Mirrors

Chapter 8: Well shit

Chapter 8: Molly

September 27, 2014

Have you ever wondered what life would be like if you were missing a limb? Like how you would get around with only one arm? I've found myself wondering that more and more watching Jack, one of the workers at my dads shop.
I got to my fathers house 7 days ago, I spent the night on the bus on the way here and I walked myself to his door.
My fathers daughter recieved no hello, no 'what's wrong?', no 'well it's lovely to see you.' No, Molly Hershfield simply got a "why the fuck are you here?" From her only surviving immediate family member.
I'd sauntered in after that and planted myself on his dusty old leather couch he's owned since before I even existed, and I said, "moms dead. Jaime's dead. The reflections got them. Where the fuck else am I supposed to go."
And so. Jeremy Hershfield was kind enough to offer me a job, cashiering, it's the life.
"Welcome to Hershfields grocery, bait, and auto repair shop how may I help you?"
Jack is the only person here that actually treats me like a human being, rather than an unwanted burden.
He's 18, shaggy blonde hair, blue eyes, an overly dark wardrobe and persona, and as I mentioned earlier; one arm.
He hasn't told me much about what happened to it but from what I can gather it was from the reflections.
I watch him today, cheek in palm, elbow on counter, as he stocks the fridges.
"What are you staring at me for?" He asks without even looking my way.
I shrug and lean back in my chair, "I'm just bored.. And you're hot."
He scoffs, "ain't I a little old for you?"
"You're only three years older than me." I retort and kick my feet up on the counter, "and besides I never said I wanted to date you, just that you're hot."
"You saying you wouldn't date me given the chance?" He asks
I shrug.
He puts the last milk carton away and closes the fridge door.
Once he has the cart out of sight he slides onto the counter to sit in front of me, pushes my feet down.
"Molly." He whispers, "that wasn't an answer."
I sit up straight, "sure it was, I shrugged, so I don't know."
He grins with half his mouth, "I'd date you."
"I thought you said you were too old for me," I say back.
He shrugs in response and leans back a little.
We sit in silence for a bit until I hear the singing of the bells on the doors, Jack hops off the counter and gets back to work.
I look toward the new person ready to put on my happy person act only to see that it's not just any new person, it's a boy, Jacks age, tall with dark brown hair, and tanned skin from spending too much time outside, covered in scars and bruises, with a black eye and a fat lip to match, he limps toward me.
"Help."
That's all he says before he falls to the floor unconscious.
I rush to wake him.
"Jack!"

Connor

September 27, 2014

I think about her a lot, Sarah.
My love, my girlfriend, my dead girlfriend.
I remember her in snippets, a memory here and there, never all at once.
I've accepted that she's gone but that doesn't mean I don't still hurt.
I stare into the lake, I've been camping by it since Sarah was taken, I didn't really see a point of civlization if everyone out there's just gonna turn eventually so I just came here.
I hear the crinkling of leaves behind me, I turn to see a man running at me.
His fist gets me right in the eye and he keeps punching.
I try to fight back but he's big so I can't get much in.
I scream at him, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?? WHO ARE YOU???"
He just smirks and punches me again, the metallic taste of blood fills my mouth.
I manage to get a hit on his cheek, with just enough force for him to lose his balance for a second.
I knee his groin and run.
I know he's chasing after me but I have to get away, I'm not going to die today, not at the hands of one of those things.
I'm so close to passing out but I have to keep going.
I see a grocery mart ahead and run for it.
I push through the doors.
The worried face of a pretty girl is the last thing I see before the world goes black.

My dreams are filled with screams seeping in from the real world, then silence.
I wake to a lullaby version of a familiar rock song in my ears,
"Carry on my wayward son, there'll be peace when you are done..." its a girl's voice, she pauses, I can hear her start to cry.
I clear my throat and help her out, "lay your weary head to rest.."
And we sing together, "don't you cry no more."
I open my eyes.
It's the girl I saw earlier, the one singing.
Shes kneeling beside me, her long brown hair covering her face.
The red sun dress she's wearing is all torn and she has bruises up and down her arms and legs.
"What happened?" I ask her as I sit up, sore all over.
She glances up at me briefly, giving me a moment to see her face, I can't tell if there's more tears on it or freckles.
She swallows hard and begins to speak, "well after you collapsed my friend Jack and I tried to wake you up and this big guy... A reflection, came running in and grabbed me and threw me into one of the aisles, and started.. He killed Jack and he tried to get you too but I shot him in the back of the head with uh.." She pulls her shirt up revealing a handgun that she has peaking out of her pants, "this. And I've just been, you know.. Here with you since, it's been about twenty minutes."
I look around the store, I see her friends body lying beside me as well as the man who attacked me, I see the aisle the girl was thrown into.
I look back at her, "is there anyone else here?"
She shakes her head, "my father was but I don't know.. He's gone now."
I've never been good at comforting people but I know she needs it so I awkwardly pull her in for a hug.
We sit here like this for a while before she breaks the silence.
"What's your name?" She asks
"Connor," I say, "what's yours?"
"Molly."
We pull away and sit in silence again.
Then I say, "will you stay with me?"
"Sure."