The Reflection's grin 5

Days turned into weeks, and the building became a husk of its former self. Outsiders rarely entered; those who did never came out. The mirror’s influence began to spread beyond the building’s walls. Nearby homes experienced strange occurrences: reflections that moved on their own, whispers in empty rooms, and sudden, inexplicable chills.

The Stranger, now the leader of the mirror’s twisted army, ventured out at night. She wandered the streets, her presence causing streetlights to flicker and shadows to grow unnaturally long. Wherever she went, people began to disappear, their homes left eerily untouched, their mirrors cracked.

But there was resistance brewing.

A young woman named Lena, whose sister had vanished after moving into the cursed building, began to piece together the strange events. She had heard the stories, seen the missing posters, and felt the unease in the neighborhood. Armed with nothing but her wits and an old journal belonging to Claire—the building’s last known tenant—Lena prepared to face the darkness head-on.

She didn’t know if she could stop it, but she knew one thing: the mirror’s power was growing, and if it wasn’t contained soon, it would consume everything.

Lena stood outside the building, its windows dark and lifeless, the air around it thick with an unnatural stillness. In her hand, she clutched Claire’s journal, its pages filled with notes about the mirror and its malevolent power. The words repeated in her mind like a mantra: "The mirror feeds on reflection. Break the image, break the hold."

The front door groaned open as Lena stepped inside, the sound reverberating through the empty halls. Shadows shifted unnaturally, and faint whispers echoed in her ears, beckoning her deeper. She followed the journal’s instructions, her flashlight flickering as she walked. The building itself felt alive, its walls pulsing faintly with energy.

At last, Lena reached the door at the end of the hall. It was ajar, revealing the mirror room bathed in a dim, silvery glow. The mirror stood at the center, larger than she’d imagined, its surface rippling like water. Reflections stared back at her—hundreds of them, twisted versions of the tenants, the Stranger at the forefront with her predatory grin.

“You’ve come,” the Stranger said, stepping forward. Her voice was a chorus, as though every reflection spoke with her. “You can’t stop this. The world is ours now.”

Lena gripped a heavy hammer she’d brought with her. “Maybe. But you don’t belong here.”

The Stranger’s grin faltered for the first time. “You don’t understand. Break the mirror, and you doom them all. Every soul I’ve taken, every person left in my realm—they’ll shatter with it.”

Lena hesitated. Could she condemn them all to oblivion? Her sister, her family… Were they still in there, or were they already lost? The journal had warned her this moment would come. Claire had written: "Salvation comes at a cost."

Before she could second-guess herself, the reflections surged forward, clawing at the surface of the mirror. The Stranger’s voice became a roar. “Choose, Lena! Save your sister—or doom the world!”

Lena’s grip tightened. She swung the hammer with all her strength, smashing it into the mirror. Cracks spread across its surface like lightning, and the room shook violently. The Stranger screamed, her form distorting as she reached out for Lena, but the cracks consumed her too.

The mirror exploded, shards flying in every direction. Lena shielded her face as the world seemed to collapse around her. The reflections dissolved into shadows, their cries echoing one last time before silence fell.

When Lena opened her eyes, the room was empty. The mirror was gone, its power extinguished. The building felt still—normal—for the first time in weeks. But Lena’s relief was short-lived. She turned and found herself staring into a small shard of glass that had landed at her feet. Her reflection smiled back, its eyes hollow and its grin far too wide.

She crushed the shard beneath her boot and walked out into the night, the journal clutched tightly in her hand. The building had been freed, but Lena couldn’t shake the feeling that the mirror’s influence hadn’t been destroyed completely. Somewhere, somehow, a fragment of its darkness remained.

And it was waiting.

-----The end~

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***