Doppelganger (Book 2)

https://rumble.com/v59ldic-nightmare-institution-part-1-by-ray-bush.html

 Doppelganger

By Ray Bush

“Hey,” Lucas was looking into the dark hallway straining his eyes to try to see anything. He was laying in bed by himself, the wife and three kids were visiting her parents in Tremonton. His wife Bridget, two sons Lance and Leo, as well as his daughter Leah thought he was nuts. He told them the things that had been going on but no matter how passionate he told his story they never believed him. “Lucas wake up,” He had no idea how he was hearing his own voice calling him from the darkness. 

The bedroom door banged shut making Lucas nearly jump to the ceiling like a cartoon cat. The door knob jiggled and tried to twist open. Slowly the bedroom door opened with a haunted house creak, despite that door not squeaking in the five months he and his family had lived here. 

“Lucas,” His voice called, “Come on, we need to get this over with.” Lucas didn’t know what the voice could possibly mean by that, he wanted nothing to do with this voice. 

This was the first time Lucas heard his voice, other things were happening but this terrifying voice was new. It had been going on for a couple weeks now, ever since he took that bottle from the haunted museum. Lucas thought it was just a prop to make the witches hut a little more scary. In the bottle was a note and the note said, Take me home and I will haunt you for a lifetime. He regretted it every day since. From the moment it entered his house things were getting progressively worse. 

In the beginning it was simple things like the light turning on or the bathroom faucet would start running on its own. But things only happened when he was home alone. It progressed to doors opening and footsteps creaking up and down the hallway, the house was old and the floor had many creaks. The voice started the day after he saw the shadow people, a hunched over old woman holding hands with a little girl. That was a week ago when the power went out, Lucas opened the basement door. The breaker box was in the laundry room in the unfinished basement. Standing at the edge of his flashlight light was the pair looking back at him, Lucas could feel each of the four eyes watching him. He slammed the door and opened it again. The shadows were gone. Lucas thought it must be a trick of the light or maybe something weird with his eyes. 

When the voices began it was the eerie laugh of a young girl, older than a toddler but not yet in double digit age. The next day after that she began calling his name which made him very nervous. He relaxed a little when his childrens toys started moving, maybe it was a lonely girl stranded between worlds. The shadows began appearing more frequently, Lucas thought it was obvious that the little girl was moving the toys. He just wished he knew what the old lady wanted. As far as he could tell the older woman never spoke, unless it was her now mimicking his voice. He hated it no matter who is using his voice. 

“Lucas, Don’t be scared,” the darkness said, “It’s us man we just need your help.” Lucas didn’t know if the “us” meant Lucas and his voice twin, Or if it meant the old woman and her granddaughter. He didn’t think he would be able to stand this for the next few days.

He thought about checking himself into a hotel for a couple days but didn’t want to deal with the questions from Bridget. Cheating may cross her mind but only for a moment, the two had a great marriage. Neither ever accused the other of cheating even once, they had complete trust in each other. The worse option was having to explain to her that he got too scared to stay home alone, like a child. He almost wished she would think he was cheating, he did not want the ridicule for being frightened out of his house. One of his fears that followed him for as long as he was old enough to think about it was losing his mind. 

All the doors in the house slammed one by one starting with the three downstairs, followed by the two kids bedrooms then the kids bathroom. At the same time his bedroom door and the adult bathroom door slammed. The bathroom door and the door that led out of his bedroom into the hallway were equal distance away. A pair of footsteps started walking towards him from the bathroom door at the same time two walked from the bedroom door. The creaking floor stopped when the footsteps reached either side of his bed. Lucas froze, he was not even breathing, hell he was even trying to stop his own heart. He wanted to make not a decibel of noise. The bedroom was also completely still like the night before Christmas. Unfortunately he could hear his heart pounding hard, he couldn’t tell if he could hear his pulse throbbing in his ears or if he were actually hearing it with his ears.       

After a long moment Lucas felt icy fingers with jagged nails rub their hands slowly across his cheeks. Lucas cried out in fear and sat up in his bed. All the doors opened and the air whooshed away from him and out the hallway to somewhere else. He guessed it went through the kitchen, down the stairs into the basement, and to the bottle he stored down there. A door in the basement slammed shut giving him confidence that he was right. 

Lucas decided that he was going to have to explain to Bridget why he spent three days in a hotel. He turned on his lamp and quickly gathered a few things, a charger and a couple pairs of clothes. Luckily he was off for a few days so he didn’t have to worry about working on no sleep. With all his stuff in a bag, Lucas was out the door and in his car in record time. The fifteen minute drive was intense with his running thoughts and the eyes he could feel watching him from the backseat. 

