***********

"Come on Aaron, you're next." Uma encouraged.

"Guys, you're not listening, this is dangerous." Aaron pleaded.

"No, you're just a pussy." Reece insulted him.

"Hey, I have no problem putting you out on your ass at two in the morning." Shane defended and turned toward the teen, "You don't have to do it Aaron, but we will continue, so you can stay in the room or leave?" She suggested.

"No, it's fine, I'll...I'll stay and watch." He didn’t trust himself alone in the house after all of the creaks and bumps he’d heard in the past two hours. So, he relocated to her bed and watched them continue to take turns in these "games". He hugged a pillow to his chest for extra measure.

They had been doing this since the clock struck twelve. Something about...Void Games? They were different summoning games, and none of them seemed to be working, so here they are, two hours later, still trying.

"They're not gonna work, guys, these games are fake." Wendell told them. She was the group skeptic, though she seemed the most likely to believe in this type of thing. Her demeanor and aesthetic certainly matched this domain of activity.

"We can test that theory with the next game." Reece smirked.

"Which is?" Shane crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow.

"A simple...mirror summoning." Everyone breathed out in relief, while Aaron tensed. He tensed at almost anything Reece mentioned.

"Good lord, I thought we were gonna do something worse. Had me scared!" Roland put a hand over his chest.

"So who's gonna do it?" Uma asked.

"Aaron." Reece smiled evilly toward the cowering boy.

His eyes widened, "No...no, I-"

"Oh yes, and you're not getting out of this one," Reece and Roland stood up and grabbed his arms.

Aaron immediately fought, making the boys lose their grip many times in his effort to fully escape their hold.

"Hey now, he said he didn't want to play, get off him!" Shane tried prying them off while Aaron struggled to get out of their grip.

"C'mon guys, give him a break, he isn't into this stuff, don't be dicks!" Wendell started helping to get them off of him. By this point they had gotten Aaron on his feet.

Uma was just cheering the boys on.

"That's exactly why we're doing this, so he doesn't have to be afraid!" Reece was laughing at the tears on the scared teen’s face as he dragged him closer to a door leading to a bathroom the room was connected to.

"Please don't make me do this, please!" Aaron shook his head and fought against them. In his efforts to get his footing, his foot got burned by one of the candles, and he screamed. It had given them more of an advantage to practically put the boy in a tug-of-war between being pulled to stay, and pulled to go into that bathroom.

Roland let go of one arm to keep Wendell and Shane back, yelling at Uma to help.

“Nah, you got it,” the girl dismissed, taking videos of the incident.

Aaron, with his free arm, punched at Reece’s face and chest. The boy seemed unfazed, however, and still pulled at Aaron to go to the bathroom.

"Please, no, I don't want to! I can’t, I really can’t, please Reece!” Aaron fought and pulled, and even made himself heavy just to slow Reece down, but the boy was stubbornly persistent with this.

"You don't have a choice," Reece said, "You can either do this willingly, or I can force you to, but either way, that's where you're gonna end up." 

By this point, Reece had dragged Aaron to the door of the bathroom, but he refused to even let a foot touch the tiles, holding onto the frame like it was the only thing keeping him alive. Scratches, from the strength behind his grip, were forming against the wall.

Uma had now decided to help Roland, who was practically getting jumped by Wendell and Shane, who were trying to keep him from stopping them from helping Aaron.

"Do it Aaron." Reece pressured, but he shook his head.

He then sighed, and Reece backed away from him. Aaron closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath, slowly stepping away from the door. 

"C'mon Reece, don't do that." He heard Uma say amidst her struggle with the others, and expected to feel a hard push.

Instead, he felt a sharp push in his abdomen. He was then shoved away before he could even gasp from the building pain.

“NO!!” Aaron screamed as he lost his footing and fell, his head hitting the cabinet door.

Reece shut the door quickly, much to Aaron, Shane, and Wendell’s protests. Aaron, despite his weakening condition, quickly got up and started pulling on the door, crying to be let out, but someone was holding it from the outside. Someone who either had a better grip or was stronger than him.

“Reece, what the fuck man!” Roland yelled.

"If I see that light come on, I'll get Roland to cut off the power, and then you'll really have no light. Just get it over with and you can come out."

