***********

"Aaron?" Reece knocked when he hadn't felt him pulling on the door anymore.

It had been about ten more minutes.

After a few extra seconds of silence there was a sudden bump against the door, making them jump back. Reece tried opening the door but it was locked.

"It's locked." Reece announced out loud.

There was no sound on the other side, though. No crying, yelling, no voice, nothing.

"Aaron, you can come out now." Uma told him.

Nothing.

"Dude, he's fucking with us." Roland told Reece.

"Let us in, he did what you wanted, let us in!" Wendell was back to beating on the bedroom door.

Roland looked to Reece for confirmation, to which Reece nodded, not taking his eyes off the door.

When they were let in, Roland immediately got a slap from Wendell and Shane, before they pushed him out of the way and went to get Aaron, but not before giving both Uma and Reece their just desserts too.

The bathroom door was still locked.

"Aaron? You okay in there?" Shane called.

Nothing.

"Aaron?" Wendell knocked, putting her ear to the door. "I can't hear anything." She tried the door again.

"Roland, get that door open." Shane demanded.

"Already on it." Roland said before hitting the doorknob with a hammer.

"Woah is there a way to open it without destroying my doorknob?" Shane asked.

"Too much time wasting, get it open!" Wendell demanded.

But before they could, the door opened itself. Or rather, the boy on the other side of it opened it.

"Oh, Aaron..." Wendell was going to hug him when she noticed his state of being.

"Is that blood? Why are you bleeding? Where are you bleeding?" she noticed the hand holding his shirt against a bloodied stomach. “Shane, we need a kit, like now!”

Wendell and Shane rushed into the bathroom, turning on the lights to look for medical supplies.

Aaron looked at the other three. First at Roland, which had his face morphing slowly into a frown, then to Uma, whom he glared at disdainfully, and then at Reece, who his eyes locked with.

Reece looked back at him, and saw as the boy's irises changed into a pitch black, as though his pupils had expanded and taken over the space.

Aaron quickly blinked and his eyes were back to normal brown, lined red and puffy from crying. 

"Which one did that? What happened?" Shane glared at the other three when they came back, and Wendell checked for any more wounds. Wendell announced he was bleeding a bit from his head as well.

"...Reece." Aaron said quietly. The lights flickered for a second.

They all looked around, but Aaron kept looking at Reece.

"Reece, what were you thinking?! You stabbed him? Why?" Wendell scolded.

Reece was speechless, looking at Aaron, who looked back at him through hooded eyes filled with silent anger.

"He didn't want to go into the bathroom, and wouldn't stop hanging onto the doorframe, so I made him let go."

"You could have just left me alone." Aaron lowered his head, letting his loose hair cover his eyes, giving the appearance of someone so deeply hurt by their actions. 

Reece wasn’t buying it.

"How would that help?" Uma challenged, “He got it over with, and it was just a simple mirror summoning. Maybe this’ll teach him to grow a fucking pair. These games haven’t worked so far anyway, what’s the issue?”

"It would have saved your life if you left me alone." He whispered angrily.

The lights flickered again, shutting off for a good five seconds before coming back on.

When they stopped, Aaron was sitting on the bed, wrapping his own wounded abdomen, and head.

"Woah, what the fuck!" Roland scrambled away from his spot near the bed upon seeing Aaron there.

"What just happened?" Reece asked, looking around.

Aaron only lifted an eyebrow.

"Look at him! He's not even phased, and did you not just see the lights flicker? What the hell do you think just happened?!" Roland exclaimed.

"Guys, where's Uma?" Shane asked.

Reece went pale, looking toward Aaron, "You son of a bitch...find her guys, now!"

The four went out of the room to find their friend.

"Is she dead?" Aaron asked into the wind after a minute of silence.

"Yes." A passing voice answered back after a few seconds.

"And will they find her?"

Aaron heard a scream just then.

"Yes..."

Minutes later, the four came back into the room, Wendell sobbing with drops of blood on her face, hands, and hair, Roland and Shane holding her, pale as ghosts, and Reece, an angry, but concerned look on his face.

"Why did you kill Uma? Where's Aaron?!" Reece shook Aaron's shoulders.

