Running on Empty Contest Entries

ROE 1: Story #2 - The Monster Inside

PROMPT: Supernatural fun house mirror

THE MONSTER INSIDE

When the Lake County Fair came to town, it was a big deal. But while some felt this was a testament to the greatness of the fair itself, Tommy was more of the opinion that it was a testament to the inherent lameness of Lake County. The fair had very few rides or attractions, and was mostly comprised of local farmers showing off their livestock and produce. If he saw one more blue-ribbon show pig, or county’s largest insert-seasonal-fruit-here, he was going to puke.

But Kim, for some inexplicable reason, loved the fair. It was the one thing in this tiny county she actually looked forward to every year. Normally, Tommy was stubborn and selfish with his time, but on this particular year he was trying to get in his girlfriend’s pants, so he figured he’d play ball and try to make her happy.

She had been distant lately, maybe the result of him pressuring her to have sex. They had been dating for six months, which was far too long for Tommy, but not nearly long enough for Kim, a firm believer in at least being engaged before sacrificing her virginity.

That didn’t stop Tommy from trying, and had created a void in their relationship. Kim had become more withdrawn in recent weeks, and Tommy had to face the fact that he might be pushing her further away, rather than ensuring they get closer. If he really thought about it, he could probably trace it back to their date two weeks ago, when he was feeling particularly horny and had ripped open her blouse. She had to tell him to get off of her three times, and physical shove him before he finally relented, muttering something about her being a miserable tease.

The fair had just opened to the public yesterday, and Tommy figured it was the best way he could win some serious points and maybe make up lost ground. His friends had been ragging on him for weeks, and he needed to seal the deal soon. Even if it meant seeing another hillbilly farmer’s prized pumpkin patch.

###

They spent the first few hours at the fair looking at all the livestock and produce. Kim actually seemed to be enjoying herself and coming out of the funk she had been in for the past few weeks. Rather than monosyllabic answers to yes or no questions, and a resounding “fine” every time he asked her if she was okay, Kim was finally showing signs of life. She was laughing, pointing at things that amazed her, and generally seemed to be having a great time.

Tommy wanted to gnaw his own arm off just for something to do, but he managed to amuse himself by sneaking peaks at Kim; her ass as she bent over to pet one of the sheep, her cleavage when she leaned over to pick up an oversized tomato, and her long legs when a breeze fluttered by and ruffled her skirt. He almost caught sight of the promised land a few times, but she was too quick catching that errant breeze, leaving him frustrated and unsatisfied.

It was another thirty minutes before the heat started to get to Kim.

“Come on,” she said. “Let’s get some frozen lemonade and hide out in the funhouse while we cool off.”

Kim nodded happily and followed him to the frozen lemonade cart. As soon as they were done, they handed their tickets to the fun house attendant and went inside.

The first room in the funhouse seemed like an ordinary room; but then, all funhouse rooms did, at first. When Tommy and Kim stepped out into the room, a blast of wind from a concealed air jet hit Tommy in the face, causing him to cry out and jump back in surprise.

Kim cackled with glee, and then screeched as a puff of cold air hit her on the back of her head and mussed her hair. The two of them sprinted for the opposite end of the room as blasts of air ruffled their clothes and send them darting left and right.

Just when Kim thought she was safe, another blast of air came up from the floor at her feet, providing her with her very own Marilyn Monroe moment, her skirt fluttering up around her waist. Tommy stopped short and stared at her slender legs and cute white panties as the skirt came up. Kim laughed nervously and hurried to get her skirt back in place, her cheeks flushing a bright scarlet color. Tommy tried to think of something cool to say, but he was at a loss for words. All he could think about was what her lovely hips and thighs would look like without the panties.

He followed her into the next room.

Tommy figured this was as good a time as any to broach the subject.

“You know, Tommy,” Kim said abruptly, not realizing he was about to speak. “I’ve really had a lot of fun today.”

“Uh, me too.”

“I know I haven’t been too warm or friendly lately, but honestly, I’ve been feeling a lot of pressure from you to have sex. You know that I’m not ready, and I just felt like you weren’t respecting me.”

“Well, um, I mean--”

“I just wanted to say thank you. For today. It’s the first time you haven’t brought up the subject, and it’s been really nice. I feel like we’re back on the right track, you know?”

Tommy quietly cursed under his breath as they went into the next room. What a waste of a day. He had to spend time with her at this stupid fair, and he wasn’t even going to get lucky.

###

The next room was the familiar hall of mirrors. This hall, however, had something different about it. There were captions above each of the mirrors, which ran along one side of the hall only. Five mirrors in all, they were arranged so that you could only pass by one at a time, in order.

The first mirror said: First you enter the world...

As they passed by, the images in the mirror were strange. These weren’t the warped images from a bent mirror surface; in fact, the mirrors were perfectly flat and looked like new. Even more disturbing, their reflections in the mirror were of infants. They moved when Tommy and Kim moved, but they were definitely infants.

