They ran until their lungs burned.
The watchers stayed behind, their gleaming eyes fading into the fog—but the fear chased them. It gnawed at their heels like teeth.
At last, they reached a clearing.
Dead grass. A cracked stone path. And at the center stood a house made entirely of mirrors.
Walls of glass. No door. No windows. Just seamless, glinting panels that reflected everything—but somehow… not them.
"Is this new?" Ikenna asked.
"It wasn't here before," Samuel replied, breathing hard. "It wasn't anywhere before."
They circled it cautiously. The mirrored walls reflected the town, the fog, the sky—but when they passed in front of it, their reflections didn't show.
"Why can't we see ourselves?" Ikenna asked.
"Because we're already inside," Samuel whispered.
A crack ran through the wall with a sudden snap. A jagged seam split down the center, and the mirrored surface peeled apart like curtains, revealing a doorway—dark, cold, and silent.
"We shouldn't go in," Samuel said.
"We didn't come all this way to turn back," Ikenna replied.
He stepped through.
Inside, there was no furniture. No light.
Only mirrors. On the floor. On the ceiling. On the walls.
Thousands of them. Each one reflecting a different image.
Not of the present—but moments from the past.
In the mirror to Ikenna's left, he saw his six-year-old self, crying at his grandmother's funeral.
In the one to his right, he saw Maya—laughing, carefree, years ago—her eyes full of light.
And then, in a mirror at the far end, he saw himself now—but he wasn't moving. He just stared back, motionless. And smiling.
"Ikenna," Samuel said quietly. "They're watching us through the glass."
"Who?"
"I don't know."
The walls began to shift.
Mirrors rippled and melted like hot wax. Their reflections twisted—mouths stretched too wide, eyes missing, arms too long.
And then the whispers returned.
But this time, they came from the reflections.
Each mirror mouthed a word.
One after another.
"TRADE."
"TRADE."
"TRADE."
Ikenna turned in a slow circle. "Trade what?! What do you want?!"
His reflection in the mirror straight ahead stepped forward—but Ikenna hadn't moved.
The reflection placed its hand on the glass.
And began to speak in his voice:
> "You always wanted to leave her behind. You just never had the guts."
"No," Ikenna said.
> "You envied her. Her strength. Her calm. You couldn't protect her, so now you'll bury her."
"I didn't ask for any of this!"
The reflection laughed—a dry, unnatural sound. Then its head tilted backwards violently, mouth stretching wider and wider until the jaw cracked.
And from the mouth, something crawled out.
A second Ikenna.
Wet. Pale. Hollow-eyed.
It stepped out of the mirror.
Samuel pulled Ikenna back. "Don't touch it!"
But the thing didn't move. It just stood there, blinking slowly. Observing.
Then it opened its mouth and spoke—not in Ikenna's voice, but Maya's:
> "Why didn't you come for me?"
"Stop it," Ikenna whispered, shaking his head.
> "Why did you leave me?"
"I tried! I'm still trying!"
The thing lunged.
Ikenna and Samuel turned and ran—but the hallway behind them had changed. No exit. Just more mirrors. All of them showing Maya now—screaming, trapped, drowning in shadow.
Then the room went completely black.
Silence.
Then one breath. Not theirs.
Something right behind them.
Samuel turned on his phone flashlight. The beam flickered on.
And the creature was inches away, its face pressed to his, its eyes rolling in its skull like loose marbles.
It whispered:
"Only one can leave. Choose."
Then it vanished.
The lights came back on.
They stood alone in the mirror room. But now, in every reflection—they were gone.
Only Maya remained. Reaching out from behind the glass. Crying. Bleeding.
Ikenna stepped forward.
"I'm going to get you out," he whispered.
Her hand pressed against the inside of the glass.
Then a word appeared in blood above her head:
"SOON."
The mirror shattered.
And the house began to crumble.
They ran. Shards of memory fell around them like glass rain—slicing their arms, legs, faces. But they didn't stop.
Outside, the fog had grown thick as cement. And behind them, the mirror house dissolved into the mist like it had never been real.
But Ikenna knew better.
He saw Maya.
And now, it knew he still wanted her back.
Which meant it would make the price higher.