The Alternate

Part One

Have you ever been cut off from anything?
Like your father or mother? From friends? Or how about time?
Miles far from home, Steven awoke. Looking up at a dirty ceiling in some cheap motel.
Not knowing what time was, or even the day.
Steven was so lost, it brought him back to when he lost both his parents. He ran to the window and opened the blinds to let in the sunlight. He scanned the area and what he saw scared him. It was a desert outside. Sand for miles. Although, it wasn't the sand so much, but what it represented. A great distance was traveled. Questions flooded his mind, but only one remained constant. Which was, What have I done?
As Steven made his way out of the room he noticed the feel of the building of the motel. It was run down and yet there were cars in the parking lot. He was on the second floor looking down at his car. A squawk could be heard from above, it was a black Raven. Steven made his way to the manager office.

Once inside he met a woman sitting at the front desk. Her back was turned to Steven, despite the bell on the door ringing, that would alert her to his presence.
She kept busy with what she was doing.
"Hold on Steven"she spoke without turning, "I will be right with you."
Steven recognized that voice, 'Could it be?' he thought.
"Rebekah?" he said quizzically.
At hearing this she stopped what she was doing. She stiffened, and as though she was in great pain she turned around. Her eyes were glowing white. He jumped back in surprise. "What is this place and what are you doing here? What is wrong with your eyes?"
"Some questions can't be answered, most must be learned. But to answer 'why am I here?' it was you who put me in this place."
"How, I don't understand?"
"Perhaps I can help." a voice called from behind Steven.
Steven turns to meet the new person. His eyes went wide with shock.
The person standing in front of him, if it could be called a person was black.
To say he is black, would be an understatement. It was more like he was a negative space as though light and life were being pulled into him.
Horrified, Steven stood there for a second.

"Am I real? Am I here? Am I alive?" the shape asked mocking Steven's previous line of questioning.
"Seems you're more dumbfounded than I thought you'd be. Let's introduce ourselves.
You are Steven and I am you."
Steven was sweating how is this possible, he could feel his heartbeat thudding in his ears. This thing was him.
"I'm  lo..."
"If you say you're lost or you don't understand one more time I'm going to lose it. It's simple, we are in your mind. Not a lot going on unfortunately."
"Then where are the nine other alternatives? If this is my mind they should be here."
"I killed them, except one. He's up there on the second floor writing our story."
"What!? How could you have killed them?"
"Easy, I am the first."
"Then why did you leave one alive?"
"He sold his life to me, by placating me. He said he could make us famous."
They were in the room now with the Alternate who was working on an old typewriter. He looked like Steven, but he didn't have any eyes. Instead, there was a cloth covering where his eyes would've been.
" Don't bother, he can see or hear you, so you can break the fourth wall and call for help."

Quickly turning to look at the Shadow the landscape completely changed.
They were on a green cliffside overlooking the pacific.
Steven looked at all the splendor of the scene when his attention was drawn to a screeching of tires, as he watched two vehicles collide. He ran to the wreck.
When he got to the passenger side of the one that was hit from the oncoming traffic he noticed he recognized the driver and the person riding next to him.
"Mom, Dad" he was frozen in place. His eyes burned with tears.
"Son?"
"Dad!"
Steven ran over to his father's side of the car.
"It's going to be ok dad, it's going to be Okay!"
"No son, we're dead and it's your fault."
Then they both faded away.

   

Younger Steven looked the older one standing outside of the car
"Why am I alone now, it's my fault?"
"NO NO NO NO NO!" Steven screamed.
He was in a house now, It had a familiar feel to it.
Then he heard a distinct voice that made the hair on his  stand up on the back of his neck.
"Hey champ! Auntie says you've been a bad boy. Guess it's time for another lesson."
As a huge wooden club came down striking Steven in the head. He opened his eyes to see he was on the ground in the parking lot of the motel. He sat up and put the palms his hands over his eyes. They felt wet, lifting them off his face he saw the blood of others had covered his hands. Now he wore the blood on his face like a mask. He gasped.
The Shadow was standing next to him.
Steven noticed him and moved away from him, "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!"
"Freedom. Freedom from pain. That's what I want to give to you."
Steven looked wearily at the Shadow.
"What do you mean by freedom"
"From guilt, from loss, from the loveless life you've chosen to live."

He thought about the car accident, the abuse, Rebekah and the prospect of being free from those worries sounded nice.