More Than An Awful Waste Of Space

Chapter 1: The Chase

Alex turned around and saw someone who looked exactly like him. "It's time," they said. "Start running and never look back."

He didn't stop to ask questions. He didn't goggle like an idiot at the person who had stolen his face. Instead, he did the only reasonable thing he could do in the situation.

He ran, not daring to look over his shoulder. Adrenaline surged through his body as he entered full flight mode.

He wasn't going to wait around to see what happened next; he wasn't an idiot. Having seen enough movies, played plenty of games, and read numerous books, he recognised the situation. The moment he saw it, he knew it was 'in media res', and we're all probably wondering how he got here. At this point in the narrative as he sprinted down the street in a panic, he was supposed to catch the audience up on current events. Record scratch. Freeze frame.

He, too, was wondering how he got into this situation. Dropped in the middle of a story with no clue of what was happening, he only had the instructions of the Other Him to guide him along.

Had he gotten out of bed on the wrong side? Maybe he hadn't gotten out of bed at all but was in a very strange dream. He had a wild imagination for someone his age.

Alex felt a sudden pain in the left side of his chest. If this were a dream, he wasn't supposed to feel pain. What kind of reality was he in?

As he ran down the sidewalk, mentally blaming himself for failing sports lessons at school despite attending every class, he racked his brain for possibilities. Alien invasion? Unlikely. If the aliens wanted to replace him, he would have been taken away by now. Cloning experiment? Possibly. But even if that was a possibility, he had no way of knowing if he was the original or the duplicate. Unknown twin? Possible. The possibilities were endless—false memories, alternate dimensions, plastic surgery, and even time travel were on the list here. With nowhere to start, he had no idea what kind of story he was in. Until he pieced everything together, he had to assume the warning was real and that he was in danger.

So he kept running as fast as his legs could carry him.

Alex heard a sudden squeal of brakes, and half a block ahead of him, an unmarked black van screeched to a stop. Its side door slid open, and three bodyguard-looking men in black suits emerged, continuously surveying the surroundings. Each man was donned in impeccably tailored black suits, creating an ambiance of authority. Dark sunglasses concealed their gaze, adding a touch of mystery to their presence. One of them spotted Alex and raised a hand.

"Alexander Johnson!" he yelled. "We're here to help! Come with us if you want to live!"

"Alexander Johnson? How did the man know him? No one called him Alexander instead of Alex, unless he had done something wrong and was in trouble," Alex wondered.

Having watched enough movies, Alex knew men in black suits were never to be trusted, especially if they drove a van. He barked out a manic laugh just before ducking into a nearby alley. He heard the man cursing behind him, then the sound of heavy boots on the pavement as the men in black began chasing after him.

Alex nearly tripped over a trash can as he started running, making a quick recovery and kept sprinting down the unfamiliar alley he now found himself in. Alex began piecing together the first elements of the story. Some sort of sketchy government subplot was definitely involved, and he was the target. So far, the only thing he knew was that the person with his face had told him to run. Alex trusted the Other Him a little more than he trusted the men in black with the kidnap van. He had to rely on his gut instinct.

Continuing to sprint to the other side of the alley, Alex heard a low popping noise from behind him. As something shot over his head, he yelped, ducking as he ran. He had just enough time to notice a silver dart quivering in a nearby trash can as he passed by it—a tranquilliser dart, no doubt.