The Haunted Traveler Vol. 2 Issue 1

What was he to do now? Pepper worried that he
would never be safe. In his head, all he could think about
was his reflection climbing out of the mirror in the attic,
just waiting for him to come home. It’s pale, almost decaying
complexion peeling through red stained shards of glass.
Slicing through bulging blue veins. With eyes so black they
almost appear to be voids into oblivion.
Pepper could almost hear the winding, wooden staircase
creaking under the pressure of his reflection’s foot; its
toenails stained yellow and over grown.
This is no way to live. In constant fear of another
half, living life with an expiration date and staring at the
grains of sand wondering when time will finally run out.
Where there is light, his reflection will always find its way to
him.
How could he ever out run something that’s permanently
attached to him? “Do I have to fucking kill it?”
A flush of warmth spread across Pepper’s cheeks. His eyes
widened. Pepper could see himself swinging a sledgehammer
through the upstairs mirror, breaking the jaw of his reflection
in the process.
He could do it. He could actually do it. Glass is a
fragile bone structure, and like a boxer who keeps his chin
up, Pepper could knock his reflection out for good.
Diego nodded towards Pepper as he finally left the
bathroom. He looked surprised when Pepper waved him to
the bar for a drink.
“You seem to be feeling better,” Diego whispered as
he sat down in the chair where the fisherman sat earlier.
“Just needed to sit for a bit. No biggie,” Pepper
poured them both a double of 20 year old bourbon.
“Christ, is Roscoe gonna let you get away with that?”
Diego inspected the glass. Pepper couldn’t tell if he was
admiring the drink or hesitant to consume it.
“We’ll see,” Pepper clinked his glass and kissed the
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