Post by isaac on Dec 29, 2008 10:48:54 GMT -5
There was a dirty old mirror in the bunkroom. No one quite knew why it was there; no one bothered to use it for much of anything. Cain was only surprised that it hadn't been shattered at this point. Broken glass, if the shard was large enough, was an excellent makeshift knife, if you had nothing else that would service. But he also knew that most of the Midtown newsies did have knives; himself included. It was clean now, but just days before, it had not been. He was concernedly unbothered by the fact that he had just killed a stranger, but he thought that once the first murder was committed, the second one would be easier. It made him wonder, then, about the third and the fourth...
The bunkroom was empty. Cain was bored and restless. He stood after a moment, and paced, trying to keep his mind clear. But it did little for him. He glanced up, and saw the mirror again. It dawned on him that he had not looked in a mirror since he came to New York. Slowly he walked over to it, and looked at his reflection through the grime and dust. He was shocked to see that he hardly recognized his own face: his cheeks were hollow and gaunt; his skin paler than he remembered, ashen, stretched unhealthily over his face. His eyes were slightly sunken, and rimmed by dark circles underneath. His hair was disheveled and dirty. He blinked, and for a moment, he thought he saw another face. Shaken slightly, he brushed off the notion--until the presence of a second face became more and more clear. It was Seth's face. And now, he could hear something, ringing out clearly in the empty bunk room...no. It couldn't be. Seth's voice!
"Do you really think that I would ever let you go? Do you think I'd ever set you free? If you do, I'm sad to say, it simply isn't so. You will never get away from me!"
"All that you are is a face in the mirror! I close my eyes and you'll disappear!" He responded to it aloud, and attempted to turn away from the image in the mirror. But his eyes were fastened to the face of his brother. His feet were rooted to the spot. He could not look away. He had run the first time, but now, he had no choice but to stay.
"I'm what you face when you face in the mirror! Long as you live, I will still be there!"
"All that you are is the end of a nightmare! A dying scream! After tonight, I will end this demon dream!"
"This is not a dream, brother, and it will never end! This one is the nightmare that goes on! I am here to stay, no matter what you may pretend!"
"Soon I will die, and my silence will hide you! You cannot choose but to lose your hold!"
"You can't hide me! I live deep inside you! Each day you feel me devour your soul!"
"I don't need a soul to survive! I became whole when I caused your death! And I rejoiced as you breathed your final breath!"
"I'll live inside you forever!"
"No!"
"With Satan himself by your side!"
"No!"
"And know that, now and forever, they'll never be able to separate Isaac from Cain!"
"Can't you see it's over now? It's time to die!"
"No, not I! Only you! You'll die by me, I'll kill you!"
"Damn you, Seth! Set me free!"
"Can't you see? This is you!"
"No! I can change..."
"This is you, you are Cain!"
Isaac looked in the mirror again and saw, unmistakably, his own face. But on his forehead was a black mark. The mark of Cain. He staggered away, stumbling hard into a pile of empty wooden boxes. He cried out into the empty room: "No! Never!"
"Yes, forever!"
"Good damn you, Seth! Get away from here and rot in hell!"
"I'll see you there, brother!"
"Never!" He ran forward, and hit the mirror with his closed fist. It shattered, the broken glass slicing his hand and drawing blood. The image and the voice gone, Isaac stared at the shattered mirror, the blood on his hands, and at his own face, broken and distorted, in the shards.
The bunkroom was empty. Cain was bored and restless. He stood after a moment, and paced, trying to keep his mind clear. But it did little for him. He glanced up, and saw the mirror again. It dawned on him that he had not looked in a mirror since he came to New York. Slowly he walked over to it, and looked at his reflection through the grime and dust. He was shocked to see that he hardly recognized his own face: his cheeks were hollow and gaunt; his skin paler than he remembered, ashen, stretched unhealthily over his face. His eyes were slightly sunken, and rimmed by dark circles underneath. His hair was disheveled and dirty. He blinked, and for a moment, he thought he saw another face. Shaken slightly, he brushed off the notion--until the presence of a second face became more and more clear. It was Seth's face. And now, he could hear something, ringing out clearly in the empty bunk room...no. It couldn't be. Seth's voice!
"Do you really think that I would ever let you go? Do you think I'd ever set you free? If you do, I'm sad to say, it simply isn't so. You will never get away from me!"
"All that you are is a face in the mirror! I close my eyes and you'll disappear!" He responded to it aloud, and attempted to turn away from the image in the mirror. But his eyes were fastened to the face of his brother. His feet were rooted to the spot. He could not look away. He had run the first time, but now, he had no choice but to stay.
"I'm what you face when you face in the mirror! Long as you live, I will still be there!"
"All that you are is the end of a nightmare! A dying scream! After tonight, I will end this demon dream!"
"This is not a dream, brother, and it will never end! This one is the nightmare that goes on! I am here to stay, no matter what you may pretend!"
"Soon I will die, and my silence will hide you! You cannot choose but to lose your hold!"
"You can't hide me! I live deep inside you! Each day you feel me devour your soul!"
"I don't need a soul to survive! I became whole when I caused your death! And I rejoiced as you breathed your final breath!"
"I'll live inside you forever!"
"No!"
"With Satan himself by your side!"
"No!"
"And know that, now and forever, they'll never be able to separate Isaac from Cain!"
"Can't you see it's over now? It's time to die!"
"No, not I! Only you! You'll die by me, I'll kill you!"
"Damn you, Seth! Set me free!"
"Can't you see? This is you!"
"No! I can change..."
"This is you, you are Cain!"
Isaac looked in the mirror again and saw, unmistakably, his own face. But on his forehead was a black mark. The mark of Cain. He staggered away, stumbling hard into a pile of empty wooden boxes. He cried out into the empty room: "No! Never!"
"Yes, forever!"
"Good damn you, Seth! Get away from here and rot in hell!"
"I'll see you there, brother!"
"Never!" He ran forward, and hit the mirror with his closed fist. It shattered, the broken glass slicing his hand and drawing blood. The image and the voice gone, Isaac stared at the shattered mirror, the blood on his hands, and at his own face, broken and distorted, in the shards.