//It’s been over forty-eight hours since I had last heard from Ashley. I know by what she said, by the photo she sent me of the entity in the mirror, that she was fearful of what the mirror could do. So, now our friend Justin and I are headed up to her property to look for her and find out exactly what happened to her. The guilt of not coming sooner has been eating at me.
You must be wondering who I am, I’m Sebastian Anderson, and I’m the editor of Horror Monthly, a magazine I've been publishing every month for the past ten years. I was born and raised in the strange world that is Serenity, Ohio. Ashley Jennings was also born and raised in Serenity, we met each other way back in high school. We both went to Serenity College of Journalism along with Kat and Justin Parker who came from another strange town ten minutes north. Ashley has been one of my best investigative journalists for over eight years. She has been working on investigating an antique mirror owned by the Gentry family which is one of the main families who settled Serenity back in the early 1800’s.
Charles Gentry went missing a week ago, and his servant came to Ashley looking for answers about the mirror. During the course of investigatin into the mirror, Ashley went silent which isn't like her. I will get answers to where she is, even if it kills me.
//
[[Approach the cottage.]]
<img src="Assets/cottage.jpg">
I feel the vibrations running up my legs from the gravel driveway that leads to her house. The darkness creeps in with oak and hickory trees growing thick along the road like silent assassins waiting in the wings to strike. The sky is full of clouds moving in a circular pattern as if to forewarn us of what is to come.
As we pull up to the parking area, I can see Ashley’s Bronco in the carport, her cottage is dark except for the porch light and a muted light from inside that I know comes from her office. I look over at Justin, who looks just like I do, full of confusion, where the hell is Ashley?
She didn’t come to the door to greet us, she always comes out to greet a vehicle approaching, but that’s not the case. Nothing looks normal, the front door is standing wide open, and the continual screeching sound of the screen door opening and closing with the wind is enough to send shivers down my spine. It’s an unusually cold fall with the temperature at thirty-three degrees. I put the truck in park and stare at the porch.
"Don't worry Bas, we'll find her."
[[Get out of the truck.]]We get out of the truck and move towards the porch. With every step to the porch I take, the feeling of dread increases. Even the rain and wind seems to be a cautionary tale. I can’t shake the feeling that everything is going to change as soon as we enter the house. I stop, extending my arm to stop Justin’s progression as well.
“Ashley?!” I call out.
Nothing, we hear nothing. Where did she go?
“Bas, I don’t understand this. How could Ashley just disappear like smoke?” Justin asks.
“I don’t know Justin, but this isn’t sitting right with me. She didn’t vanish on her own, that much I do know.”
“What do we do now?”
[[Search for clues outside.]]
[[Check out Ashley's cottage.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="Assets/wind.mp3"></audio>
I don’t know what to think about all of this. Ash has always been the strongest and wisest of us all. She’s our moral compass, my logic when I get a little bit out there with theories of supernatural events. I remember she showed me what peidolia when I swore I saw a Sasquatch. I can’t imagine a world without my Pixie in it to correct me and Justin when our theories get out there.
I open the trunk of the Explorer, searching for an orange backpack with all of our recording equipment and our camping gear in case we have to go hiking in the Appalachian woods that surround her home.
"The Appalchia foothills where cryptids roam unencumbered." Justin cracks.
I feel something rub across my jeans. I look down and see Moon.
"Don't worry Moon. We'll find her," I tell him.
"We will, Bas." Justin claps me on the shoulder.
[[Grab the orange backpack.]]
[[Grab the camping gear.]]
I close my eyes and take a deep, cleansing breath. Justin pulls the screen door shut behind us as we enter the living room.
“Ashley? Ashley. ASHLEY!” I call out. Still nothing, but the wind as it blows through the woods and the rain as it hits the roof.
Only silence greets me as I flip the overhead lights on. I can see her display of haunted objects she has investigated are untouched in the cherry wood cabinet to the left, next to her TV and entertainment center. The cold grey ash of the fireplace on the right tells the story of not being in use for at least two days. A plate of chicken salad long forgotten sits atop her kitchen table. Dirty dishes from morning and lunch sit in the sink, which is unlike her. Not only that, but I notice her cat doesn't have any food or water, which never happens. Ashley spoils her cat Moon. I walk over to her pantry and pull out the bag of Purina cat chaw and go about filling Moon's bowl with food. I walk over to the refrigerator, opening it to and pull the jug of spring water, and fill his bowl with water.
I turn and scan the area until I find her laptop bag and her purse. I pick up her purse, searching for her wallet and her phone. The wallet is here, but her phone is not. I walk around the living room, wondering where her phone is. Pulling the cell from my Carhart jacket, I find her contact and call her phone. I listen close, one ring, two…
“Hello, you’ve reached Ashley Jennings, please leave a message after the beep.”
Dead end, I stare at the light coming from her office, this is where she does all her work, I should find something in there.
“Justin, I’m going to check out her office, will you check her bedroom and the bathroom?”
“You got it.”
[[Enter Ashley's office.]]
I shuffle the orange backpack out of the way and grab the camping gear. With this backpack, we’ll have rope, tents, knives, and an axe. This way we can be ready for whatever comes our way.
“We need flashlights,” Justin says.
I pull the camping gear off and hand it to Justin. I then grab the orange backpack and shuffle through, grabbing both flashlights and the go-pro to record what we encounter.
[[Follow the boot prints.]]
I shuffle cameras and recorders around until I find the GoPro, and the new Fenix long-distance flashlight, which I can't wait to test out, but I never thought it would be under these circumstances. This will be worth every penny if it finds clues to where Ashley is.
I affix the GoPro camera to my head and hit record. Justin pans the flashlight back and forth across the gravel over to the grass and muddy portion of Ashley’s parking area, signaling the end of the storm.
“Hold it, shine the flashlight right there Justin.”
“Here?”
“Yep, look at the tire tracks right beside Ashley’s Bronco.”
[[Examine the tire tracks.]]
"Are we following the rules for this?" Jusin asks.
"Rule number two of surviving the Appalachians, if you hear something, no you didn't."
I crouch down by the tracks, while Justin positions the light to illuminate the tracks left behind. I pull out my cell, pulling up my camera to photograph the tread. I run the picture in an app that tells you the model, size, and type of vehicle you can normally find them on.
