Infinity Mirror - Final Chapter
Another Twisted Short Tale Ending
Another twisted short story for my Morbid Ink Project (my paid subscribers get the first look at all my stories). The tale will also be available for subscribers to Medium.
Obviously, I didn’t sleep well overnight. I tried calling the shop where Angie discovered the mirror, but they were closed. I was up late researching anything related to mirrors and curses. All I got were a couple of vague creepypasta possibilities. I’m pretty sure I can discount those.
However, I crawled out of bed and checked the house for Angie, just to make sure she didn’t show up. Her car was still in the driveway and her phone had plenty of text messages. I replied to them, saying she was out, and left her phone at the house. That should buy me another day or two, but the pressure is on.
Arriving at the building right as they opened, I instantly remembered the old place. A large, hand-painted sign, Ganna’s Stuff, sat above the weathered awning. When I stepped inside, I encountered an unfamiliar woman sitting behind the counter. Her mesmerizing eyes looked up, and I stopped, unable to think for a few seconds. She stood and extended her hand. As she introduced herself, I shook her hand, finally coming out of my trance. The woman wore a black blouse along with tight tan slacks which revealed a body that made Angie’s look pedestrian. Her raven-like hair and pale complexion gave her a natural vamp look.
“What can I do for you?”
Her words made me grin, but then I remembered my predicament. After I explained Angie’s purchase, she nodded as I finished. When I questioned her about the mirror, she lifted her hand for me to stop. When she smiled, I felt a strange sense of relief. It made no sense.
“Wait, I have something for you.” She turned away and stepped past several boxes filled with items. My eyes followed her figure going into the darkness in the back.
“Yes, I was out that day,” she called out from the back of the room. “But we found something for you which was attached to the mirror.”
She came back to the counter holding a yellowed envelope. The woman handed it to me.
“Someone stapled this letter to the back of the mirror. We found it on the floor after you left that day.”
I took the letter, then gave her a confused expression. She smiled.
“Your girlfriend paid with cash, so we didn’t have an address. You can see the staples still embedded in the paper. It just rusted away over the years and fell off when my men moved it. It’s from the manufacturer since they shipped it directly. Kind of unusual for the time. I’m guessing you wanted provenance about your item.”
“Oh, I get it. Thanks.” I replied as I quickly tore open the envelope.
Inside, I found the original bill of sale.
“Say, do you know anything about this Sheol Company?” I showed her the paper.
The woman leaned over and I caught the whiff of musk. The scent made me want to get closer.
“Oh, yes. They only manufactured that mirror for a few months in the 50s. The 1953 North Sea flood destroyed the company offices in Denmark.” Her eyes met mine, and I noticed a twinkle as she told me more about the company.
A few minutes later, she answered my questions. Her macabre description of the disaster left me uneasy since I wasn’t wanting that information. However, the answers didn’t lead me to the reasons for my girlfriend’s disappearance. As I thought about it, I guess I was hoping against hope.
“Interesting. I wonder why Angie didn’t find that on the Internet?” I frowned as I mumbled out the question.
“Well, Rob, we have information about the past that isn’t available there,” she reached over and patted my forearm. “Sometimes, it’s difficult to find information about small companies. That mirror is quite unique. Your girlfriend got it for a song. Personally, I’m glad you came back. You should always keep the documentation with your mirror. That said, did something happen?”
I almost gasped at the question. When I caught her mischievous look, my brain froze.
“N—no, it’s just a spot—on the mirror that Angie… Well, she said something appeared to move,” I stammered out.
“Oh, I see,” the woman replied and leaned forward.
“Don’t worry, it’s not haunted!” She smiled. “You really shouldn’t cover it.”
“Yeah—um—I’ll remember,” I raised my eyebrows at the comment.
As I turned away after thanking her, she reached over and caught my sleeve.
“Rob, when you get back, I highly recommend you put that envelope back in the same place. And here’s my card. I’m sure you’ll want to call me soon.”
