A Farewell

Blake walked out of his room and into the dining area. His mother was already sitting at the table, eating a simple breakfast which couldn't have taken her more than a couple of minutes to make. 

Neither of them acknowledged the other's existence as Blake passed her and made his way to the kitchen. Without wasting any time, he walked over to the fridge, pulled out a frozen meal, and threw it in the microwave.

Blake began closing and opening his eyes periodically. Whenever he opened them, he would be disappointed by how little the time had ticked down, which only led to him closing them again. 

Open. Time. Close. 

Open. Time. Close. 

For five minutes, he repeated this process and after what felt like an eternity, the microwave finally beeped. To which he responded by promptly snatching up his meal and retreating to his room again.

There was little time until he had to leave so he ate quickly, got dressed, and found himself in the back seat of his mother's car. Suffice it to say, neither of them said anything the entire car ride. They eventually stopped at a funeral hall and Blake shot out instantly.

He didn't particularly care about his destination, so he settled on a nearby bathroom. Almost immediately, he went for the sink so he could wash his face. It took three splashes before he was satisfied. Turning off the faucet, he looked up at the mirror and spoke in pure annoyance.

"You've got to be kidding me."

His reflection smiled at him.

"You didn't think I'd just stay at home all day, did you?"

"So, it's not just my mirror? You can show up in any mirror?"

"It's not just mirrors in general. I can show up wherever you can see your reflection; water, foil, jewelry, TV screens, watches, stuff like that."

Upon hearing that, Blake dug out his phone to check something and sure enough.

"Even your phone. As long as there's a reflection, I'm there."

Blake sighed. It was impossible not to imagine how little privacy he'd have from here on.

"Well, I might as well get this over with now.", he grumbled.

He dialed a number into his phone and put it to his ear. It only took three rings before he heard an operator's voice saying, "911, what is your emergency?" He responded by telling them the location of the funeral and making a faulty report of gunfire. 

Before explaining any further, he hung up and stepped outside.

"So, you'll always be near me as long as my phone is in my pocket?"

"Well, I won't always be around. Alone time is important after all."

"Then, could you leave me alone now?"

"Sure. But you should really get going. Showing up late to dad's viewing really wouldn't be responsible."

"Leave."

Blake took the ensuing silence as a sign that he was alone again, so, his attention shifted onto other things. He looked up at the sky and wondered if his reflection could appear up there too. However, there was no time to dwell on that thought.

"Fifteen minutes.", he muttered to himself.

The funeral proceedings were going well. Blake was obligated to sit at the front with his mother due to his relation to the deceased. However, he couldn't bring himself to focus on what the pastor was saying or anything to do with the ceremony itself. 

Instead, his gaze was fixed solely on the higher vantage points of the building. Tiny details like a camera sitting in the corner of the ceiling stood out to him, but far more conspicuous, were the two men in suits. 

One on each of the upper floors to his right and left. Blake didn't do anything to call attention to these men though nor did he seem particularly surprised by their presence.

In response to noticing them, he simply leaned to his left and whispered something to his mother.

"I'll go up with you for your eulogy."

His mother didn't acknowledge his comment, but that was of little concern to Blake.

"Five minutes."

He continued listening to the proceedings in wait of his family's turn to speak upon the dead. All he could think about was what would happen next. Just as his patience was about to run out, the pastor finally finished his long sermon and called out.

"Now, would the family of the departed like to say a few words?"

Blake couldn't stop shaking his leg and would have forgotten to stand up if it wasn't for his mother doing so beside him. 

"One minute."

The two of them approached the stage at the front of the hall. And as they did, time seemed to move at a slower rate. Blake started counting down the seconds in his head.

-Forty-five, Forty-four, Forty-three.

He was staring down at his feet the entire time. 

-Twenty-five, twenty-four, twenty-three.

His counting was the only indication of any time passing at all for him. It was all he could hold onto and the lower he got, the louder all the tiny noises in the room became. 

-Ten, nine, eight.

They had completed their long journey to the stage and the body in the coffin was starting to come into view. His mother turned around in preparation for her speech. 

-Three, two...

One.

Time returned to a normal flow as Blake watched his mother speak. He looked around and nothing had changed. Everything was normal. Just as he was about to lower his guard however, something interrupted his brief moment of reprieve. 

*SCREEEEEEEEECH*
It was a tire screeching and so loudly that it turned everyone's attention away from the stage, including the men in suits up top. They both pulled out pistols and took aim at the entrance to the funeral hall. Noticing this, Blake leaned into his father's coffin slightly to look around. 

Before he could even get started though, he heard a bunch of glass shattering. He looked up and saw a huge truck ram through the entrance. The entire building shook causing Blake to fall on the corpse he was looking over. 

Amidst all the confusion, Blake could make out someone calling out to him. 

"Over here! Hurry up!"

It was his own voice, and it was coming from his father's breast pocket. Blake reached inside and pulled out a crystal-clear pocket watch made of glass. He couldn't help but stare at his face being reflected by its glossy exterior. 

After a couple of seconds, his reflection gave Blake an okay sign, which snapped him out of his trance. The following sound of gunshots then reminded him where he was and fell backwards to take cover behind the coffin, something he soon realized his mother had already done.

Blake peeked out slightly and was horrified by what he saw. The gunfire had stopped, and the truck was driving straight towards the coffin. In a moment of panic, he ducked back into cover again and braced for the moment of impact. But it never came. 

He looked at his mom and surprisingly, the truck right behind her, obscuring them from one of the upper levels. Blake looked at the man who should have still been able to see everything, only to see him absent from the scene. 

"Looks like you're on your own for this one.", his reflection reacted.

A bald man stepped out from the truck. He carried a rifle and a soft-spoken confidence as he addressed the two cowering in front of him.

"I'm not here to hurt you. I'm just looking for something."

He stepped towards the coffin and patted around, searching for something. After finding nothing, he cursed and stepped away. A siren blared in the distance as he did. The shock on the trucker's face was palpable.

"No. They're already here!?"

"If anything, they're late.", Blake clicked.

The trucker turned around at this and pointed to Blake's mother.

"You. Come with me."

Before he could step closer, Blake intervened by placing himself in between the two of them.

"Take me instead."

"Either one of you is fine. I just need to get the cops off me."

"Oh, I'm not going to be your hostage."

The bald man's eyes widened as Blake revealed his newly acquired pocket watch and simultaneously raised his arm as if threatening to slam it onto the ground. 

"Stop, you don't know what you're doing!", the trucker exclaimed. 

"Move and I smash it!"

A siren wailed again, but this time it was much closer. Blake spoke again after this.

"Take me with you or waste what little time you have left waiting to be surrounded."

"...Fine! Whatever, just come on!"

Shaky as his legs were, Blake followed the trucker to his vehicle, but before he got in, he turned to look at his mother. As it was potentially the last time he would see her, he tried to decipher the look on her face. Realizing it was to no avail however, he finally entered the truck.