Chapter 4

I scanned the space with my eyes, anticipating the presence of someone, but all I encountered was silence. The atmosphere inside the empty lobby sent chills down my spine. "Sarah?"

Maintaining my stride, I catch a quick glimpse of myself in the reflection of the glass front entrance. I still was as unhygienic as before.

"Is there anyone?" Again, no response. As I approached the center of the room, the walls surrounding me began to curve. From the glass wall, it began to transform until everything around me became reflective. Inside the now circular room, a standing mirror lifted out from the floor.

Even though everything around me was made of glass, I couldn't see myself in them. With my eyes locked on the standing mirror, I move towards it. With my arm stretched, I feel the smooth, cool touch of its transparent surface. The moment I made contact, a series of ripples started to form and expand.

To the touch, it felt solid, but how it reacted made it seem like liquid. Over time, the waves ceased and a clear image of my environment appeared in the mirror. In the back, I could see a man staring at me.

My eyes shook as he came closer. I didn't know how to comprehend what was happening. It was like a person with a sort of similar face as me was stuck on the other side of this translucent wall.

Appearance-wise he looked nothing like the current me, but I knew what I was seeing. His light blue eyes shone like polished opal. His blond hair with black stripes was neatly styled, and the rough beard that I had on my face was perfectly shaved without leaving a single strand. He wore all-black pants, shoes, shirt, and overcoat.

As I lifted my hand, I touched my face, and he did the same. It would technically be wrong for me to call him a reflection, but he did somewhat act like one. Every move I made, he executed the exact same way. "What are you?"

It was then that he did something I didn't expect. He leaned in closer, pressing his hands against the glass that separated us. As he slips through, his fingers wrap around the smooth, wood of the mirror's frame. After pulling and pushing his upper body out, he extends his arm towards me. With a firm grip on my shoulders, we lock eyes. I stood completely still, unable to find the words to say.

"Samuel." It was his voice that broke the silence. "Listen well."

He said more, but these words were muffled by a high-pitched noise that annoyed my ears. When I plugged them, the sound didn't stop like it was in my head instead of my ears; it was only after some time had passed that it faded away. As it vanished, a new symphony of noises filled the air around me. A hysterical laughter echoed that came from those who had just appeared.

From within the glass walls surrounding me, I could see black figures with white eyes and eerie white smiles on their faces. From their bodies, black goo dripped down. As it moved through the wall, the substance gradually spread over the floor.

"Don't lose yourself." I turned my head and noticed the other me, who appeared completely composed as his unwavering gaze locked onto mine.

Startled by a sudden touch on my leg, I look down. The once clear marble floor was now covered by this black sludge, but it only rose to my toes. Still, I could feel it clasping around my calf. It was then that I noticed a white malnourished hand pocking out from the darkness beneath me. It tugged onto me, slowly pulling its body upwards.

"Whatever situation you may be in." Even though I wasn't paying any more attention to him, I could still hear my reflection words.

Due to me vigilantly keeping an on the thin humanoid creature, I didn't notice what was going on around me. More arms stretched out from the sludge, as uncomfortable howls filled the room while they all ascended. My eyes were trembling as I stared at my reflection. "Help me."

Not get a word from him, it was someone else's voice that piqued my interest.

"How could you?"

"Why did you?"

I turned to my side and took a moment to really look at them. They didn't have any physical female characteristics, but I recognized that voice very well. "Sarah, where are you?" It was hard to believe, but I was certain I could hear my sister in one of these pale, malnourished creatures.

"How could you watch us die?!"

"Why did you leave us?!"

"You were right there, yet you did nothing!"

Many of their voices seemed foreign yet so familiar, but in between all of them, I was certain they were there, my family.

"Never be consumed by the madness." In between their howls and that uncomfortable laughter, the other me still continued to speak.

The pace of everything was overbearing, that I had neglected my reflection. What was he saying again?

 His hands holding tightly onto my shoulders gave me some comfort that I wasn't alone, but the grip loosened. It was at that moment I could feel myself sinking.

"Help me." Grabbing his arm in desperation, I was disappointed to discover he didn't help me up.

"You coward!"

"How could you run!"

Their voices raged as I slowly descended. With half of my body gone, I couldn't maintain my grip on him. I struggled, trying to stay afloat, but alone I wasn't able to.

"Why are you just watching?" He was right there. All he needed to do was try to help me, yet he did nothing. 

The more of my body disappeared, the more desperate I got. I tried and tried, but nothing worked.

"You are useless!"

"Why did we ever put our trust in you?!"

It was hard to believe I was being taken from this world, yet the only person who could save me didn't even try.

As the last of my body drowned, I could hear his last words. "Do not forget this or we might never escape. Never lose who you are."

Darkness descended upon me, and all my senses stopped functioning.

When I reopened my eyes, I found myself in a white world. As I looked around me, I noticed I was standing on a massive stone bridge in an endless void. At the approach of the bridge, I look down to see the same nothingness that lasted forever. 

I quickly step back as I see something rushing towards me from below. I observed as massive stone bricks soared into the air. Countless slabs continuously shift and collide with one another. Together, all of them construct a gigantic tower in front of my eyes. When I glanced upwards, the top was nowhere to be seen. 

