Ghost Mirror

Prologue

I remember the day the first portal opened. It happened the day after millions of people inexplicably vanished around the world. Nobody knew for certain what was going on. Everybody thought it was the rapture and that the wrath of God would soon be upon us. There wasn't any other way to describe the chaos that hit like a bolt of lightning.

Where was I? Oh, yeah, the portals.

The first one opened in New York City; they never saw it coming. Nobody could have predicted what would emerge from it, or the destruction and immeasurable loss of life that it would cause. That's when things went from bad to worse. An explosion was rumored to have devastated Times Square and most of Manhattan as other portals had been reported in cities across the eastern seaboard, and beyond.

That was only the beginning.

Within moments a graveyard filled the streets of New York City, but it was far from over. I left when a portal opened near my neighborhood in Newark. I barely escaped New Jersey with my life, I can only imagine the horrible things that happened to the people that didn't make it out of the city. I was one of the lucky few. Anyone else would have told me I was fortunate, had they survived. I'm not so sure I was. Billions died that day; most committed suicide from despair. I don't know what I'd call that, but it sure wasn't lucky.

Luck had nothing to do with it.

I thought it was just a nightmare and that I would wake up in the safety of my own home back in New Jersey; but I was wrong. It wasn't until I got to Las Vegas that I realized the terrible truth. The reality was that the armies of hell started a war with us, and they were winning. We were out matched, and vastly outnumbered.

Only a miracle could save us now.

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April 7, 2014

Rain fell over the city that never sleeps, while lightning made a futile attempt to light up the ever darkening sky. An ominous feeling had settled over the city like a dark fog that steadily grew darker by the second.

The usual assortment of sounds and smells assaulted each New Yorker as they went about their business unaware of their impending doom.

The hustle and bustle of the Big Apple appeared oddly slow in Times Square. That's when it began, starting as a small point like a minute black hole.

The dark spot quickly expanded, reaching the size of a beach ball, and kept growing. The dark sphere emitted a tormenting, almost malevolent aura, as it hovered a full meter off the ground. It seemed to feed on the gloom that was quickly overtaking the city, sapping it of what little good was left.