Chapter 17

Day Three 4:15pm

Ariel burst out of the room at full speed, her feet pounding the floor as she ran, cold sweat breaking across her forehead. In her haste, she managed to stuff the picture into her pocket. The corridors flew past as she turned corner after corner, but it gradually dawned on her that she had no idea where she was or where she was headed. Confused and disoriented, Ariel came to a halt at yet another corner. Panting heavily, she glanced around; the hallways in front of and behind her were draped in an eerie silence.

Darn it! Which way did they go? Which way did I go...?

Ariel straightened up, swallowing the lump of panic rising in her throat; now was no time to lose her cool. After taking a few deep breaths and closing her eyes, Ariel strained to hear anything that might lead her toward Taylor and Mandy. But there were no sudden cries, no footsteps, no voices—nothing.

Ariel opened her eyes with a frown; it was as if the world had been muted. A terrible thought crept into the back of her mind: maybe this was a side effect of the vision she just had? Maybe she could hear nothing at all? A cold shiver rushed through her, and as her heart began pounding harder, panic rose again in her throat, this time overwhelming her.

In one frantic motion, Ariel kicked the wall nearest to her, only to be answered with a dull thud and a surprised cry from herself. She winced and held her foot; she hadn't meant to kick so hard. But relief filled her—she had heard both the thud and her own voice.

Reassured that she hadn't lost her hearing, Ariel decided to turn back down the corridor she had just come from. If luck was on her side, it would lead somewhere familiar. That was when she heard it—Leroy's voice reached her ears like a gunshot. Knowing that she must be getting closer, Ariel broke into a run again, wincing occasionally from the pain flaring in her foot.

She reached the end of the hall and realized it branched off in two directions. Quickly glancing left and seeing only an endless corridor, Ariel looked right—and there, at the opposite end stood Leroy and the others. Relief flooded Ariel's chest, momentarily blocking out the protest from her injured foot as she found herself running towards them even faster than before.

"Hey!" Ariel called out as she approached, but no one seemed to notice; they were all staring at the wall. Her eyes widened when they took in what lay ahead: stretched across almost the entire right side of the hall were mirrors—one after another—all gilded and gleaming ominously.

The Hall of Mirrors? Ariel thought as Jasper's orders to Taylor and Mandy resurfaced in her mind.

Ariel stopped a few feet away from them, just outside the reflection of the first mirror.

"Leroy..." Ariel called again with concern.

The monk stood rigidly still, his face drained of color. Getting no response from him, Ariel turned to Taylor beside him. Her cheeks were ghostly pale; mouth frozen in an eternal scream; hands clutched Leroy's sleeve in terror.

The warmth of relief drained from Ariel once more, replaced by icy dread. Alarmed, she looked next at Mandy. She resembled a shattered porcelain doll: dark hair cascading wildly over a white face; blue eyes staring unseeingly as if made of glass.

At the sight of the three of them, frozen in place, a wave of terror gripped Ariel's mind. Frightening thoughts raced through her head. It was then that she noticed John. Positioned just beyond Mandy, he clutched the cross around his neck, staring intently into the mirror before him. Suddenly, he tore his gaze away and, spotting Ariel, yelled,

"Stay back!"

Ariel, paralyzed by fear, obeyed and retreated even further from the mirrors.

"John..." Ariel whispered, glancing anxiously at her immobilized friends.

"Ariel, it's the mirrors! Don't look into them!" John warned urgently. With a determined look toward the statuesque figures nearby, he swiftly grabbed hold of Mandy and tried to pull her away from the mirrors. A switch flipped inside Ariel—fear turned to numbness and adrenaline surged through her veins. Without hesitation, she rushed to Leroy, clasped his arm, and tugged with all her might.

"Leroy, come on! Snap out of it!"

The monk remained unmovable, his eyes locked on the mirror before him. Across from Ariel, John struggled with Mandy's limp form; though not heavy, she slipped repeatedly from his grasp as he tried to drag her inch by inch away from the mirrors.

Ariel pulled desperately at Leroy's arm until she feared she might dislocate it. Panting and drenched in cold sweat, she released his arm with a frustrated cry. How long could they remain like this before suffering permanent damage? Down the hall, John had almost succeeded in bringing Mandy to safety. Renewed determination flared within Ariel as she glared at Leroy,

"I won't give up on you Leroy! Now move!"

An idea struck her suddenly. Acting on instinct alone, she hurled herself at the monk with full force. For a brief moment, she was airborne before crashing down onto Leroy. They fell to the ground with a heavy thud—a second thud following immediately after. Atop him, Ariel met Leroy's pained expression as he groaned in discomfort,

"Leroy!" she cried and impulsively hugged him tightly causing another groan.

