The Haunted Mirror's Gateway to Hell

The mirror showed a reflection that wasn't my own. It was a hot summer day, and I was trying to get ready for a dinner party at my friend's house. As I stood in front of the mirror, trying to tie my tie, I caught a glimpse of movement behind me.

Turning around, I saw nothing but the empty room. I shrugged it off as a trick of the light and turned back to the mirror. But when I looked into it, I saw a reflection that wasn't my own. The figure in the mirror was tall and imposing, with broad shoulders and a shock of wild, unkempt hair. His eyes were dark and piercing, and his face was twisted into a cruel sneer.

For a moment, I froze, unable to look away. It was as if the figure was staring right back at me, challenging me to do something about it. And then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the reflection was gone, replaced by my own face.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. It was just my imagination, I told myself. A trick of the light, or maybe some kind of optical illusion. But even as I tried to convince myself, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

Over the next few days, I found myself drawn back to the mirror, again and again. It was as if I was looking for something, some kind of answer that I couldn't quite put into words.

And then, the dreams started.

They were vivid and terrifying, filled with images of a world that was twisted and dark. There were creatures lurking in the shadows, with eyes that glowed like embers and teeth that gleamed in the darkness.

And there was the woman. She was always there, in my dreams, in my reflections, in the corner of my eye. I could feel her presence everywhere, like a cold breath on the back of my neck.

I knew that I needed to get rid of the mirror, but it was as if it had a hold on me that I couldn't break. Every time I tried to turn away, it was as if I was being pulled back in.

As the days went by, I started to notice strange things happening around the house. Objects would move on their own, doors would creak open in the middle of the night, and I could hear footsteps echoing through the empty hallways.

And then, one night, the woman stepped out of the mirror and into my world.

She was ashen and cold, with eyes that glowed like dying embers. Her lips twisted into a cruel smile as she reached out to me, her fingers brushing against my cheek. I could feel her pulling me towards her, drawing me closer and closer until I was standing right in front of her. And then, she opened her mouth, and the screams began. They echoed through the house, rattling the windows and shaking the walls. I could feel the air around me vibrating with the force of them, and I knew that I had to get out. But as I turned to run, I saw that the mirror was no longer just a mirror. It was a portal, a gateway to a world of nightmares and horrors that I couldn't even begin to imagine. I tried to close my eyes and turn away, but it was too late. The woman had already stepped through the portal, and there was no going back.

Over the next few weeks, my world started to bleed into the alternate reality that I had glimpsed through the mirror. The sky outside turned dark and cloudy, and the air was thick with the scent of blood. The creatures from my nightmares started to appear in the mirror, stepping out of the shadows and into my world. I could see them lurking in the corners of my vision, watching me with eyes that gleamed in the darkness. And then, one day, I woke up to find that the woman was no longer alone. There were others now, standing beside her and watching me with cold, dead eyes.

They were the souls of the damned, the lost and forgotten who had been trapped in the mirror for years. And now, they were free, wandering through my world and wreaking havoc wherever they went. I knew that I had to do something, to stop the madness before it consumed me completely. But every time I tried to fight back, it was as if the creatures were always one step ahead.

And then, one day, I had an idea. I would go back to the mirror, confront the woman and try to destroy it once and for all. It was a risky plan, and I knew that there was a chance that I would never come back. But I couldn't live like this anymore, trapped in a nightmare that never ended. So I gathered my courage, took a deep breath and stepped through the portal.

The world on the other side was even more terrifying than I had imagined. The sky was dark and cloudy, and the ground was slick with blood and slime. The creatures were everywhere, lurking in the shadows and watching me with eyes that glowed in the darkness. But I pressed on, determined to find the woman and put an end to this madness once and for all.

It took me hours to find her, but when I did, she was waiting for me, her eyes burning with a fierce intensity. "You should not have come here," she hissed, her voice echoing through the empty space. "I have to," I replied, my voice shaking with fear. "I have to destroy the mirror, to stop the madness." The woman sneered at me, her lips twisting into a cruel smile. "You cannot destroy the mirror," she said. "It is too powerful. It has been here for centuries, and it will be here long after you are gone."

But I was determined not to give up. I took a step forward, raising my hand and pointing it at the mirror. "I have to try," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. And then, with a deep breath, I let out a scream and charged towards the mirror, my hand outstretched. The world exploded into a blinding flash of light, and I felt myself being pulled through the darkness. When I woke up, I was back in my own world, lying on the floor of my bedroom. The mirror was gone, shattered into a million pieces. And with it, the nightmare had ended.

For a moment, I lay there, breathing heavily and trying to catch my breath. And then, slowly, I got up, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. It was over, I told myself. The nightmare was over, and I was free. But even as I tried to convince myself, I knew that it wasn't over. The memories of that other world, of the creatures and the woman, would haunt me forever.

And in the back of my mind, I knew that somewhere, somehow, the mirror was still out there, waiting to ensnare its next victim.

By Shams Ul Qamar