Taking her card, I looked it over. It had her name only. I flipped the card over, but nothing else was on the cardstock. Obviously, she knew nothing about marketing.
Katen Ganna
Without thinking about it, I walked away and placed it in the old envelope. While I caught the suggestive nature of her message, I wasn’t in a place to think about it. Angie was still gone, and I was running out of time.
When I returned to the house, I found more messages on Angie’s cell. My worries wrapped around me like lead weights, and I sat on the couch by the mirror. Looking at the envelope in my hand, Katen’s words came back to me.
Like I care about the provenance of the damn thing!
With a sigh, I pulled out the paper inside and looked over the bill. The language appeared to be Dutch, but I figured out the mirror sold for fifty bucks in 1953. Getting up, I walked to the mirror while stuffing the billing paper back into the envelope when I noticed something in the reflection.
The letter contained a red symbol on the back. Confused, I turned over the paper and found nothing. When I turned it back and lifted the paper to the mirror, the red symbol appeared again. I flipped the letter over again, shocked by the fact I couldn’t see it when I directly looked at the back of the paper. Curiosity got me and stepped forward while holding the back of the paper out toward the mirror.
The symbol reminded me of an old German flag I saw once in a museum. A two-headed eagle with wings spread, if I recall correctly. However, the red emblem I saw in the reflection looked far more sinister, with two-demonic human heads on the body of a winged serpent. As I stood there close to the mirror, I noticed what looked like blood flowing from the red emblem.
Shocked, I twisted over the letter but, again; I saw nothing on the paper. A sound coming from the mirror caught my attention, and I looked up. There, standing in the reflection, was a bleeding, naked woman. Her desperation filled her swollen face as she clawed at the glass.
Angie!
I reached for the reflection and a freezing pair of hands grabbed me. Instantly, I’m on the floor, fighting for my life, trying to hold off a snarling creature. I know it’s Angie, but it’s not. The thing I’m desperately trying to push away has a mouth with only four needle-like fangs trying to get to my neck. One of my hands grips her greasy hair while the other is holding on to the wrist that grabbed me.
The stench of the body odor struck me, and the face of my insane girlfriend pushed closer.
What the fuck happened to you? My mind screamed when I fully realized she wanted to kill me. I’m losing the battle as my arms shook from her strength. The drool coming from her teeth felt cold when it struck my neck. Just as Angie’s mouth closed in on my throat, I heard an enraged voice in the background.
“Verlassen Ihm!”
Instantly, Angie jumped away from me, retreating into the shadows.
As I lay there, trying to catch my breath while I stared at the partly hidden Angie. Her hungry gaze shook me. I suddenly realized I’m not in the living room. Instead, I’m lying on a cold black floor. The space around me is dark and I’m unable to see any walls. The only light comes from behind me. Glancing back, I see a long window showing the living room.
“Is that the mirror—what the fuck?” I struggled to sit up.
“As I expected, you discovered the gateway key,” a vaguely familiar voice came from the shadows.
As I turned my head, I noticed a woman’s figure step into the light coming from behind me. My focus on the four elongated fangs sticking out from the woman’s upper and lower lips made me almost not recognize her. But I couldn’t remember her name at the moment.
“Wh—the lady from the store?” I stammered out loud while backing away.
The creature continued to come closer, and I suddenly felt the cold glass as I pressed my back against the mirror.
“For a mortal, it’s a one-way trip inside my realm,” she smirked.
Those ugly teeth, looking razor sharp, made the chill on my back fill me inside.
“Are you a demon? What’s have you done to Angie?”
The woman sighed slightly as her eyes held mine.
“The woman is now mine, a pet to feed me. You’ll soon become like her soon enough.” She kneeled in front of me. “Although I’m not fond of having two pets. They’re troublesome when they continue to want blood. It’s such a waste of my time.”
The demon looked over at Angie.