“These are factory-made Mercedes Benz tires, size twenty, which would be used on their SUVs.”
“Who would drive that around here? This is a poor community, not a rich community.” Justin states.
“They can only be from Mr. Foster, the family servant of the Gentry family. It has to be him since Wallace was the last remaining Gentry family member, and he disappeared too. That’s who brought the mirror to Ashley.”
"These tracks were made within the last day."
Justin shines the light around the area. "Look Bas, there's tracks that show whoever was here, backed into the spot. It looks as if they were in a hurry as well.”
"Wait Bas, there's also boot prints leading around the cottage out into the woods."
"We could also go ahead and check out where that whistle came from. It might have to do with Ash." I suggested.
"You really think that has to do with Ash?"
"You never know, Justin, I mean we're in Appalachia."
Justin shrugs his shoulders and gestures for me to lead the way.
[[Follow the boot prints.]]
[[Check out Ashley's cottage.]]
[[Follow the whistle.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="Assets/whistle.mp3"></audio>
"You hear that?" I ask.
"Nope, and neither did you. Remember what happened last time we heard a scream in the Appalachians? We followed it and it turned out to be a Skinwalker."
"It could be Ashley!"
"It's not Ash, Bas. We know her scream from the SW incident, and it doesn't sound like that."
"Whatever, but I'll never forgive myself if it is her."
A thick fog spirals out from the thicket of woods behind the carport. If things aren’t crazy enough, let’s add the fog to the program. I dig in the orange backpack and pull out another flashlight and begin to shine the light back and forth over the ground, and that’s where I find the boot prints leading around the side of the house where the cut firewood is set into a large pile. Right into the fog.
We carefully follow the footprints around the left side of the cottage, past the pile of chopped wood, past the back deck into the forest that surrounds Ashley’s home. The trees were skeletal with gnarled limbs looking to reach out and encompass you in their arms as the leaves continue changing color and falling over the ground. This makes it difficult to keep a direct line of sight of the deep prints in the drying mud. Every few feet we have to stop and brush leaves aside to find the tracks. It was odd, the tread looked to be from hiking boots, not something you’d find on a well-to-do former servant to the rich.
I could hear the loud steps of our boots on the cold, stiff ground, and the crunch of leaves and small branches under our feet. That’s it, just our movements. The woods are silent, no bird song, no scurrying rodents, no calls of deer or elk. Nothing but silence. Anyone born and raised in the Appalachians knew that can only mean one thing, something unnatural was near, but what? That’s where we lost the tracks, where the forest closes off to one small trail surrounding us with tall trees and foliage that made the night even darker than it should be. Whoever it had been walking out this way by the size of the tread had to be male, they also didn’t seem to worry if anyone could follow them. Then the trail just ends.
“He had to go off the trail right here, don’t you think Justin?”
Justin crouches down to take a closer look. He then points into the dense forest, “It looks as if whoever this was left the hiking trail right here and kept moving deeper in.”
[[Turn around and head back to the cottage.]]
[[Keep moving forward to find where the footprints lead.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="Assets/scream.mp3"></audio>
As we walk back to the cottage the motion lights come on. That’s strange because they didn’t turn on while we were walking through here before. My chest tightens and I begin to gasp for air. I bend down, putting my hands on my knees as I try to suck in deep breaths. I look over to find Justin on his knees, coughing, and covering his mouth with the bottom of his t-shirt. The fog is so thick now that I can taste burning wood and copper. There’s no moisture in this fog, which isn’t normal. After I take a few deep breaths and check on Justin who stands and signals he’s okay with a nod. We start walking back around the house, but we have to stop periodically and take deep breaths again. What should’ve taken us five minutes has taken us twenty minutes.
We stand in front of the cottage and take in the fog.
“This isn’t normal, look, Justin, it’s only on the left half of the cottage and woods.”
“Is this even fog? It smells like burnt metal and wax.”
“I think we should go inside and check out the cottage. Get out of this fog or whatever it is.”
“I don’t know Bas; I think we should grab the camping gear and go back into the woods and find out what Mr. Foster was up to.”
[[Check out Ashley's cottage.]]
[[Grab the camping gear.]]
We decide to continue forward and study tree limbs for breaks. Justin moves aside leaves to see if we can make out any footprints. Here and there we find partial prints in the leaves, grass, and mud left behind from the storm.
“The fog is getting thicker; I can barely see anything now,” Justin says what I’m thinking.
“It’s getting harder to take deep breaths.” I pull out a handkerchief from my jeans and tie it around my mouth and nose. I notice Justin does the same and we continue following the footprints.
“Hold on! You hear that?”
“There’s a creek about a mile ahead, it must be coming from there,” I assure him.
[[Continue on towards the creek.]]
<script>
setup.music.play();
</script>
The trees were like harbingers of doom as we continue to make our way to the creek. I look up into the night sky and all I could see were storm clouds spiraling out of control. It was like the atmosphere, including the forest warning us that we should stop and turn back.
As Justin moves the branches away from his face, I continue to duck underneath the branches while looking at the forest floor for any other sign that we were moving in the right direction, but I could see nothing.
“Holy Shit! Bas, look.”
I follow the direction Justin is pointing in to see a large tree stump with an antique square mirror sitting on top. The creek is sitting behind it like a weird backdrop.
“Is that the mirror?” Justin inquired.
I could tell from the pictures it was the same mirror. “That’s it, that’s the mirror Ashley was investigating.”
The first thing I noticed is the fog seems to be coming from inside the mirror. Everything behind and around it has no fog. That’s when I realize I can breathe easier, I step to the side of the mirror completely out of the fog, and I no longer taste charred wood and copper. Justin steps to the left of the mirror and takes a deep breath of the crisp night air.
“Ashley told me about this stuff, only she called it mist. She said she could see it coming out of the mirror. I didn’t believe her. She was right.” I say, worrying about all the mistakes I made by not taking all her concerns seriously.
“So, this is the mirror? The one Ashley says has the entity in it?”
“This is it. Since we’re here, let’s study the mirror and see if we can find this entity.”
