Monotonous Life

They say mirrors only portray what you want to see; they never show what's lurking deep inside of you—the darkness that lingers in the fake smiles. But what if there was a world inside of mirrors that reflected the dark side of humanity?

A normal day for Isamu involved waking up, getting ready for the day, working, eating, and sleeping. This continuous, endless cycle was normal for the dark-haired 21-year-old. He worked at a convenience store close to his one-bedroom apartment in the big city of Tokyo.

Ever since he'd dropped out of university this was his life, but he held no complaints as his disposition was unbothered and unattached to the world. He was like a robot.

"You're a bright young lad, you should be thinking about your future, not working at a convenience store full-time." An elderly woman spoke as she handed over cash to Isamu, who was bagging up her items.

The brown-eyed man opens the till, places the cash into the slots, and begins to take out change for the elderly woman. He keeps silent as the elderly woman continues speaking, "I dread to imagine what your family must think of you working at a place like this for a living." she shakes her head with an unhappy look.

Isamu hands over the change to the woman and then bows to her. "Have a lovely day, ma'am." He speaks in a cheery voice, lifting himself back into a straight posture, a smile adorning his face.

The elderly woman shakes her head in defeat as she takes the bags into her hands and walks out of the store. Once she's out of sight his smile drops into a deep frown, his eyes matching the despondent look on his face. He rakes a hand through his dark bangs, "Why are elderly people so nosy?"

His eyes turn up to the clock that rests above the entrance of the store, '11:55 am' it reads. Isamu leans over the counter, eyes scanning around the store to see if anyone is inside. When he spots no one he stretches his arms above his head.

"Good, no one else to deal with today. Now I can get ready to leave." He walks through the door behind him and into the locker room.

His usual working hours are 4 am-12 pm, the early shift at a 24-hour store. "Though I don't know why this place is open 24 hours, it's barely ever busy." He wonders, standing in front of his locker and untying the apron that's wrapped around his waist.

As he's changing into his normal over-the-head blue hoodie the locker room door opens and the next shift worker walks in. Both Isamu and the older male nod to each other in acknowledgment and the younger man closes his locker, heads out of the room, and then proceeds to make his way out of the store.

The trek to his apartment was only a few minutes as he walked with slow strides, hands in his hoodie pockets and head hung low – staring down at the gravel path. People walk both ways, some with purposeful steps and others taking their time and holding conversations with others.

"Did you see the news? I can't believe another one's gone missing!" A woman speaks in an overly loud voice to her female companion, who looks back at her with a shocked look.

"Again?! What are the police doing?"

"Absolutely nothing it seems, they're useless. How are we going to" The woman's voice trails off as Isamu walks further away from them, turning a nearby corner and heading down an isolated path.

He walks down the dark narrow sidewalk, walls encasing him on both sides and blocking out the sun. His apartment building comes into view, it's an old building that's falling apart with its rusty stairs and leaking roofs. He treads up the steps, then makes his way over to his apartment door.

Rustling his keys from out of his trouser pocket, he inserts them into the keyhole and turns it to the right, slowly pushing the creaky door open and stepping inside the dimly lit hallway that connects to the rest of the apartment.

The apartment consists of a hallway that extends into the bedroom and to the sides of the hallway are a small kitchen and bathroom. It's a small boxed place, but it's enough for one person.

Isamu takes the keys out of the door and closes it behind him. He places the keys down on the kitchen countertop and slips out of his shoes, leaving them by the door as he walks into the bedroom.

The bedroom has a single bed which is placed under the only window in the apartment. The curtains are currently closed, a small line in the middle of them which the sun peaks out of and illuminates the room. A full body mirror rests next to a wardrobe which is placed in the far corner of the room.

On the right side of the room rests a worn kendo shinai that’s encased in a transparent box.

Isamu digs his fingers into the neckline of his hoodie and proceeds to slide it off of his upper body, then flings the piece of clothing aimlessly onto the floor without a care. He then sits himself on the bed, feet touching the floor, and stares up at the ceiling fan.

"Another day of feeling unfulfilled." He flops backwards onto the bed placing his hands behind his head. "Why am I living like this?" The dark-haired man ponders to himself, his eyes following the movement of the ceiling fan blades as they spin around. "What's the point of trying to do something you'll never achieve?"

Isamu rises back into a sitting position. He runs his hand over his face and laughs mockingly. "It's a bit late to start thinking about how shit your life is, Isamu." He shakes his head and stands up.

Turning to his left, he looks at himself in the full-body mirror. His eyes are a tired brown, his black hair is ruffled and messy and his clothes are crinkled. He has a slight stubble of hair on his chin and he runs his fingers over it.