He checked his rearview mirror over and over, at three in the morning he was not looking for cars. Lucas had it adjusted to where he could see the backseat only, he wouldn’t have seen a car even if he cared to. There was not another car on the road. He was also scrolling through his mind over and over of the things that happened the past couple weeks. Hearing his own voice calling him from the other room was by far the scariest thing that had ever happened to him. Now feeling the eyes watching from the backseat threatened to push his mind over the edge. The feeling of the icy claws softly caressing his face was something that would haunt him forever and ever. 

He checked the mirror for the ten thousandth time on the short drive, for three moments he saw a little girl wearing a hideous witches mask. Lucas was done with tonight, his eyes were burning and his mind was fried like bacon. Lucas pulled in the parking lot, without another look to the backseat. That little girl was too much, he no longer thought her to be sad or lonely. He didn’t see the man watching him from the waiting area that looked like he could be the long lost twin of Lucas. Checking in was a blur of sleepy eyes and a foggy brain. He booked the room for the next three days, he thought he was safe for the night. He decided to take a quick shower to try to wash away the nerves from this night. The warm water did so much good for his mental state, he even tried to convince himself that it was all in his head. He almost did. 

Lucas dried off and tied the towel around his waist while he looked at himself in the mirror. He smiled at his reflection, all of this was ridiculous . He ran a brush through his hair and lotioned up his dad bod. He didn’t see his reflection watch him walk out of the bathroom. Lucas turned on the TV and skimmed the channels. He got excited when he found his favorite childhood cartoon. That would be a good way to calm his mind until he had the nerve to fall asleep. His eyes closed as the first hint of daylight peaked through the crack between the two curtains. 

For the first time in weeks Lucas slept well and felt refreshed, he didn’t think he got this good of sleep since his kids were born. He thought he knew what he needed to do, he would take the bottle back to the hut in the museum. He never believed in the paranormal, especially being cursed by an ancient witch. Lucas knew about modern witches of course, and thought most witches in history were a peaceful people that were misunderstood. But this cliche named Hazel, was something much different than them. She seemed to be the type of witch you would see on TV with a green face and an evil laugh. Today he would go back home, grab a few more things then head to south east Utah. He hadn’t been on a road trip by himself in years, that was something that he always enjoyed. 

On the way back home Lucas did feel a few nerves for what he would find there. But there were no eyes watching from the backseat or images of a little girl wearing a hideous mask, so Lucas counted it as a win. Lucas stopped for lunch, he slept way past fast food breakfast time. He sat eating and scrolling apps on his phone staying completely in his own little bubble. Despite the man sitting three tables in front of him, watching his every move. Lucas did not even look the man’s way. If Lucas had an identical twin it would have been the strange man, since he didn’t the man was what people called a doppelganger. 

Lucas dumped his tray and threw away his cup with the ice still in it, he never even thought to look around. Back in his car Lucas felt good. He cranked up the music and sang along as loud as he could. The good feeling left when he pulled into his driveway, he couldn’t believe what happened. All three of the windows on the front of the house were open, the large living room window on the south end of the house, and both bedroom windows on the north side of the door which was also open. It looked like every piece of the family’s clothing was scattered across the front lawn. All his kids' toys joined the clothes on the grass, to Lucas this was obviously paranormal. A robber wouldn’t have done something like this. 

Lucas didn’t want to go anywhere near this house but knew he couldn’t leave the mess on the lawn. He would not put things back in place, his family could help with that. Lucas would pile it in the front room, put the wood planks in the windows, grab the bottle, get the hell out of here. It took an hour and a half to get all that done. Lucas got in his car and backed out of the driveway. He didn’t notice his twin standing in the living room window. As he drove out of his neighborhood he saw an old woman and her granddaughter standing on the sidewalk waving at him. They waved stiffly and creepily while watching him with large disturbed eyes and wicked smiles. He called the hotel and they were nice enough to transfer his reservation from his local hotel to their hotel in Richfield. That would put him two hours away from the museum, he could be there before noon the next day. 

He found himself wishing that he had never taken Bridget to that dumb museum. Everything in there looked fake including the witch's hut, he really didn’t think that they even used caldrons. They said she slept on her stove which sounded like a bunch of shit to Lucas. He reached Richfield by sunset. He was glad that at least he would get to see the Big Rock Candy Mountain on his way to drop off the bottle. Lucas did love driving through the beauty of Utah, it would be a good way to clear his mind. 