“I suppose I could let you feed upon this man with me,” her tone sounded like a person speaking to a dog. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
Watching in shock, Angie growled happily and came into the light on all fours. The fear keeping me quiet rose a notch more when I saw my girlfriend’s excited expression as he looked at me like a fancy dinner. I looked into the creature’s eyes and saw the stony stare of a hunter as her mouth opened. Desperation filled me as the reaper loomed over me when a trickle of an idea came through.
“I—I believe this pet can help you. Maybe we should chat before you bite into me. What’s your true name, master?” My best salesman’s voice finally came to me.
Leaning my head back against the glass of the mirror behind me, I gave her a tired smile, as I suspected my charisma wasn’t enough.
She’ll never go for it!
Her eyes widened slightly at my changed attitude, and she cocked her head slightly.
“Seriously, you’re unbelievably great and powerful.” I let out a forced exhale with my statement. “But I can give you more than a couple of pets.”
The woman gave me an odd look, then a sneer came to her contorted lips.
“Katen gives you a minute to speak.”
~~~
A few weeks later, a couple entered the front door of Ganna’s Stuff, I stepped out of the shadows, stepping to the counter.
“Let me know if you have questions on our items. This week we have a sale going on for our mirrors over on the north wall!”
The couple nodded appreciatively and started to look through the items on the shelves.
I stepped back into the shadows and closed my eyes while standing there. My sensitive hearing listened in on their conversation as I forced myself to remain calm. Katen was correct. The smell of their blood made my mouth water.
However, the couple is lucky today for I’m full, as is my master. Obviously, I made a deal with Katen, who rests inside the mirror that stands next to me. And I have big plans after learning the extent of her powers.
Katen Ganna was once called Aurinia the Seeress. Venerated by the ancient Germanic tribes as a seer who carried powers of foresight and prophecy. Her need for blood sacrifice could not stand against the increasing power of the Church, and they hunted her. The holy hypocrites called her a demon or a vampire. They were incorrect. In truth, Aurinia is a powerful witch. To escape her pursuers, she entered the demon realm through the reflections of an antique mirror. Katen Ganna only returned during the flood of 1953 in Denmark.
I learned the day she took my blood why demons and vampires can’t show their reflection in a mirror. It’s not what you think. A mirror is a one-way door into another realm. You can’t see your reflection in a door only you can open. My master discovered a way to use a cursed mirror salvaged from a tragic flood to re-enter our world.
With such knowledge, how could I not make a deal with her?
Over the years, the people who purchased the mirror would disappear just like Angie. They became substance pets for Katen, who would enter the world to buy the mirror back from the family of the missing people.
After realizing my master hung onto such a haphazard method to maintain her precarious existence in our world, I convinced her of a better way. When I invited several of Angie’s friends to our place, my master discovered my planning was pretty solid. Watching her rip out the throats of Angie’s sex partners provided me with entertainment, and it helped win over Katen to my plans.
Over the past week, I discovered my lovers provided prime sacrificial benefits for my master. Of course, I’ve gained from it as well since I’ve become like her. Our trade gave me power along with a paler complexion. That’s the reason I run the shop now. A master should remain happy and content without the worries of a business.
I’m such a wonderful boyfriend!
Angie’s appearance is back to normal with the proper spells and blood. She still does her streaming channel. But she remains a pet to provide nourishment any time for my master. She’s also a bed companion since Katen enjoyed Angie’s shows as she watched from behind the shadows.
Who knew that playing a beta character to a created the perfect setup for me? I have a few more ideas to really kick this thing off. My goal to support the greatest witch in history is to expand our supply of pets and increase our subordinates. After all, I intend to create more of my kind and have a choice of fine ladies with an interest in design and antiques. Our shop now has a wall filled with mirrors. Each mirror contains a spell from my master.
I find cursed mirrors a great opportunity.
As for the future, you might remember that mirrors are inside nearly every building in the world. Using my master’s abilities, you’ll see an increase in the number of missing people. It’s like giving a serial killer to key to your entire house.
Do you think a sorcerer might take advantage of that situation?
I certainly do.
FINIS
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