A Rush of Blood to the Head

Chapter 2

Chris stood up. He almost fell down but he managed to get up anyway. He was in no mood for such nonsense.

"Who the hell are you and what the fuck are you doing in my flat?", he asked the woman angrily.

"Whoa, whoa calm down. Easy boy. With all those painkillers you took, you might just faint.", the woman replied. 

Chris was already in a very bad mood.

"You did not answer my question." Chris said sternly.

"It might blow your mind"

"Try me"

"Well. I am you. Or at least part of you. You can make me anything you want me to be. It is that simple. I came here with you and I will leave with you as well. We are the same. We will always be."

Chris was quite surprised at this kind of an explanation.

"What does she mean?", he thought to himself. Nevertheless fans never ceased to surprise him. There was this one fan that had climbed on top of the Eiffel Tower and slit his wrists just because Coldplay had cancelled their concert in Paris. Chris was used to all this. But he had no time for this nonsense now.

"I know what you are thinking. You are trying to understand what I mean. And also you are thinking about that Eiffel Tower guy who killed himself", the woman said.

Chris was astonished. How did she know?

"I know everything that you think about. Believe me that's what I meant when I said I am part of you", the woman said.

"I am going to call the police if you don't get out of here ma'am", Chris said.

"Ma'am? Really? Anyways, the police will think you are paranoid Christopher", the woman replied to his threat

Chris felt awkward at the use of his full name.

"I don't care. Get out of here", he said while picking his landline up and connecting it.

"And what will the police do, when they come here to see that I don't even exist?", the woman said jovially.

"What the fuck are you even saying?", Chris said losing his temper.

"What I am saying Christopher, is that, you are in no position to call anybody right now. You need to talk."

"Watch me" He dialled the security. The phone started ringing. "I don't need to talk. I need you out of here", he said.

"So you wouldn't talk....Even if it is about.....Jonny?", the woman said mysteriously.

Chris winced at the mention of the guitarist's name.

"What do you know about Jonny?", Chris asked.

"All that you do.", the woman paused, "Okay, if I am an intruder, then why is your door nicely locked and all your windows closed, just like you left them?"

"You could have got in before I came here" Chris replied, a bit puzzled at the question.

"But there was no alarm raised. How could I have broken into your flat without making the alarm go off?"

Chris had no answer. By now security had picked up the phone.

"Hello, Mr. Martin. Is there anything I could do for you?" A man said.

"Think Chris. Think. We need to talk about that fight you had. Put the phone down", the woman said.

Chris was startled. How did she know about the fight? Who the hell is she?

What is going on?

He looked at the door. It was perfectly locked just the way he did it when he came home. All the windows were closed too. No lock had been tampered with. He looked at the alarm. Yes. She was right. She couldn't have broken into the flat without making the alarm go off. There was no other entrance. How the hell did she get in?

Time started slowing. Then it hit him. It was only rational. With that amount of painkillers combined with vodka, this was the only explanation. He looked at the woman in disbelief.

"You.....you....how....no.....not.....possible", Chris murmured.

"I see you have figured it out then", the woman smiled. 

Chris couldn't breathe. No, this is not possible. This must be a dream. That's it. It's a goddamned dream, Chris thought.

"Hello, Mr. Martin, is there a problem? Mr. Martin please answer", the security guard's voice brought Chris out of his musings.

"Everything's okay. False alarm", Chris said, distraught with disbelief.

"Okay, good night"

Chris put down the phone and stared at the woman. She was smiling.

"No no no no no. You are not real. No you can't be. I am dreaming" Chris screamed.

He pinched himself, but cried out in pain. Shit. THIS IS FUCKING REAL, Chris thought.

"Easy, Chris", the woman said.

"Oh god....What is my full name?", Chris asked in a barely audible voice.

"Christopher Anthony John Martin"

"Okay. What is the height of Mt. K2?" Chris asked again.

"Really....You are gonna ask me that?", the woman asked hiding a laugh.

"Just answer"

"I don't know"

"You do. You know how? Because I remember reading a magazine about it sometime last year", Chris said, "So tell me, what is the height of Mt. K2?"

The woman stood up. She looked Chris deep into his eyes and said, "You read it in the second edition of Sanctuary of July, 2014. You read it on 23rd July, at precisely 0200 hours, 35 minutes and 14.665 seconds. You read the magazine while you were waiting for your flight to London from Amsterdam. Guy was asleep on your right shoulder and Jonny on your left. You thought that Jonny looked very cute while he was asleep. Will had gone down to get a coffee. You had asked him for as espresso, but he brought you a cappuccino.", the woman paused, "And the height of Mt K2 is 8611 metres."

Chris couldn't help but stare at the woman in sheer awe. What she had said was amazing. He had just witnessed something he only ever saw in science fiction movies.

This is crazy. I am crazy.

"Say it. Say what you are thinking.", the woman said.

"This is nuts. This is JUST nuts." Chris blabbered.

"Say it anyway"

"You", Chris pointed at her, "You are an all access passageway to my subconscious", Chris paused, "You......are a hallucination!!"

The woman grinned, "I am Chris, I am"

"But how did you even....."

"Blame it on the drugs you found in the med locker and the vodka you drowned.....And also your emotional state"

"But this is mad, I need to see a doctor"

"At 1:00 am in the morning? Be reasonable Chris"

Chris couldn't fathom what to do in the situation. He sat down in the floor. Millions of thoughts crossed his mind. The woman sat beside him.

"Well I guess, I could do some soul searching", Chris said under his breath.

"That's my lad", the woman said while patting Chris on his back.