Behind the Glass
The door creaked open ominously, and a random breeze blew through the house, whipping Ciara’s hair. Her hands trembled as she let go of the door, letting it swing shut with a ‘thump’ behind her. The house was eerily quiet, the slightest of noises making her jump. Building up the courage, she stepped further into the house, eager to know what lies beyond.
She crept through the hall, looking into each room, each one of them empty. She came to the end of the hall, the last room was practically empty, except for a dressing table on the far wall. Ciara made her way cautiously over, her anxiety lurking at the edges of her mind. The dresser was bare except for a handheld mirror, resting lifelessly. Her hand unconsciously reached for it, and when her hand met the handle another gust of wind ripped through the room. She shielded her eyes and dropped the mirror.
She opened her eyes and screamed at a sudden sharp pain in her leg, looking down to find swarms upon swarms of assassin bugs. Her worst nightmare. They engulfed her body like flames and the pain was unbearable. Tears stung her eyes, and she sprinted, hoping to escape the swarm.
Hope was not long lasting, the poison was spreading too fast, her body, trying to fight the poison, couldn’t take the intensity of the run and she tumbled. Ciara dragged herself back up, hobbling around for an escape. THERE! A large entryway appeared on the edge of her vision, her desire to escape the only thing that kept her running. As she got closer, she could see what was on the other side, it was the room, the glass to the mirror the only thing separating her from this nightmare of a reality. The doorway was in reach, it was just beyond her grasp when it shattered.
The heel of Mateo’s boot crunched. He lifted his foot and found a handheld mirror, now shattered. It was a shame; it was a gorgeous mirror. ‘Ciara would have loved it’ he thought, ‘where is Ciara?’ He called her name into the empty house, the only response the faint screams emanating from the shards of the discarded mirror.