Lucas parked his car then walked into the hotel lobby. The automatic doors slid sideways and Lucas stepped to the side so the old lady and her granddaughter could exit. They looked familiar but Lucas didn’t waste much time thinking about it. He had every bit of his focus on the bottle and ending this curse or whatever was going on. He left it in the car, he didn’t want to curse his hotel room. Lucas went to the check in counter, again blind to the man watching him from the couch in the lobby. He thought about the icy hands on his cheek and goosebumps covered his body. Hopefully taking it back would really end everything that was going on, he was pretty sure that a curse could follow him even if he decided to leave his current home. 

He ordered a pizza and ate it on his bed while watching a basketball game. The room was nice and Lucas was enjoying himself, it had been a long time since he ate pizza alone in bed. Lucas enjoyed the game while scrolling his phone and munching pizza. He didn’t bother texting Bridget or worrying about her messaging him, she liked to give her family one hundred percent of her attention. They didn’t need to talk everyday or tell each other that they love them. Both knew how deep their love was. Before long Lucas was sleeping, still in his clothes and a half eaten slice of pizza in his hand. He snored loudly until he hit the volume that woke him up to a completely dark room. Lucas knew for a fact that he didn’t turn off the lights or the TV. The bed began to vibrate softly as all the drawers began to open equally as soft. The curtains parted slowly until they were open all the way letting the moonlight shine in. 

Outside the window stood an old woman with what Lucas guessed to be her granddaughter, it was the same pair from his neighborhood. They waved the same creepy wave while looking with the same scary faces. Slowly the curtains closed blocking out the pair from his worst nightmares but now the lights began to flicker. In the corner by the window stood a tall shadow, it looked the same height and build as Lucas. It even looked to stand in the same stance that Lucas preferred. 

“Lucas,” his voice whispered from the corner, “don’t take the bottle back. We can help you and you can help us.” He couldn’t believe what was happening. How had these things followed him three hours away from his house? “Lucas don’t do this, it will do no good.”

The drawers began to open hard then slam shut, it was not in unison so the sound was a continuous banging. The lamps flickered brighter and somehow more intensely. The door to the bathroom opened then slammed shut, opened the slammed shut. He could hear the metal curtain hooks of the shower curtain sliding open and closed on the metal rod. Still the man stood in the corner.

“Lucas,” he whispered, “come with me, I can make this all go away.” Lucas believed that he could but he would not go anywhere with this shadow.  

Something started pounding on the door, probably the staff that got a complaint about all the noise. But how could they have gotten there so fast? Lucas tried to sit up but it felt like he was being held down by a thousand pound gorilla. For four flickers of the light Lucas looked into the face of pure evil. An old woman with gray skin and yellow eyes looked back at him full of madness and mischief. Lucas pushed with all the strength in every muscle in his body.

Lucas sat up with the TV still on also the light. Next to him was a quarter empty pizza box and a half slice in his hand. That had all been a dream, in this case a godless nightmare. He took a minute before moving, he strained his ears trying to hear anything in his room. When he heard nothing he put the half slice back in the box and went into the bathroom. After relieving himself he washed his hands then splashed cool water on his face. He looked at his reflection in the mirror hoping his reflection could give him a sign of what was going on. When it only looked back at him Lucas left the bathroom back to his bed. Again he didn’t notice his reflection watching him walk away. Lucas stopped in his tracks when he saw the witch’s bottle on the table next to his bed.  

 Lucas stood staring at the cursed bottle completely dumbfounded. This thing had to go back to the hell from which it had come, and it was him that had to take it there. He turned on the TV and munched the room temperature pizza. He was not really hungry but he was a nervous eater. There would be no sleep tonight.

“Lucas,” his voice called from the bathroom, “Where are you taking us buddy? Come here. I need to talk to you.” Lucas found himself looking into the darkness frightened of his own voice. “Come on man, we really need your help.”

He was done. Lucas gathered his things and left a big tip for the cleaning staff. Lucas was on the road before sunrise. By the exit of the parking lot stood the grandma and granddaughter waving their scary wave. This time there was a shadow standing with them, it eerily looked like Lucas standing there. Well it looked like his shadow standing with them, and dammit it was waving too. His heart felt like he was riding on the most intense roller coaster in the world. Lucas put the gas to the floor all the way to the freeway, luckily there were no cops around. It wouldn’t have been easy to explain why he hit eighty in a thirty five. Then he would have to explain that to Bridget as well, and he already had too much of that to do. 

He set the cruise at seventy five, there would be know way that his foot would be able to drive the speed limit. He turned on his favorite story, which was Nightmare Institution by Ray Bush. The dark sky seemed to be watching down on him with evil eyes. This early morning was lightless,  It was like a black mist swallowing all light on earth. It even seemed to be dimming the street lights on the freeway, luckily not his headlights. Or maybe it was just trying to black the world out from Lucas. 