He was acting as if this all made sense, like this was supposed to happen, but not to this extent. It made Aaron angrier deep down. Did he intend for all of this to go this way? Did he know what he’d just unleashed?

Aaron smiled. The type of sympathetic smile you'd have at a funeral.

His eyes showed a bright brown, Aaron's natural color brown.

"What happened in that bathroom?" Shane asked shakily.

"I told you something was in the mirror." Aaron said, only looking at Reece before his face returned stoic, irises returning to the doe-like pitch black.

Wendell sniffed, "I don't...want to be here anymore. I'm gonna head home, if I can."

Aaron nodded, "I'm sorry about Uma." Wendell looked about ready to puke. 

"It's...I guess she wasn't really my friend to begin with." Wendell went over and hugged him, a frown resting on her stained face.

"You didn't deserve to see that though." He hugged her back, like this was something he’d done a dozen times, and yet still had compassion for the innocents.

Wendell pulled back a few seconds later, giving Aaron a half smile.

“I’m sorry Aaron.” She said before walking away.

"I think I'll join you," Shane said toward Wendell, "This may be my house, but this is yall's problem. Fix it." She demanded, looking between Roland and Reece.

They were out of the room and house within a minute.

Aaron turned toward the last two left with him.

"You won't get the same privilege." He scowled.

"Why did you kill Uma? If we were the problem, why not us?" Roland's voice cracked, tears pooling in his finally scared eyes.

"I hate instigators." Aaron stated simply.

"What are you going to do to us?" Reece asked.

"Nothing to you, Reece. That is not in my hands."

Aaron turned to Roland with a wicked smirk, "But your fate is in my hands, pretty boy, and I'm going to have such fun with it."

Aaron flicked a wrist and Reece was locked in place where he stood, "You won't be helping him out of this one Reece. In fact...part of your fate is to watch it happen."

"No...no don't kill him, please Aaron, I'm sorry, we're sorry!" Reece struggled in his stance. Despite there being no ties, he was in fact stuck, though.

Roland ran for the door, but it was locked. The boy pulled and pulled and tugged. He got the hammer and hit the knob three times, but it stayed undented. He rammed himself against it, grunts of pain, aggravation, and building fear leaving him.

He stopped for a second, breathing hard and tugging his hair. 

Aaron watched in amusement as he looked around like a caged animal trying to escape.

The boy screamed in frustration, tears leaving his eyes, his face becoming red. He tried the window next. He tried breaking it with things, and even jumping at it to break it with his own weight, only to land harshly on the ground. He curled into himself and cried for at least a minute before he got up and tried the door again. 

“Let me out! LET ME OUT! PLEASE!” Roland desperately shouted. 

Reece himself was red in the face, with his own tears as he watched Roland quickly descend into panic in front of him. He could do nothing. 

"Roland," Aaron proceeded as if everything hadn’t just happened, "You know it’s fruitless."

"No, I am going to get out of here alive, I refuse to be stuck here!" He spit, pointing a shaking finger at Aaron.

"You are not in control here, you filthy vermin! Your life is no longer in your hands." He thundered, the power behind it making the lights strain.

"Aaron..." the boy turned to Reece, "Please, don't hurt him, he's my friend..."

"Oh?" Aaron tilted his head, stood up, and walked over to Reece slowly, "So what was I?"

The boy swallowed.

"You're a piece of shit, Reece, you know that?" He started. Stopping in front of Reece, Aaron placed his hands on the boy’s arms and leaned into his space, "A handsome boy...real smart, and quite the ego, but overall a piece of shit. You can't be all without consequence though."

Aaron pushed back Reece's hair, not even particularly bothered by Reece's fear or how he moved his head to get out of reach.

"This is your consequence. Roland?"

The other didn't respond, but Aaron could tell he was paying attention. He kept his eyes on Reece, though, and Reece kept his scared eyes on Aaron.

"Your life will end tonight," Reece's heart skipped in horror after those words, "If you make it easy, then you will have nothing to fear but what waits for you beyond Death."

Roland hesitated before yelling back, “I’m not going out without a fight!”

Aaron couldn’t suppress his laugh, “How noble…”

"I'm sorry it had to be this way, but think about it. None of this would have happened, had you just left me alone." With that Aaron walked toward the bathroom, where he heard Roland rummaging for a weapon.