Tommy immediately recognized himself; he had seen enough baby pictures to know what he looked like as a newborn. What he saw in Kim’s reflection, though, was disturbing. The baby in her reflection was disfigured and ugly. It had a snout-like nose, different-colored eyes, and splotchy, birthmark-covered skin that made it look like she was wearing a camouflage hide. Kim clapped her hand over her mouth and stifled a gasp.

“Holy shit,” Tommy laughed. “You’re ugly!”

They hurriedly moved to the next mirror, which said: Then you grow up...

This time, their reflections were of young children, maybe seven or eight. Tommy still recognized himself as a young child, but Kim’s reflection was becoming even more hideous. The child’s back had a scoliotic curvature to it, and she was supporting herself with a pair of crutches.

“Damn,” Tommy said with a chuckle. “They really f***ed up your reflection, didn’t they?”

Kim’s horrified eyes began to tear, and they quickly moved onto the next mirror.

Then you get older...

They were now looking at themselves, perhaps a few years younger. Early teens, maybe. Tommy was seeing more and more of himself come through in each progressive reflection, but Kim was becoming uglier and more warped with every successive viewing. She cried out in despair at the image in this mirror; Tommy couldn’t bring himself to look at it for more than a few seconds. They hurried to the fourth mirror, in which their reflections were direct translations of how they looked. This one wasn’t a funhouse mirror at all, but a normal, regular-type mirror without any tricks. It simply said:

But what’s more important?

Kim had stopped sobbing once they arrived at the mirror with their normal reflections. Confused, they looked at one another and cautiously moved onto the final mirror.

They both gasped. In this one, Kim was older, beautiful, nearly radiant. She looked to be in her twenties and had an almost ethereal glow about her. Tommy, on the other hand, was a decrepit, writhing shadow of his former self, covered blisters, boils, and decaying skin. His posture was hunched, his face twisted into a snarl, and his clothes mere rags.

“What the hell...” Tommy said to himself.

Both Kim and Tommy were dumbfounded, and then looked at the writing above the mirror:

The monster on the outside... or the one on the inside?”

Kim burst into tears and dropped her frozen lemonade. She ran from the funhouse with great, heaving sobs that wracked her whole body. Tommy could only stare dumbly after her, then back at his twisted reflection, before shrugging and following her out.

When Tommy exited the funhouse, he looked around. Kim was gone.

###

After a week of not having his calls or text messages returned, Tommy went over to Kim’s house. Her parents both worked, so he knew she would be alone.

“Go away,” she said from behind the door. “I don’t want to see you anymore.”

“Are you serious?” Tommy said. “What gives? You just ditch me at the fair and then you don’t pick up when I call...”

“We’re done, Tommy,” Kim said, cracking open the door so she could look him in the eye. “We’re through. For good.”

“Like hell we are,” Tommy said, shoving against the door.

The force of the hit sent Kim sprawling backwards into the house and crashing into a nearby wall. She slumped to the ground as Tommy pushed his way into the house and stood over her. She screamed, trying to get to her feet, but Tommy smacked her across the cheek with a vicious backhand, sending her crashing back to the floor with a deep purple bruise already beginning to form under her cheekbone.

As she lay there, curled up into a defensive position, Tommy stood over her and unfastened his belt.

###

At the end of the day, Tommy couldn’t go through with it. He could have, standing there with his erection in hand, looking down Kim, who was helpless to stop him.

But it was that look in her eyes: terror, but also something else. Resignation, almost as if she had expected it. That was what had made him reconsider and leave her there as he bolted from the house.

She expected that from him.

Tommy ran all the way home and barricaded himself in his room. For a long time, he did nothing but stare up at the ceiling. Eyes open, eyes closed; it didn’t matter. All he could see was that look on Kim’s face. Those eyes that despairingly said, “I knew it was only a matter of time.”

He tried to get his mind off everything by surfing the web. Maybe there would be a way to lose himself in the limitless void of cyberspace. On a whim, he Googled Kim’s name. The first page of search results shocked him. The headings were all similar:

GIRL SAVED BY SCIENTIFIC BREAKTHROUGHS

REVOLUTIONARY SURGERY GIVES GIRL NORMAL LIFE

MEDICINE TRIUMPHS OVER RADICAL BIRTH DEFECTS

There were pictures of Kim from when she was younger. Pictures of Kim as she appeared in the funhouse mirrors, her body warped and twisted and deformed.

The first three mirrors had shown their past; the way they looked growing up. And the fourth mirror showed their present; how they looked now. Was it possible that the fifth mirror showed their future; what each of them had to look forward to?

And if that's really the case, Tommy wondered. Am I really a monster on the inside?"



1,999 words
Main Genres: Dark / Relationship
Other Genres: Supernatural / Medical / Psychology / Suspense