Abigail slowly made her way toward one of the two bathrooms in the Suite. Her eyes were red from all the crying she has done. The door was shut, so she gave it a small knock. That was when the door was pushed open from the inside, revealing Katie and Caitlin.
Seeing Abigail, the two girls exchanged a meaningful glance as Caitlin quietly returned her phone to her pocket.
“Oh, sorry.” Abigail whispered as she backed off, slightly embarrassed. “I just wanted to wash my face...you know what? Never mind, please continue.”
But Katie wasn't so ready to let her go. That became clear as she started babbling on while stepping toward Abigail.
“Thanks for the consideration. Actually...ok, I will admit, you are kind of hot, so...wanna try a threesome sometime soon? After all...you’ve been really busy lately. I suppose it’s time to take a little break.”
Katie had a smile on her face. It was the type of smile that predators would have when they have tracked down their prey. Before Abigail could refuse the seemingly tempting offer, Katie reached forward and wrapped her arms around her body in a hug.
Abigail tried to struggle, but Katie held onto her tightly with a strength even Abigail couldn't surpass. A few students that saw this exchange cheered, but the next thing they saw was Katie drawing her Knife and pressing it against Abigail’s neck while moving her own body behind the girl.
Ok...that took a weird turn, but this was the 21st century and they were about to die! A few fetishes were the least of their concerns…
It was Caitlin’s words that finally told these bystanders what was truly going on.
“Abigail.” Caitlin said quietly. She was almost whispering. “When you told me on Monday that you’re a dead woman, I didn't know you meant it literally.”
“And how can you leave this hotel alive if you were already dead when you arrived? Makes sense, right? It’s obvious, really. The answer has been given to us on day 1, but we just couldn't see it.”
“What?” A few students wondered in confusion, but Caitlin didn't pay attention to them. Her eyes were instead trained on Abigail.
“What are you talking about, Caitlin?” In the middle of the spotlight, the girl stood there, paralyzed in confusion. “I’m...I’m alive! I’m standing right here!”
Caitlin bit her lips before letting out a sigh.
“Don’t bother, Abigail. We called your parents. They...they said they don’t have a daughter named Abigail.”
Abigail was indeed a member of the class, and just like everyone else, she was under the influence of Mr. Isaac’s curse. In most cases, people around her would simply ignore everything weird she did or said. They would only completely forget her existence in one situation...
The girl stood there for a few seconds in silence. Suddenly, still in Katie’s grip, she started morphing. All over her body, her smooth skin became scarred and torn. Glass shards were carved so deep into the wounds that just looking at them made people flinch. Her hair was stained red with dried blood. Two lines of bloody tears dripped down her equally scarred cheeks.
Katie gave the back of her torn neck a slight lick. Honestly, she might’ve been joking when she offered a threesome, but now...now that she saw this transformation and Abigail’s new look, she was actually considering making it happen!
“Congrats, Caitlin…” The wraith whispered. There was a mixture of anger and relief in her voice. “you got me.”
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Sunday. Three days ago.
Three people slowly sat down at one of the tables in the steakhouse. The pair of parents sat down at one side of the table while their child, a teenage girl, sat down on the other side. They quickly ordered. The parents spent some time with the menu, but their daughter looked like she had not a care in the world of what she ate. As the waitress left with the menu, the daughter turned to her parents.
“Look...mom, dad. I have something to tell you.”
“Yes?”
“I...I don’t know if you’re going to remember any of this when the time comes,” The girl paused. Honestly, what was she even doing here? The curse would nullify all of her efforts either way. Nonetheless, she proceeded. “The point is, whatever happens...always know that I love you both. Whatever happens...I am proud to be your daughter.”
Before her parents could respond or ask any questions, the girl continued. At this point, she was practically closing her eyes and spitting out whatever was going through her head. There was little concern for what would happen as a result of his words. All she wanted to do was talk.
“If I am gone one day, take care of yourselves. Please...please just take care of yourselves. Mom, dad, that’s all that matters! Mom...please drive slower on the highway. And dad, don’t drink so much at night. It’s not good for you. Just, just stay safe! That’s all I want!”
