Midnight Run

Chapter 8

WC: 498

"What do you mean you didn't write this?" I ask, confused, the look of disbelief visible in my eyes. I sit down on the couch next to him, taking the paper out of his hand and looking at it intently, my breath hitching slightly.

   "I mean I didn't write it. Do you know what the note means?" Zevin asks, looking over at me.

   "No! Well, yes and no," I say with a sigh, looking back at him. "Last night at midnight, I had seen this girl walking in front of me when I was jogging. That morning when I was watching the news, I saw a picture of a girl who looks identical to her, Emilee Ross, and they were talking about how she had been murdered two days ago but found today. So I was just out on another jog hoping I'd see the girl again, but came home to this." I say, out of breath from talking too fast.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What? You gotta slow down, Gabriel. You saw a girl who was dead...but she was alive? What kind of stuff have you been taking?" His eyes are wide. He leans in now, whispering "Can you give me some?"

   I scoff and stand up, looking down at him.

   "I'll pay you." He adds, reaching in his pocket.

   "You don't understand, Zevin, I'm serious! It's been stressing me out since this morning!" I tell him, clutching the note in my hand as I motion at him in frustration.

    "Calm down, soldier, everyone has doppelgängers, right?" He asks me.

"Oh yeah, in fact I met a guy who sounded like you just earlier." I tell him.

   "Really?" He asks, shocked.

   "Yeah, when I was outside, he scared me and told me it was past my bedtime before telling me to 'call him' Walter. He also asked me if I wanted a ride so I said no and he finally walked off. He knew my name and everything!" I said, Zevin slightly distracted by my hands motioning wildly.

"Who's Walter? Did he look like me too?" He asks, his eyes filled with curiosity and fascination.

    For a few seconds, I say nothing and just glare at him.

   "What?" He asks, confused.

    "Zevin...I don't know who Walter is!" I yell. "Why would I if I thought he was you?! And I have no idea what he looks like because it was too dark outside but there's a very small chance he looked like you!"

    Zevin flinches slightly at my tone.

   "Sorry...I just...I don't know what to think of any of this anymore." I say and start to pace around, scratching the back of my head. I look at the note in my hand again, reading the words in my head over and over. What do you know....what do you know...what do I know? I don't even know what I know. All I know is that none of this makes any sense.