Vision in Red by Sajjad Rasool - HTML preview

Vision in Red

Amal gripped the phone tighter. "They're eating the oxygen," she realized. "They're trying to make you open the seal."

"I have to open it," Yasmin said. Her voice was changing. It was becoming flatter. Monotone. "I need to breathe. Just a crack."

"Yasmin! No!" Amal shouted, forgetting Fadi.

Fadi stirred beside her, groaning. "Amal?"

"Go back to sleep, Fadi," she hissed. Then, into the phone: "Yasmin, listen to me. Do you have a mirror in the room?"

"Yes. The closet door."

"Cover it. Is it covered?"

"No. I can see them in it. They're brighter in the reflection. They're... they're coming through."

"Get away from the mirror!"

"I can't move. My legs... my legs are numb."

Fading, Amal thought. It's happening.

"New rule," Amal said desperately. "Huda's rule. Make noise, Yasmin. Not a scream. A specific noise. Do you have any iron?"

"Iron?"

"Metal. Anything. Keys. Coins. Scissors."

"I have... I have my house keys on the dresser."

"Grab them. Don't look at the window. Just grab them."

She heard a scuffling sound on the other end. A whimper. Then, the jingle of metal.

"I have them."

"Okay. Now, I want you to scratch them against the glass. The mirror glass."

"What?"

"Do it! Scratch the metal against the glass over the reflection of the eyes. Iron hurts them. Written words hurt them. Maybe the sound of iron helps."

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