Duplus

Chapter 13

Amaani's POV:

"Hands up, Lx16. You're under arrest!"

I looked at both of them, unsure whether I had to hold up my hands or not.

One of them hopped off his bike and pulled off his helmet. It was then that I realized that his outfit was so much like the one I was wearing. Correction; the outfit that was made to look like the one mystery girl was wearing.

I was hoping for a clue about the mystery girl but not something like that! My life was dearer to me.

"Remember the orders, 23? Act accordingly." The other guy said.

'23' strode towards me, with something that resembled a gun in his hands. He poked me with it harshly. "Oh yes, I remember." He replied, an ugly grin appearing on his face. I stepped backward, scowling at him. "Well, excuse me!" I snapped at him. My eyes looked like balls of fire at that point and I glared at him. But before I could say anything, something hit me like an arrow and the look of anger faded into shock and surprise.

"Mr. Ibrahim?" The words slipped off my tongue and I blinked twice. The person that stood in front of me was the spitting image of our neighbor, Mr. Ibrahim. The only difference was that his long beard was replaced with a short one. My state of shock made me freeze in my place and I just kept on staring.

Allah. Allah.

"Shoot her, 23." Those words snapped me out of it and I suddenly looked back at the person who spoke. "Wait!" I protested but Mr. Ibrahim aimed his gun straight at me without any hesitation or question. The sight of the gun made me feel like the air was getting sucked out of me and my breathing intensified. My heartbeat fastened and I felt like I was going to collapse.

"It's nothing personal, Lx16. You just shouldn't have ever run away." He loaded his gun, preparing himself to pull the trigger. My legs moved on their own and I tried to run away. But it was no use when the other rider acted quickly and caught me. His grip on my shoulder tightened and I could feel the pain shoot up my arm. I winced with discomfort.

"I see you still have your swiftness and survival instincts in you. I'm not surprised you decided to run away even when we have you cornered. Nothing less could be expected from a senior." His face darkened. "Too bad you're going to have to die just like the others." His voice sounded like he was a serial killer, about to murder his next victim.

I gulped.

"Shoot her already, 23. We can't risk letting her loose again." He looked up at Mr. Ibrahim and ordered him. Shivers ran down my spine as he aimed the gun at me again. This time he looked determined to have me finished. I watched in horror as his fingers reached the trigger and were about to pull it when-

Bang!

Mr. Ibrahim collapsed to the ground, lifeless. My hands shook as I watched blood ooze out of his head. In an instant, I regained my senses and saw that as an opportunity to set free. I elbowed the other guy and escaped from his grip. The blow from my elbow made him snap back to his senses and he tried to get a hold of me again.

Not this time, buddy.

I grabbed the gun from Mr. Ibrahim's dead body and hit him with it with all I had. DUNN! The noise pierced through my ears and I literally had to shut my eyes tightly to overcome the shock. Once he was on the ground, groaning with pain and trying to stay conscious, I took out the gun and aimed it at him. My fingers brushed over the trigger-

I stopped.

What are you thinking, Amaani?!

No, I couldn't possibly shoot him.

Then the other part of my brain spoke up.

He was going to kill you. If you don't finish him now, he'll get up and finish you first.

As the inner battle inside me raged on, I didn't know what to do. My mind was torn and I was so confused about the right thing. The stress increased and I could see him move to slowly get up.

Fortunately, the decision was made for me.

Another gunshot filled my ears and it made the man drop dead right in front of me. It was only a matter of nanoseconds and the gunman had snatched his life away from him. A trembling sigh escaped me and I staggered back. My emotional energy completely drained out and I just kept on looking at the two dead bodies that lay on the ground. The earth around them was getting soaked with their blood and it was a terrifying scene. The blood just kept on flowing out of their heads and-

I couldn't look anymore.

"Lesson number one; never hesitate." I looked back instantly towards the source of the voice. Towards the person who saved me like a hero straight out of a movie. No, like a heroine straight of a movie. As soon as my eyes fell on her, I froze again.

Today was a day full of surprises.

A girl, the same height as me, stood there in a cloak that looked just like mine. A neck scarf hid her face and strands of silky brown hair flew out of her hood with the wind. The wind gave another strong blow and her scarf fell from her face, revealing the awfully familiar full lips and sharp nose.

Her brown eyes glinted at me, both eyelashes the same color. She pulled up her gun and stuffed it inside her cloak, concealing it.

I would've fainted if I had not known beforehand that my doppelganger was out there somewhere. But seeing her there right in front of me, like a real person, was shocking. I opened my mouth to speak up.

"Lx16?"

She gave me a small smile. "Yup! That's me." Her cheery voice freaked me out even more. She even sounded like me! Then her eyes narrowed. "I'm not surprised they thought I was you. You look exactly like me in those clothes. Were you trying to copy me or something?" She went on, stepping towards me. It seemed like she still didn't know I had the same face as her too.

"You can say that. But I didn't know you were gonna show up here." I said to her. We both looked at each other with a twinkle in our eyes. "You even sound like me," she grinned. I cocked an eyebrow at her. "We even have the same face, Lx16," I told her, making her stop in her tracks. A frown appeared on her perfectly shaped eyebrows.

"What do you mean?" She asked. I pulled down my veil, uncovering my face. "See? You're basically my identical twin." I told her.

Lx16 froze. "What in the world..."