragged them across the tiled floor and created a makeshift barricade. He then attempted to move the desk, but it was solid wood and would not budge.

He turned his attention back to the mirror and solemnly took in its appearance. It was tarnished with age but recent love and care has shined the bronze and hidden the scuffs.Vines embossed the panels and at each corner an embossed leaf with intricate, and delicate, lines and patterns lifted up from the paneling. His instinct was to smash the damn thing, but there was no way in hell he would risk getting trapped here. He tightened his grip on the axe, daring the mirror to do anything. Of course, nothing happened.

A reflection of the office stared back at him as he crouched down closer to the mirror to check for any inconsistencies. Liam was immediately relieved when the first thing he saw was his own reflection staring back.

Looking around he saw that the reflection also showed the filing cabinets opposite to the mirror as if he had never moved them. Glancing over his shoulder to reassure himself, the cabinets were still leaned against the door. Cautious, yet curious, he slowly brought a finger to the surface of the mirror. It was cold to the touch but had a slight give to it. As if he stuck his finger in some snow that had settled over night.

A loud bang from the hallway made him jump and he realized he was wasting time. He was certain that had been the door to the stairwell. Panic began to set in again as he glanced again at the surface of the mirror. He REALLY didn’t want to go through it and risk ending up in another place that still wasn’t home. A high pitched nails-on-chalkboard scream echoed down the hallways, closer than was comfortable. He had no choice.

If he turned sideways he could fit through the rectangular frame. He pushed his hand through first, which almost immediately went numb, and rested it on the tile on the other side. Slightly reassured, he began to shimmy through. As he leaned to push his head and shoulders through, a violent burst from the hallway shook the door and nearly sent the filing cabinets tumbling. Full blown panic seized him as he quickly shoved his head and shoulders through the mirror.

His head popped out on the other side, numb. Feeling was starting to return to his hand.

His torso came through, making his chest ache. He prayed he wasn’t having a heart attack.

His left knee rested on the tile on the other side. Relieved, he went to pull his right leg through when something sharp dug into his ankle. His scream came at full volume without delay as he began kicking at the creature that clearly held his leg. He gripped onto the leg of the desk and tried to pull himself away. But she was strong. Adrenaline fueled him as he began violently kicking, operating on the most basic of instincts. Survive.

His flailing must have worked, because he felt his leg slowly come through the mirror. What little hope he had, though, left him as a clawed hand came through the mirror, still tightly gripping his ankle. Black tendrils began to slowly wrap around his leg. Without thinking, he sat up and brought the axe down on the tendril. Even through the mirror he could hear a faint screech as it pulled it’s hand quickly back through. Not wasting any time, he knocked the mirror flat and brought the axe down on it over and over. Green fluid smeared on the shards as Liam screamed and continued smashing the pieces that remained, tears running down his cheek.

* * * *

Panting in the now dark office Liam realized there was still one more thing to do. Calmly, assuming he was no longer being hunted, he unlocked the door and walked out of the office. He stopped for a moment and took stock. He didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary, in fact everything sounded normal again, and nothing moved in the shadows. Satisfied, he walked to the stairwell. Images of the past few hours ran through his mind on loop, replaying his interactions with his father over and over. That man may not have been his “real” father, but even in an alternate dimension, or whatever that had been, his father had protected him from his mother and been there for him. He wanted to be sad, knew he should be sad, but after this whole ordeal, he couldn’t find the strength to feel anything.

Numbly, he walked down the stairs, pausing for a moment to take in the spot his father’s body would be, and left the building to walk home in the dark.

* * * *

She washed the dishes, pretending to be oblivious to his quiet entrance. He knew that she knew he was there. Who would wash dishes at 3 a.m.? But he wouldn’t make the first move. He wouldn’t give her any power over him this time. He would wait for her to acknowledge him. Sensing an impasse, his mother sighed and dried her hands on the floral hand towel she had draped over her shoulder. Liam leaned against the doorframe, axe out of sight.

“I’m sure you have a lot of questions.” Straight to the heart of the matter. His mother was always one to cut to the chase, never a believer in small talk. Liam didn’t respond to her. He had questions, but she had a way of twisting anything he said to fit what she wanted and he was done with that. Plus, it didn’t matter what justification she had. What she did to him was unforgivable. Images of his father on the other side of the mirror came unbidden and, though he knew it was illogical, he blamed her directly for his death.

She sighed again, disappointed he didn’t take the bait.

“Liam, you have to understand how groundbreaking this experiment was.” She clasped her hands in front of her and watched him. Liam learned long ago that she could read him like a book, ever the observing scientist that she was.

“I understand.” He answered coolly. His numbness did him a favor now and helped keep him levelheaded. This time his mother looked surprised, a rather impressive feat for Liam, and she floundered for words.

“Well. Good.” She looked him up and down for a moment.

“It’s probably best you go get cleaned up. I want a full report on what happened, every last detail.”

“Okay.” He responded. She nodded and turned her attention back to the dishes.

“You know,” She began as she scraped burnt bits from a frying pan “I’m actually proud of you. You finally understand the importance of my work. I’m disappointed you broke the mirror, but I’m sure we can repair it.” Liam could hear the genuine excitement in her voice as she went on. Her praise did nothing but make him feel sick to his stomach. Images of his father swam in his mind again as he walked towards her.

“Together, we can really shake the scientific community. And maybe we can find another mirror. Who knows how many other places like that exist and what resources we could find?” She slid the pan into the drying rack and reached for a half-filled thermos.

“Of course, you’ll have to be the one to go through since I-”

With a sudden ferocity, sick of hearing her talk, Liam brought the axe back before swinging it down on her head as hard as he could. A loud crunch echoed through the kitchen. She stood for a moment, silent but likely already dead, before the thermos fell from her hand and clattered to the floor, where she followed soon after.

Liam stared at her body for a moment, taking it all in. He felt disconnected from the fact that he had just murdered his own mother. Unashamed at his lack of remorse, he smiled. It was all over and she could never use him again..With steady hands he wretched the axe from her head.

Liam wasn’t surprised when he saw green liquid begin to bubble to the surface of the wound. Turning from her, he went to get cleaned, pack a bag, and head out to Colorado. He and his father always joked that if civilization ever ended, they would bug out to the mountains of Colorado and live off the land.

“Thank you dad.” He whispered.

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