Something stirred in me the moment I stared at the number.
I didn’t know why, but the longer I stared at the number on the paper, the more my chest tightened. My breath grew heavier, each one heavier than the previous, and my throat went dry as I struggled to make sense of its meaning.
’Why do I feel like the number is familiar? I have certainly seen it before, but I can’t remember.’
It felt as though the answer was at the tip of my tongue.
Fwip!
Flipping towards the next page, I tried to see if there was anything else written. However, all the remaining pages were empty. The only thing that was written in the book was that one singular number.
I turned back, trying to see if the others might have an idea.
But—
"Huh?"
Gone.
Everyone was gone.
"Wait, what’s going on?"
Even in my current state, I couldn’t help but feel my heart twitch.
’Just what in the world was going on?’
The room was exactly the same. The dim, flickering candlelight, the thick smell of dust, the plain mirror against the wall. Everything was as it had been. Except this time... I was alone. Something about the silence that took over felt incredibly unsettling as I looked around, trying to make sense of the situation.
I didn’t understand how everyone had left all of a sudden.
I was sure that they had all been standing right behind me just a moment prior. Not even a second after I turned away from them to check the book, and they were gone.
Did they leave in the time that I turned away?
’No, that doesn’t make sense. Even if they did, I’m sure they would make some noise, and I would’ve figured it out. Something is not adding up.’
I continued to scan my surroundings.
The silence pressed in from every direction, squeezing me into a restless, unsettling sensation I couldn’t shake off.
I continued to scan my surroundings, hoping to get some clues.
And then—
"Huh?"
I saw it.
No, them.
My heart came to a sudden pause.
From the plain mirror, I saw them, all of them, standing within its reflection, their eyes fixed on something just out of my view.
"How did they get in there...?"
I moved closer to the mirror.
Creaaak!
The floor creaked under my step, my arms shivering under the sudden cold that took over.
Creaaaaaak!
I took another step, edging closer. With each movement toward the mirror, the sense of wrongness grew, crawling over the back of my spine and stopping right at the edges of my neck.
Soon, I reached the mirror, and it was there that I realized what was happening.
They weren’t the ones that were stuck in the mirror.
’It’s me...’
I was the one stuck in the mirror.
Looking in the mirror, I could see myself in it. All eyes seemed to be on me as I kept my focus on the book, slowly closing it before turning back toward the others. My reflection seemed to say something, but I couldn’t hear a thing.
I pressed my hand against the mirror.
"Wait, that’s not me."
I spoke, but it didn’t look like anyone had heard me.
’What the hell is going on?’
My heart pressed tightly against my chest as I struggled to grasp the current situation.
"...Can you guys see me?"
I waved my hand, trying to grab anyone’s attention.
But as if I were invisible, no one looked my way. It wasn’t that they ignored me. It was more like their attention was locked on the version of me within the mirror.
I tapped on the glass again, trying to get their attention, but—
Nothing.
’This isn’t working. It looks like they can’t hear me at all.’
I gave up shortly after. It seemed useless for me to keep trying.
Moving back, I started to ponder over my situation.
’I don’t know how, but I’m somehow stuck inside the mirror. All of this happened the moment I touched the book.’
I looked down at the book in my hands. There was nothing remarkable about it. The red leather cover was blank, and some pages were slightly charred. Apart from that, it was empty, except for a single number.
"Still, I’m certain that this is a big and important clue about the situation."
I looked around.
Thinking for a moment, I turned my attention towards the exit of the room.
A thought struck me.
What would happen if I were to leave here?
Wait...
Another thought struck me.
"What if this is the true eighth floor?"
My heart began to race, even though a strange calm lingered inside me. I gripped the book and glanced back at the mirror, then slowly shifted my gaze to the stairs leading upward. Although slightly hesitant, I ended up walking towards the stairs.
Creaaak!
The wooden floor creaked under my steps as the silence around me lingered.
With every step I took, a strange sensation settled over my mind. It felt as if I were sinking deeper into an ocean, the pressure building around me, slowly suffocating my breath.
I paid this no mind and walked all the way up, stopping before the door that led out of the room.
And then—
Clank!
I pushed the door open.
The moment I stepped inside, I found myself in a familiar storage room. Yet something was different. The dust that had once coated every surface was gone, replaced by neat order and a bright lamp hanging above.
’What’s going on?’
The layout and everything were the same, and yet—
It all felt so different.
"This doesn’t make sense at all."
I scanned my surroundings, hoping to get a better understanding of what was happening, but the more I walked, the more confused I became.
Eventually, I stopped by the entrance of the room.
That’s when I heard muffled voices from inside. Frowning, I pressed my ear to the door, straining to make out what was being said.
’....I... see.’
’Over... here too...’
’....Gone...’
I felt a strange sensation upon hearing the voices. I couldn’t quite describe it, but they felt familiar.
Almost like...
’The voices from the eyes.’
My breath paused, a certain thought occurring to me as my body tensed.
Briefly after, I heard several soft ’thuds’ coming from outside. My body tensed further as I strained to hear the steps, feeling them coming closer and closer to where I was.
’They’re headed straight to me...’
I pulled my head back and scanned the room. Metal racks filled with boxes stretched in every direction. My eyes settled on one in the distance, and I moved toward it, crouching low to hide behind it.
I didn’t know what was going on, but I didn’t want to get caught before understanding what was happening.
And soon—
Clank!
The door opened, and two tall shadows appeared before my vision.
Ba... Thump! Ba... Thump!
The air thickened with the presence of the two as I crouched behind the metal racks, the unsettling sensation from before crawling up my spine. Every shadow seemed to stretch, and the silence pressed in from every direction.
Then...
A voice slithered through the room, soft and close, my ears tingling for some unknown reason.
"Someone has been here."
A pause followed.
One that made the very skin on my body tingle.
"No... they’re still here. Somewhere."