Part one: don't look into the mirror

The diner was buzzing with the sounds of laughter and bacon sizzling on the grill. The smell of coffee and fried eggs flooded her senses. The bell sounded as every new patron entered through the front door. “How are you today?” She heard the hostess say at the front of the diner.

“It’s so busy in here today.” Mickey said.

“Well, it is Saturday morning” Zanthy said in a mocking tone.

“Yes, I know that. I’m just saying, smart ass.” Mickey responded.

Zanthy laughed. “Do you know what you want yet?”

“Ehh not yet. There are so many things that sound so good on the menu.”

“That’s fair.” Zanthy said and continued to pretend to read over her menu.

Mickey began to bounce her leg up and down. She didn’t know why she was so nervous suddenly. She tried her hardest to keep her eyes on the menu, to put up the façade that she was still deciding what she wanted but her mind was going a mile a minute from the anxiety and trying to figure out why she was so anxious.

Zanthy sensed the unease coming from Mickey and peaked over her menu “Baby, you okay over there?”

Mickey said through a clenched jaw “No. Something is wrong, and I can’t quit figure out what.”

Zanthy closed her menu and placed it on the table as she looked at Mickey with great concern “Did you take your anxiety meds this morning?”

“Well of course, but I can’t shake the feeling that something is off.”

“Off like how?”

“Off like something bad is going to happen.”

Zanthy then got anxious herself “Baby, don’t say that.”

“Zanthy, I’m so serious, something is seriously off.”

Zanthy’s face went from concern to pure fear.

“Maybe I’m just being paranoid. It’s okay.” She said this more for Zanthy than herself. She knew things were about to get bad, she just didn’t know how bad they were about to get. She grabbed Zanthy’s hand and kissed it. “It’s okay, my love, no worries.”

Zanthy forced a smile for Mickey and Mickey smiled back at her.

Mickey and Zanthy began to spark a conversation about the coffee at the diner when a tap started coming from the mirror behind Zanthy. Mickey tried to ignore it as she did not see Zanthy react to it. But the more she tried to ignore it the louder it got until she decided to look up. Still holding Zanthy’s hand, she leaned slightly to the right and saw what was doing the tapping.

It was her but it wasn’t her. The thing in the mirror looked sinister and mischievous. Mickey stared at the reflection that wasn’t a reflection when it started to wave at her. Mickey began to lift her arm to wave back but then remembered what was happening was not normal. She simply glared at the creature. This must have offended the creature because its eyes went darker -if that was possible- and it bawled its hands into fists and started to bang on the glass. Mickey jumped in her seat and Zanthy looked at her with concern.

Zanthy said in a concerned tone “Baby what’s wrong?”

Mickey jumped again and the fear began to spread across her face.

Zanthy grew even more concerned and got up from her seat and tried to touch Mickey’s arm, but Mickey screamed “NO!” At that moment the creature had busted the mirror and was starting to make its way through the crater in the mirror.

Mickey got up and ran and Zanthy was left at the table confused. Mickey ran out of the diner and into the parking lot. She looked over her shoulder and saw the thing running at her with what seemed to be inhuman speed and behind her, she saw Zanthy running towards her as well. Zanthy was screaming her name.

Mickey continued to run, and she suddenly felt like she had been hit by a large fast object and the last thing she heard was Zanthy screaming “Mickey No!”

Mickey woke up one week later to the sound of beeping and faint voices in the background. She did not know where she was and was scared because she could not move. Everything hurt and she was very confused until she saw Zanthy walk through the door.

Zanthy looked like she had not slept in days. Zanthy squeezed Mickey’s hand as she forced a faint smile across her face. Mickey tried to speak but could not due to the dryness that caused pain in her throat. She squeezed Zanthy’s hand and pointed at her throat. Zanthy quickly realized what she was asking for and said, “Oh okay baby, I’ll go find the nurse to get some water for you.”

Zanthy swiftly rose from her seat and sprinted out of the room. Mickey stared blankly at the door that Zanthy had just run out of. She slowly let her head fall to the side. She watched as the leaves fell from the trees. The day was bright for a fall day, and the skies were clear. Mickey continued to rack her brain about what happened and how she ended up in that hospital bed. She thought about why no one else in the diner could hear the glass breaking or see the girl with her face chasing her. As Mickey let these thoughts play on repeat in her head, she watched as a figure slowly approached her window. At first Mickey could not make out what she seeing as the figure was out of focus and she was suffering from a severe concussion, but as the figure began to slowly come into focus, Mickey felt her heart begin to pound. The figure got so close to the window that it looked like it was trying to come through the glass. It was her. It was Mickey but it wasn’t Mickey.

This version of Mickey was smiling maniacally as it raised its hands to the window and cupped them as if it was trying to get a better look at Mickey. Mickey watched as the thing with her face bled onto the window from the cuts in its hands. Mickey wondered why the thing had not healed yet. While Mickey was having this thought, the thing began to remove its hands from the glass and lean its head back. Mickey began to feel uncomfortable with how far the thing leaned its head back. The thing then slammed its head at what looked like a rapid rate into the glass. Mickey felt a jolt rush through her body as she shot up and tried to scream but the pain for her throat being dry made it impossible. Mickey watched as the glass cracked, and the thing opened its mouth wide as it laughed and leaned its head back again and slammed it into the glass again. Mickey once again tried to scream as the glass began to crack loudly, and Mickey heard the thing laughing.

Mickey tried to rip the tubes out of her arm. Mickey felt the fear rising in her chest as she watched the thing begin to crawl through the shattered window. Mickey watched as the creature with her face got to its feet in her room and looked at her with pure malice on it face. Mickey looked at the door and wished that someone would come walking into her room, but no one came.

By the time Mickey looked back in the direction of the creature, the creature charged towards her with its hands outstretched towards while the blood gushing from the gash in its head ran down its face.

Mickey wished she could scream but all she could do was let out a painful gasp as the creature wrapped its hands around her neck and squeezed hard. Mickey scratched at the thing’s hands, but it was no use. As Mickey took her final breath the creature spoke, saying “give me your soul.”