Mirror Mirror

The mirror showed a reflection that was not my own. My reality was fading fast as theirs became clearer with each passing hour. My door was locked and I had no key to open it. I sank to the floor in panic with my head in my hands, clutching and releasing my clammy hair over and over.

I scrunched my eyes tightly closed and I spoke aloud to myself “They aren’t real, they aren’t real”. But I couldn’t believe my own words. I felt the sharpness of my finger nails digging into my scalp and winced in pain. The panic in my chest felt tight and breathing was becoming harder.

I tried to remember how I got here but I couldn’t. I couldn’t remember where I was or anything at all about myself. I didn’t recognise this place and everytime I tried to look in the mirror all I could see was that couple. My reflection was gone and none of this made sense. My body was in searing pain and my head felt like it was being split open. Was I real? Was I dead?

I didn’t know how long I had been here but there was a clock on the wall that was increasing in time. It was hard to remember what it said when I looked before but I felt I had seen at least five of the hours be marked by the small hand. Only now the clock was moving further away into the wall and barely visible. The entire wall seemed to be dissolving before my eyes.

I opened and closed my eyes, scrambling for them to lock onto something that made sense to me. Nothing. There was nothing. The room was decaying and blurring. I felt sick. I crawled to the open door beside me to see a wet room. I felt like I had seen this before but I couldn’t be sure. The stained grey tiles seemed familiar somehow and the pungent smell of vomit seemed memorable. I looked to where the toilet was and saw it was coated in such. Had that been me?

The spinning of the room and blurring of the world around me were making me so dizzy. I made it shakily to my feet and reached the sink just in time to throw up. As I turned the tap I heard loud clunking and screeching as the pipes cried in response. Water spluttered at high pressure, some splashing my face along with the vomit. It felt like ice bullets hitting me and I let out a small scream as I scrambled to turn the tap off again.

I could hear them asking me to join them again and I shook my head violently ‘no’. They began to plead. “Look at us, don’t hide your face. Look at us. Please. Don’t be afraid”. I grabbed at the towel beside me and wiped my face gently. It felt like razor blades against my skin and I dropped it.

“You have to join us, you have to. Your reality is fading, don’t you see that? It’s not real. None of it’s real. You can’t live there any longer. That’s why we came to get you, to save you.”

I took a deep breath, wincing at how it hurt my lungs and letting a cry escape my lips. Each breath felt like fire entering my body. What if they were right? What if I was meant to escape this place? This reality certainly seemed poisoned. Everything in it was hurting me and I didn’t know it at all.

I began to cry. Scared and confused. Hurting and feeling unsafe. The tears burned my skin as they rolled down my face, making me cry harder, and hurting all the more. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know where I am” I spluttered, barely able to catch my breath as my sobbing increased.

“It’s okay Emma, we are here with you” the voice soothed. “Look at us sweetheart”. I raised my head in response and opened my eyes again. They were still there in the mirror. Her red hair was long and flowing and his eyes were dark and piercing. I didn’t know them. I didn’t understand.

“Who are you?” I asked, trying hard to be brave and get my fear under control again. “Who am I?”

“Emma, sweetheart. Don’t you remember us? We both love you. We came to rescue you. You have to get out of this place you are in. Now Emma. We need to make a plan” said the woman in soothing tones. The man didn’t speak but he looked at me with kind eyes. Familiar eyes. His eyes looked like my eyes.

“What do I do. Tell me what I need to do” I begged.

“Okay Emma, now listen. Do you see the room behind you?” she asked. I turned my head slowly, my neck stiff and painful. It felt like broken glass was inside my neck. The room was barely visible now and was dissolving fast.

“There is a locked door that people will come through. You need to kill those people. They are coming to drug you. If they do that, we will never see you again. They want to take you from us. Emma. Emma do you hear me?” she asked. I could hear the increased anxiety in her tone. She sounded so caring. So protective.

“Kill them?” I asked, panicking at the thought.

