Chapter Text
What are reflections?
In science, they have been proven to be light on surfaces that make it bounce back. Any and all images brought from the light are bounced back, even at angles people think not possible. In psychology, however, it’s an act of serious consideration, or perhaps simply looking back and wondering “What could I have done differently?”
But here, a reflection is a gateway into another dimension… a dimension of what could’ve been, what would’ve been, what should’ve been… or perhaps, the other way around: What could never have been, what would never be… and what shouldn’t be. This is a story you might already know, but some things will be different, due to it being in the lens of one of those very reflections.
This is the story of a man named Morris, and the game he resides in as it tears itself apart.
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“Oh, what’s the use?” Morris asked, looking wistfully at his love and sighing to himself. “I can’t hide it anymore.” He looked at his lover as he shouted. “Harley! I HAVE FEELINGS FOR YOU!” He looked off as he began to sweat, slightly nervous but unable to stop smiling. “You’ve made me grow, and become more confident in my poetry…”
“...and now instead of being embarrassed to show people my poetry…” He looked towards Harley. “I want to show the world one day!” He sighed again. “It’s not just that, but I also wanna spend more time with you!” The date, named Harley, expressed the same feelings, even going on to tell him she had a crush on him ever since she read his first poem.
Morris began to stammer, as if he didn’t expect this response. “Y-You like me too? Omigawsh!” He began to nervously laugh to himself. “I-I just- I dunno what to say!” But then he reminded himself of the reason Harley was standing in the garage. “B-But… this is your last day here, isn’t it?” His smile faltered as he spoke.
“What would we be able to do now that we’ve told each other our feelings?” Harley had two choices, invite Morris on her road-trip or ask to stay here with Morris. Harley grinned as she suggested the former. “W-what?! Really?! You want me to join you on your travels?!” He was overjoyed by the suggestion. “Oh, Harley, I’d love to!”
Harley hugged Morris and looked deeply into his eyes before Morris spoke. “Oh, Harley… I never thought this day would come!” Harley smiled back at him as he continued. “Thank you, Harley, for showing me what it means to be true to myself!” His eyes began to close.
“Here’s your smooch.”
And thus, the two kissed and began to pack for their road-trip.
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Morris went to Joan and Wes to tell them the great news. They were overjoyed to know he was going to travel with someone he cared so deeply about. “I’m just so glad that you two have been so supportive of me for all this time.” He hugged the two, like they were his own mother and father. They returned the embrace after a little bit of hesitation.
“Morris…” Wes began, “We just wanna say that it’s been nice having you and…” He hesitated slightly, as if unsure of how to finish his sentence. Joan finished it for him. “There’s something we have to tell you before you go.” Wes added on. “It’s something we’ve wanted to tell you, but we just… never knew how.”
Morris raised an eyebrow, confused. “What do you need to tell me?” Joan sighed. “You see, Morris, we’re… uh…” The background began to… glitch slightly. Wes continued for Joan. “We’re kinda sick, but not in the way you’d normally think.” Joan looked more nervous than Wes. “W-Wes, the shop-” She held his hand tightly, and he held it back.
“I know, honey, I know. Just give me a second.” Morris looked around, beginning to panic slightly. “What’s going on?!” Wes began to twitch slightly. His voice quivered. “M-Morris, you should go see Harley.” He tried to keep a smile for Morris’ sake, but he wasn’t buying it. “Wh-?! Sh-Should I go get the doctor?!”
Joan suddenly shouted. “There’s no time!” Wes tried to assure Joan. “Calm down, honey, you’re gonna make it-” Joan snapped at Wes. “I know I’m makin’ it worse, I can’t help it!” Her eyes were filled with tears. Wes looked back at Morris. “Listen to me, something’s wrong with us and you need to-”
He suddenly twitched and everything seemed to stop. The glitches seemed to stop. The fear seemed to stop. Everything. Stopped. Morris looked at Joan and Wes with worry in his eyes. “Joan? Wesley?” They didn’t respond for a moment, until Wes growled. “ Morris… RUN. ” Morris began to back away from the couple as…
Well, for lack of a better term, they began to change.
And as they changed, Morris took Wesley’s advice as the shop began to glitch out again, this time to an unprecedented level. It was as if the place had turned into a discombobulated mess of glitches, pixels and shapes behind Morris as he ran for the garage, and for his life. Harley had just finished putting the last of her things in the trunk when Morris slammed the door shut behind him.