The number of eyes watching from invisible people grew from four to six, he didn’t know how he knew but Lucas knew that he was right. He guessed it was the old woman and the little girl in the backseat again, but now someone was riding shotgun. Nobody was there but Lucas could clearly see the ass indentation in the passenger seat. His story turned off then the speakers went silent for at least thirty seconds.

“La la la la la laaa,” A little girl sang through his speakers, “Ha ha ha ha ha,” she then giggled. 

“Boop boop didem dadem wadem chew,” That voice was much older but very musical. She almost sounded like an angel. “And they swam, and they swam all over the dam.” Lucas turned off the radio.

“What are you doing Lucas?” His voice said from the passenger seat, “Our mom used to sing us that song, but Hazel sings it more beautifully. You should really hear her.”

Lucas exited the freeway and headed towards Sevier canyon, which would take him past The Big Rock Candy Mountain. Unfortunately it was too dark for him to enjoy it. A red lightning bolt flashed from mountain top to mountain top. He had never seen anything like that in his whole life, and it definitely didn’t look natural. Like a tickle in the back of his mind, Lucas thought he could sense the magic behind that bolt. But that was ridiculous, magic wasn’t real. He did hear that humans only use ten percent of their brain, like most scientific studies there were conflicting theories, but Lucas thought if a human could use all their brain then magic may be possible. 

Lucas watched the power button on his radio depress, but before any sound came out he pushed the button turning it off. “What are you doing Lucas?” His shadow twin asked him, but before he could answer a blast of cold air hit him in the back of the head like a snowball. His face almost hit the steering wheel. “You really want to listen to what she has to say.”

Another red flash from peak to peak, surprisingly there was no sound. “No I don’t,” Lucas answered. He didn’t want to engage with any of the apparitions, the words just jumped from his mouth, like a bullfrog on crack. 

Lucas entered the mouth of the canyon and put the gas pedal to the floor until he hit sixty five. This canyon at this speed in this dark was very dangerous but Lucas wanted to be rid of the bottle and this nightmare. The darkness seemed to have gained some density in the canyon. The dark smoke was halfway down the mountain now. There was another flash just under the inky cloud, it was uncomfortably close to his car. 

“Lucas, don't turn off the radio again,” this sounded like the voice he used when he gave his kids their last warning. “We need you to talk to us before it’s too late.” 

“Just go away,” Lucas pleaded, “Leave me alone.” He was trying to match the strength of his twin’s voice, but he came off as weak and beaten.

Lucas watched as the power button pressed again, but this time when Lucas reached to turn it off he was slapped by an invisible hand. “I really suggest that you listen to what she has to say,” his voice twin advised.

The radio turned loud then began scanning stations, it sounded like a spirit box, Lucas always hated spirit boxes. The steering wheel began to vibrate hard in his hand. Instinctively Lucas let off the gas and when the car didn’t slow he let go of the wheel, he didn’t think he had really been steering for the last mile at least. 

“Lucas,” the voice said in the robotic voice that always came from the spirit boxes, “You chesh can chesh join us , chesh or you chesh chesh can die.” His heart dropped deeper than his stomach, that was a terrible message. 

The steering wheel stopped vibrating as the radio turned off then back on. “La la la la la laaaa,” The girl sang again then the radio went completely silent. He pushed the scan button but it just scanned from top to bottom several times but never found a station. Lucas turned it off. 

He passed the sign informing him that The Big Rock Candy Mountain was a mile ahead. The wheel began to shake again, but this time it was his hand shaking in fear. A tear welled in his eye and he hoped none of the invisible people saw. 

“Lucas,” the voice was now comforting, “Don’t be scared buddy, we’re trying to help you. If you and I join together, man, we would be unstoppable.” Lucas wondered what they would be doing that people would be trying to stop.

He still didn’t have his foot on the pedal, he was only holding the wheel. But still the car didn’t lose any speed, like the cruise was set. “I just want to get home to my wife and kids,” Lucas had no strength in his voice, it was pleading. “I just want you to go away, all of you.”

The car erupted in chaos. The hazard lights came on. The windshield washers sprayed and the wipers wiped.The headlights flashed bright and dim on rhythm with the emergency flashers. The radio turned to full volume and scanned the stations with loud static sounds. This time the steering wheel vibrated much more violently. Lucas let go of the wheel and covered his ears, the car took every corner perfectly. Lucas thought better than most drivers. 

Suddenly everything stopped and his voice twin warned, “Don’t take the bottle back Lucas, it will be the biggest mistake you ever make.”