“I don’t know about this Bas, maybe we should go back to the cottage and check out and see if Ash left any notes about it.”
[[Investigate the mirror.]]
[[Check out Ashley's cottage.]]
“No, Justin. Let’s investigate the mirror. We can always go back to her cottage.”
We stand in front of the mirror.
“We don’t have a reflection, yet I can see the trees, bushes, the full moon, and the creek in the mirror,” I say in complete shock.
“I don’t know man, this is abnormal. Last time I checked I wasn’t a vampire. You?”
“That’s a big fat no ghost rider.”
Somehow, like we are conjoined twins, we begin moving in sync closer to the mirror. Nothing changes, except the fog in the mirror becomes thicker, and I swear I could hear footsteps coming from inside the mirror. “I know you have to hear that, right Justin?”
“The footsteps on stone? Yeah, I hear it. Someone is in the mirror.”
“Ashley? Ashley is that you?” I call out.
“Why of course it is not Miss Jennings.” A man’s voice emanating from the mirror. It's the same voice from earlier only now it has a British accent.
“What the…”
[[Run back to the truck.]]
[[Question the voice coming from the mirror.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="Assets/walking on floor.mp3"></audio>
Justin runs ahead of me as I stumble my way back to the truck. The fog was dissipating, clearing my vision as we haul ass back around the house to the truck. I open up the back throwing the orange backpack in. Carelessly, I throw my flashlight and go-pro on the dash of the truck. Justin is already in the truck yelling at me to get the hell out of here. I start the engine and back up fast enough to slide the truck sideways. Slamming my foot on the brakes, I put the truck in drive and peel down the driveway as fast as I could.
“What are we going to do, Bas?”
“I think we need to go to the police on this one.”
“You’re right, we don’t have the capabilities to deal with whatever is going on back there.”
<img src="Assets/maninroad.jpg">
I slam on the brakes as I see a figure standing in the middle of the driveway. Their back turned towards us with a flashlight illuminating the road ahead.
I hear a voice in my head telling me to go back. I look over at Justin who is staring straight ahead at the figure.
"Did you hear a voice in your head too?"
"Yep."
[[Get out and confront the stranger.]]
[[Put truck in reverse.]]
Justin and I share a look as lighting cuts across the sky.
“Who are you?” Justin asks.
“No need to worry who I am.” It says.
“Where’s Ashley?” I ask.
“Why she is here with me, we are getting along famously.”
“Where is here?” Justin asks as he touches the glass of the mirror.
“Why, we are in the spirit realm.”
“Is Ashley dead?” I ask with trepidation.
“No, she is not technically dead, her soul just belongs to me.”
“Give her back!” I scream into the mirror.
<img src="Assets/maninmirror.jpg">
A man comes into view, he’s tall, about 6’3 or 6’4. He’s thin and wearing a suit and top hat I associate with the 1700’s. He walks closer and closer until just his face becomes visible. He was handsome, but you could see his face change to an old woman, then back to himself, and then the face of Ashley appears.
[[Talk to Ashley's image.]]“Ashley, is it really you?” I can’t believe Ashley is right in front of me inside this mirror.
“Bas, you have to leave! Just forget about me. You and Justin need to save yourselves.” Ashley states as her face begins to deform and change back to the entity.
Justin puts his hand on my shoulder and says, “Maybe we should leave and call in the police.”
“Oh now, you do not want to that, all the police will see is their reflection.”
“Who the hell are you?” I demand.
“I will tell you who I am, but only if you choose to stay.”
[[Stay.]]
[[Run back to the truck.]]
<img src="Assets/manoncobblestonestreet.jpg">
I look over to Justin, “I’m staying, do what you need to, bro.”
“I’m staying too.”
I look back at the entity, “Okay so who are you?”
“I am Sir Mackelson, I reside in this realm of the souls. Or what you would call the mirror. Some, like the lovely Miss Jennings would call me the Soul Stealer.”
“Soul Stealer? Why did you take Ashley?”
“Her soul is pure, that is exactly what I needed for my collection.”
I move forward sticking my nose up to the glass. “We want Ashley back!”
“Give her back now!” Justin screams causing ripples within the mirror’s image.
“I will not deal with infants. If you want your friend back, this is what you need to do.”
I move back as the mirror’s image changes into Ashley staring in the mirror back at the office in her cottage. All we can see is her mouth wide open screaming the word no. Then she just vanishes into the mirror. “I don’t understand what you want us to do. I will do anything to save her!”
“Then you shall come closer to the mirror and repeat after me. I accept that my soul will belong to you if only to release the purest amongst us. Return Ashley Jennings’s soul for ours.”
I swallow hard. “Ours? You mean Justin and I have to give up both our souls to save her?”
“Now, now, it is not for your soul immediately, you will just become mine after you die.”
[[Accept the arrangement.]]
[[Confront the entity.]]
Justin and I walk down by the creek to discuss the matter.
“You don’t have to do this Justin. I can’t be responsible for you losing your soul.”
“This seems to be the only way to get her back. Look, I know you’re in love with her man, and I’m willing to do this so you can be with Ashley the way you’ve always wanted. I mean what the hell am I going to do with a soul after I die anyway?” Justin shrugs his shoulders to emphasize his choice. He's always been this way. Willing to do anything to help an innocent.
“You sure? Okay, let’s do this.”
We walk back to face the mirror, my palms are sweaty, there’s a huge lump in my throat, and my skin feels like it wants to run away from my bones. I’m shaking, but I will do anything to save her.
“I accept that my soul will belong to you if only to release the purest amongst us. Return Ashley Jennings' soul for ours.” We both say in unison. I can now see us in the mirror, our reflections are clear. A ripple goes through the mirror and then standing before me with her arms outstretched for us to grab is Ashley. We grab her arms, but instead of pulling her out, she’s pulling us in. I’m inside the mirror, Justin is inside the mirror, and Ashley is nowhere in sight. All of a sudden, we see an older man dressed in a raincoat and rain hat standing in front of the mirror. It's Jacob Foster. He looks down at the ground. I look down and see a reddish-black substance on the ground before the tree stump. Foster has a large white sheet, and he tosses it forward and all I can see is white. The last thing I hear is Ash’s voice.
