Before Catastrophe Begin

A few hours later, I woke up as a cold breeze brushed against me. I looked towards the window; none of the windows in the room were open. It was strange, and I nervously rubbed my neck. The white cloth that covered a mirror at the end of the room caught my attention. There was something peculiar about that mirror.

Suddenly, the white cloth fell slowly, as if someone was pulling it down. I could see my reflection in the mirror. I was startled, and my eyes couldn't stop staring at it. Unconsciously, I approached the mirror and touched it.

A faint figure of another person appeared in the mirror, and they also reached out and touched my hand. I quickly retreated and almost stumbled. The man had beautiful blue eyes and blonde hair. I turned to Richard, intending to wake him, but the man in the mirror put his index finger to his lips, indicating for me to be quiet. I assumed this man was General Leonardo.

"You truly resemble Isabella. I miss her so much," he said.

Our hands met through the mirror, and suddenly, a dark blue light began to emanate, gradually expanding. My hand got sucked into the mirror, and I was startled. My heart started pounding so loudly that I could hear it. Then my entire body was pulled into the mirror, and everything went dark.

When I looked behind, the mirror was there. Instead of my reflection, I saw Richard in the mirror, looking shocked. He sat in front of the mirror, calling my name in panic, but I couldn't hear his voice.

I was inside the mirror, and I tried to approach Richard, tapping on the glass to get his attention. I also called his name and pleaded for his help, "Richard, please! I'm in here!"

However, it seemed the man couldn't see me. He bowed his head, looking devastated and tearful as if he had lost someone dear to him. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. I watched him with teary eyes.

I felt helpless, then I hugged myself as the air in the mirror was chilling. Suddenly, I heard a woman's scream, and I looked around for the source of the sound. The voice grew closer.

A door was slammed shut, followed by the sound of it being locked from the outside. I crawled closer to the door to see who had entered the room. I covered my mouth to avoid making any noise.

A woman with long hair was lying on the floor, wearing a tattered dress that once must have been beautiful. Her long hair was disheveled and sprawled on the ground. She sobbed uncontrollably, calling out for Leo.

I furrowed my brow, wondering who this woman was. I wanted to approach her, but fear held me back. Suddenly, the woman sat down, weeping with one hand leaning on the floor and the other wiping away her tears. Her mournful cries cut through me.

I decided to inch closer, thinking maybe I could help her, but she realized my presence and turned her head. Her tear-stained eyes met mine. I froze, sitting there with my heart racing. She looked taken aback as her gaze met mine. I couldn't believe how much she resembled me, and I recalled what Leo had said earlier in the mirror.

Her face contorted in sorrow, and she cried, "Please, get me out of here!"

I shook my head repeatedly and told her I was also trapped. She looked disbelieving and gripped my arm tightly.

"You must know how to do it! Please, get me out of here!" she cried, her voice filled with desperation. I shook my head vigorously and said, "I will try. Please be patient."

The woman was insistent and shook my body, her grip on my arm unrelenting, as she screamed loudly. Her voice echoed, and everything spun around like I was a spinning top, blurring my vision. Then, everything went pitch black, and I felt nothing. 

A moment later, I felt a strong gust of wind. My heart started to race, and I slowly opened my eyes. I adjusted my view to see where I was, and I found Richard lying on a pile of papers we had arranged earlier. I sighed in relief, realizing that what I had experienced earlier was just a bad dream.

The white cloth covering the mirror at the end of the room caught my attention again. I resisted the urge to approach it. Suddenly, the white cloth fell slowly as if it were being pulled down, revealing my reflection in the mirror. I was startled, and my eyes couldn't stop staring at it. Unconsciously, I started moving towards the mirror to touch it.

Tap! Richard's hand stopped me from getting closer.

"Sophia, don't..."

I heard Richard call my name softly. I fell silent and watched Richard who was still sound asleep. His forehead was furrowed, and he shook his head vigorously, showing signs of distress. It seemed he had also had a bad dream while sleeping. I quickly woke him up by patting his arms and calling his name.