He had no idea how far his favorite mountain was behind him. With everything going on and the suffocating blackness it was impossible to know. As if he were being blessed by all the gods in all the worlds, everything went away. The feeling of being watched by these terrifying hitchhikers went away and the suffocating darkness from above. He checked his phone hoping that Bridget would have called or texted him, but there was no signal. The moon hung bright evenly spaced between the mountain tops. For a moment it was the most beautiful thing that Lucas had ever seen. 

The red lightning flashed across the moon, still no sound. The moon stayed blood red long after the lightning was gone. The moon wriggled and gurgled until it became the shape of a red skull laughing down on him. The laugh came through loud in his speakers, as the lights flashed on rhythm with the laugh. The horn blasted, probably terrifying every animal in the canyon. Closing in on the right was a sign informing Lucas the a rest area was coming in a mile. 

“Please let me pull over,” Lucas begged. To whom? Lucas had know idea.

The moon quickly changed colors to the normal yellowing white. It morphed back to its normal round shape. The laugh stopped and all the lights stopped flashing, and the horn ceased its loud roar.  He turned onto the short road that led behind some trees. Lucas parked by the bathroom in the large dirt parking lot. The bathroom was surprisingly clean but very dim like that black mist found its way in here to dim the lights. He used the urinal then walked to the sink to wash his hands. This time when he looked in the mirror he could tell that it was not really his reflection. 

“Lucas,” His reflection said to him rationally, “you really need to listen to me buddy. There is no escaping Hazel and her new daughter Bella,” His reflection did look genuinely concerned and mostly sincere.”You have no idea what you unleashed when you took that bottle.”

“Yeah no shit, thanks ,” Lucas answered, “If you are really me or even a part of me, I need you to help me get away.” 

“That’s not possible anymore my friend,” His reflection said sadly, “Like she told you on the radio, you either join her or you die. Right now I am the only one trying to help you.” Lucas believed him “But if you turn her down one more time then she will turn me against you and you will die at my hands. Just like you, I am powerless to stop her and not even close to being smart enough to change her mind.”  Lucas really considered his options now.

“What happens to my family if I agree to join her?” Lucas asked, a comfortable coldness and focus comforted him. “And what happens to my family if she kills me this morning.”

His reflection smiled an evil smile back at Lucas, it made him shiver, “The answer to both questions are the same. Your family will become my family. I look identical to you, and I will slowly work in some new personality traits and they will never know the difference. Trust me buddy, they will be very well taken care of,” Lucas was not comforted by his twins plan. 

“Who the hell are you?” Lucas asked, trying to decide if he should trust himself. “How do you look and sound just like me?” 

“I am here by the greatness of Hazel’s power,” His reflection answered. “I am alive by the grace of her love. 

Lucas looked into the drain hole of the sink, he was hoping he would find a way to get out of the mess. He turned on the cold water, then splashed it on his face. “I’ll do it,” Lucas said, he just couldn’t do this anymore. He was beaten down like a dog that had been abused by a sinister boss now. 

“Ha ha ha ha,” The ghost laughed demonically from inside the mirror. “You are a coward, Bridgett deserves to get away from you. You are weak and pathetic.” His reflection was smiling at him. The mirror exploded inwards covering Lucas in broken glass, thankfully he was not cut. His reflection jumped out of the hole in the bathroom wall. He threw Lucas to the ground hard. “Bridget deserves better than you, you are a spineless weakling that would let me do whatever I want to your wife.”

His reflection was right of course, what the hell had Lucas been thinking. He would not let this man have his family and take his place in the house he bought with his wife. “Not today asshole,” Lucas said, then punched at his twin’s ribs. He hoped it wasn’t like a ghost and his hand flew through the doppelganger. Lucas was pleased when all the things air shot out from its lungs in a stinky whoosh.  

Lucas landed a headbutt right in the bridge of the imposter's nose, good thing for Lucas his twin felt pain like anyone else. Lucas had been worried about that. Lucas turned and threw it off of him, Lucas did not want to think of it as a person. 

He got to his feet and planted a hard kick in the ribs, it lost its breath in a burst. “Stay away from my family you son of a bitch,” Lucas kicked the thing hard again. “You won’t get anywhere near my family,” Lucas landed one more kick for the road, he put everything he had into that last one. 

Lucas ran to the bathroom door, since this thing revealed itself as  more than a shadow, maybe if Lucas got away in his car the thing might not follow him. He opened the door and looked back at what looked like himself surrounded by shards of broken mirror. Lucas had done some decent damage to the thing, he felt proud. Lucas took a step and looked back in time to see his second step walk him through the shadow of the hunched over old woman. Every nerve in his body erupted with the most intense pain he ever felt, it was like being shot with a taser times one hundred. He fell to the floor in a heap and tried to cry, but all of his body functions had been shut down by the woman. 

