You Did Good

Thirteen

"What? What is it?" Seth is frantic to calm her, his hands holding her steady as she all but falls apart.

"Something scratched me!" She screeches. "A scratch! A scratch!"

"Let me look." Benji demands, since Seth is too busy holding her steady to see. She wriggles beneath his touch as he lefts up her jacket and sweatshirt, his fingers tracing the skin beside the new wounds. "Yeah, you have new injuries."

"No." She shutters. "No."

"Stop moving. You're making it worse." Seth winces, looking at her back as well. These gashes weave between the previous ones made, disappearing beneath the band of her bra. "Jesus, yeah. We're going to need to clean these pretty soon."

"Let me see."

"Are you sure?"

"Let. Me. See." She demands again, swatting him away.

Benji pauses for a second. "Oh! I know. Give me a second." He rushes into the living room where he bag is, fumbles around a little, and them comes back in, the mirror in hand. "Okay, here's you go."

"What the fuck am I supposed to do with this?" She screeches, waving it around.

He steps away as she comes mere centimeters away from smacking him with the mirror. "Use it and the mirror in the corner to see your back. I thought females knew this stuff."

"I'm going to kill you in a minute."

"If the demon doesn't kill you first."

"Dude." Seth scolds.

"Too soon?"

Renata rolls her eyes, stomping over to the other mirror. She turns around, bringing the mirror over her shoulder to see her back. As they said, the gashes are worse than the last ones, large beads of blood beginning to drip down her skin. "Oh, that's gross." She glances to them, trying to keep her voice level.

"Hey, try to see if you can see something through the mirror." Benji suggests.

Seth glares at him. "Why?"

"Mirrors facing each other act as portals!" He explains. "Maybe you can see the thing that attacked you!"

"Why would she ever-"

"Why not?" She shrugs. She goes to raise the mirror again, only to stop at his apprehensive look. "Oh, come on. I've already been attacked by the thing. I might as well see it's face."

He falters backward a step. "Okay, as long as you're okay with it."

She nods, going back to the task at hand. She raises the mirror for the third time, keeping it shoulder height. She glances around in the echoes of her reflection, seeing nothing by her glowing back amongst a see of darkened wooden and shadow. Nothing moves, everything is still.

"Anything?" Benji asks.

"No..." She strains her eyes, and then lets them relax, waiting for anything to happen. When nothing does, she lowers her hand, disappointed. "Well, I guess the spirit portal is broken."

"Ah, maybe next time." He shrugs. He walks towards the living room, leading them out. There is nothing left for them to do. All they have left is to leave.

Renata is the last to leave the room, and for some reason as she passes over the doorway, she falters. Slowly, she glances back to the vintage mirror in the corner. When she does she sees herself and Seth going through the doorway.

Behind her, a figure stands.

"Holy fuck!" She stumbles and crashes into the back of Seth, her eyes trained on the empty air behind her. She begins pounding on his back, trying to get him to go faster. "Go, go, go!"

In the reflection, the girl reaches forward, towards Seth. As her fingers make contact with his hood he trips. The mirror in Renata's hand shatters. She falls over him.

Now Seth is screaming as well, the weight of her and the glass raining around them a complete shock. He withers his way from underneath her, coming to stand on his feet. As he's holding a hand out to her to help her up, he's sees the girl bright as day, standing behind them, looking confused. "No fucking way!"

"What?" Benji hears the commotion, coming back. "What's going on? What is it?"

"Dude, we've got to get out of here."

"Why?"

"Move your ass!" Renata screams. She pushes him fiercely, the scratches on her back burning once again. She pushes both of them towards the front door as footsteps become apparent. Knocks follow them through the hallway. Creaks not tied to them taunt them as they scream. They try to banish the spirits. The spirits laugh right back.

They leap from the stairs in a fit of unsettled energy, the car lights already flashing in readiness. They sling themselves into the car and Seth steps on the gas, ignoring that none of them are ready to be in a moving car yet. All they know is that they can't be anywhere near the house anymore.