"Reece! I'll fucking kill you guys, let us in!" Wendell yelled from what sounded like a far distance.

They had managed to lock Shane and Wendell out of the room.

"Aaron," Reece called, "One time. You already know what to do."

"I hate you, Reece, I FUCKING HATE YOU!" Aaron slammed his palms against the door.

Instant regret filled him as his abdomen pulled in an uncomfortable way. Putting his hand to his shirt, he felt a wet space that wasn’t there before. Then the pain kicked in. Aaron hissed.

"I love you too, you'll thank me later. Now do it."

"Reece, was that necessary?" Uma muttered from the other side.

"How else was I gonna get him in there? He wasn't going to do it on his own."

“Oh you could have tried a thousand things but you stabbed him.” Roland chastised.

Uma sighed, "Hey Aaron, there's a slim chance it even comes to you, don't worry dude."

“Oh, so not even a concern for the fact that I might bleed the fuck out?” Aaron grunted, removing his shirt to press against the wound.

“Just do the summoning.”

The boy let out an involuntary whine of fear and turned toward the mirror. His head began to throb with the stress of the situation, as well as his hit against the counter. The adrenaline in him made him forget that he’d just been literally stabbed, and probably had a head injury. It all felt tingly, and numb as he reached for the bathroom counter in front of him.

One time. I can leave if I do it once...

Okay...

Everything was set on the counter, that he knew. He felt around with a shaky unoccupied hand in the dark for the bag, and placed everything where it was meant to be as best he could.

They didn’t even give me a lighter.

"Today, Aaron." Roland complained.

"Shut up and do it for yourself then!" He yelled back.

They were quiet again.

After everything was- to his knowledge- set up, he took a deep breath. Then, out of curiosity from how quiet it had been, he tried the door once more.

Nothing.

"You really think I'd leave?" Reece said from the other side.

Aaron groaned in frustration and turned back to the mirror.

"Reece, I-"

"I don't care if you don't want to do it, just do it."

The teen sighed and sniffed. There was a bit of light from under the door, but not enough for Aaron to make out much of anything. Only the tiles near it, and a bit of his feet.

"Nevermind, I’m sorry I even bothered."

"That's not gonna get you out of thi-"

"I know. I know, I just...wanted to say sorry, geez."

Another deep breath.

After a minute of hesitance, Aaron began chanting the words he’d heard the others say so many times before. After he was done, he stepped back from the mirror and waited with bated breath.

Everything seemed to still for a moment, making Aaron a little more afraid by the second. It felt like the world could hear the fear in his heart.

"R-Reece, can I come out now?" Aaron grabbed the doorknob upon seeing what looked like rippling happening against the mirror’s surface.

"Hmmm...nah, stay in there a little longer." He laughed with Roland and Uma.

Suddenly his wounds hurt a lot worse.

He realized Shane and Wendell had been quiet for a while, as well, which worried him more. What was going on out there? What was going on in that mirror?

"Please Reece there's something in the mirror..." 

Indeed, there was something in the mirror. The rippling had become more violent, as if something was trying to break the surface.

"There's nothing in the mirror Aaron, you're crazy."

"Well if I'm crazy, why won't you fucking let me out!" He banged and pulled against the door as the rippling came to a slow stop.

As dark as it was, if Aaron squinted and focused enough, he could just about see the mirror. In it, he noticed a dark figure with his exact form, except it was not in the same position Aaron was.

No, where Aaron was turned slightly, one hand on the doorknob, ready to fling it open and dash out of the entire house, his figure in the dark mirror was facing straight toward him.

He tilted his head in confusion, scrunching his eyes harder to get a better look, but no, he was not mistaken. The figure was facing him directly.

The shadowy thing copied his tilting head for a second, before standing straight up again.

It was walking closer to the mirror.

Aaron couldn't stop himself from backing up, even knowing there was a door in the way of going further.

The strange silhouette had reached the counter on the other side of the mirror. Aaron felt his body start to shake again as he watched the thing face back to him.

“Please don’t hurt me…” he whispered almost mutely. 

The reflection tilted its head, reaching a hand toward the mirror’s surface. Without much effort, it pushed its hand through, and Aaron barely had time to gasp before it launched itself forward and toward him.