A witch’s laugh echoed through the canyon, Lucas would have shivered but right now he lacked the ability. The shadow was gone but now Lucas watched as a pair of small feet walked towards him wearing black shoes with gold buckles. They seemed to appear or maybe even form from` the darkness of the morning. They stopped about a foot away from his face, Lucas wished he had the ability to look away. He heard movement then his vision was filled with a hideous witch’s mask worn by a little girl.

“La la la la la laaaaa,” She sang inches away from his face. The girl reached towards his waist and Lucas felt her take the car key out of his pocket. Then she vanished, she didn’t walk away, she simply disappeared. 

Lucas could hear his twin shuffling around in the bathroom and knew he needed to get up. He tried to move his arm, nothing happened. Lucas thought about the thing kissing and touching Bridget. He thought about that thing seeing his wife naked, Lucas found another level of strength. He stiffly walked to his car, the doors were locked and he no longer had the key. A red flash flashed across the sky again. Lucas turned to see the thing walk out of the bathroom and he locked eyes with the others imposter eyes. He had most of the feeling back in his legs so he sprinted into the dark trees and hoped he disappeared. 

Lucas was closer to the ancient witch’s shack than he knew, yet he was nowhere near the museum. He dodged branches and stepped gingerly over the underbrush. He was not running but he was not loafing either, Lucas set his pace at a nice brisk walk. He had no way to know which direction he was going, he could see the moonlight but only the light. The moon was hiding its face behind the treetops. A lone wolf howled but Lucas was not skilled enough outdoors to have any idea how far away it was, he hoped very far. The howl echoed away out of the canyon, Lucas got full body goosebumps. It was bad enough to have himself chasing him and two witches watching him, now there was a wolf out there somewhere. 

“Lucas,” his voice called from somewhere behind him, he sounded playful. “There’s nowhere to go buddy, I’m from these woods “And now there is a wolf after you too, man you are in a lot of trouble.”

What was he going to do? The bottle was in his pocket but he had no idea how he was going to get to the museum. Lucas didn’t even know which direction to go, the only thing he knew is that he had to get away from his doppelganger. He knew it was south but he had no idea which way south was. The forest flashed red, Lucas was right to assume that it was another red lightning bolt. He needed to figure out which way was south in Sevier Canyon. 

“Lucas, I may not know where you are but they do,” his twin told him, “I am telling you Lucas, you will never get away from her. She will know where you are from now until the day you die, taking that bottle marked you.”

To prove his point a witch cackle echoed through the forest then echoed back off the mountains. On the heels of the laugh echoing away the little girl sang, “La la la la la laaaa.” Lucas was learning very quickly to hate that little girl’s voice.

He could feel eyes watching him from everywhere and nowhere like Hazel had an eyeball in every tree in the woods. His phone dinged and he hoped that it was Bridget, it was not. When he unlocked the phone the map app was open. There was a green triangle at the beginning of a blue line and a purple circle at the end. Next to the dot in small black letters the map said “Hazel’s cabin.”

Well that is terrifyingly convenient, Lucas thought to himself. He knew that even though he was afraid to follow the map, his only chance would be to follow the map. You can’t let him take over your life, Lucas knew that his thoughts were right. Bridget may not see the difference in looks but nobody but Lucas could love her the way she deserved to be loved. Nobody could hold her just the way she liked, and nobody could care for her the way that he could. 

“Come out, come out wherever you are,” His own voice called playfully from the darkness behind him. “You know I am going to catch you so just give up, that’s what your are best at anyway. That’s why we didn’t get a black belt and why we didn’t graduate high school. You are a quitter and a coward.”

Screw this guy, Lucas thought, He has no idea who you really are. It’s time to tug your nuts and show him. Lucas quickly followed the blue line to the trail, he was very relieved to not have to fight with the tangling weeds and fallen branches anymore. 

The map also showed some of the locations that Lucas would pass on his way to the shack. Spirit Lake was later but first he would be passing something called Cotton Candy Falls. He wished he had time and daylight to stop to see that, better yet he wished Bridget were here so they could enjoy it together. He guessed the name came from the falls turning pink at some point during the sunrise or more likely a sunset. He would love to research it, iiii, when he got home. He almost thought if not when, but he didn’t have a choice Lucas had to make it home. His twin nor the witches would stop him from getting back to Bridget and the kids. 

