I was still having a mild headache when we were already outside. Lance kept quiet the whole time, trying not to worsen my headache.
“Lance,” I said.
“Yes?” He asked.
“I have a question,” I stated, “and I need an answer to this question, Okay?”
“Okay…” he said.
“Why were they calling me a doppelganger?” I asked.
“Do you even know what doppelganger means?”
“That’s the problem, I don’t. Now tell me, what does doppelganger mean? And why did the gunman keep on calling me that?”
“It’s nothing really.” He said. “The gunman just mistook you for something else.” He replied.
“He mistook me for something else?” I asked. “What is it you’re not telling me?”
“He just thought you were a clone because of your symptoms.” He said.
“They thought I was a clone? What’s a clone?”
“It’s a shame you don’t know these terms. I have to examine you again. Anyway, a clone is copy of a certain entity. They started with animals. The first animal clone was a sheep named Dolly. She was born in 1996. Since then, there have been many other clone animals including mice, cats, goats, pigs, cows, and monkeys. However, there has never been a human clone. Because the government illegalized human cloning for the terrible effects it could do on society.”
We were in a parking lot. Lance was looking for his car.
“We have to go.” He said. “It’s not safe here anymore. If we stay, the reinforcements will come.”
“You didn’t really answer my question.” I said.
“I already told you what the word meant. What else do you want?”
“You said humans can’t be cloned. Then why did they just address me as one?”
“It all started about five years ago.” He said. “There were reports about certain people being in different places all at the same time. The government captured all of the copies…and tested them one by one. Until they found a way to tell what’s real and what’s a clone. They hired people with certain sets of skills to hunt the clones and bring them back dead, never alive.”
“So, those guys were clone hunters?” I asked him.
“They are literally called that.”
“Oh…cool.” I said. “There’s just one thing I don’t understand.”
“What?” he asked.
“Why did they think I’m a clone?” I asked. “Did the metal bones have anything to do with this?”
“It might have been that, yes.” He said. “Thing is, they probably still have a radar on you. So we really need to go now.”
“Wait, where are we going anyway?” I asked.
“To a safer place.”