"I should probably shave, but that means going back out to get razers." He sighs and ruffles his already messy hair.

He turns his back to the mirror and takes a step forward, turning his head to look down the hallway where the kitchen is.

The mirror behind him begins to emit a dark purple haze that slowly leaks out from the sides, unbeknownst to Isamu. "Maybe I'll make some food first." He heads into the kitchen but stops as he looks at the dirty pots and pans that sit in the sink. "Or maybe I'll do some washing up first..." He trails off as his eyes scan from the dirty items in the sink to the mess of stained plates, cutlery, and empty cups of ramen that sit on the side.

Isamu runs his right hand through his hair and sighs out in defeat, shaking his head in defiance and turning to face away from the messy kitchen. "I can't be bothered to wash up right now." He takes a step towards his bedroom before suddenly coming to a halt. A thin purple haze floats in the doorway of the room alerting Isamu.

"Is that smoke? Shit!" He dashes into the bedroom with a hurried pace.

As he takes a step into the bedroom a black shadowy hand flies out of the mirror and grabs Isamu by the face. It forces him against the wall next to him then drags him down to the padded flooring, the shadowy hand pulling him towards the mirror.

With eyes wide in horror he attempts to grip the shadowy hand with his own, but they sink like air. He lets out a groan of frustration and slams his hands onto the ground, moving them around and trying to find something to grab a hold of. He manages to latch onto the bedpost and he digs his hands around it like a hawk gripping its prey, refusing to let go – but the force behind his black shadowy hand is much stronger.

Isamu grunts and tries making any noise in hopes of alerting his neighbors or anyone near, his grip on the bedpost faltering until his hands slip from their position and he's dragged across the floor and even closer into the mirror. His head dips through the mirror, arms spread wide and encasing the back of the mirror like a hug, halting the shadowy hand from dragging him even further inside.

He uses his body strength to pull himself back – his head exiting the mirror with the black shadowy hand losing its grip on his face slightly, with Isamu being able to see the monstrous form of a shadowy figure with red piercing eyes within the mirror.

"What the fuck?" Is all Isamu can say as two extra black shadowy hands lunge out from behind the figure and through the mirror, each one taking hold of his arms and pushing his body out of the hold on the mirror. The hand on his face regains its strength and encases his eyes and mouth once more, halting him from being able to see or say anything more.

With no way of fighting back the dark-haired boy is pulled inside the full-body mirror.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Sir, we have a problem – A person has entered the 'other side'." A blonde-haired woman calls out, sitting at her desk in a large spacious room filled with monitors. Some reveal a world much like the world they live in, but the sky is a purple hue while others show CCTV of around Japan.

The room is occupied by several people who are sitting behind computer screens and are tapping away. Behind them is a lean older man clad in a suit, perched in his seat and overseeing the rest of the room.

"Have you been able to locate where he entered through?" The older man asks, his voice calm and refined.

The blonde-haired woman turns around to face the older man and nods her head with a serious expression written on her face. "Yes, sir, he entered through the south side of Tokyo."

Leaning forward in his seat his eyes roam the monitors in search of something. When his eyes land on a tall-haired man wearing a black jacket and jeans, he picks up the phone that's resting on the table to the side of him. He dials a number and watches as the red-haired man fishes inside his jacket for a phone, and answers.

"This is Haru, sir, is something wrong?" The red-haired male answers in a firm tone.

"Someone has entered the 'other side' and you're the closest to where they entered. Your mission is to locate them and get them out of there." The older man orders, his eyes watching as Haru stands in place and salutes with his free hand, his face holding a look of determination.

"Yes, sir!"

The red-haired man hangs up the phone, tucking it back into his jacket pocket, and dashes off of the CCTV camera.

"Mr Wellheim, isn't it a bad idea to have Haru do this mission when his sister isn't around?" One of the male workers who sits next to the blonde woman questions.

The older man shakes his head, "It'll be fine, it's nothing but a simple rescue mission." he waves his hand and leans back in his seat. "But just in case, send a message over to her."

"Right away, sir!" The male worker begins tapping away at the keyboard.

Mr Wellheim clasps his hands together, elbows resting on his stomach and chin on his hands as he stares at the oversized monitor at the front of the room. "I sincerely hope nothing happens."

The room suddenly lights up with red flashing lights, an alarm blaring out like a siren.

"Sir, we've got a major problem, a category S has appeared in the other world!" The woman at the desk in front of the elderly man exclaims with panic in her voice.

Mr Wellheim leans forward in his chair and cusses to himself. "Damn, this is the last thing we need! Contact all nearby operatives and let them know immediately!!" He stands from his seat and commands everyone in the room.

"Yes, sir!" All of them shout out as they begin tapping away at their keyboards in a frantic panic.