Finally, he opened his eyes and woke up, his chest heaving as he gasped for breath. His body was covered in sweat, and he was trembling. Richard immediately embraced me tightly. I rubbed his back to calm him down and said, "It's okay. I'm here. Everything will be fine."

He hid his face in the crook of my neck. I stroked his head and felt my neck was slightly damp from his silent tears.

"You must have had a bad dream. Do you want to tell me what you dreamed about?"

He raised his head to look at me, nodded, and said, "I dreamt that you entered that mirror and left me." Richard pointed at the standing mirror where I had also dreamt of seeing the figure of General Leonardo and entering the mirror.

"Oh my goodness, why is the cloth covering the mirror open?" Richard immediately released his embrace and rushed to pick up the white cloth on the floor, panicking as he covered the standing mirror with it.

"You must not approach that mirror, okay? I'm really scared every time I think about my dream."

I nodded, "I also had a bad dream similar to what you just described."

Richard embraced me again, "because we dreamt the same thing. So, please promise me you won't go near the mirror again. I felt relieved to see you okay when I woke up from my bad dream. I'll have to try even harder to protect you."

I patted his back and said, "Okay, I understand, Richard. Now we have to find a way to unlock this room."

"First, let's look for the key. If we can't find it, I'll break the door," he said. I nodded and began searching the various cabinets and drawers in the room.

We continued searching until the sky gradually brightened. During that time, we didn't find the key, and we eventually gave up. Richard was preparing to break the door when he spontaneously turned the doorknob, and the result was unexpected. Both of Richard's eyebrows shot up, and he smiled broadly at me. I covered my mouth in disbelief. The door opened by itself after Richard turned the doorknob.

"Wow, I didn't even put that much strength into turning the knob," Richard marveled. I laughed softly at his reaction, and he laughed too. We then headed downstairs.

"It seems like the ghosts that chased us last night have disappeared now that it's daylight," he assumed.

"So, you mean it wasn't a human who was chasing us last night?" I asked curiously. He shook his head, indicating it wasn't a human. I furrowed my brow and listened attentively to his story.

"No, it wasn't a human. It was a truly horrifying ghost that I've ever encountered in my life. The ghost was a tall man, wearing clothing from around the 1930s. His face was extremely terrifying, but he had no eyes. His face looked like it was melting and about to fall to the ground. It had a foul smell. He also carried an axe while chasing me."

I widened my eyes in shock, not expecting the appearance to be that terrifying. "I thought it was a human, maybe a surviving member of the General's family. Perhaps one of his descendants still lives here because the house is very well-maintained. But after hearing how you described his appearance, I'm really getting the creeps."

Richard nodded, "I was terrified too, especially when I thought you might encounter him."

"Why did you leave me in the study earlier?" I asked with a pout, remembering that he had suddenly left the room without telling me.

"Oh my, I should have said the same to you," he responded, sounding slightly embarrassed, and he ran his hand through his hair. I furrowed my brow.

"Why's that?"

"Because I saw you suddenly leaving the room without saying anything to me. I went out to follow you and call your name, but you didn't even look back when I arrived upstairs. I could see you very clearly. From your clothing, hairstyle, and body build, you looked exactly the same."

"Hmm... Very strange."

"It seems that being trapped here is a nightmare for both of us," he said dejectedly. I could hear the desperation in his voice. I patted his shoulder gently and said, "Don't talk like that. I'm sure we'll get out of here soon."

"I thought it would be easy to find all the clues and get out of here. But we've already encountered so many scary things at the start," he sighed.

"Please be patient; this is a test," I said with a chuckle. He started laughing with his characteristic voice. I spoke up again, "Come on, man. You're usually more cheerful than me. Why aren't you as enthusiastic now?"

"I'm just afraid that it will happen again. Don't ever leave my side," he said, hugging me possessively as if we were old and close friends. I chuckled and nodded. He gazed at me with a smile. Then I heard his stomach growl. We both laughed.

"Okay, it looks like we need to find some food now," I said with a laugh. I noticed his cheeks were slightly flushed from embarrassment. He nodded. We walked to the kitchen to find some food.

