Spectrophobia

18: Danger

Ray stomped his way back up the staircase, a bowl of salt mixed water and a small cloth in his arms. He made his way over to the investigator, who had finished puking into another bag after going Inside-Out.

"Thank you."

He took the cloth - wetting it in the salted water and wiping the printed runes clean from his red inked chest. Halfway through, he stopped and looked up at Ray.

"I'm sorry about your girlfriend. I know you were planning an engagement and.. well..."

Ray swallowed.

The roses were long gone. Their pretty petals wilted and drained of colour. The evil in the house had sucked the energy out of them too. The box sat forgotten. Forgotten to collect dust. Its contents no longer magical - no longer excited.

"No-one believes me. They all think I'm crazy."

The investigator placed the wet cloth in the water, the runes removed from his skin.

"You know you're not the only crazy person. Your girlfriend thought I looked pretty insane when she saw me. So did you."

Ray's gaze followed the investigator's as he stood up.

"I've lived my whole life as the crazy person. I do a crazy job for a living helping equally crazy people. If anything, you have me that believes you. And I'm honestly just as sane as the next happy-go-lucky person."

Ray looked into his sharp eyes and saw the truth staring at him. He slowly nodded.

"Good. Now, before we proceed, I need my shirt back."

...

The investigator had gone straight to work.

Downstairs, his notebook lay wide open on the page labelled 'The Doppelgängers', he was skim reading through about a dozen pages at a time. Reading and rereading. Occasionally leaving his mess of work to check something in the house. Ray had even caught him pressing his ear to the walls, listening for any sounds to respond to him. It was true; what he said. He really did seem crazy.

Ray did not feel so different from the investigator. If anything, his presence seemed to warm him. Unleash a hidden comfort that had not skimmed the surface in a while. He stayed constantly by his side throughout his crazy actions - doing his best to help without being irritating. So far, this young investigator was his only 'friend' here.

After a couple hours of reading scribbled notes and searching around the house for unseen forces - the investigator sighed.

"There's something missing from the big picture. Something that I'm not seeing..."

That worried Raymond. As far as he knew, the investigator could just about see anything; everything.

He then realised something.

"Um, what are you looking for?"

The investigator gave him an irritated look.

"You're telling me you sat there looking through my private knowledge not knowing what you're even looking for?"

Ray shrugged - "I was only doing what you asked me to do."

The investigator dug his palm into his forehead.

"Well, isn't that wonderful (!)"

Raymond sat - deep in thought - as the investigator continued to curse to himself.

"Well, what are we looking for?"

The young man looked up.

"The Doppelgänger said it was also leeching off from another life form. And as far as I've looked through your every hidden crevice of your brain - I can't seem to pinpoint anyone yet."

Ray frowned.

"Well, what do we know?"

The investigator paused. He dropped the pieces of paper he held and sat up straighter.

"Well, we know the Doppelgänger chose you of all people because you seem to have had some really bad horrors in your life. That its feasting on the bad memories of your father and the grief of your mother's death," - he paused, catching Ray's eye. Ray nodded for him to continue - "we know it has grown stronger from every death it has committed..."

He dazed off again.

"...we know that it can't be Jane since - although it says it's you - it knows nothing about her existence yet. I'm certain of that. So that crosses just about everyone person in your personal life - which would be the most likely source. So now, I can officially say, I'm at a loss!"

The investigator grabbed a fistful of papers and flung them in the air. The scribbled paper fell like raining confetti all around the two. Though the gesture didn't seem from anger or frustration at all. More like a coping gesture- or a calming gesture.

"Hey, we'll figure it out. I mean, if you fought the bitch with your bare hands and came out alive - you can do anything, right?"

The investigator's head lolled with the thought.

"I... suppose so."

He took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Okay, okay. Forget the notes," - he grabbed another pile and flung it in the air - "we'll start from scratch. Throw ideas at each other and see what we can figure out, even of they're unlikely."

So there we sat. Silent for a while till someone came up with an idea. Breaking down the likelihood of that one person, then moving on to the next.

This continued on for a couple hours. Raymond was not aware of the time flying by, not until he heard the investigator's stomach growl.

"What time is it?" - the young man asked.

"Um... 5:49."

Ray replied, glancing at the grandfather clock that stood right next to the young man.

"Is that so? Doesn't really feel like it."

The investigator stood up and made his way to the kitchen, pausing just outside the door.

"Um, would you mind if...?"

Ray shook his head - "no, not at all, you go ahead."

He listened to the sounds of rustling as the investigator searched around the kitchen for something to satisfy his hunger. He assumed this was the reason why the young man was quite thin - being completely absorbed into your work was quite unhealthy. He would know.

"You seem to be a really big fan of tea."

The investigator had found his tea cupboard. Raymond figured this was the only time the two of them had found a starter to a considerably 'normal' conversation.

"Oh, yes. I've always liked it. The tea here is rather good, but I prefer store bought ones. I mean, the tea at the local café is pretty damn great. I went there a while ago with Kyle when he gave me your number. I can't exactly remember what kind of tea it was-"

Raymond stopped when he heard an object clatter to the ground in the kitchen. Before he could see for himself, the investigator peeked his head out the doorway - his eyes wide behind his frames as he seemed to have grasped onto the idea they had been searching for.

"Did you say, Kyle?! The policeman?"

Ray was about to answer - before the realization dropped a cold stone deep in his chest.

Oh fuck, Kyle!