“Harley, we need to go! NOW!” Harley looked at him with confusion in her eyes before he quickly guided her to the car, shut the trunk, got in the driver’s seat, and drove off, not even bothering to close the door to the garage, or even clock out for his shift.
There wouldn’t be an Auto Shop to return to anymore…
Harley was confused and concerned as she saw Morris’ expression of fear. “What happened back there?!” Morris turned to look at Harley once they were far enough away and ended up at a gas station to park. Once they were parked, Morris’ face hit the steering wheel and he began to sob. “I-It’s Joan and Wes… They- They-”
He broke down into tears again, unable to speak as he wailed over Harley’s shoulder as they hugged. “There, there…” Harley gently stroked his back as she assured him. “You don’t have to tell me if it’s too much.” She comforted him as he slowly but surely stopped crying. “I’m sorry, I know you don’t like it when I get like this but…”
“Joan and Wes… they’re… They’re sick.” Harley raised an eyebrow. “Sick? What do you mean- wait a minute.” Suddenly, Harley realized something. Throughout her time spent with Morris, she noticed Joan and Wes acting… off. They always brought up in some way, shape or form getting Morris out of town, as if it was going to fall apart at the seams and she was Morris’ only hope.
At first, it was subtle, such as them asking what it’s like to go on a road-trip like she did, but after a while it became obvious that they were desperate to get him out as quickly as possible. Maybe whatever happened back there was the reason why? Not to mention a couple times, she saw their faces almost… glitch out like mad.
Suddenly, everything began to click. “Joan and Wes were…” Morris began, but Harley stopped him. “I think I know what happened. You don’t have to-” Just then, a knock on their car door got their attention. It was a large, brute-like figure, the sight of which nearly scared Morris to death. “Sorry, I hate to interrupt…”
The large man stared down at the two. “You two buyin’ somethin’ or what?” Harley sighed. “No, no, we just got away from a bad situation, that’s all.” The man grinned at them. “Well, if you need somewhere to rest, I know just the place.” Morris raised an eyebrow. “You know a place? Where?” The man pointed to his side. “Just down the road over there.”
Morris nodded. “Th-thanks… uh…” He looked puzzled at the stranger. “What’s your name?” The man smirked. “Hunter.” Morris nodded. “Hunter, right… thanks.” After Hunter went back into the gas station, the two began to drive to where the man suggested. It took a while, but eventually they found the house after a while of driving. (and a couple of times where they had to ask for directions.)
It was a nice house from the looks of it. Didn’t seem occupied, but whoever last lived there seemed to have a lot of money. Morris and Harley got out of the car. “You ready?” Morris asked. Harley nodded before he gently knocked on the door.
. . .
Morris knocked again… No answer.
“That’s… odd.” He tried opening the door and, to his surprise, the door was unlocked, even though there was clearly a person inside.
…
Wait, a person?!
“Maybe we’ve got the wrong house?” Morris nervously asked, catching the attention of the strange person inside. Though the house itself looked unoccupied, the occupants of it didn’t seem at all friendly. In fact, they looked downright demonic and one of them was even carrying a gun! Morris quickly shut the door.
“M- Maybe we should go, it doesn’t look like we should be here.” Morris turned to leave, but suddenly… “Wait, wasn’t our car just here a second ago?!” Harley looked to see what he was talking about.
The car was gone.
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Hunter sighed as he watched the two drive off. He wasn’t sure how people ended up getting all the way out here. Last he checked, there wasn’t even an entrance to this part of town. He grunted as he knew the cycle was about to begin again. He felt blood trickle down the sides of his head as he went to the mirror in the bathroom.
…Horns. He hated this part of the cycle.
He chuckled through his headache. “Better them in that cursed house than me. I’d rather die at the hands of that TWINK! ” He laughed as he began to lose his mind.
Thus, the Hunter became a Hell Knight, and the House claimed two more victims of its deadly charade. Would they be able to escape, or would they just be another statistic? Questions for another time, perhaps. Maybe in another chapter…
…but not now.
For you’ve seen what this reflection has to offer, but this begs the question. What other reflections are out there? How many reflections are out there? What do we truly see when we look in the mirror? Do we see ourselves, or do we see what could be?
…Or even what we shouldn’t be?
All of these questions and more will be answered soon enough. Until then, I’d be wary the next time you stare in a mirror. You never know when it will wink at you through its glass gateway.