At this point, the girl’s eyes were shut as she wondered how her parents would react. Would they be worried by her practical last will? Would they ask her why she was saying all this? But as her eyes snapped open, she realized things didn't exactly go as she expected.
Her parents didn't ask a thing. In fact, they weren’t even listening to her at all. Their eyes were glued to their phones. It was as if she never said a word.
“Uh…mom? Dad?” The girl asked in disbelief.
“Yes, honey?” Her mother looked up from her phone, confused with no idea what was going on. As far as she was concerned, as soon as the orders were finished, the entire family simultaneously turned to their phones in silence.
“I…” The girl’s mouth opened, but no word came out. What should she say? What could she say? The answer was nothing. She might be facing her parents, but an invisible wall has already been raised up between them. She could be mauled to death on this side of the table and her parents wouldn’t break a sweat.
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This realization brought a surge of disgust to her stomach. The girl stood up quietly. “I am going to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”
She didn't know those would be her last words.
The girl made her way into the bathroom, stopping in front of a sink. She stared into her own reflection in the mirror as her thoughts started flying toward what the future might hold.
And then, in the mirror, the girl smiled.
In the bathroom, the girl froze. She wasn’t smiling. Not at all.
That moment, a hundred things went through her head. Why was this happening? She wasn’t in one of Mr. Isaac's games! And why her? Of all the students, why her? What would her parents think with her gone? Would they mourn her? Would they even remember her? And...and Beatrice! She promised to Beatrice that they would live through the games together! But now...
But as a hand reached out from the mirror, grabbed onto Abigail’s neck, and yanked her back into the reflective surface, none of those thoughts mattered.
Abigail walked into the bathroom alive, and she left a corpse.
Even as she died, Abigail had no idea why Mr. Isaac would strike her down outside of the games. This just didn't make any sense. The reality was that this wasn’t the work of Mr. Isaac. Abigail was killed by an independent Mirror Wraith, a malicious being that traveled between mirrors and hunted human beings who harbored negative emotions such as anger or fear. These feelings made the said human beings delicious snacks in the eyes of the Wraith.
Powerful Mirror Wraiths had the power to snatch human beings into mirrors, kill them, and force their bodies and souls alike into servitude by transforming them into lesser Mirror Wraiths. They were quite a terrifying type of wraith, and unlike Mr. Isaac, they had no rules to play by.
Unfortunately, this Mirror Wraith really ran out of luck. It vastly overestimated its abilities. After hearing the description Abigail’s corpse gave it about Mr. Isaac and his class, the Mirror Wraith decided it would be a good idea to take out Mr. Isaac and feast on his students. With an army of lesser Mirror Wraiths, all converted from slain humans, the Mirror Wraith attacked Mr. Isaac in his home.
This did not go well. At all. In fact, it couldn't have gone worse. At that time, Mr. Isaac was still recovering from the wound he received from the two Mu Clansmen, but that didn't make him vulnerable. Furious that another supernatural being had feasted on his preys, preys that he spent so much time to prepare, Mr. Isaac unleashed all his devastating prowess on the Mirror Wraith.
This time, he didn't underestimate his opponent. A smart call.
Chaos Descendants tore through the Wraith’s army. Mr. Isaac shut the Mirror Wraith out of the mirrors, forced it into the material world, and personally slew it where it stood. He might be no more than a soldier of the Dark Pantheon, but it would take more than a wraith in the wild to take him out.
As the fighting came to an end, Mr. Isaac sought to use Abigail, who survived the onslaught, any way possible. At this point, he has spent so much time breaking every student and forging them to his needs. Losing one of them to the Mirror Wraith was highly unfortunate. It would be even more of a waste to just kill her outright.
Abigail was ordered to go back to her living form and return to the class under disguise. Mr. Isaac made a few modifications to the game that he had in mind so that, in the end, it would be one of their own that was slaughtering the students.
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Inside the classroom, following Abigail’s transformation, most of the students were taken back. Some raised their weapons, but many doubted firearms would do much against the wraith. Thankfully, a few of them were ready to make the accusations. But...but not yet.
Abigail stood there, still tightly restrained by Katie. Blood, scars, and shards covered almost every inch of her skin. At this point, Katie was perhaps the only one that still found her form appealing. Most of the class simply felt disgusted.