“I told you to run.”
The End.
Want to play again?
[[Go to Begin Story->Begin Story.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="Assets/mystical.mp3"></audio>Even with the light on, there is so much hidden in darkness and shadow. Her desk was the only thing the light still illuminates, which made sense since it is her desk lamp. I turn the overhead light on and that’s when I see it. A dark pool of a reddish-black substance on her carpet. Her black cat, Moon is lapping at it.
<img src="Assets/blackcat.jpg">
“Moon, what are you doing?” I pick him up off the floor and he hisses and scratches my arms to let him back down where he goes back to lapping at the dark pool. I crouch down and swipe my index finger through the substance which feels like an oily, congealing pudding. The color is a blackish-red color. The smell is of burning wood and metal. I bring my finger to my mouth, and I can taste the burnt pennies. It was blood, but not blood at the same time. Wiping my finger on my pants, I turn and walk over to her desk. Her chair is off to the side of the desk and that’s where I found her phone, lying on the floor, forgotten.
Picking it up off the ground, I try to power it on, but it’s dead. I find her charger and plug it into her phone. This will give me answers as to whom she spoke with, and the last time she used it. I pull the chair over to me and take a seat just staring at the black screen in front of me.
“Bas, you have to come see this.”
[[Meet up with Justin in the bathroom.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="Assets/catgrowl.mp3">I enter the bathroom to see Justin standing by the sink, staring at the floor. I look down and notice broken pieces of glass all over the black tile floor. I kneel on the floor and notice some pieces have old blood on them. Moon trots into the bathroom jumping on the counter of the sink and meows at us.
I stand up and look into the sink.
“That’s why I called you.”
In the sink, there’s a message written in blood that says: I see you. Did Ashley write this or someone else? I look back down at the glass on the floor and now I can see pieces of Ashley in their reflection. “Justin, are you seeing what I’m seeing?”
“If you see pieces of Ash in the broken shards, then yes, I see what you see.”
Justin looks up at the stark white ceiling, I think he was hoping to see her up there. Hell, I am too. we look back down at the pieces to see Ashley's mouth open in a silent scream, and then just disappears. Justin looks back at me.
“How is this possible Bas, how can we see her?”
“I don’t know bro. I don’t understand any of this.”
“Maybe we’ll find something in her bedroom.”
“Or maybe, we go back to her office and look over her notes. No matter what, I think we need to stick together.”
[[Enter Ash's bedroom.]]
[[Go back to her office.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="Assets/hungrycat.mp3"></audio>As we walk into Ash’s bedroom, the first thing to hit me was her smell. I could smell the fresh scent of the Egyptian oil that she wears every day. She says it made her feel beautiful and alive. She has always been beautiful to me. Her bedroom was done in royal blues, her favorite color. Every stuffed animal I have ever won for her over the years lines up on the day bed against the wall in her corner. Her actual bed looks as if she left it in a rush, the grey linen pillows and sheets were strewn across the bed. She never starts her day with her bed looking like this, which adds to the concern I have.
“Bas, look at the mirror above her dresser.”
I look over to the corner and see the cracks throughout it. She broke this mirror as well, and in the broken pieces is another message: The answer is on my computer.
“I think she knew Justin. I think she knew something was going to happen to her. She’s trying to help us save her.”
He claps me on the shoulder and says, “Then let’s save your Pixie.”
[[Go back to her office.]]
We make our way back down the dimly lit hallway to her office. I take a seat back at her desk and move the computer mouse to bring the computer screen back to life.
<img src="Assets/screenshot.png">
A frozen photo of the mirror is on the screen. The mirror was directly across from the computer on a wooden table, right where Moon...
I swivel the chair around and look down at Moon where he is back lapping at the pool on the carpet. I can see the imprints from where the table rests on the carpet. Where is the table? Where is the mirror that was on the table? None of this is making any sense. I turn back to the computer and close out the photo sitting on the screen. I look over her files until I find her current investigation on the Gentry mirror. I open the file and peruse her notes. A grey mist begins to obstruct my vision.
“What is this fog? Where the hell is it coming from?”
I look up and notice a fog rolling in through the window behind her computer. This is unnatural fog, she told me about this, is this coming from the mirror or the forest itself? I point out to Justin where the fog is coming from. He walks over and closes the window. We wait for this mist or fog to dissipate before I sit back down to look over her notes.
Justin pulls a chair up beside me and points to the screen.
[[Open notes file.]]
[[Open video file.]]
<img src="Assets/notes.png">
She deals with so many strange occurrences, that it doesn't make sense as to why she is so afraid. I hope something in her notes will tell the tale. She deals with so many strange occurrences. I read over the notes she took on her interview with Mr. Foster, and how he believes the mirror is the cause of his employer’s disappearance. They discuss the history of the disappearances, they talk about the strange occurrences that happen around the time of the disappearances, they talk about the stain left behind.
I turn and look at the reddish-black substance Moon was still lapping at. This is the exact same stain left behind after Charles Gentry disappearance. A huge lump resides in my throat as a mysterious voice begins to speak.
“Hello. Hello? HELLO!” the voice repeats.
Now, if you know anything about the Appalachian Mountains, you know never to respond. That can make things worse. Justin walks back into the office looking around for the voice we hear.
“What the hell was that?”
I put my finger up to my lips to be silent.
“I can see you!”
My eyes widen at the deep razor-sharp voice coming from nowhere.
“Bas, that came from inside the house, I’ve been in every room including the basement and the attic, and there isn’t anything that explains this.”
“What about the air ducts?”
“Nobody can get in those. Even though it seems to be coming from inside the house, maybe it’s coming from outside the house. I think I’m going to go outside to see what I can see.”
“Alright, Justin. Be careful man.”
I hear the door close behind Justin as he exits the cottage. A ding from Facetime catches my attention. Who could be trying to Facetime Ashley right now?
[[Open Facetime.]]
Using the mouse, I open the Video file which has several video clips.
“Start from the beginning, Bas. Hopefully, this will give us answers.”
<img src="Assets/foggymirror.jpg">
I open 1-A, and it shows an ornate wooden mirror with grey mist coming out of it. “What the hell? You seeing this, Justin?”
