<Chapter 3>

The room was dark, as it used to be, and my eyes, heavy and blurry. Was I still sleeping?

But I could see her. My heart, my love and my soulmate. Slender and sublime she was. Her face held a natural youthfulness. Dashing black hair dropped down to her waist. I called her, my Rainha because she truly was my only real lover. Yet, death had seemed not to like me. He stole my Rainha from me.

Her eyes that used to be merry and daring, now looked quite blank, and I wondered why. Was she not happy where she was?

I opened my mouth to speak but they seemed not to obey. Frozen still and numb, I watched. The entire scene repeating itself like it used to. I was going to scream, tell her to watch out. It was coming and she could still make it. She must not eat that food.

Don't die again. My Rainha, watch out. Don't die again. Put down the food. It's poisonous. Don't eat it.

My whole body was stiff to the point I couldn't manage myself to look away. Maybe if I could slightly tilt my head to the left, I could avoid the pain of watching her die all over again.

My Rainha.

Back to the real world, I was up staring at the blank ceiling above me. My soul was used to the torture, the nightmare didn't seem like one anymore. It frightened me less and sadly, I was getting familiar to the agony. Earlier before, I only saw her in my dreams, smiling. Trying to reach out to me.

Now, these past days, the unfortunate incident that claimed her life haunted my sleep. Even as the nightmares changed, I was getting used to it.

In my head, I guessed the time to be almost six. The strange urge for my diet combo possessed me. Water and lime was a great recipe for body fitness, but you know what else it did? It was my relaxing tea.

Before I knew it, my legs strolled it's way to the kitchen. The doors to my room, boasted of a long thin passage hall. Along that passage hall harboured three rooms; my bedroom, a so-so other room for a kitchen, and the bathroom.

The bathroom was located on the last end, and opposite it, was a few steps stairway that lead to the living room downstairs. My roommate lived there, so I didn't like bothering him too much. We loved our space.

Just missing by a few steps, opposite the entrance to my room was a wide flat-screen-tv-sized fancy golden framed mirror. It brings me so much shame to announce to you that none of the items in my apartment belonged to me. My wife owned them all, and had furnished and decorated the place to taste.

The mirror was not new of course, yet when I passed it by, it compelled me. Whether it had been the bright light(I would never leave my vicinity dark. Safe to say that, the dark was a place I could never adapt to, so I ran from it at all cost) or the reflection of myself in it, I could not tell. Slightly hypnotized, I walked up to it and stood still. An image of my face was the last thing I had wanted to see that particular night, yet, there he was, staring foolishly at me.

Where would I even begin?

Was it the big black dot that rested gently on his nose like an ugly rogue pimple, or the used-to-be silky black messy curls that now revealed strands of gray. The body is definitely the worst part. The man before me used to be tall and muscular (muscular is the closest word I could find because muscular meant handsome) and my skin was not what was there.

Generally speaking, the forty two years old shabby looking man, wrapped in ugly robe, was not who I used to be. Wrinkles had spread across my face, making me resembled an old picture of my grandfather I saw years ago while I was still a teenager.

Sad to say, grandpa Thomas used to be so much goodlooking than I was.

The wall clock above me ticked, and my gaze was forced to stare in it's direction. Quite eerie that I had never noticed a clock and worst, the time was exactly 3am.

****

I would like to tell you that immediately the obscure happening had occured, I rushed to my bedroom, shut the doors closed and began to pray. Or cry... I don't know what normal humans would do if in my shoes.

But there I was, remembering the words of dear old Mr Shadwell (he goes by many name; Mr Pitt, Mr Shadwell, Mr Cooper, Boss, Sugarman, Sugar boy... And lots more. Don't ask me why).

He mentioned that if I stared at the reflection in the mirror, I would invoke satan himself. And I laughed to myself wondering how that could be possible. Perhaps that was the reason I was still standing in front of the mirror. Trying to prove my boss wrong.

Darkness overshadowed me, and it wasn't the absence of light type of darkness. It was the presence of something, lurking around and behind, and in front.

My eyes still focused on the ugly face in the mirror. What if the Satan was only just ...ugly me? I chuckled at the thought of that.

Okay Elmer, be serious.

At the count of two(because three was an eerie number of bad luck), I wheezed in and began my derailed experiment. I was going to bring the devil over to my house, and we were going to have a sleep over. If the thought of that didn't make you laugh already, then you must be down with some satanic business.

The reflection in the mirror (ugly me) stared just as I stared back. "O satanic Lord," I hadn't even heard my own voice but I knew that mouth of mine said something. Or rather, I saw it move.

It was quite funny I had not the slightest idea what I was doing. 'Why' was even a rather far more impossible question to answer. But I continued anyway. "O satanic Lord," louder this time, I began to hear my call. It wasn't a real calling because I didn't believe in whom I was calling. "O satanic Lord," nothing was happening. "O satanic Lord,"

Nothing.

"O satanic Lord, o satanic Lord," I was chanting now just like one of those witches in movies. "O satanic Lord,"

Nothing.

It was too early to give up, but I already did. My feet were cold, and my left index finger itched for whatever reason. "O satanic Lord," I dug in with my nail and began itching. "O satanic - ouch!"