The witch laughed from everywhere and the sky flashed blue, He would have thought lightning but the flash was in rhythm with her laugh. Plus there was no thunder. Lucas no longer doubted that Hazel was a person of great power. 

“La la la la la laaaaaa,” that little damn girl was really starting piss Lucas off. Her masked face jumped into his memory giving him a bit of a start. That little girl was the scariest thing that Lucas had ever seen. 

Lucas picked up the pace as the incline steepened, it’s a good thing he had been going to the gym for the last couple months. He could hear himself in pursuit but still a good distance behind, that was good. A wolf howled, hopefully at the moon and not at Lucas. He could now hear rustling in the underbrush and wondered what horror could be following him now. He had very little moonlight and even less light from his phone so it wasn’t hard for whatever it was to stay out of sight.

“Lucas,” his voice called again, this time it was closer, “Wait up buddy.” The thing was talking like the two of them had not just tried to kill each other. “I am telling you my friend, you do not want to take that bottle back.” 

Lucas thought his twin was stupid, the bottle caused a bunch of things that he didn’t want so he had to get the bottle back where it came from. He had never had this many terrible days in a row. The river that Lucas didn’t realize he had been hearing for the last hour got louder. He looked at the map on his phone, the arrow was about halfway to the dot. Lucas glanced to the top of his phone screen in time to see it was at one percent then his phone went dark. 

“Son of a whore,” Lucas cussed at himself, he couldn’t remember charging it in the hotel. He should have at least plugged it in while he was driving. It didn’t matter now, he was lost in the forest with no light. Also there was being chased by his doppelganger, as well as watched by two witches, and probably being stalked by at least one wolf.    

“I heard that Lucas,” The doppelganger was trying not to laugh. “What would our daughter think about that kind of language,” then laughed lightly.

His phone powered on, then after almost a full minute went back to his map. Lucas looked to the top corner of the phone to see that his battery was now at one hundred percent. Lucas turned on his flashlight, he needed to see what was around him. He stood at the wide mouth of a very ominous cave. He looked at the map and the cave was marked Cave of Conception. Lucas didn’t like the sound of that. Sheer cliffs rose from the ground into the darkness. Entering the cave was the only option. Lucas turned off his flashlight. 

“That was a bad idea Lucas,” his imposter’s voice was hiding a laugh. The thing was getting much closer. He heard the pace of the footsteps quicken. His doppelganger was jogging at least, but it sounded more like a light run.Lucas didn’t think he entered the cave there was no way around it.

He thought the darkness outside was as dark as possible, but the cave swallowed every speck of his map light almost as soon as the light left the phone. Even worse the darkness had a thickness that he had never felt in the air before. He could feel particles in the air, almost like floating sand. Lucas was thinking that this is where the black smoke was coming from. He could tell that his clone was approaching the mouth of the cave so Lucas thought that he should jog as well. He wanted nothing more than to stay away from that thing. The map on his phone didn’t do a lot but at least it was something. 

He could feel what felt like hundreds of eyes watching him from just outside the light. Maybe it’s bats, he thought foolishly. After everything that was going on there was no way it was something as simple as bats. It was probably a twelve headed hundred eyed dragon sized monster centipede, or something equally as terrifying. Something large shuffled in the darkness, Lucas again quickened his pace. 

Somewhere close by a stream trickled over rocks, it was a beautiful sound like tiny people playing a soft overture. This cave was another place Lucas would like to explore, with more equipment and less pursuers. Lucas tried to relax his mind, he thought back to the hotel and watching his favorite cartoon. The whisper raspy laugh of the cartoon dog echoed through the caverns. 

What the hell was that,  Lucas wondered, did he just manifest a laugh out of thin air. He better be careful of what he thinks about. His mind went back to the centipede he heard the same large thing scurrying, this was not a great development. He pushed the thought out of his mind, he prayed that the witch was not this powerful. The witch laughed from somewhere not far away. 

The laugh made him think of the little girl as well, “La la la la la laaaa,” she sang. Judging by the volumes Lucas guessed the two were standing close to each other.The song echoed away chasing the laugh only a few seconds behind for eternity. Lucas tried to clear his mind. The unfortunate thing about the human brain is that the more you try not to think the more your mind thinks about everything in the world.

“What in the hell is wrong with you?” Asked an angry Bridget, “Are you really scared of an old lady, a little girl in a mask, and worst of all yourself.” When it was said like that the whole thing did seem pretty silly.He wasn’t crazy, this stuff was really happening and all three of the people following him were very dangerous. “What would your boys think? How can I trust you to protect me and your daughter if you are literally scared of your own shadow?”