“I see it, looks familiar, doesn’t it?”
“I need to speed up the video. This is eight hours long.”
[[Speed up first video.]]
[[Open next video.]]Where's Ashley?
Written and created by: Sydney Montgomery.
[[Begin Story.]]
I hover the mouse over the Facetime icon and click open the window. It’s dark, you can’t see anything in the window, but I can hear distant screams. I don’t understand what’s going on.
“Hello?”
Crackling answers my question. Then a conversation takes place. I try to listen in carefully to hear what is being said.
“I don’t belong to you!”
Is that Ashley’s voice I hear? I reach up and turn the volume up on her computer speakers. I hear a lot of static and then I hear it, deep, melodic, and gravelly is the voice I hear, just like the voice from earlier.
“Oh no lovely, you…mine the moment my…entered your home.” The male voice said. I couldn’t make out the whole sentence, it’s almost like picking up voices on the spirit box.
“Stay away from…monster!” I believe it’s Ashley who shoots back at the mysterious man.
“Sebastian…hear me…look at…hurry…too late.”
“That is…how the game…” The man answers. A shiver runs down my spine every time I hear this man’s voice.
“You can’t have them!” Ashley yells. I know now for sure this is Ashley, but who is this man?
“No more from you, my sweet.”
The Facetime cuts off. Where the hell is she? Who the hell is she with?
I jump when I hear Justin’s voice cut through the window.
“Bas, nothing is out here.”
“Forget about that, come back in here.”
[[Open a second notes file.]]
[[Open video file.]] Justin rushes back into the office as I open the second file on her computer with the title of “Notes.”
“Bas, I don’t understand what’s going on. Are we going crazy, cuz I know I heard a creepy man’s voice.” Justin mentions as he takes the seat next to me.
“You think that’s bad. I just heard a partial conversation between Ash and the man’s voice. Here, put these headphones on and see if you can fill in the blanks on that conversation while I look at these notes.”
“What is going on?”
I shrug my shoulders because I have nothing to say to that. I mean, it all sounds crazy, but I know Ash is anything but crazy, and neither are we. I read over the notes about Michael Evans. I nudge Justin in the side and point at the screen.
<img src="Assets/newspaper.png">
“Oh, shit Justin! Michael Evans, the creator of the Gentry mirror is the great, great, great grand uncle of Jacob Foster.” I state in excitement.
“You mean the guy who made the mirror for Charles Gentry is a relative to the family of servants? That sounds fishy.”
“Exactly what I thought! You get anywhere on that Facetime convo?” I ask him this because Justin is the best at deciphering what low distant voices are saying.
“Ash seems to be telling you to open the video file.”
"Her last note says check out her website."
[[See Ashley's webpage?]]
[[Open video file.]]
I hit 2x on the video so we can see everything that happens. As the video continues, we can hear the voice that’s coming out of the mirror calling Ashley by name. She comes into the office and looks into the mirror. We can’t see what she sees, but we can hear what is going on.
“What do you want with me?” Ashley questions the mirror.
“I only want your company for a short time?” The man’s voice says.
“Are you in the mirror or are you the mirror?”
“Well, I must say sweets that is the first time anyone has asked this question. We are the same. Now look deep into my eyes and see the truth.”
We watch closely as Ashley gets closer and closer to the mirror. The silence is deafening until we hear her screams, and she bolts from the room. What’s left is a shadow of a tall person laughing. That’s the end of the first video.
“That gave me more questions than answers, Bas.”
“That is going to give me nightmares, Justin.”
We share a look and discuss which video we should view next.
[[Open next video.]]
[[Jump to last video.]]
We watch in horror as a grotesque face peeks out of the mirror for a split second. The video distorts, so it’s hard to know if the face is grotesque because of what resides in it or if it’s from the video. Everything looks off: the table, her planter that sits in the window opposite the computer, and even the carpet distorts. There’s no way to understand what it is we are seeing. Ashley rushes in and pushes the mirror off the table and begins to stomp on it. All you can hear is her screams of rage and glass as it shatters under her feet. Then the video ends abruptly. Onto the next one.
[[Open video three.]]
[[Jump to last video.]] I open the last video which shows Moon walking past the computer. I’m guessing that’s how this video begins to record. The room is dark except for the full moon reflecting in the mirror. We can hear her front door open, and boots walking across the floor. We soon see an arm cross over the camera and the light comes on.
“It is about time you arrived nephew.” A voice calls from the mirror.
“My apologies, I just received your message an hour ago. Are you ready?” I’m guessing that is Mr. Foster responding, even though I can only see the back of his raincoat.
“Not quite, she was speaking to someone before I devoured her. I want to know who she was talking to.”
I watch as Mr. Foster, who looks to be thin and in his mid-sixties or seventies, turns and walks over to her desk, he picks up her phone and tries to open it. Lucky for me, he is unable to do so. He throws it to the ground and picks up Moon.
“Well, aren’t you a pretty kitty?” We hear hisses as we watch Moon scratch at the eyes of Mr. Foster who drops him to the ground.
A gravelly chuckle emanates from the mirror.
“You find that humorous do you, dear uncle?”
“Yes, I do find it quite funny. Now listen to me. We need to set a trap for whomever she was speaking with. Find a place where we can set the trap.”
“I know right where to set it.”
Mr. Foster throws the white sheet over the mirror, picks it up, and leaves the room. This is the last we see of Ashley, the entity, the mirror, and Mr. Foster.
I turn to Justin, “We have to track down that mirror!”
“And fall into their trap? Why the hell should we do that?”
“It’s the only way to find answers.”
“Look Bas, there’s a video message flashing on the screen.”
“That wasn’t there before. Oh shit, it has my name as the title.”
[[Open message titled Sebastian.]]
[[Search for clues outside.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="Assets/door.mp3"></audio>
The third video starts, and we watch in complete amazement as the mirror pieces itself back together and I guess hops is the best way to describe how it makes its way back onto the table. It looks as if nothing happens to it, it looks brand new.
<img src="Assets/gentrymirror.jpg">
“How is this even possible? The video has to be in reverse.”
“If it’s in reverse then why can’t we see Ash jumping up and down on the mirror, Justin?”