Blood.

It was gushing like nothing I'd seen before, dripping on the floor like my finger was a man who'd just been decapitated. Luckily for me, I owned a first aid kit. Frown formed on my face as I grew immediately angry. Hail a satanic Lord, they said, not to maim yourself.

"Hail satan our Lord,"

Reflex brought my gaze back up. It wasn't me, I never said anything. Yet, I heard me spoke. He was there, smiling.

I wasn't smiling, because I was rather angry.

My eyes were the colors of a well roasted coffee bean, not the reddish one that now stared at me.

He was looking at me, and be wasn't so ugly as I was. He looked at least ten years younger, and had handsome features all over him, from his head that boasted of rich fine curls, down to his broad shoulders and fit body in all.

"You're not me," I found myself muttering to him.

"And you're not me either," he replied, and the whole scenery changed.

Now, I was in my dreams. At least, that was what I thought. It was real, and scary. She was still there, happily waiting for the day the both of us would finally be reunited again. "My Rainha," my voice worked perfectly fine this time. I called her again, and she turned to me.

Yes, my love. It's me.

My heart couldn't contain the joy I felt. She was coming towards me now, eyes bright with joy. I too was happy. "My love!" I opened my arms wide for her to fall in my embracement. Oh how much I'd yearned for this day to come. When she reached my side, my hands closed to squeeze her in a tight hug. I'd missed her. I shut my eyes tight, hoping to feel her warmth and the fresh smell of lavender. My dear Rainha always loved lavender. Instead, I heard her voice, sweet and soft, nearly teary.

"I've missed you, my love." She said.

My eyes slowly opened as I was about muffling a reply.

"I miss you everyday, my love." I was saying, but... It wasn't me.

She was still talking, sobbing gently already. I turned to my back, and there they were. It was my evil reflection, passionately hugging the love of my life, and I just stood, blankly. Watching my horrid nightmare coming to life.

I could rush over and yank the evil me, fight him till I'm the last man standing. I think I could, if I overlooked his healthy fit body.

Yet, I couldn't even motion my legs to move properly. My mouth opened to say something, anything at all, but no words came out. My breathing seized and a faint headache began to worry me. My heart as well, ached badly. I was pained.

But alas, it was only just a dream. I would wake up and relive this moment again tomorrow night. Perhaps one day, I would be brave to admit my mistake and own up to them as a man that I was. I was sorry for a lot of things. Was I even worthy enough to be with her?

The scene changed again, and I was somewhere covered by a large body of water. I was on the water, floating. My feet stood firmly like they were on hard land, so it didn't bring my body to drown.

This reflection of me was now standing beside me. "I have come to take it all from you, my friend." He said, his voice shrill and cold. Harsh as it sent goosebumps all over me.

"Who are you?" I asked. Not because I wanted answers. Not because I was confused and lost in the dark. "What do you want with me?"

I asked because I was scared. Frightened of the monster I had unleashed. Deep down in my heart, I feared if trying to had summoned a demon was ever a good idea.

"I am your destroyer. And you shall do what is right." He flashed his red blooded eyes at me. "Fear me!"

Beep! Beep!

When I woke up, I hadn't expected to had been back on my bed, sleeping as if nothing had happened. It was all a dream after all. I didn't know if I was to jubilate, or remain calm and observe. The later option seemed right, so I stuck with it. The loud beep was still crying, waiting for me to shut it down. My alarm was up, and it was exactly the usual time. 6:29.

How was it so? I had a ton of questions to ask, but they were beyond my ordinary human capabilities. And that was why you should never live alone. Sam triple zero eight would come to my rescue.

Coming out of my room, my eyes caught the mirror and feelings of terror rushed down my spine. I hadn't wanted to believe all that had happened. I'd hoped my finger would still hurt from all the bleeding earlier, but it seemed just fine. Not even a slight cut to show that there'd once been a cut on it.

The wall clock.

I needed to confirm if the time on my alarm had really been correct. Was it all a dream? My eyes reached up and scanned the area for a wall clock, but it saw no sign of it. Nothing was up there. It was a bare wall.

It was strange, if you asked me. Just hours ago, I saw a clock up on that wall. I lived alone, and my roommate was not the bothersome type, so there was no way he would come upstairs into my space, and disrupt my safe heaven. I never bothered him downstairs as well.

Also, my roommate was a goldfish.

I ignored that mystery and headed for the stairways. Plodding down the steps, I called for Sam triple zero eight, announcing of the big news I had for him.

"I'm telling you, it was the strangest thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life. I just-" I was saying to him when I saw it. Abruptly halting into a pause, I took another glance at the transparent pot. Inside, it was the home of fishes and was supposed to be filled with water. The glass use to be transparent so once the water was dirty, you would know and quickly changed it.

Why was this one now filled with blood?

I slowly advanced towards my roommate, calling his name out. Not that he would reply but, he would sense my presence. Once close, I took a peep inside the glass, and floating miserably on top, was a dead Sam triple zero eight.

They took him from me. He took him from me, just as he took my Rainha.

Sam triple zero eight was gone.

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