Spectrophobia

12: A Call for Help

The two fled the scene of massacre. The crazy murderer and the policeman aiding the criminal.

They sat in a small lonely café, now happy to have customers in its residence. Though it had no idea who these two people were - nor what they had done. Ray fidgeted with his hands, wringing them out of their coatings of sweat. 

The policeman watched him - his brow furrowed.

"Do you want a coffee? Tea, perhaps?"

Ray swallowed - feeling his dry throat curl like parchment.

"Tea..." - he finally said.

Blondie summoned a waiter to take their order: A tea and a black coffee. She scribbled them down on a piece of paper before running off again, saying their orders will be brought to them in a short time.

"Take all the time you need.."

Blondie mumbled the words under his breath - his gaze back onto the nervous wreck of a man who sat opposite him.

"Ray, you said that the reflection on your mirror was supposedly coming out and attacking people, is that correct?"

Ray nodded slowly, feeling as if he was about to be ridiculed.

He would be surprised.

"My name is Kyle. I know a sort of.. paranormal activity that took place in my life. Something sort of similar to that."

Ray lifted his head up - suddenly curious to hear what he had to say.

Kyle sighed before progressing with his story.

"My aunt's husband passed away a while ago. We were all mourning and grieving with her. His death was so sudden and unexpected."

Ray silently expressed his condolences to the man.

"But, after that - she started to.. well, see him again. Like, apparitions of him again. It startled her, but she was more than happy to see him again. She would often talk about how the two would chat again. She said it made her feel happier."

Kyle shook his head to himself.

"Then it started to take control of her. Take control of her house and her life. Sucking the humanity out of her. It was awful. We tried everything, even a priest to purge the evil. But people found his body after a couple of days; drowned."

Ray shivered involuntarily.

"As a last resort, I went to the dark web. I'm not sure what drove me to that goddamn place. Then I found him. A random number recommended to me that would help solve the issue to everything. I called it and told him of my problem. He said he would come immediately and hung up. For a second I thought it might've been a joke call. Until I heard the doorbell ring."

Ray frowned - "immediately after you called it?"

Kyle nodded - "I never even gave my address, the fucking bastard knew exactly where to go. He is a paranormal investigator, he gets rid of these entities for a living - I assume."

"Anyway, he goes and talks to my aunt. Then he starts working. He fights off that.. that demon who leeched onto her. After two days, it was all over. My aunt was back to normal, and so was the house. The investigator told me it wasn't actually her husband that was talking to her. More like a malevolent being that had taken his shape to feed off of her 'soul' - he calls them Leeches."

He paused, letting the story hang in the air - to drift through Raymond's ears and process properly.

"What happened after that?"

Kyle shrugged.

"He disappeared. Never saw him again. Don't know his name, who he is or what he even is. Only he's damn good at his job and that I have his number."

The policeman reached into his pockets - searching around for a while before pulling out a thin, folded sheet of paper.

Just then, the waiter had returned - holding two steaming mugs of frothy brown liquids. Kyle hid the paper under the table - smiling his thanks at the waiter - only pulling out the paper once she had completely left the two of them alone. Alone with their crazy conversations.

He opened the paper and showed it to Ray. The paper only held the bold ink of the number. That one call away from help.

"You can have it, I only kept it as a reminder of the help he gave. Maybe even hoping I could help someone else out."

Raymond slowly lifted a shaking hand and took the paper from his grip.

"Thank you... but, wouldn't you get fired for helping me? I'm a fucking lunatic."

Kyle chuckled dryly.

"I don't really believe it was you who killed your brother. That this being you're talking about is real. If something like that happened to my aunt - it's possible for something to happen to you."

"But why, why is it happening to me? What the hell is up with my home? The fucking mirror?"

Kyle shushed him - ordering him to keep his pleading tone down.

"I can't help with that. I'm no expert. But he is," - he nodded towards the paper in Ray's hand.

"He knows his shit. You call him and he'll help you out, no doubt. Especially since the damn thing is killing people now."

Kyle lifted his steaming mug brimming with the black murky contents and took a deep long sip. As if his throat had dried from the story he had shared with Ray. Raymond copied him, gulping his sweet brown tea and forcing it down his throat.

"What should I do?"

The policeman returned the mug to the table, swallowing his mouthful of coffee.

"I suggest you go home. Take this 'reflection' back with you and keep it inside your house. Make sure you're alone when you call the number. After you call the number, I think it would be best to dispose of it. Burn it perhaps."

Ray slowly nodded.

"Follow his instructions and do not disobey him. He is the only person who can save you. Don't fuck up. Don't piss him off. Most importantly, don't piss off that reflection anymore. You don't want it to start a mass murder with everyone in Harriet."

Kyle took another drink from his mug.

Ray sighed nervously.

"Relax, you'll do well. As long as you listen to what people tell you, okay? You can't do this alone, so don't try to."

Kyle then stood up, leaving a tip on the table for the waiter to pick up.

"When you're ready."

Ray gulped. He really wasn't, but then he had no choice at all. This was his only chance to help himself; help others. To stop this fucking entity from screwing him over.

He had made his choice. He will call the number.

He stood up and followed Kyle to his car.