Reece begged him not to kill Roland, seeing Aaron start to grow talons, and watching his body crack and hunch into something horrid, he was terrified of what he would do.

As he should be.

Aaron pushed open the door painfully slowly. It creaked, as it moved, and the lights that were now on, flickered, making all of this look more suspenseful. Aaron turned back to Reece with a sinister smile, that host. He waved a clawed hand at the boy before looking around the bathroom for Roland.

Everything was silent besides Roland's quiet crying pleas. Before long there were screams and Reece stopped struggling to get out of the invisible hold as he listened to his friend die painfully. He could barely feel the tears rolling down his cheeks as his widened eyes looked toward the bathroom in terror. He saw blood spray into view, the lights dimming and brightening with every minute. At one point, he saw a bloody hand grasp the door, swinging it all the way open. He jumped at the sight. Roland appeared in the path for a moment, and Reece gasped in horror.

Scratches adorned his body, one of his eyes had been clearly gouged out. His nose and mouth were bloodied, and one of his hands looked to be missing some fingers. 

The boy sobbed silently, as he tried to stumble out of the bathroom only to be pulled back.

“I don’t wanna die!” He cried as a smiling Aaron came into view behind him and slashed his claws across the boy’s back, causing him to scream. Roland turned around and fought as hard as he could, but whatever he did wasn’t hindering Aaron like he'd hoped. Not even the knife he’d apparently grabbed before going in there.

There were cracks and gushes, and cries. Blood stained the floors, doors, and walls all around them, including their own bodies. Aaron laughed maniacally, tearing Roland apart with pure joy. Reece was watching all of it, but the sound of his dying friend was even more traumatizing. It was just as bad as seeing it. He saw as Aaron ripped and clawed and stabbed at his friend as slowly but painfully as he could. Roland cried and screamed until he couldn’t, until Aaron ripped out his coords in front of an also screaming Reece.

Then it all stopped. Roland’s remaining eye rolled back, and the boy collapsed in a shredded heap accompanied by a disgusting gurgling sound.

The lights went steady again, and Reece wished he had no eyes. The smell was putrid, the sight even more of a nightmare. Reece switched between gulping back vomit, crying his voice raw, and trying not to let all the oxygen escape him, all at once.

The floors, walls, counter, mirror, it was all covered in blood. He didn't want to see the rest of the bathroom.

This horrific Aaron stepped out slowly, walking over Roland’s wasted body. His hair was wet and matted, and his clothes were washed in reds. Up to his elbows was nothing but blood and body matter. He was twitching, little muffled sounds coming out of his mouth. They sounded almost like whimpers or chants. A small wicked smile was on his face.

"Why..." Reece choked out.

Aaron fell to his knees, still twitching, he started laughing, looking at the blood on his body. The modifications that had overcome him retreated like they were never there, and all that was left was this laughing boy.

Reece could finally move, and he felt his body also give out.

Aaron suddenly began choking, and soon a black substance started coming from his mouth and nose. It formed into a silhouette of the boy, and disappeared. Aaron's body slumped to the ground.

"FUCK YOU!" Reece hoarsely screamed at where the silhouette had stood.

"Reece...?"

Reece went over to where Aaron was now shaking on the ground. He patted his back, which was slimy with things he didn't want to know about, as the boy continued to cough.

"Aaron?"

Once the boy had sobered up from coughing, he sat up on shaky limbs. He looked back at the bathroom and covered his mouth. Roland’s disassembled body lay there, his blood staining the tiles.

"I killed him..." the boy's voice was shallow.

"No, it wasn't you-"

"I killed them..." Aaron looked at his stained body, "Uma...Roland...they're dead because of me...Oh god, why, why did I kill them? Why couldn't I stop?" The boy ran his dirty hands through his matted hair, spreading more of the filth.

"No. No Aaron, that wasn't you. It was my fault you became like that, their deaths are on me."

Aaron started to cry, and despite the mess on his body, Reece brought the distraught boy to his chest.

“It is your fault!” He screamed, hitting at his chest again and again, “Fuck you Reece! Fuck you!”

Reece just listened to him cry, repeating to him that it would be okay, saying he knew the pain despite Aaron arguing he didn’t.