CHAPTER 12 - WE’RE BOTH IDIOTS

No matter how many times I kicked, the barrier on the other side of the mirror wouldn't budge. Whatever my doppelganger placed on top of the mirror, it wasn’t going to move any time soon.

If a kick wouldn’t do, maybe my gun could give me an idea of what I’m working with. I just needed some more ammo, and if my reflection shares any more similarities with me other than looks, then he’d keep it in the drawer beside the bed.

Opening it, I was right.

For the most part anyways. He didn’t keep as much as I did. There were only six, enough for a full barrel.

Against him, that’d be all I needed… hopefully.

Getting up close to the mirror, I pressed the barrel against the barrier and fired. The shot rang loud, and, once I moved the gun out of the way, I could see the the hole.

Taking a peek through it, it seemed my bullet miraculously made it all the way through.

It might not have actually been my gun, but I kissed it anyways. It felt good being able to shoot with my right hand again.

Too bad, I’d have to leave.

My right hand wasn’t worth Jane getting eaten.

Looking at the hole, there seemed to be some extra crap tossed on top of the bed. It was probably my drawer or some chairs from the living room. Either way, it wasn’t impossible to get through it.

A crazy guy like him, I would’ve thought he’d pack the entire room till it was as full as can be. Maybe, he thought a few extra chairs were all he needed, or he was like me.

He wanted me to get through it– to give him an excuse.

But an excuse for what? To kill me? He could’ve done that earlier when he knocked me out. It had to be something else.

Looking back, it seemed his first goal was just to kill me for the possibility of being a mirror monster. Then, he wanted to switch places. With my reluctance, he decided to eat me. Weird as that was, he failed and now he wants to eat Jane.

But that can’t be all there is to it. This guy was fickle. His goals never stayed consistent. What didn’t make sense, William?

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The ropes. He must’ve known he wasn’t very good at tying them, but he also wanted me awake to skin me alive.

He had to have known I would’ve been able to get out. He might’ve been a cannibal, but it seemed like we still have a similar level of athleticism.

There was also his gun. He had extra bullets in his drawer but never reloaded it? He stated that he had forgotten, but did he really?

He shot twice when we first met. First out of instinct, and second toward my gun I threw as a distraction.

He shot two more times when he had me tied down on his bed, then I shot once at his shoulder.

Five shots were in the barrel if he never reloaded in that entire time. Why not six?

And if this was truly all calculated, did he know I wouldn’t have shot him in the face with the fifth bullet? Why’d he trust me not to end him right then and there?

Then it hit me. I overthink. I ask a lot of questions and I need the answers to them. If he’s like me, then he knows what I’m like. He didn’t explain what was going on when I had him held up with the fifth bullet, but the moment I was out, he spilled everything with him being a cannibal– because he was safe at that moment.

He knew I wouldn’t shoot before I even knew I wouldn’t. Was he smarter than me? Was I that predictable?

No, William, that’s not it.

No way he planned this all out. He was just crazy and reckless.

Wait, now, that was it.

Oh, James, I am a reckless idiot, but so is my reflection!

He isn’t smart.

He’s just an idiot, like me!

This was stupid. The guy should’ve just killed me when he got me. He should’ve waited and made the safe plays, but he had something to prove.

To prove whether or not he could skin me alive? I don’t know. But he had something, and with how many times his goals changed, that something probably changed with it. It was useless to think about what he wanted to prove.

You’re just wasting time, William. The time is ticking, and you got a Jane to save and a clone to kill.

Looking back at the bed, I needed something to start tearing through the hole. A butcher like him had to have kept something in this house I could use.

Checking throughout the house, there was nothing, save for some kitchen knives. I’d use that as a last resort, if he was going directly to Jane, there’d be no time for me to dawdle around a mirror town to find something better.

The only place left in the house that I hadn’t checked was the basement. A creepy psycho like him had to keep something weird down there.

Unlatching the floor door, the stairs to the basement revealed themselves. I would’ve just walked down right away, but I wasn’t alone.

I could hear breathing and the scratching of metal.

I unholstered my gun and cocked it.

And the breathing silenced.

They were waiting.

And I stepped down the stairs ready.