Doppel Chills

Chapter 3: My constant companion

I've always been told that I am everywhere. Although physically present, they can't really feel me there completely.

By "them", I am referring to those people who are close to me. They would openly share their individual experiences and thoughts about me, I would often just stay quiet and listen. More like, I've learned not to react at all.

As I was lost in my thoughts of what kind of game I should play right after I got home from school, my friend gently tapped my head asking me to visit his house. I was a bit annoyed and reluctant but agreed anyway.

While we were walking side by side on the road, I asked my friend,

"Who's gonna be there?" I asked. "I invited the gang, but they have somewhere to be." My friend said.
I sighed and frowned as a response to my friend's words, "They're gonna knock themselves out with drinking again." I said with an assured voice.

"Let them, we had our fair share of that last week." He laughed.

"And that's an excuse to leave their friends?"

"Of course not, but I wouldn't want to force myself when they didn't even bother to invite me, call them if you want to go, but I'll pass." He said daringly.

"Pfft! Do you think I'm that desperate? No, thank you." I expressed defending myself.

He stayed silent for a while and dropped a different topic as he spoke. "My grandpa is there."

I looked at him and asked, "Where?"

"At home."

"Should I know something?"

"Hmm... No, he's fine."

"Okay?... I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry. Let's cook at home."

"Ah! You just want me to cook for you!"

He laughed hard.

By the time we arrived at my friend's house, it was almost evening. I removed my shoes and left them beside the door while my friend took his grandfather's hand and put the back of his grandfather's hand on his forehead to greet him with respect. I did the same after him.

His grandfather put his hand on my shoulder and smiled as if he was really pleased to see me. I smiled back as his gesture made me feel good inside.

"How is school?" He asked.

"I'm having a challenging time with my subjects and I barely pass in any of them" I chuckled with my self-deprecating joke.

"You will manage." He assured.

"Thank you." 

"Hey, you should go upstairs first and play the saved game while I prepare the ingredients." My friend said while holding the onion on his hand and the knife on the other.

"Sure!" I responded excitedly before turning back my gaze to his grandfather. I was about to excuse myself when I saw my friend's grandfather looking behind me passing me by with his gaze. I looked back and saw nothing. Noticing that my friend's grandfather wasn't paying attention to me anymore, I just bowed my head a little and whispered, "I will be heading upstairs now Grandpa, I'll see you later." I started to walk towards the stairs without looking away from my friend's grandfather who was still standing still and not budging. Worrying, I paused to speak to him again, "Grandpa! Just call me if you need something." I waited for a couple of seconds before heading to my friend's room.

After some time... I was occupied with the game, I thought that it was weird that my friend hadn't called me to cook yet. It has been a while since I went upstairs, maybe an hour and a couple of minutes now. 

I decided to get up from where I was sitting and head downstairs, just to see my friend with his grandfather talking on the sofa. I didn't want to interrupt anything but I got this urge to ask what was happening.

"What's up? Everything's alright?" I stood in front of them.

My friend just looked at me with concerned eyes. That bothered me a lot so, I asked again. "Why are you looking at me like that? Something wrong?"

He took a deep sigh before speaking, "I invited you here to let you know my concern regarding a certain matter." I sat down on the chair in front of them. I leaned closer to them and asked with curiosity, "Sure, tell me."

My friend looked at his grandpa who's been looking at me the whole time without saying anything. My friend set his gaze back at me and started speaking, "My grandpa has become attached to you lately." I tilted my head, "What do you mean?" I asked. "He told me that he's been talking to you for the past two weeks now. Do you know this?" I was taken aback by what I heard, "What?! You know that this is only the second time that I've met your grandfather."

We had yet to conclude what was happening when suddenly we heard footsteps coming from upstairs above us, which made it my friend's room where I was earlier. We became quiet trying to make out of the sound with a very confused yet curious gaze on the ceiling. There were slow and heavy footsteps that seemed like they were approaching the door of the room. After like almost ten heavy, creepy steps, the door finally opened with a creaking sound.  After about some time of holding my breath, I was waiting in horror for my friend to at least make a sound or just any word like he had other guests beside me, playing a trick on me, just literally anything other than a mystery of someone... something, unexplainable upstairs. I swallowed carefully to not make a sound like my life depended on it. I slowly fixed my gaze back toward my friend who was already looking at me with a scared look almost like he's gonna piss his pants, making me convinced that it was nowhere a trick and his grandfather not moving a muscle still looking at the ceiling. I tried to break the silence by whispering, but then...

"wh-..." 

--- "Can you please come upstairs?"

I experienced the chill all over my body and felt my body frozen in place It was hard to breathe as I heard my own voice calling for my friend coming from upstairs. 

I remembered the feeling clearly of how I shook my head desperately as if my neck was rusty trying to convince my friend that it wasn't me.

The look on my friend's face is still engraved in my memory to this day... 

Since then, I have been told by some that they have experienced the same thing since the day they knew me.