Reflection

 Jack Taylor woke at 9 AM on Sunday morning from a nightmare that he could not recall. This had become a frequent awakening for Jack. The sheets clung to his sweating body and he trembled with fear on an otherwise beautiful morning. Birds chirped outside and rays of sun pried their way in between the blinds. He noticed his hands and the sheets. It looked like he had another nose bleed last night. This had been happening several times a week, but his doctor couldn’t find anything wrong with him at all. He glanced nervously around the room and peeled back the covers. He remembered going out for a drink, but he couldn’t remember coming home. He thought he should have a hangover, but only felt a little tired. Jack was faintly aware of sirens in the distance as he watched himself get out of bed in the mirror and walk toward the hall. As he reached the doorway he spun around and looked back at his single bed. Maybe this could still be a dream.  He expected to see himself still laying there sleeping but only stained sheets rested on his matress. So he made his way down the hall to the bathroom like he did every morning.

 Jack hated the feel of the cold bathroom floor in the morning. He only thought of this for five seconds each day and never remembered to buy any slippers. He took one big step over the cold tiles to the soft bath mat in front of the mirror and peered at his face. Short thick bristles of hair needed to be shaved away and dark circles sagged under each eye. He turned on the hot water and washed the blood off his hands first. As he shaved, he felt his face seemed somehow unfamiliar. After carefully brushing his teeth, he gave a big smile to check his pearly whites which to his dismay were more yellow than white. Remembering that he needed a towel, he turned, stepped over the cold tiles again, and went to the hall closet. While Jack searched for a towel he was completely unaware that his reflection still stood in the bathroom mirror with a big toothy grin of yellow teeth.

 After a shower and shave, he felt much more like himself. He went into the kitchen and made some coffee, eggs, and toast. He usually did the crossword puzzle on Sunday so he needed to get the paper. It took him a few minutes to find his shoes and when he did, he was puzzled by more strange reddish brown stains.

 “Hmm, five letters, to cut...k-n-i-f-e.” Jack said aloud. His black coffee shimmered in the morning sun and reflected his thoughtful expressions as he solved the crossword. The rest of the paper lay on the table. The headline read “Random murders still unsolved”.

 Meanwhile another cup of coffee reflected the badges of two homicide detectives sitting in a booth at the donut shop.

 “How can you eat after what we just saw?” said Mahony.

 “Still thinking about those murders?” said Johnson through a mouth full of cinnamon danish.

 “Yeah. The poor girl didn’t have a fucking head. How could someone do a thing like that  and just go on like nothing ever happened?” said Mahony shaking his head.

 “Don’t worry we’ll get ‘em, it’s just a matter of time.” said Johnson.

 “Five bodies and no heads. Christ. I just hope we get to them before they get to anyone else. Lets go door to door in the area this afternoon and see if we get any leads.” said Mahony.

 “Good idea.” said Johnson reaching for a bearclaw.

 Jacks phone rang twice. “Hello... Yes I’ll be there at six... No, I still don’t have a girlfriend...Hey, how do I get stains out of my shirts?... Cold Water.. I will...Okay, I love you too. Bye Mom.”

 Jack set about cleaning his small house. He wondered how he could have made such a mess last night. He moped the floor and polished his shoes. He was washing the dishes when a loud knock shook the house. He still had the carving knife in his hand when he opened the door.

 “I’m officer Mahony. This is officer Johnson. We are investigating a murder that took place last night in the area. Can we ask you a few questions?”

 “Sure.” replied Jack.

 “Did you see or hear anything strange last night?”

 “Not that I recall.”

 “Where were you last then?”

 “I don’t remember.”

 The two officers exchanged suspicious looks.

 “You mean you don’t know where you were last night?”

 “No, I woke up and couldn’t remember a thing from last night”

 “Do you mind if we come in?” said the officers as they stepped forward.

 “I’m kinda busy right now. I’m cleaning my knife.” said Jack as he looked down at the blade in his hands and caught his reflection in it. Jacks eyes weren’t the same when he looked back up. His mouth a maniacal grin, his nostrils flared, and his eyes wide.

 Mahony saw the shiny blade slash through the air and stick deeply into Johnson’s throat. He saw the blood. Things moved in slow motion. A synapse in Mahony’s brain fired and it seemed to take a long time to reach his arm. He drew his gun. The muscles in his right index finger contracted. The hammer of the gun slammed into the bullet, the bullet exploded and sent a piece of lead flying out of the barrel. The lead pierced Jack’s lung and knocked him back several feet. Mahony fired again this time hitting Jack’s heart. Jack stumbled several steps down the hall before collapsing in front of a large mirror. Two men now lay dead on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Birds continued to chirp outside but no one in the room could hear them. Jack and Johnson couldn’t hear them because they were dead, and all Mahony could hear was the ringing of his gun shots.

 Mahony stood over Jack’s corpse with his gun still aimed at him until he saw movement in his peripheral vision. He almost fired again when he saw Jack’s reflection in the mirror staring down at the corpse also. It stared down at the body for a moment from it’s frame on the wall and then looked up at Mahoney with those same eyes that just killed his partner. Mahony was frozen. He didn’t know if he should shoot the mirror or run away. Before he could make up his mind, Jack’s reflection faded away. Now Mahony was standing in front of a mirror over a dead body with his gun aimed at his own reflection. He holstered his weapon and tried to regain his composure to call for backup. His voice still sounded quite flustered when he spoke to dispatch. He didn’t mention what he had seen in the mirror.

 As he waited for backup, he checked Johnson for life signs. He had no pulse. A dark pool of blood had formed in the doorway around his body. Mahony looked into the pool and saw his reflection looking back. He looked away quickly and decided to search the house. Stepping over one dead Jack Taylor he went into the blood stained bedroom. He could smell something foul. He knew what it would be.