“Even the pearl necklaces are back in place. None of this makes sense. Go to the next video.”
[[Start video number four.]]
[[Jump to last video.]] I click on the next one and we see only the reflection of the computer and the window open behind it. It seems nothing is going on, but then Ashley walks in and stops in the doorway, she drops the broom and dustpan to the floor. Her mouth is agape finding the mirror fully intact. Ashley falls to the floor, head in her hands, and all you can hear is deep gut-wrenching sobs coming from her. My heart breaks seeing her like that. If only I had come right after our text conversation ended. She wouldn’t have had to go through this alone if I had been there. She kneels there for five minutes before she wipes the tears from her eyes and grabs a white sheet, throwing it over the mirror. She then picks up her cell and dials a number. The video ends right there.
[[Go to the fifth video.]]
[[Jump to last video.]]
“Bas, I don’t know what to think about all of this. Are we sure this is even real?”
“Of course it’s real. Ash would never concoct something like this. Even to scare us into believing she disappeared.”
Justin shakes his head, “you’re right. I’m sorry. It’s just that I can’t fathom how this mirror can do all these things. I mean it’s just a mirror, right?”
“I’m beginning to think that it’s an entity unto itself.”
I open the next video and see a man standing by a light pole dressed in a mid-17th century suit and top hat. He leans against the light pole and watches. What is he watching for?
“Justin, this looks just like the photo Ash texted me towards the end of our last conversation.”
Ashley then enters the office looking down at her cell phone. She moves to the side of the computer and from the quick flash you can tell she took a picture. This has to be during our texting session.
“Do you see that, Bas? She just took the picture. This has to be the final time she had contact with anyone.”
We watch as she sits down by the computer, and you can see the man in the mirror walking towards her. She begins to type into her cell phone. She then gets up and moves in front of the mirror. You can see her having a conversation with the mirror. I turn up the speakers some more so we can hear. Ashley’s voice begins to distort with the entity, and it sounds as if their voices blend together before we see their mouths open wide and then she’s just gone. She vanished into the mirror and on the floor is that spot before the video ends.
“What the? Look, Bas, there’s another video. How is that possible?”
“I don’t know brother, but I think we have no choice but to look at it.”
[[Jump to last video.]]
Sweat begins to form on my brow as I just stare at the message blinking. A jolt of fear slides down my spine as my hands begin to shake.
“I don’t think I should open this.” I stand up and begin to pace back and forth trying to pull myself together. I hear a click, and I turn to see Justin opening the message. “What are you doing?”
“I’m biting the bullet for you. Oh boy, you need to listen to this.” Justin begins. “Bas, this is the last chance I have to save you and myself in the process. You have to trick the entity in the mirror. You’re going to have to play by his rules. But you also need to make sure you have the camping supplies. You’ll need rope, fire, and an axe. Now read carefully because I don’t have a lot of time before this message disappears. Wrap the rope around your waist, then make a fire in front of the mirror, finally take the axe and…damn the message deleted itself.”
“I think it’s time we find that mirror.”
[[Search for clues outside.]]
[[Dissect the message.]]
“Wait Bas, I think we should dissect this together. We’re missing a big piece to this puzzle. What do we do with the axe?”
“I think we use it to destroy the mirror and burn it, I think she’s telling us how to destroy the entity and the mirror.”
“Come on Bas, that makes no sense. You saw what happened when Ash tried to destroy the mirror, it just reforms.”
“Then what do you think the axe means?”
“Maybe it means to kill the entity in the mirror.”
“How the hell can we do that?”
“By playing his game, but with an alternate ending.”
“Maybe I should check out Ash’s bedroom again for more clues. I mean I haven’t found her voice recorder. Have you?”
“No, but I think we’re wasting time not hunting down this mirror.”
[[Search for clues outside.]]
[[Search Ashley's bedroom again.]]
I walk out of the office and head down the dark hallway to Ashley’s bedroom. I’m unsure of what I’m looking for, but somehow deep inside I know this is where I’ll find the answer. I turn on her light and walk over to her dresser with the mirror. I study the cracks. I even count them, there are seventeen cracks. Moon jumps up on the dresser and purrs at me. I look at him as he looks down on top of the dresser. There’s a message on the dresser itself.
The message says: You must kill the entity in the mirror while you are partially in the mirror yourself.
It was written in fresh blood. How the hell is that even possible?
[[Return to the office.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="Assets/catpurrs.mp3"></audio>I near the office and I can hear Ash’s voice loud and clear. I walk in to find Justin writing something down while listening to her voice recorder.
“Where did you find that?”
“Top drawer of her desk.” Justin goes back to writing down something as I listen to Ash’s voice talk about how this evil has to stop and there has to be a way to destroy the entity and the mirror. It’s the only way to save us all.
“What are you writing down.”
He hands me the notepad and I read, according to research done by Ashley on how to destroy cursed items, you must first find a way to release the entity from the item, then destroy the item with fire.
“It will never work!” That man’s voice sounds throughout the room.
“Who the hell are you and what the hell do you want?” I scream out in frustration.
“For you to come and find me.”
“Oh, I’ll find you, then I’ll save Ashley, then I’ll destroy you.” My attempt to be in charge fails by the cringe-worthy laugh echoing through the room.
“Bro, who the hell are you talking to?”
“What? You mean you don’t hear his voice?”
“No, not right now.”
“I know what to do, let’s go.”
[[Search for clues outside.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="Assets/creepylaugh.mp3"></audio>
We walk over to the creek and prepare. Justin takes out two bundles of rope from the camping supplies. He ties one around my waist. I tie the other to his waist, and then we wrap the rest of the rope around a black oak tree that’s hundreds of years old and sturdy. I tie it in a clove-hitch knot, and we then proceed back to the mirror.
“So, what is your decision.” Mr. Mackelson screeches out.
“I accept that my soul will belong to you if only to release the purest amongst us. Return Ashley Jennings’s soul for ours.” Justin and I sing out together.
I then see in the mirror’s reflection our faces distort into a thin, gray face with long stringy black hair, purplish-black eyes, and black jagged teeth. It was the entity, I was sure. How he makes us look like him, I have no clue. Our mouths begin to widen and I can see a grayish-white mist leaving my mouth into the mirror, and that’s when I feel him grab me and I see Ashley reaching out for me. I grab her arms and scream, “Now!”