From four different sides, abnormally large metal chains shoot up into the never-ending void. Later, I could hear them crashing against what I believe were the walls of the tower.

Utterly unable to describe what was going on, I walked closer to the colossal building that had connected itself to the bridge. 

When I press my hand against it, something strange occurs. From underneath my hand, thorny vines started to grow upwards. 

Quickly taking my hand off, I look at my palm. I raise my head, perceiving nothing unusual. From the point of impact, it grew rapidly up the tower. After some time, I could see coming down from the large chains. 

The sudden sliding of stones made me walk back. The wall was opening like a door. Behind it, I could only see darkness. Upon entering, nothing happened. I wondered if I had to go further inside, but that question was answered when the stone door I came through began to close. 

"S!" I slowly began to open my eyes, as a sweaty smell entered my nostrils, and a vague voice called out for me. "Sam!" A hazy figure was shaking my body when I groaned, their body language shifted from tense to relieved. "Samuel!"

As my vision cleared, I could see the person who was holding onto me. "Darius?"

In an upright position, he peers down at me from above as I remain on the floor. "What happened to you?"

With my gaze locked on him, I was uncertain if this was real or not. The headache was gone, but even in that weird place, everything seemed fine, until. "Samuel, you alright?"

"I'm fine." I stuttered somewhat, but I couldn't keep lingering on these strange thoughts. The things I had seen would make anyone call me crazy, so kept them to myself.

Darius's eyes stayed on me, and his gaze showed he didn't believe me.

After I stood up, we didn't exchange any more words. Instead, we glanced at each other and understood what the other was saying.

Darius was the first to leave the restrooms, and I followed right behind him. My eyes were Laser-focused on his back. I would not let him leave my sight. 

At the end of the hall, he grabs the handle and pushes the door open. On the opposite side, Sarah waited as soon as she saw me behind Darius. She ran towards me.

"You're safe." With a tight grip, she throws herself around me.

"I am?" When I saw everyone, my mind was flooded with their scream. The words they spoke still clung onto me like darts on a dartboard. They hit me in the bullseye. The anger they carried made me wonder what I might have done.

"You seem out of it." 

"Do I?"

She attempted to make eye contact with me, but I avoided her gaze.

Unsure of how to express myself, I blurted something out. "I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

Behind Sarah, Kathleen and the rest just come down the stairs.

"What happened to George?" Blood was dripping down the man's back as I looked at him. Sarah gulped as she remembered what happened.

"Do you see that?" Her finger pointed at a couple of small bodies scattered around the room.

I followed her finger and looked at what she was pointing to. My heart began to rapidly pound, a burned smell flooded my nose, my breathing sped up, and my eyes dilated. I didn't understand why I did this, but deep down something awoke and those things lying on the floor were the reason behind it. 

"What is that?" I stuttered the words out of my mouth. As I tried to recollect myself.

"I don't know either. They appeared out of nowhere and attacked us."

"What the." When I turned my head, I saw the entire city set ablaze. Slowly approaching the building's entrance, I took note of the fiery hellscape outside. The horizon was covered in a bright red hue, with destruction on a scale comparable to an all-out war and a lifelessness that made you feel nauseous.

I pressed my hand onto a see-through panel, squinting as I stared straight ahead.

"Samuel." As I look at Sarah, I attempt to make sense of what I've witnessed. "Is something the matter?" She senses my distress as she witnesses my trembling eyes.

"Everything is fine." Since this morning, the world I inhabit felt strange.

Darius stood in front of the door with a male stick figure. Before going in, he let out a deep breath. "Samuel!?" 

Nobody, there was not a single soul. Darius began to slam open every stall. "Samuel!?" But even after looking everywhere, Samuel wasn't inside the male bathrooms.

In a hurry, he goes to the female restroom. Despite his efforts to find him, Samuel was still nowhere to be found. As he left through the door, Darius noticed the bloody path he had left behind.

Alone and with a racing heart, he was certain he had searched every corner. It was a difficult thing to come to terms with, but Samuel was gone. He stood motionless, sighing, before opening the door that led back to the lobby. On the other side, Sarah eagerly waited for them. When it slowly opened, Darius's figure emerged. Looking past Darius, Sarah couldn't see Samuel.

"Where is he?" 

Darius didn't stop and walked past her. "Not there."

"What do you mean?" Sarah couldn't understand what he had just said.

"I couldn't find him!" Darius bursted out in anger.

The shock had taken Sarah, and she couldn't truly comprehend what he said. It couldn't be right. He had to be joking. Sarah's body trembled, and she tried to keep all her emotions bottled inside of her. 

The blank look on her face was hard for others to look at. 

Sarah shook her head but spoke no words. She turns her body and runs for the door, leaving through it.

I couldn't think straight anymore. Everything around me didn't seem real.

"Are you sure you are fine? You don't look like it." Sarah's concerned gaze fixated on me as she observed my strange behavior.

I glanced back and caught another glimpse of my reflection. Neatly cared for hair, a shaved beard, wearing black pants, shoes, shirt, and overcoat. That wasn't me, but also it was. Was I still dreaming? My mind couldn't understand what was real and what wasn't anymore. What's going on?