Darkness.
A void of nothingness stretched infinitely around him.
Hope stood in the abyss, his bare feet touching an unseen surface that rippled like water. The air was thick, pressing against his skin like a heavy fog.
He blinked, disoriented.
The last thing he remembered was falling asleep in the dorm. But now, he was here—in this place that felt both endless and claustrophobic at the same time.
A chill crawled up his spine.
Something was wrong.
His breath came out in slow, controlled exhales as he turned his head, scanning his surroundings.
Nothing.
Only the infinite void, stretching in all directions.
Then—
A ripple.
Like a disturbance in water, just a few feet away.
Hope's body tensed. He wasn't alone.
He turned his head slowly, dread pooling in his stomach.
And there it was.
The mirror.
A tall, ancient-looking thing, its frame twisted and jagged, as if it had been grown rather than forged.
It stood upright in the void, reflecting nothing but more darkness.
Hope's pulse quickened.
He hadn't seen this mirror before, yet it felt familiar—like something from the edges of his memory, a nightmare he had long forgotten.
His throat went dry as he took a single step back.
The mirror shuddered.
Then—
A shape emerged.
At first, it was just a shadow, blurry and undefined. But slowly, it took form.
His own form.
Hope's reflection.
But… it wasn't just a reflection.
The moment their eyes met, his blood turned to ice.
It smiled.
Not a friendly smile. Not even a smug one.
But something wrong, something twisted—like a predator watching its prey.
Then, the reflection stepped forward.
And Hope realized with growing horror—
It was stepping out of the mirror.
The glass rippled like liquid as the other him emerged, moving with an unnatural smoothness.
Hope tried to back away, but his feet wouldn't move.
It was as if the ground itself had frozen him in place.
The reflection's head tilted, that smile never fading.
"You can't run from me, Hope."
The voice was his own—but deeper. Darker. Like it was layered with something else.
Hope's fingers twitched, his jaw tightening.
"I don't have time for this," he muttered, trying to shake the weight off his limbs.
But the reflection took another step closer.
Then another.
Until it was just a breath away.
Hope's heartbeat pounded in his ears.
The reflection leaned in, voice dropping to a whisper.
"You killed them."
The words sent a cold blade through his chest.
Hope's breath hitched.
His lips parted, but no sound came out.
The reflection's smile widened.
"Kevin… Walker… do you even remember their faces?"
Hope's mind reeled, his thoughts spiraling.
Kevin.
Walker.
Dead.
No.
It wasn't his fault.
It wasn't.
He tried to speak—to deny it—but his throat felt sealed shut.
The reflection's expression darkened, the smile vanishing.
"You let them die."
Hope shook his head, his breath coming in shallow gasps.
"I—"
"You ran."
The voice was sharper now, cutting through the silence like a knife.
"You always run. Isn't that right? That's what you do best."
Hope's fists clenched.
"Shut up."
The reflection chuckled, a low, eerie sound that sent chills racing down his spine.
Then, its hand shot forward—gripping Hope's wrist in a cold, vice-like grip.
Hope gasped.
The moment their skin touched, memories surged through his mind like a flood.
The battle.
The blood.
The look in Kevin's eyes as he was pierced by the spear, reaching out for help that never came he's body going limp.
The sound of Walker's last breath.
The crunch of bones.
His last word's.
Hope jerked, trying to tear himself away, but the grip tightened.
"You felt it, didn't you?" the reflection whispered.
Hope's breath came in ragged gasps.
The reflection's other hand rose, pointing to the darkness surrounding them.
And suddenly—
The void was no longer empty.
Bodies littered the ground.
Kevin's. Walker's.
Others he didn't recognize, their faces twisted in expressions of pain and betrayal.
Blood pooled at his feet, reflecting the image of his smirking reflection.
Hope's chest heaved.
He forced his head up, glaring at the twisted version of himself.
"It wasn't my fault."
The reflection sighed, shaking its head.
"You keep telling yourself that."
Hope's body trembled.
The grip on his wrist tightened, nails digging into his skin.
Then—
The reflection leaned in one last time, voice dropping to a whisper.
"We both know the truth."
A pause.
Then—
"You should have died with them."
A deafening ringing filled Hope's ears.
The words sank deep.
The world around him shattered—like glass breaking into a million pieces.
Then—
He woke up.
Gasping.
Sweating.
Heart hammering in his chest.
The dorm room was quiet, his roommates still asleep.
But the echo of the reflection's voice still rang in his mind.
You should have died with them.
Hope stared at the ceiling, his breath unsteady.
He didn't go back to sleep.