"Ugh...Ariel? What are you doing?" he gasped out through watery eyes.

"Oh, sorry..." She quickly moved off him in embarrassment. Gingerly sitting up, Leroy looked around in confusion,

"Wh-what is going on here...?" he asked as his gaze fell upon an anxious Ariel and the fallen figure beside them,

"Taylor?"

Stunned, Ariel glanced beyond Leroy to spot the priestess lying on the ground next to them.

"Oh no, Taylor!" she gasped, scrambling to her feet and rushing to her side.

"I forgot...she was holding onto you...she must have fallen when we did," Ariel murmured, gripping the woman's hand as she examined her.

Taylor's tightly shut eyes flickered as Ariel's warm fingers enveloped her cold ones. Regaining his composure, Leroy gently nudged Ariel aside and cradled Taylor's head in his hands. She had landed with her head slightly propped against the wall, leading Ariel to believe she'd hit it on the way down. With concern etched on his face, Leroy tilted her head gently left and right, running his fingers through her hair to feel for any swelling. His sharp intake of breath confirmed Ariel's fears.

"She has a pretty big bump here; we need to get ice on it," Leroy announced, preparing to lift Taylor.

"Wait!" Ariel cried, pulling on his arm.

"Ow!" Leroy winced, "That hurt—my arm's sore for some reason..."

"Leroy, you can't look into those mirrors," Ariel insisted, sidestepping any mention of his arm.

"I know," he replied with a frown, "We need to talk to Jasper now."

Suddenly remembering John, Ariel glanced down the hall hurriedly.

"John, how is Mandy?" she called out worriedly.

The priest was bent over Mandy's still figure; he looked up at Ariel with uncertainty.

"We need to get her back to base. Leroy, how are you feeling?"

Leroy stood carefully, avoiding the mirrors as he cradled Taylor in his arms.

"I'll be fine; it's Taylor we should be worried about," he answered selflessly. But Ariel could tell he wasn't okay; he winced under Taylor's dead weight. Turning back to John,

"Here, let me help you," she offered as she saw John struggling with Mandy's limp body. Reaching them, she looped one of Mandy's arms around her neck and supported some of her weight on her shoulder. John did the same, and together they made slow progress down the hall. It felt like an eternity getting back to base; several times Mandy nearly slipped from their grip. Ariel gritted her teeth against the pain from repeatedly stepping on her sore foot under Mandy's added weight. John glanced at her questioningly, but she managed a smile through the pain.

Finally, they arrived at base. Jasper and Max looked extremely surprised to see them limping into the room while supporting each other.

"What is going on here?" Jasper demanded as he stepped away from Max's desk to intercept them. Leroy set Taylor down on the couch and sank beside it, rubbing his shoulder with obvious discomfort.

"We need ice—now."

Jasper glanced towards Max, prompting the tall man to dash out of the room. Without wasting a moment, Jasper hurried forward to relieve John and Ariel of Mandy, who were visibly exhausted from the lengthy journey with her. He effortlessly carried Mandy to an armchair and gently placed her down. Turning back to face Ariel and John, who had both collapsed into their own chairs, he asked grimly, "What happened?" He removed his jacket and draped it over Mandy's cold body. Ariel exchanged a glance with John—she had arrived too late to grasp the full story. The priest looked over at Taylor and began,

"We had just walked out of the dressing rooms; the exorcisms didn't go well. Then we heard a scream. Rushing towards the sound, we discovered Taylor and Mandy frozen in front of a wall of mirrors. We tried everything to get them to move, but they were immobile. That's when I glanced into the mirror—" John hesitated, his expression troubled.

"It was like before," Leroy suddenly interjected, his voice heavy with dread, "decay and death..."

Ariel shivered at his words, her eyes widening as she stared at her two unconscious teammates. So that's what they saw...

Jasper left Mandy's side and began pacing with intense focus on his face. "What happened after that?"

Leroy fell silent, rubbing his shoulder thoughtfully, "I'm not entirely sure..."

"I can't put into words what it's like to see yourself... like that. It paralyzed us until Ariel arrived," John said with a deep frown, as if still confronting his reflection in the mirror. Seated next to him, Ariel gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Ariel arrived? She wasn't with you?" Jasper's hard voice shattered her smile, his eyes burning into her.

"Ariel, why weren't you with them?" Jasper pressed on, halting his pacing to focus entirely on her. Ariel's heart sank; she'd been lured back by an old man—a man known only to her who insisted on secrecy. In her mind's eye, she saw him placing a finger to his lips with a pleading expression.

