My Friend has Been Living in an Alternate Reality

Part 4

Hey guys, sorry for the wait. Let's cut to the chase, this was what Clint wrote next:

ENTRY 5:

I'm not sure what the hell's going on right now. I'm at the back of the convoy with Lauren and Kagenori, who's at the wheel. We were driving fine. Before we left, Grillo had told us not look at anything outside the vehicle, and especially not to fire off any shots. There was a 90% chance that it wouldn't kill anything. I almost broke that rule when I caught a glimpse of something pressed against the window right beside me. It had pale skin and a wide open mouth that covered half of its face. I just shuddered and ignored it. Everybody else seemed to have the same idea.

That was a while ago. However, Grillo just stopped completely, and nobody knows why. You see, the "road", if you could call it that, is extremely narrow and he's blocking everything in front of us. Fuck, maybe he'll get going soon. Being out here at night is pretty horrific.

I swear, it's been at least ten minutes and he still hasn't moved an inch. Kagenori's getting pissed. He wants to go and see what's going on. Lauren's trying to convince him that it won't end well, since Grillo hasn't even stepped out, but he seems adamant. To be honest, I'm close to go checking it out myself.

Shit, Duke just came out in front of us, holding a rifle. He's walking towards something in front of where Grillo stopped. He's yelling at it now. He sounds pissed. What the hell is going on? Now he's raised the weapon. Grillo just stepped out and tackled him to the ground. They're wrestling now. Kagenori's run out to see what's going on. I need to know as well. I'll write down what happens later.

ENTRY 6:

Well... that was fucked up. I got there just in time to witness Duke putting Grillo into a rear-naked choke. While he was gasping for air, Duke got up and started shouting again. Grillo was begging for us to stop him in between labored breaths. That's when I saw what was in front of the vehicle. It was Duke's copy. The one that we'd seen during the first days we landed on the island. Although, maybe it wasn't the same one.

Duke was hysterical. "What the fuck do you want from me?" He screamed at it. His copy just stood there, staring at him blankly, almost taunting him. "Don't let him touch it!" Grillo shouted at us from behind. I didn't know what to do in that moment. Neither did Kagenori. I could see Novex running up from behind us, but he seemed hesitant to do anything. We just remained passive observers. Duke was starting to get close to the thing. Very close. It looked as if he was about to throw a punch any second. I turned to see Grillo fishing a pistol out of the vehicle. "What the hell are you doing?" I asked him. He didn't respond, instead he just pointed the gun directly at Duke. "Don't fucking do it!" He pleaded. Duke just ignored everything. That's when he raised a fist. Grillo got the shot off just in time. Duke's blood splattered everywhere as he fell to the ground. Nobody moved after that. We all just stared in anticipation, waiting for his copy's next move. I saw Kagenori slowly inching his way back to the vehicle. The thing stayed put. It just stared at Duke's body. But... its facial expression was different. It almost looked disappointed.

That's when its body started changing. It was hard to explain. I just remember it looking surreal. Its skin seemed to be bubbling and it was growing taller. Eventually, it started walking away backwards at a speed no human should have been able to move at. As soon as it was out of sight, Grillo screamed at us to get back in our vehicles. We obliged. That's where we are now, driving again. Lauren's asking us what happened, but I don't really feel like reliving it. Kagenori hasn't said a word. I'll ask Grillo about it later, I guess.

ENTRY 7:

We've finally stopped near a clearing. Grillo's gotten out of the vehicle and is signalling for us to do the same. Couldn't tell you how long it's been, but I'm cramping up. I eventually told Lauren what we had saw, but she had no response to it. She's just been staring at her lap. I'm not really sure why we aren't driving anymore, but I definitely see lights in the distance. We must be going the rest of the way on foot. I'm going to talk to Grillo now. See what he says.