Naturally Lucas thought of his daughter Leah, “Are you serious dad?” She sounded very condescending for someone not much older than the little girl in the mask. “I am ten years old and I already know that there is no such things as witches and doppelgangers. Grow up dad.”

“Shut up,” Lucas said with anger in his voice, as the others before him his voice echoed away into the darkness. 

From close behind his voice said, “I know right this place is pretty jacked up. I didn’t want to come this way either but when Hazel tells me to do something, I just shut up and do it. I have heard and seen consequences for disobeying, and trust me nobody wants to suffer any of them. That’s what I tried to tell you, you should have just joined up with her, Lucas.”

“I tried asshole,” Lucas snapped back angrily, “You jumped out of a god damn mirror at me.”

His twin laughed, “Why you gotta bring up old shit, I thought you forgot about that already.” Lucas decided he would no longer respond. He just wanted to get rid of this bottle and put this weeks-long nightmare behind him. “Are you ignoring me now? That hurts my feelings and you don’t want to hurt my feelings.” When Lucas still didn’t respond his twin went on, “Ok then. Do you remember when we were kids and watched that movie about the maze in the red rock?” Regretfully Lucas did. 

The air in the cave shifted and the temperature dropped significantly. Lucas turned on the flashlight, there wasn’t a reason to try to stay in stealth mode. They always knew where he was. He stood in the center of a circular cavern, the walls rose into the darkness and out of sight. Lucas rotated a full turn and counted fifteen corridor entrances. He was lost, there would be no way for him to find his way out. 

“Damn Lucas,” His doppelganger said from somewhere close by, Lucas thought he was standing at the edge of the flashlight light. “That’s not good. How in the blue hell are you going to get out of this mess? You should have never taken the bottle,” Lucas had figured that out for himself weeks ago, his twin stepped into the light. He looked dark and terrifying. “You doomed yourself, I can’t believe you took it after you read the note. What did you think was going to happen? Bridget knew and she told you, but you wouldn’t listen. But the good news is that I get a new beautiful wife and three wonderful kids.”

“Bridget will know,” Lucas said, “You may look like me but you can’t love her like I do, and you can’t love those kids like I do.”

“Do you really think I care about any of that?” the imposter asked and the witch cackled from close by. “It is hard for me not to have a soft spot for you, you are my twin. But don’t make the mistake of thinking because we look alike that I am not something more evil than you would imagine.” Behind the thing the shadow of a hunched over old woman appeared. “I am going to enjoy the dark cold nights in bed with a naked bridget. 

“Fuck you,” Lucas snarled as he charged the fake him. He would not lay one finger on Bridget. After two steps Lucas froze and every muscle in his body tightened. It was extremely painful, like a full body cramp.

“Lucas my friend, it is too late for all that,” the new Lucas said, “I can’t believe you were dumb enough to get into this mess. Then you blame me for it. The note warned you what would happen, I didn’t read that note and I didn’t take that note. This one is on you, bud. So let me tell you what your new life is going to be. You will wander this labyrinth in complete darkness being chased by whatever Hazel decides she wants to chase you.” A tear formed then spilled down Lucas’ cheek. “You will not be able to die until she decides it is time for you to die. You will be encouraged to keep moving by Hazel and Bella’s friends. You will be able to feel pain like normal but will not be able to be mortally wounded. Each time you sleep, pass out, or get knocked out all your wounds will heal. That way Hazel will be able to inflict top level pain and suffering.”

Now in the tunnel stood the little girl next to the old woman shadow, “La la la la la laaa,” She sang from under the ugly mask. 

“Your first friend is named Sundown,” the new Lucas said, “His soul has been trapped in this cave system for a couple hundred years, and he loves getting fresh toys to play with. Just to warn you, he likes to hit people with rocks. He will definitely not be the last, he is like level one in a video game. I really do not envy you, I almost feel bad. Hazel and Bella will check on you from time to time, most of the time they will bring you some new playmates.” The imposter smiled an almost sorrowful smile. “This is where we part ways my friend, Now i suggest that you run.” Then he was gone.

A wild laugh echoed from somewhere, his phone turned off leaving him in darkness. Lucas ran straight ahead and bumped his shoulder on the cavern entrance, that first step began his life of infinite running. 

The new Lucas hugged his kids, wearing a wide knowing smile, when the family got home. He exchanged a few quick stories before they wandered off to their room to put things away. 

“You look different,” Bridget said, then smiled with a look in her eyes that the new Lucas recognized. “You look stronger.” He pulled her in and kissed her passionately. She quivered. “Where did that come from? You haven’t kissed me like that in years.”

“Well you better get used to it,” Bridget took him by his hand and led him to their bedroom.