Reflection
He washed his face with cold water.
Closed the tap.
Exhaled.
When he looked up, something was wrong.
He flinched and stumbled backward, catching the bedroom threshold with his heel.
Bamm.
His head struck the wooden floor.
He lay still.
No.
That wasn’t possible.
He got to his feet and walked through the apartment. Past the kitchen. Into the hallway.
The mirror waited at the end.
He approached it sideways. The polished edge caught the light like a knife.
One more step.
The wall appeared.
The front door.
His shoulder.
Another step.
His reflection entered the frame.
He recoiled before he could truly see it.
The apartment fell silent.
Except for the clock.
Tick.
Tock.
Tick.
He rubbed his eyes until they stung.
Then he returned.
This time, he didn’t look away.
The man in the mirror was just like him.
Except it wasn’t.
His reflection stood frozen in a silent scream.
Its mouth stretched impossibly wide.
Veins strained across its neck.
Its eyes pleaded for something beyond terror.
He reached toward the glass. Touched the cold surface.
His reflection didn’t.
It just held its cheeks.
It just kept screaming in silence.
-ck