Mr.Sandman: Book 1

Chapter 5A: Shadow Crypt

Chapter 5A: Shadow Crypt

Zoe had left Charlemagne to be alone on the ship. She didn't know where she wanted to go, not that it seemed like she knew what her options were on this planet. The land was remarkably devoid of any outstanding characteristics barring a few buildings not too far off from where she was. Darell had went to the right, so Zoe opted to go the left. She shoved her hands in her pockets as she traveled along a road which lead to the congregation of buildings.

The signs above the buildings were written in a language she didn't understand. The buildings were of bizarre shapes, perhaps the only thing of note. Their shapes were abstract, and often had many jagged points. Others seemed twisted, as though they were made from putty. Zoe could hear voices from inside one of the buildings and decided to enter, assuming it was some sort of business.

Inside, the place lacked anyone. She was sure she had heard their voices, in fact, she still heard them. The place appeared to be a bar of sorts, however, everything had been covered in a thin layer of dust. It was obvious the place hadn't been used in quite some time. It was a sad sight to see as the wood of the tables began to crack and peel from time and neglect.

She sat at the bar, a tall stool being her preferred seat. She could hear a conversation taking place, but just faintly. It was something about excitement, and a new arrival. Zoe jumped to her feet and examined the room carefully. Still, she found no sign pointing towards where the voices had come from. She started to feel a foreboding presence, but nevertheless decided to venture further in.

"I can't ever get a break, I finally get a chance to rest and now I'm hearing voices?"

She found a room in the back of the bar. It was considerably darker than the rest of the establishment. She found a light, and to her surprise, it worked. With the room properly illuminated now, she found that it appeared to be used for storage. It wasn't as dusty as the rest of the rooms she had passed, this piqued her curiosity. She ran her fingers along the shelves, everything there gave off an ancient aura, as though they never belonged here, as though they were out of place.

She picked up a vinyl from the shelf, she couldn't believe she had found one here, of all places. She knew something was wrong, these items weren't native to this planet for sure. That coupled with the voices she heard had begun to scare here to a notable degree. She dropped the vinyl and it began to spin on the ground. Sound could now be heard coming from it, in fact, it was a song she knew. The all too familiar laughing from Feel Good had begun to play.

"Well, that's haunting. I'm not sure if I should tuck my tail between my legs or be happy about this."

At the end of the room, she locked eyes with a mysterious mirror. There was nothing noteworthy about its outward appearance, yet it still gripped her. As the track continued to play, she found herself being compelled to move closer to it. The voices became louder as she closed the gap between her and the object. Eventually, she had come face to face with it. She saw her own reflection, this was no surprise. She couldn't seem to look away as the song continued to play and the voices beckoned her.

The mirror began to quiver, breaking Zoe's trance. She peeled her eyes away from it for a moment before hearing a chuckle from the mirror's direction. This sounded different from the voices, this sounded like her. She was mortified now as she stood frozen, not wanting to turn away. Her heart sank as her knees threatened to let her fall. She hadn't seen anyone come in, or heard them either.

"Won't you look at me?"

Zoe's eyes widened now. She was right, no one had entered the room, except herself. It was her own voice speaking to her. Zoe slowly turned to find nothing but the mirror waiting for her. She peered into it once more to see if anything had changed, but it was still her same reflection. Zoe's image began to smile at her, this would have been fine if Zoe had been doing the same. She wanted to leave the mirror but she was absolutely stuck now, facing herself, or what appeared to be herself at least.