Playing with the criminals

Chapter 5: The Mirror Claimed Me

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" I screamed, as if ripping my throat out could somehow make the chaos stop.

My body felt lighter than air, floating like I was flying. But I dared not open my eyes—what if I was falling from an impossible height? My ears felt like they were about to burst from the roaring winds, and that damn dark romance song was still haunting my brain. At least it would be useful if the song had lyrics.

Suddenly, my foot touched the floor. Or at least I thought so. I didn’t really feel the floor beneath me because I was wearing slippers. Slippers? Where on earth did those come from? I was at home before the winds dragged me away, and I definitely wasn’t wearing any footwear then.The song faded into background music.

"Did I land?" I whispered, my voice hoarse and drained.One eye cracked open. I peeked around—then saw myself in the mirror. I opened the other eye and stared again.

I was in a restroom. Wearing a hospital gown."Why am I in the toilet? And why this dress? Am I in a mental hospital by any chance?" I wondered aloud.

The dress was too big and completely white, not the usual green.Suddenly, I felt something tug at my stomach under the dress."Wait—" I pulled open the fabric and froze. Wounds—deep, bloody wounds.

"Someone stabbed me. And I was admitted in the hospital. But I only remember the windstorm and the power outage... then what happened? ....Maybe I lost consciousness after that." I murmured to myself.

I scanned my body. Cuts, bruises, dried blood. Too many to count."Something definitely happened after those winds pulled me away. Wait... my kidney...

"Or what if someone entered my house while I was unconscious and stabbed me? Maybe the whole falling thing was just a hallucination my brain created." I gasped.A sudden noise startled me—something fell at the far end of the restroom.

"I need a full-body X-ray to check if my organs survived, but first... what fell?" I said, stepping back cautiously.

I turned toward the sound. My phone lay on the floor—alone."Is that my phone?" I asked myself, rushing over.

"If the screen’s cracked, I’m going to kill whoever dropped it," I threatened.I grabbed it and checked. No damage.

"How? I heard it hit the floor. If it’s not my phone, then what fell?" I whispered, confused. Then came the creak of a nearby toilet door opening.

I dared not look."It’s just the wind. Nothing more..." I told myself. My mind screamed at me: What if it’s a ghost? "Why does a ghost have to pick a toilet for haunting in the morning? And if it’s a ghost, shouldn’t it show some signs?" I asked myself.Cold air swept over me, and the lights flickered.

"I’m literally starting to hate the wind." I muttered bitterly.

Without realising it, I sat on the floor, facing the toilet door, biting my lips in fear."Who... it’s... just come out of the toilet!" I practically shouted.The door creaked open fully. Suddenly, a small robot zoomed toward me, circling like it owned the place.My eyes widened in shock.

Then, recognition."f**k. It’s just you," I said, exhaling sharply.

"First time seeing a scared coward like you," the robot teased.

"Excuse me, do I look like a coward to you?" I asked, standing up.

"Yeah. Total scaredy-cat," it replied smugly.

"Enough teasing. What’s your name?" I demanded.

"Why would I tell a coward that?" it answered.

"Forget it. Tell me about him—the one controlling you." I pressed.

"Who?" the robot replied innocently.

"Your master. The guy controlling you right now."

"Nope," it said flatly.

"Nope? Just his name is enough."

"Nope."

"His location."

"Nope."

"Wait... how did you even get here? Weren’t you supposed to still be in my house?". I asked suspiciously.

"Nah," the robot said dismissively.

"I think talking to you is a waste of time," I said, walking to the sink, placing my phone down, and staring at the mirror.

The robot followed, buzzing annoyingly.

"Final chance. Tell me about your master," I said, voice icy.

"My master? Who's that?" it replied, feigning ignorance.

I smirked."I think I have to deal with you differently," I said.

Without thinking, I grabbed the robot and pinned it against the wall.

"Stop lying and spill the truth!" I demanded.

"What an aggressive creature you are," it said, amused.

"Hey, why do you sound more human than a robot?" I asked.

"System settings!" it replied quickly.

I sighed." Okay Alright, My name’s Valencia. 27 years old, unmarried, business management degree, working at Ruan Group. Here’s the main thing—around 5:40, I saw a black box with a red ribbon sent by your master. Curiosity got me, so I brought it home. Inside was a cursed dream catcher with three rings, and a game box with you inside. I played the game, clicked the red option, your eyes opened, and then a storm blew open my windows—don’t ask me where it came from. Now we’re here in the hospital restroom," I explained breathlessly.

" I said about me and now your turn," I prompted.

"So, you’re the woman who stared at me like a coward, huh?" the robot said.

"Yeah," I said, releasing it.

"Can I at least know your name now?"

"Nope," the robot answered.

I closed my eyes dramatically."From now on, I’ll give you some space," I said, turning to the mirror.Suddenly, my phone lit up without any notifications. Suspicion crawled up my spine. First of all, how did my phone even get here? There weren’t any windows in this restroom.

And why did this robot follow me to the hospital?.............I was pretty sure the stalker had sent the robot to the hospital to stalk me.From now on, I should watch what I say and do. Wait s**t ...

.....just now I gave my full biodata to the robot. f**k my damn brain.

Then I grabbed my phone and unlocked it.

The ChatGPT app was open.

"s**t, I forgot to check the answers ChatGPT sent," I muttered.

I scrolled through the text, eyes widening.

My jaw dropped open, hand flying to it."That black... stone is a rare black diamond!" I shouted.

"The green stone is jade, and the red one’s rare red beryl!" I read excitedly.

"That rich bastard’s got some serious taste," I muttered..

The lights flickered again."Probably just low voltage. Whatever. I’m going to be rich soon—I should sell these rings right away," I said.

shit , why did I tell I am gonna sell the rings out loud , the robot heard it I mean the Stalker.................What if he took the rings back because I said I was going to sell them?

Then, a creak from the mirror caught my attention. I leaned in close.Words began to appear on the glass:

𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦, 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘵

to the first version of

♥ 𝐒𝐄𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐎 ♥

"What? Seriously? What kind of name is that? ‘Seduce the Hero’—my foot," I scoffed.

From the letter ‘o’ in ‘one,’ a ring shot through the mirror.I caught it. It was the same black diamond.

"Did this come from the mirror? But why?" I asked aloud.

The robot floated beside me silently for a moment.

Then it spoke.

“Congratulations, stray cat.”

“You’ve officially been claimed.”

“...or that’s what the bastard told me to say.”

I stared first at the robot,

“What the f**k do you mean by claimed?” I yelled.

The black diamond suddenly pulsed in my palm.

Once.

Like a heartbeat.