UnSeelie XV

He closed his eyes, his injured hand throbbed, at least the bleeding had stopped.  The pain was merciless and he had no idea how deep the cuts ran since he couldn't bring himself to look.  Exhausted, he trudged down the hall, blood dripping on the marble below. 

Open your eyes, the voice commanded.  Unwillingly, he did so and found that he was at the end of the line.  The room dead ended into scarlet walls all around him.  What had happened to the columns?  A silver framed mirror stood against the wall facing him, and he was shocked by the image he saw there.  The man who stared back at him was haggard and worn, dirt encrusted into body, face, and ripped clothes. 

He noticed the man had one brown eye and one tri-colored with golden hues, he reached out to touch that face, the left side blacked except for the monarch butterfly wings imprinted on the cheek bone.  Remembering the injury, he took his hand away, smearing blood down the shiny surface.  He gazed mesmerized by the blood, tissue, and white of bone.  Was this real? 

With his good hand, he touched the left side of his face. He could feel the wings beneath his skin, the insect legs move away and dig down deeper with just the merest pressure.  Was this insanity? he wondered. 

Something in the mirror flickered and he looked up, the room behind him was no longer empty.