“Why are you doing this?” Caitlin hissed. She didn't know all that happened with the Mirror Wraith, but she did know Abigail was dead, and Mr. Isaac raised her back to life to torment her fellow classmates. “Beatrice...isn’t she your friend? Or are you no more than a shell of your former self, with your thoughts twisted completely?”
“Oh, I am still myself.” In Katie’s arms, Abigail replied. Her voice was low. “I am the same girl who witnessed Mr. Isaac taking the plunge. I watched as Jessica killed herself. I was the same person who promised Beatrice we will survive this together. As for why I killed her. Why I killed Ryan and Tom...simple. I had no choice. I was ordered to. And since she had to die anyway, I killed Beatrice quickly so she doesn't have to spend another minute in this hopeless, god-forsaken game.”
She turned around and scanned across the rest of the class. She observed the fear and fury on their face. “The reality is, in death, I am no different than in life. Even death doesn’t save me from being a slave of Mr. Isaac, having no choice but to obey his every command. Death...death is not the end.”
“But you’re a wraith!” A student called out in disbelief. “You have telekinesis! You can create hallucinations or something! You could crush Ryan to death! You tore Beatrice’s throat out! What can Mr. Isaac do to you…”
Before he even finished, Abigail suddenly started laughing. Her laughter became louder and louder until it was the only sound in the suite. Katie felt her struggling. Countless glass shards darted out of Abigail’s back and cut their way into Katie’s body as the Mirror Wraith tried to break free.
Sadly for Abigail, all her efforts did was make Katie hug her tighter. Her Knife was pressed right up against Abigail’s neck. Even as a wraith, Abigail could feel the flaming sensation from the Knife. It was a weapon capable of slaying her. That was enough to calm her down.
“You people...you have no idea what Mr. Isaac is capable of!” She hissed viciously. The mocking tone in her voice was clear as day. “You think I’m difficult! You think I’m unbeatable? Mr. Isaac is a hundred times more powerful than I am! The amount of atrocity he can unleash upon you...one day, all of you will die! You will go down screaming! And when you do, you will finally realize it! The thing you call hope...it’s nothing more than an ignorant illusion! You are hopeless! All of you!”
“We beat you.” Caitlin said with an ice cold voice. “And we will beat Mr. Isaac.”
“Beat me? Beat me?” The Mirror Wraith repeated before bursting out giggling. “Ha! Do you really think you beat me? If it wasn’t for Mr. Isaac’s restrictions, I could’ve killed all of you the moment you stepped into the hotel! If Mr. Isaac didn't force me to reveal my true self every time I strike! If he didn't strip away most of my powers, forcing me to feed on the souls of the dead in the hotel to regain my strength! If he didn't force me to remain with the class and allow you to accuse me! If he didn't direct me to give you so many hints...and even so, it still took you people this long to find me! I practically gave you all the clues you needed on day one!”
“Tell me, Caitlin.” She stared into Caitlin’s eyes. “How are you going to beat Mr. Isaac? With your amateur detective skills? With the handgun in your pocket? Or is with your knife-wielding freak.” She gestured at Katie. “What even are you, Katie? You’re definitely not human. Honestly, you're more of a monster than I am!”
Her voice was loud enough for everyone in the Suite to hear.
“Shit…” Caitlin swore quietly as she turned to the rest of the class. As soon as those words were spoken, the students looked at each other in confusion. Katie? Not human? That...that actually makes so much sense! By the time they turned back to Katie again, their expressions were mostly occupied by fear and disgust.
“That’s a very good question.” Katie replied without batting an eye. She noticed the change in the attitude of the others, but she really couldn’t give a damn. She only cared about the opinion of one person. That was all.
As the dust settled, Caitlin took a step forward. It was time.
“Abigail. I accuse you of being the wraith.”
Abigail stood there in silence. Caitlin could swear she saw a look of relief climbing onto her cheeks. For a while, nothing happened. And then, just as Katie was wondering what would happen next, Abigail’s entire body collapsed into a million pieces of broken mirror.
“Ouch. Well, there goes my threesome.” Katie whispered as she pulled out a large glass shard from her chest. The wound healed almost instantly.
Behind her, on the faces of the rest of the class, there was only fear.