“I know it sounds extreme, but they aren’t real. This is a test. You’ve stepped into a reality that isn’t real and the only way to get back to us is by escaping the maze you are in. Killing them is the first step. It’s like a computer game. You have to kill them to pass the level. There won’t be blood or anything as they aren’t real. As soon as you pierce them they will vanish.”

I held myself up using the sink as support. My legs weak. Desperate to sit down. “Don’t sit down” the man said. “Stay with us until we tell you the whole plan. It’s important you follow every step. Are you listening Emma? Emma, remember we love you. We miss you. We want you to get well again. You trust us, right?”. His voice was so soothing and familiar. I didn’t know why. I felt trusting of them. They spoke to me like they truly cared. “Of course you do” he continued. “Emma, in a few minutes they are going to come through that door. Maybe 2 or 3 of them. We need you to break this mirror after we finish talking. You are going to take the sharpest pieces and when the people come into get you, you will act calm. Let them approach you and them stab them with the glass. Make sure you push hard to pierce their skin. Once they vanish, more will come so you have to move fast. You need to take the keys from their uniform and get out of the room. If you go right, and then right again you come to the drug store. Use the keys to get in there. There’s a trolley. On the trolley will be many drawers with pills inside. Look for the name Jacqui. Her tray should have Addarol or Ritalin - take 8 of these straight away and stuff the rest in your pockets. This will help you feel better and more capable of completing this level.”

“I’m scared. What if I fail?” I asked shakily.

“You can’t fail my love. You can’t fail this. You have to come back to us. You are so strong and so wise. You will get out of this prison. It’s all just an illusion anyway. Don’t be scared of it” the woman soothed.

I was unsure about their instruction but something in their pleading and kind tones made me want to please them. The searing pain in my body and this reality melting away was pushing my fear levels through the roof. I needed to do something and they seemed so sure about this plan.

“What do I do once I take the pills?” I asked.

“Once you take them, you need to avoid the other guards and use the keys to get outside. Try to fill your pockets with any more of these pills you can find. There should be cases in the cupboards. Get to nature. Run towards the trees. They will probably pursue you so you have to put all your energy into running, okay? The pills will help you feel well enough to do that. Get to safety, and then you’ll know what to do. That’s enough for now. We have to go. They are coming. Get ready, Emma. Smash the mirror. Now” the man said with increasing urgency.

I hesitated. What if I didn’t make it to the forest like he said? “EMMA! Now. Move” he shouted as I heard banging coming from the dissolving room door. The panic inside me rose, but this time it seemed to give me strength. My hands were shaking with adrenaline as I closed my fist and punched the mirror. The noise and pain were excruciating but there was no blood. Pieces of cracked mirror fell into the sink as I heard the door click unlocked and loud voices come towards me. They were speaking so loudly it was as if their words were razor blades in my head.

I leaned into the sink and used the towel to clasp around the biggest shard of mirror. It looked funny to me. Like a weapon crafted by an old wizard or prince who slayed dragons. I kept my hand in the towel as a felt them approach. They couldn’t see I was holding the glass. I had the element of surprise on my side. As the first one came up behind me I turned and plunged the glass into their body.

I expected they would disappear instantly. That’s what I had been told. But they didn’t. I stabbed the other one as quickly as I could and waited for them to dissolve. They screamed in apparent pain, creating searing waves inside my brain that I couldn’t handle. I screamed loudly in the woman’s face to get her to shut up. The other one pulled at a plastic thing attached to her top and suddenly a siren was going off.

I sank to my knees, startled. Suddenly I could hear that man from the mirror again. He was screaming at me to move. “Get the Keys Emma and RUN. NOW”.

“Why aren’t they disappearing?” I screamed at him, but he didn’t answer. I asked again but maybe he couldn’t hear me over the siren and the screaming. I scrambled through the woman’s pockets to find the keys. My hands were covered in blood. The woman’s top was covered in blood. It was spreading over everything in a hot and sticky mess.

I didn’t understand. It didn’t make sense. They told me they weren’t real. They told me there wouldn’t be blood. Maybe the game is more realistic than when they played it? I didn’t know. And my head was hurting too much to keep asking. I ran for the door.