The chaos had barely settled when Ben finally regained his senses. He pointed weakly towards the bathroom, muttering, "The mirror…"
Just those two words seemed to wield an eerie power, and Chris's expression changed as he quickly helped Ben onto the bed. Steeling himself, he entered the bathroom.
The walls were littered with shattered glass, remnants of the mirror that had been smashed to pieces. After the incident with Hayden fainting, Chris had covered all mirrors in the haunted house with black cloth, believing that would put an end to the disturbances. But now, with the new scene opened, he had let his guard down, leading to this latest crisis.
Any entertainment venue labeled unsafe faced dire consequences, and Chris was acutely aware of this. He picked up a shard of mirror from the floor, glancing at his reflection. "I need to deal with this… and fast."
Just as chess pieces are black and white, so too are humans good and evil; spirits abide by the same principle. The malevolent force lurking within the mirror was palpable, radiating hostility and harboring untold intentions.
Hayden's fainting and Ben's panic-induced destruction of the mirror served as stark warnings. Chris felt an urgent pressure building within him. Covering mirrors with cloth was merely a temporary fix; the entity within had become an obstacle to the haunted house's growth.
With no suspicious traces left in the bathroom, Chris stepped out, gripping a hammer tightly. He settled next to Ben, who still bore a pale, shaken expression. "Can you tell me what just happened?"
After a few moments of catching his breath, Ben finally spoke, "I can't say for sure…"
"That's fine. Just tell me what you remember." Chris studied him intently. Unlike Hayden, Ben seemed resilient, ready to confront whatever had scared him.
Taking a deep breath, Ben began, "I was being chased by your staff, so I hid in this room. At first, everything was fine, but then I started hearing someone calling me."
"Did it call your name?" Chris asked, intrigued.
"No, but I felt it was calling for me," Ben replied, running a hand through his hair. "The voice came from the mirror, but I couldn't quite understand it. I just knew it was connected to me."
"And then what happened?" Chris listened carefully, knowing this account could reveal crucial insights into the malevolent force.
"I stood in front of the mirror, trying to figure out what was going on. When I touched it, the voice grew louder, and I felt dizzy. I looked into the mirror, and I could see my reflection, but it felt like… it wasn't me," he stammered, fear glimmering in his eyes. "I should have been terrified, but instead, it felt normal. My body leaned toward the mirror, almost as if I wanted to get closer."
Chris leaned in, sensing the gravity of the moment. "And then?"
"Then I saw something behind me—a doll." Ben's voice quivered as he spoke.
"A doll?" Chris asked, perplexed.
"Yes, the same kind I saw in other rooms. It was tiny, with a stitched-on mustache." Ben gestured vaguely, recalling the moment. "When I saw it, panic surged through me, and I wanted to flee, but my body wouldn't respond. It felt like being trapped in a nightmare."
Chris could almost visualize the scene, the weight of Ben's words pressing down on him. "And how did you escape?"
"Suddenly, I heard Hayden scream from upstairs, and it was like waking up from a dream," Ben said, relief washing over him. "I panicked and smashed the mirror. It was purely instinctive. This haunted house is terrifying—I forgot I was even here as a guest."
Ben's recollection sparked an idea in Chris's mind. "What about the doll? Where is it now?"
"I think I kicked it under the bed. Is that part of your props?" Ben's expression shifted, uncertainty creeping in.
Chris lifted the bed skirt and retrieved the dusty doll, shaking off the dust. "You should thank this little guy; he just saved your life."
"Saved me? Thanks, I guess?" Ben said, shrinking back slightly. His demeanor shifted; the towering young man suddenly seemed vulnerable.
"If I told you everything you experienced was real, and not just props or special effects, would you believe me?" Chris's voice dropped, adopting a tone that was both serious and unsettling.
Ben, nearly six feet tall, curled up in the corner like a frightened child. "Do you think I should say I believe you or not?"
Chris offered a wry smile. "It's a choice you'll have to make. But trust me, there's a reason for everything here."
As he spoke, Chris's mind raced. He needed to act fast to contain whatever was festering in the mirrors before it spiraled out of control. The haunted house had to thrive, and it would take all his ingenuity and courage to confront the darkness within.