The Ticking of the Mirrors

Cole sits on his brown couch in a spacious living room, with a large flat screen tv in front of the couch with an oak coffee table that has various papers scattered across it. There's a staircase behind the couch that leads to the bedrooms, he grabs the remote for the tv and goes to turn it on. He watches tv for a minute before he hears the kitchen timer going off. He knows it's time. He feels he needs to reset the timer to 5 minutes and head into the door by the stairs.

Cole gets up and heads to the kitchen as he resets the time back to 5 minutes, then walks back into the living room and stares at the door by the stairs for a moment before entering with hesitation.

He walks into a small dark room. There's photo processing equipment on one table, and small trays of liquid on the opposite table. A turned off lamp with a red light bulb sets by the door. Both tables have two drawers. directly ahead of him is a tall mirror leaning on the wall. He digs into his pocket and pulls out the paper note. It seems like it was ripped out of a book. It says, "You can see me through violet tinted windows, but I do not like the sun. You can hear me when I'm comfortable, please do not try to run."

Cole turns on the red lights then looks around the room for anything that sticks out.

There's a photo on the table near the trays that hasn't been developed yet. Attempting to recall where he got it from only results in a vague feeling of stress. Cole sighs as he starts developing the photo, seeming slightly hesitant.

After developing it, the image fades into view of the same mirror he has but with a small table and chair with a game of chess. He is drawn to looking over at the extra tray of liquid he has. He knows not to lean over it to smell it, and to soak the image in it.

Cole puts the image in the extra tray of liquid, glancing at the mirror for a moment. He finds it normal that for a brief moment his reflection looking back looks like himself but without eyes and longer hair. As he looks back down at the photo in the tray he can see it's changed. Now standing in the reflection is a faint staticy figure.

Cole looks incredibly confused as he looks back at the photo and attempts to take it out of the liquid. On taking it out the photo drips quite a bit. Cole holds the photo over the liquid as he looks around the room. Cole puts the photo back in the liquid, then looks in the drawers for anything useful.

The drawers on one side have various paints and labels for each color. The other side has large bottles of a bright red liquid. He finds a few large paint brushes behind the paints.

Cole grabs the tray and submerges the lights in the liquid then takes the tray away. The room is now in a slightly purple light. Nothing seems to happen. Cole sighs and puts the tray back, looking through the paints for a violet color.

He finds one thats already been opened. Cole grabs it and looks at the picture. He shrugs as he takes some of the paint and dips it in the extra tray of liquid then puts a thin amount on the mirror where the staticky figure is.

As he does he gets a small glimpse of something moving from behind him. Cole quickly spins around to look at what moved. He doesn't see anything out of the ordinary.

Cole grabs the tray and dumps the liquid on the mirror, then covers it in the paint. With the mirror completely covered, he gets a slight feeling of being watched.

Cole again turns around and sighs, "I'm not gonna hurt you, look uh..." Cole looks around the room for a game or something similar. Now sitting on the floor is a chess board with its pieces.

Cole sits on the ground with his legs crossed then stares for a couple seconds, "This was not here a second ago..."

The chess board's grid-like pattern shifts when he's not focusing on it, changing triangles, circles, or even wavy lines. He still feels like he's being watched. Cole looks up from the chess board as he calls out, "Your welcome to join me, chess isn't the same with one person."

It's eerily quiet. The white pieces are sitting on Cole's side.

Cole moves the king's pawn forward two spaces with a sigh.

He sits in silence for a long time before the light flickers. It clicks and turns itself off and the room feels significantly colder. He can feel the air in the room move as something pushes the air around.

Cole glances up for a moment to see what's pushing the air around.

It's incredibly dark as all he sees in the mirror is the thin line of two claws the height of a human reaching straight down and moving a pawn forwards with a quick and precise movement. Its voice is very strange, much like a human voice but something dreadfully wrong. Even with this startling tone, it speaks quietly, just above a whisper, "I knew you would dream of me soon enough."

Cole keeps his eyes on the chess board as he moves another pawn forward, "I'm assuming this isn't just for a nice chat."

The voice responds, "Nice I hope this one will be. I seek a friendly face. Yours seems familiar to me. Are you one of my kind?"

Cole shakes his head slowly, "Other than being able to distort myself on camera, no though I'm...the farthest thing from human."

"You hear me, I am far as well." Behind Cole's reflection he can see a face move closer to him in the dark. Its eyes are small and bright orangish red. Below is a misshapen jaw  and layers of teeth that twist up into a smile with the lips curled back revealing the gum. Cole can feel it's ice cold breath on his neck.

Cole's eyes turn a tinge blue for a moment then return to hazel, "So... Did you have to tell me something? Usually these dreams aren't for no reason." Cole is trying his hardest to not freak out.

When it speaks its jaw only closes once for several words. But as it does each of the layers of teeth move and close independently. The layers further in its mouth move faster than the ones further out, "I can give you advice for a favor. I had a dream about you and I know what can help."

Cole sighs and groans, "Please don't make it a riddle, just be honest with me" Cole's hands fidget idly.

"I only riddle to those I can't be honest to. My language's knowledge doesn't help either. But you, I have asked for, I trust you for now. You have an advantage to use. They don't know what you are yet. Don't let them understand what you are capable of. Never show them your limits." The more it talks he can hear a faint clicking of it's jaws, much like a broken clock.

Cole raises an eyebrow as he looks confused as he asks, "Don't let who understand? I was planning on checking out that vintage warehouse, I mean there's no way a place like that earns enough money to stay afloat."

"That is their outpost. Though for what I have told you I ask a favor."

Cole sighs and mutters, "No information is free" then speaks up as he asks, "What's the favor?"

"I ask you treat my daughter kindly. This world can be cruel to outsiders. But I promise she has good intentions."

Cole stares for a couple moments, "Your daughter is who I think she is right?"

"Who are you thinking?"

Cole sighs as he hesitates before answering, "Lochlan?"

"Afraid I don't know who she is named now. But if I find her I will stay close."

Cole nods as he sighs, "So if that's all you had to tell me I'm assuming that this is the end of the dream?"

"If you wish I end it sooner, I can be of assistance."

Cole nods, "I have to make a plan to get in there, so I'd like to wake up"

The face in the reflection raises up a bit as it nods, "I wish you well rested." Just as it finishes its words, its many jaws spring open and engulf Cole's entire head. He watches the mirror as he sees it clamp down onto his own neck. There's a loud snap as his bones and spinal cord break under the pressure just before the rest of his head caves in and he suddenly wakes up.

Cole jolts awake with a scream, "FUCK-" Cole quickly feels his head and neck as he sighs in relief.