Justin who is halfway into the mirror strikes the entity with the axe to the head as I pull back away from the mirror dragging Ashley out with me.
“Bas, are you okay?”
I can’t help but smile as my Pixie lays on top of me in my arms concern for my well-being written on her face. “Am I okay, are you okay?”
She wipes the reddish-black substance out of her face and says, “Never been better.”
She stands up and I follow her lead. “Where’s Justin?”
“Oh no.” she gasps.
I look over to where she is looking and I see half of Justin’s body lying on the ground, blood spurting from his lower half. His legs twitch on the ground as if they are trying to find a way to run away from what happened. I search for the other half of him, but he’s gone. Justin is dead.
“Bas, we have to destroy the mirror, we can honor Justin best by doing that.” She says through the sobs escaping her.
[[Destroy the mirror.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="Assets/creek.mp3"></audio>Ash and I grab dry leaves and broken tree limbs to build a fire. The wind fights against the flame in my hand. Ashley steps in front of me, lifting her hands to protect the lighter from the wind. We work together to light the fire.
<img src="Assets/bonfire.jpg">
Ashley notices the white sheet on the ground behind the tree stump. She quickly covers the mirror. A voice comes out of the mirror deep, ferocious, and stilted.
“No, you cannot do this, for this will…”
“Shut up! Do it guys, do it quick before it’s too late.” A distorted voice that sounds like Justin says.
Ash and I grab the mirror on either side and throw it into the fire. A cacophony of screams is heard as the glass cracks and breaks apart in the fire. The wood of the mirror shoots hot embers into the skies as it burns. The last thing we hear before the entire thing is engulfed is the cries of all the innocents who were trapped inside.
“Thank you, Bas, for everything.”
“I would do anything for you Pixie, cuz I’m in love with you.”
“I love you too, Bas. I always have.”
We sit on the cold wet ground and watch as the souls return home to the heavens. I hear a loud meow coming up beside Ash. It's Moon.
"Moon!" Ash exclaims before picking him up and rubbing her face against his. "I missed you so much."
I smile at the scene, stand up and offer my hand to her free one. She takes it and I pull her to her feet.
[[Face unexpected visitor.]]
[[Get me out of here.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="Assets/mystical.mp3"></audio>Out from the shadows comes Jacob Foster. He slowly makes his way towards us.
"You're too late, Mr. Foster. We destroyed the mirror and released all the souls trapped inside." Ashley tells him point of factly.
"I am afraid to tell you this, but you in fact did not." Jacob raises his hands in the air and speaks in a language I've never heard before. The sky darkens with fresh clouds covering the moon. Lighting stikes across the sky, and Ash pulls at my arm.
"Bas, we have to get out of here. Please Bas, get us out of here before it's too late." I look into her eyes and can see the fear radiating out. I imagine I look the same to her. I grab her hand, she holds onto Moon tightly, and we start running back towards the cottage. About halfway down the trail, we half turn and look back only to see the mirror hanging in the air, moving backwards to sit on the tree trunk. Glass flies out of the fire, piecing itself back together. I turn around and pull Ashley behind me.
We make it back to the truck outside her cottage only to hear menacing laughter. I open the passenger door for Ashley to get in and slam the door shut. I jump over the hood and get in the driver's seat. Ashley's turns and looks out of the back window as I start the truck.
"Hurry Bas, they're coming!"
I put the car in drive and speed down the driveway. I look in the rearview mirror and I see Jacob walking in front of the cottage carrying the mirror in his arms. I pull my gaze away and make a hasty left turn onto the main road heading back to town.
The End.
Want to play again?
[[Go to Begin Story->Begin Story.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="Assets/bells.mp3"></audio>
<script>
setup.music.pause();
setup.music.currentTime = 0;
</script>
"Get me out of here, bas, please." She pleads.
"As you wish."
Ashley places her hands on either side of my face, pulling me towards her. She rises up on her toes and lays her lips on mine. This is what I have been waiting for the entire time I have known her. She tastes of her strawberry carmex and woman. I have finally got my girl and I will never let her go. I pull back from the kiss and place my forehead against hers. "Let's get out of here."
"Moon!" Ash exclaims. I look down and see Moon standing by the fire. Ashley picks him up and rubs her face against his and is rewarded with a purr. Together we leave the woods behind.
The End.
Want to play again?
[[Go to Begin Story->Begin Story.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="Assets/catpurrs.mp3"></audio><img src="Assets/appalachia.jpg">
"I don't like this idea, Bas."
"The rain stopped, and everything is quiet, what better time to search for the whistle?"
"You really think it has anything to do with Ashley's dissapearance?"
"I think we'd be stupid not too, even though every nerve in my body is telling me no, but I can't risk the chance that we didn't do everything to find Ashley. Even if it is breaking rules made long ago for human protection."
"We might as well, since we're breaking rule number four too, never go into the woods at night. I hope this answers some questions about Ash, and not just one of these cryptids trying to lure us into their web, so they can devour us." Justin said nervously.
"You grab the shotgun from the back of the explorer?"
Justin pulls the double barrel out and says, "never go into the woods without it."
The source of the whistle is coming from the right, so that's where we begin. The full moon lit our way as the clouds began to disperse. This was strange, Ash and I have walked this path a hundred times at least, but only during daylight hours. The game trail we are on is a testament to the age of the Appalachians. The Appalachians are hundreds of millions years old, although I would bet the ancient mountain range is probably more around the hundreds of billions years in age.
We come upon what Ash calls the tree of life's grandbaby. The base of the tree has to be more than a hundred and fifty inches around. This great hemlock tree stands at least a hundred feet tall. It is definitely the tallest tree in this area of the forest. The game trail spit in two at this point. The question was, right or left?
[[Go right.]]
[[Go left.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="Assets/whistle.mp3"></audio>
"What the hell is that?"
"Not sure, but it was coming from down there." I point to the left.
"You first," Justin says.
We start to go left of the hemlock. As we walk down the path, the uneasy tension sends a sharp quiver of fear up my spine. The complete silence of the forest begins to make my hands shake. I stop, Justin stops. "You hear that, Justin?"