What can I tell Jasper if I can't reveal anything...?

The photo in her pocket felt like it weighed a ton, each breath amplifying its presence as though Jasper could hear it rustling. His narrowed eyes bore into her silence, which only made things worse.

"Well?"

"Yeah," Leroy chimed in, "where were you?"

John looked at Ariel too but without the suspicion glaring in Leroy and Jasper's eyes.

"I'm the one who saved you," Ariel snapped back at Leroy, locking eyes with the monk. "You should be grateful I showed up when I did!"

"Stop changing the subject, Ariel. Where were you?" Jasper's voice cut sharply, his determination evident. Ariel felt a blush creeping up her cheeks as she met his piercing gaze. Could she lie to him? And if she did, would he believe her?

"I was coming, but I couldn't keep up with Leroy and John," she replied, her words sounding plausible enough. Yet, deep down, Ariel knew her explanation was full of gaps that Jasper would easily see through. Crossing his arms, Jasper glared at her, eyes boring into the heart of her weak lie. He was on the verge of speaking when he was interrupted.

Max burst into the room carrying two bags of ice, with Mr. Warner trailing behind him carrying two more. Upon spotting Mandy slumped lifelessly in a chair, Max gasped in horror.

"Mandy!" he cried out, dropping the ice bags and rushing to her side. "Oh Mandy, please speak to me," he pleaded, holding her head and brushing hair from her face. John stood up as Jasper moved swiftly to intercept the frantic playwright.

"Mr. Warner, please give Makenzie some space," Jasper requested firmly, standing between them.

"But she's hurt! She needs help!" Mr. Warner protested, gripping Mandy's limp hand with desperation etched on his face. Ariel glanced over at John beside her; his face had gone pale with worry and he opened and closed his mouth, struggling for words.

"Please, Mr. Warner," the priest finally managed to say, "we don't know what's wrong with her yet. Moving her could do more harm than good." Mr. Warner stared at Mandy as if she lay on her deathbed before letting go of her hand dramatically.

"Fine... if that's what you think is best."

Jasper's expression darkened as he watched his client's theatrics unfold. Ariel noticed a wave of relief wash over John's face as he sank back into his chair with a heavy sigh.

"We have no reason to believe it's anything serious," Jasper assured Mr. Warner while trying to gently coax him away from Mandy's side. Reluctantly, Mr. Warner stepped back but remained insistent.

"Maybe some ice would revive her?" he suggested stubbornly, not moving far from Mandy's side.

Max moved around the room handing out ice bags; Leroy took one despite his injured shoulder and promptly applied it to Taylor's head. The priestess flinched at the sudden cold but let out a soft moan as she stirred.

"Don't be such a baby," Leroy chided gently.

Meanwhile, Mr. Warner continued imploring Max for an ice bag,

"I just need to see even the smallest movement," he pleaded desperately while clinging to Mandy's hand.

"Mr. Warner that won't help right now—leave one bag for Leroy's shoulder," Jasper interjected firmly from across the room where he was making a fresh pot of coffee at a small counter Ariel had used earlier.

Addressing John without turning around Jasper asked,

"Are you hurt too?"

John shook his head quickly,

"No thanks—I'm fine."

Ariel watched Jasper work with a faint smile; he could have easily asked her to make the coffee but chose not to—another small sign of his consideration amidst all the chaos around them.

Max complied with Jasper's instructions, leaving a bag of ice for Leroy and none for Mr. Warner. From her seat, Ariel watched enviously as Leroy applied the ice bag to his shoulder. Her own foot throbbed painfully, and she longed to soothe her swollen toes with ice. Her gaze shifted to Jasper, who was handing a cup of coffee to John. When their eyes briefly met, Ariel quickly looked away and clenched her teeth—there would be no ice for her unless she told Jasper the truth about what happened.

"Ariel, this is for you."

Snapped out of her thoughts, Ariel saw Jasper standing over her with an outstretched coffee cup. She swallowed nervously, sensing that his intense gaze implied he suspected she was hiding something.

Much to Ariel's relief, Jasper moved on, delivering coffee to Leroy and then Max. Since Taylor and Mandy were still asleep, he set their cups aside for later. Finally taking a seat for the first time, Jasper positioned himself between the priestess and the medium. Mr. Warner remained close to Mandy, unwilling to leave her side as he muttered anxiously about seeing signs of her awakening.

"Hey," Leroy suddenly spoke up, "she's waking up..."