I told Richard that we shouldn't eat the stored food in the pantry because the house seemed to be completely abandoned, and I was afraid it might be a trick. So, we decided to go into the forest to look for potatoes or edible vegetables.

After finding some potatoes and mushrooms, we cooked together. I took off my blazer and placed it on a chair, and Richard removed his jacket, revealing a black polo shirt that accentuated his well-built physique.

I tried to focus on cooking and not be distracted by the handsome man in front of me. I rolled up my shirt sleeves and started washing the vegetables. Richard, noticing my disheveled hair, unfastened my hairpin, allowing my long hair to flow freely.

He gently combed his fingers through my hair, and I couldn't help but feel a bit ticklish as I wasn't used to being touched by others. We were both quiet, only the sound of running water from the faucet and the birds and insects in the forest were heard. My heart started racing.

Richard gathered my hair into a ponytail. His touch was very gentle and delicate. I could only smile and continue peeling the potatoes and vegetables.

I intended to make mashed potatoes and mushroom soup. Richard helped me peel the potatoes and cut them into pieces, showing great skill with the knife. In a matter of minutes, the food was ready. We sat across from each other at the dining table and enjoyed the meal while sharing interesting stories that made us laugh together. The atmosphere was light and easy.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" he suddenly asked, making me choke and cough uncontrollably. He looked surprised by my reaction and immediately fetched a glass of water for me. I took a sip of the mineral water, then raised both hands. Richard, who had stood behind me to pat my back, stopped, his face slightly flushed.

"Why are you raising your hands like that? I-I got it all wrong, Sophia," he stammered while rubbing his neck. I looked at him, puzzled, and put my hands back on the table.

"My mother said that if you choke, you should raise your hands to help the food go down," I said, trying to recall what my mother had taught me. "It's your fault for asking such a question." I laughed, and he looked cute when he was embarrassed.

Richard sat down next to me and rearranged his plate in front of him. "I was just curious; I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked that; it made me seem like a jerk trying to hit on a woman."

I laughed and shook my head, "It's okay. The answer is no."

Richard smiled broadly upon hearing my answer, and his dimples showed as his cheeks reddened. "Well..."

I chuckled again, not understanding why his response was like that. Then, I asked him the same question, "What about you? Do you have one?"

Richard laughed with his charming voice, which could make any woman fall for him, and grinned, "Thank goodness I've finished chewing. No, I don't have one, Soph." He looked into my eyes and murmured something I could barely hear, "Now it's dangerous to be near you."

My heart started to race, and I averted my gaze, focusing on eating. I could hear Richard's soft laughter as he had successfully teased me. After that, we decided to continue looking for clues. I picked up a photo album in the living room, and together, we sat and looked through the old photos.

"Now, here's the man. No, I mean, the ghost looked very similar to this man," he said, pointing to a photo of a man sitting, labeled "Father: Paul." I shivered.

In this photo album, there were no pictures of General Leonardo at all. Some photos appeared to be torn, making us suspicious. This family seemed to be in a terrible state.

Paul had a menacing expression in the photo, and so did his wife, Joanne. Joanne was slightly overweight, while Paul was tall and imposing. They were dressed lavishly, like nobility, with various pieces of jewelry shining, even in black and white photos.

We tried to find photos of General Leonardo in the album, but there were none. So, we decided to search for Paul and Joanne's diaries in their room. We headed upstairs to their room.

Once there, we removed the white cloths that covered the furniture and began searching. Beneath the large bed, we found a journal with its faded leather cover. We were thrilled to find this crucial clue, hoping it would provide insight into the history of the house and the whereabouts of the General's lover.

We returned to General's room, sitting in front of the papers we had laid out the previous night. I opened the journal we found in Paul and Joanne's room. Strangely, all the pages appeared blank, as if they had been burned. Richard and I exchanged concerned glances and puzzled thoughts. Our bright hope was quickly dimming. However, this time, Richard smiled gently and patted my shoulder.

"It's okay; we can look for other clues."

I nodded and smiled as well. Both of us needed to stay optimistic. I reread General Leonardo's journal, starting from the very beginning, trying to reconstruct his life story.