"It's what I don't hear that bothers me."
"Exactly my point."
I scan my surroundings, looking for the cause of the unseemly silence all around us. Justin slaps at my arm and points to the treeline. I follow his gaze and spot something not too distant and I freeze.
<img src="Assets/sasquatch.jpg">
Justin raises the shotgun, but I stay his arm. "Bro, that's a Sasquatch, don't shoot at it, remember they always come in pairs."
"You're right. I can't believe I forgot about last summer when we were tracking a female Sasquatch and that male Sasquatch started making tree bangs. I still believe that male was warning the female she was being followed."
"Exactly, so shooting it would be stupid."
Justin lowers the weapon and we walk backwards about a quarter mile before turning and walking back to the hemlock.
[[Go right.]]
[[Go back to the truck.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="Assets/creepylaugh.mp3"><audio></audio>
Shrugging our shoulders we head down the path on the right side of the ancient tree. The density of the trees swallows the light from the moon illuminating our progress. We pretend not to hear the call of a cryptid, most likely a Skinwalker, or possibly even Sasquatch, but the sound is off. The path switches from wet leaves and grass to a dirt foot path that is muddy due to the short heavy rainfall we just had. I step to the right of the path to keep from falling on my ass, as Justin, who isn't paying attention slides forward almost doing a split in the mud. I reach out and grab the backpack hanging on his back to steady him as he finds his footing.
"Thanks man."
"No problem, but I would walk on the grass next to the path if I was you."
"Might as well break rule number seven and leave the path." Justin states with a roll of his eyes.
We continue on for about half a mile when we see it.
<img src="Assets/wendigo.jpg">
[[Turn slowly and walk away hurriedly.]]
[[Shoot at it.]]
"Welp, that's a Wendigo. What do we do now?" I ask Justin.
"We follow rule number three, when you see something, no you didn't, turn and walk away," he replies.
We casually turn away as quickly as possible without running until we make it back to the hemlock tree.
[[Go left.]]
[[Go back to the truck.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="Assets/cryptid.mp3"></audio>
The Wendigo starts rushing towards us. We stand our ground as Justin wastes no time, lines up the shotgun to the Wendigo and starts shooting until it goes down.
"Shit, good shooting."
"It's down, but who knows for how long. Let's get out of here."
We walk back to the hemlock tree and make a decision on where we want to go from here.
[[Go left.]]
[[Go back to the truck.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="Assets/shotgun.mp3"></audio>
We make our way back to the truck as quickly as possible, using the moonlight, and our flashlights to guide us back. We exit next to the Ash's carport. I hunch over and throw up from the events in the forest.
"Damn man, did you have chinese for dinner?"
I wipe the last of the vomit away from my mouth with my coat sleeve and say, "No, Ramen."
I take a few deep breaths and think about what we need to do next. Justin throws the shotgun back into the truck and grabs the camping gear, just in case we need it.
[[Approach the cottage.]]
[[Follow the boot prints.]]
I slam the shifter into park and step out of my truck. Justin steps out and goes to the back of the truck. I hear him open the back and closing it again quickly. He makes his way to the front of the truck and raises the shotgun, pointing it at the stranger.
Justin calls out, "can we help you? Are you lost?"
The man turns around, I raise my arm in front of my eyes as the strangr blinds me with the beam of his flashlight. He lowers the beam of light and begins to walk towards us.
"Stop right there!" Justin calls out.
The man continues and stops about fifteen feet in front of us. I take in his appearance. He stands about five feet eight, his face shows his age. "Your Jacob Foster aren't you?" I ask.
"Why yes I am. You must be Miss Jennings Editor, Sebastian Anderson." He turns his head towards Justin. "I'm sorry, but I don't believe I know you."
"Good, I think we'll keep it that way." Justin shoots back.
"Well, that's quite uncivilized," he remarks.
"Where's Ashley?" I ask.
He turns back to me and says, "Why, she's with my master of course."
"Who is your master?" Justin inquires.
"The entity in the mirror."
"And how the hell do we rescue her from the mirror?"
"Ah, ah, ah, now that would not be fun if I told you, now would it?"
I start walking towards the asshole, but Justin puts an arm up and stops me. He comes closer to me, lowering his head and whispering, "I don't think it would be a good idea to attack him. Something just ain't right about any of this."
"You're right, you're right." I concede.
I look up as I hear laughing to see Mr. Foster. "I will see you again soon, I'm sure."
A fog begins to form, and he vanishes, only leaving his laughter behind.
Justin and I exchange a look and get back in the truck.
[[Put truck in reverse.]]
<audio autoplay>
<source src="Assets/bells.mp3"></audio>
I throw the truck in reverse and step on the gas back up the driveway to Ash's cottage.
I'm not sure where to go from here, but here is where I'll stay until I find her. I throw the keys on the dash and sigh loudly, running a hand through my hair. "I don't know what to do?"
"There's only one thing we can do. We have to rescue Ashley and destroy the mirror."
I shake my head side to side to clear the doom of my thoughts. "It's the only thing we can do, you're right. It's like whatever we do something pops up and pushes back to the woods. Instead of running away, we have no choice but to stay. So, let's go get my girl back."
We step out of the truck, grabbing the backpacks out and slinging them over our shoulders. We slowly walk back to the tree stump with the mirror and stand before it. Laughter emanates out of the mirror.
"I see you have returned," the entity says.
" I want to talk to Ashley, now!"
"As is your wish."
A shadow of a woman starts to walk towards the front. It's Ashley. She locks eyes with me and frowns.
"I told you to leave, there is nothing you can do, but get yourself killed."
"I can't do that Ash."
"Be careful, Sir Mackelson is..."
"Oh no, there will be none of that my dear," the entity states.
[[Stay.]] (link: "See Ashley's webpage.")[ (open-url: "https://ashleyjenningshaun.wixsite.com/ashley-jennings-haun") ]
"Wait, there's still words popping up." Justin says. "She says, look under investigative journal. Are we being tricked? How is she giving clues to us?"
"No, look, it's her website address. I don't know how she's doing it, but leave it up to Ash to find away."
[[Search for clues outside.]]
[[Open video file.]]