Ranger [ON HOLD]

Chapter Nine - Mirror Reveal

The bathroom door behind me with a small click. The bathroom was simply and cheaply designed, with a mirror I could nearly see my whole body in and a shallow tub for bathing. A large ringed, misty plastic curtain hung suspended by a long pole above it. The colors were a simple eggshell white that was oddly warm and inviting.

I looked into the mirror, meeting the tired eyes of my reflection. 

The girl looking back at me seemed almost alien. Her skin was pale, as well as bruised and scratched from the impact I had taken against the water. Her hair was wild as it flowed down to her waist, a little more ratty on one side where my head had hit the pillow. Her clothes were wrinkled and slightly askew, showing she had just rolled out of bed. 

Really I looked like I had been hit by a bus, and maybe that's what my fall had been equal to. Getting hit head on by a bus.

And yet as I studied myself, I began to frown. My eyes seemed off somehow, but I didn't may much mind to it. It must have been the need of sleep. After all, I was still recovering. And goodness knows I still needed sleep, but I wasn't about to catch up any time soon.

I stifled a yawn.

My heart stopped suddenly, and my eyes widened. My body tensed, mouth dropping open as my expression became one of horror. Fear rose up in my chest, almost as if my lungs were being filled with water. My legs trembled, knees nearly knocking together. Numbly I noted the number of times that phrase had been used in books, but I hadn't noticed just how accurate it could have been. 

Throughout my silent and hugely off topic revelation in the face of danger, my reflection did not copy my expression, only stared blankly back. Frozen, aside from a single blink as its - well, my eyes slowly glided up and down my form. Studying me. And if I wasn't mistaken, it looked nearly smug. Almost amused by my expression.

Silly me. Its just you in my reflection.

Then very slowly, my reflections arm rose up. Fingers spreading as if to touch something - me. For a small hopeful moment I felt no fear. It was a mirror after all. A reflection, that couldn't hurt me. 

Of course as I thought it I cursed inwardly and prayed I hadn't just jinxed myself as well.

The bathroom lights flickered ominously; the faint sound of electricity buzzing far more loudly than it should have. The yellow hue they cast gave the room a horror-film like touch to the atmosphere, and I had no doubt in my mind that was just what it was becoming.

Then my reflections fingers pressed to the mirrors surface; the tips turning pale before tiny cracks appeared in the surface of the glass. 

A soft grinding, crackling sound echoed in my ears as the glass continued to crack, and ever so slowly those pale fingers were passing through. A though pushing through a sheet of ice. It continued inch by inch until the entire hand was out and reaching for me. Those startling eyes held mine. The eyes that were not my own.

The yellow eyes that I did not possess.

They never wavered as I stood there, trembling as the figure reached for me. With every inch it neared, I took a step back. The bathroom was only so big however, and in three steps I was pressed flat to the wall.

And at this point the hand, free all the way up to the elbow, had managed to create a crackling hole in the mirror. Spiderweb strands of broken glass was slowly forming, growing larger and larger until slightly grey fingers were not an inch from touching my nose. From this distance I could feel the cold radiating off of the creature, sinking into my skin as if it hoped to slowly absorb the warmth my body gave off naturally.

My breath came in small gasps as the room temperature dropped, and suddenly the cold being in front of me was the warmest thing I could find. And while my natural instincts told me to huddle to warmth, the more knowledgeable part of my mind screamed that I should not touch whatever this thing was. That I shouldn't be as close to it as I already was.

A second hand emerged from the glass, gripping the edge to pull itself closer. Soon long, limp brown locks of hair trailed against the bathroom counter, small shoulders pushing against the glass. And to my horror, shards began to fall and shatter against the countertop, the only hope of a boundary literally breaking before my eyes

Puffs of hot air escaped my mouth in small smoke like clouds, my trembling increasing from fear and the cold that was slowly seeping down to my bones. I felt a scream build up in my throat, and I didn't bother to try and hold it back

"Ranger!"

There was no more than half a second before the door suddenly came crashing down, a rough crack expanding in the center. 

The door destroyer currently gliding forward, arm raised with a signature silver gun pointed steadily at the mirror figure, his entire stance screaming deadly force. 

Time seemed to slow in that moment, as my eyes took in his appearance greedily and hopefully. His lips pulled into a tight frown that would have seemed blank if not for the smallest curl of displeasure to them. His eyes seemed to glow as they took in the sight before him in a single second, processing what he saw.

And then he fired.

The bullet made contact with its arm, clearing straight through its wrist to leave a wide jagged hole of flesh in its wake, and slam loudly into the tile of the shower wall. No blood fell, but all the same the faux-me jerked back with a loud hiss, fingers curling into a tight fist despite the severed tendons. 

Eyes that were not mine, snapped over in his direction and the hissing grew louder. While its wrist did not bleed, I could still see blood on the fleshy inside - slowly running along the edges of the flesh as it began to knit itself together. The bits of its bloody, broken bone jutting from the once smooth flesh of what looked like my arm had me slapping a hand reflexively over my own wrist.

A long silverish tongue poked out from its lips, licking slowly as it studied him. 

The end was forked much like a snakes, the sight making my stomach churn. Whatever this was, it had my appearance and seeing myself with a silver snake tongue wasn't exactly easy to brush off. And then an almost smug look appeared on its face. It was odd, seeing my reflection play out what I could only assume my expressions looked like. It nearly had me pausing to wonder what I looked like now - probably like a puppy knowing it was about to die.

And still I watched with wide eyes of my own, as its eyes remained locked with Ranger.

Then in a flash I felt something cold wrapping around my neck, my body going still as stone but not of my own will. It was something else entirely.

I could feel something curling slowly inside of me, like a snake searching through my organs for a kill. It curled around my stomach, and between my ribs, slithering slowly up my spine until it reached the base of my skull. 

My breath had halted from the contact, and it seemed time had halted with it.

x-x-x

What do you think of this fun little creature? 

Who knows, your reflection might not be you, so stay safe! ;)

I want to point out that Ella's reactions to pain are my own reactions. As a very accident prone person, I've grown a high pain tolerance and honestly cant tell you the normal reaction without feeling like its overly dramatic.

Comment your thoughts; What was that? What did it want with Ella?

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