Hey Stranger

Arden let his head rest on one of the big fluffy pillows his arms wrapped tightly around it holding it close to his chest. He was trembling slightly but still he forced himself to close his eyes and try to sleep like Zaid said. It was hard but eventually he did fall into a fitful sleep.

~~

Arden stood barefoot on cold wood floors…it was the first thing he noticed before he opened his eyes. He was in the middle of a very bare looking apartment. There was nothing decorating the crisply white walls and no furniture in the apartment at all. It was almost as if no one lived there…well, save for a black hard cover journal laying a few feet in front of him.

He frowned slightly for some reason this all looked very familiar but he wasn’t sure why. He went to pick up the journal but his attention was brought to a different subject. The sound of a soft weeping drew his interest to a curtain that concealed a hall way in the far corner of the sparse front room. He pulled the white curtain back and starred down the black hall way, the crying had somehow gotten louder though it was very faint anyway.

Placing his hand on the way he guided himself down the dark hallway, about ten paces in he felt his foot hit a hard object and yelped in pain, though he was surprised to find no sound left his lips. He bent to pick up whatever he’d stubbed his toe on and his hand wrapped around another hard cover journal. He stood clutching the journal to his chest and then had to shield his eyes as the room was suddenly filled with light.

A man about the exact stature as Arden, his hair was even the same color, moved around the room frantically ripping down curtains from the windows, crying and mumbling to himself. Though squinted eyes Arden glanced around the room, he and the man were in a wide bedroom with many windows. “Ex…” Arden tried but his voice failed him so he was forced to watch the man angrily move around the room ripping the bed apart and then stomping to the closet, throwing it open and tearing everything out of it.

Arden took a step forward to get a look at the man’s face, because something seemed very familiar about the way he moved his hands and the way he walked. “Sir…” Arden managed to get that small word out but still the man didn’t look…in fact it appeared he was intentionally keeping his face adverted.

He growled in annoyance he tried everything he’d even placed his hand on the other’s shoulder and pulled him but the man had just brushed him off and act as if he wasn’t even there just continuing to ravage the room. Finally he’d had enough. Arden slammed the journal to the hard wood floor. The loud bang echoed in the room and the man looked at Arden for the first time with wide eyes.

Arden’s breath caught in his throat, he was looking in a pair of amber eyes almost completely identical to his own…but that wasn’t the only identical thing. Arden felt like he was looking in a mirror except the image was distorted. The identical man’s face was scratched from his temple to the base of his throat. His lips were cracked and swollen...he checks caved just enough that he looked skeleton like.

“Who are you?” The man growled at Arden in a light Russian accent and it would have been pleasant if there wasn’t so much animosity and pain in those three words. “Why did you throw my journal?” He spat at Arden, his eyes cold and hard. Arden tried to speak but again his voice gave out so instead he lifted his hands in a classic surrender.

The man suddenly surged forward gripping Arden’s right wrist twisting it enough to cause pain. Arden tried to pull his hand back but it seemed like the man wanted to see the inside of his wrist because when Arden pulled back the doppelganger just bent his wrist in such a way that pain shot up Arden’s arm and he dropped to his knees, his arm raised over his head.

“How do you know Zane?” The man growled. “Why do have this mark?” he asked before he dropped Arden’s wrist and shot his own right wrist forward. “Why do you wear Zane’s mark?”

“I don’t…” Arden whimpered as he pulled his hand into his chest cradling it.

“But you do!” He cried grabbing Arden by his shirt and hauling him to his feet. “You do the same as I do! Were you the one he ran with? Huh? Who are you!?” He screamed in Arden’s face and Arden just bit his bottom lip trying to fight down tears he was terrified. What was going on…who was this…and why did they look so similar.

The man suddenly tossed Arden back to the floor and went back to tearing things off furniture around the room. “My name…my name is Arden.” Arden spoke up after a moment.

“And I am Adem. How do you know my lover and why is he initial scared into your wrist?” Adem didn’t even turn around as he started to rummage through a drawer.

“This isn’t his…It’s Zaid’s initial…we ended up with them on the first day we met.” Arden said struggling to his feet.

“Is that so? Zane, Zaid…what a very convenient way to make a lie seem legitimate by changing two letters.” Adem said haughtily as he continued to dig in the drawer.

“No it’s not a lie! Zaid is my boyfriend we met 3 weeks ago.” Arden retorted though he was actually quiet scared, Adem seemed almost, crazed.

“You see and that is where your lie fails.” Adem laughed loud but there was something very wrong with his laughter and that thought was confirmed as he turned pointing a black old model magnum at Arden’s head. Arden automatically backed up into the wall. “MY lover, MY boyfriend, if you will, was killed 3 weeks ago. You could not have met him because he was with me!” He shouted and took a step towards Arden, clicking the hammer back on the gun.

“NO! They aren’t the same people!” Arden said wanted to sound strong and confident but with a gun in his face it just didn’t come out that way.

“Then what does this Zaid of your’s look like?” Adem asked taking on the that haughty tone once more.

“He has raven hair…so dark that not even charcoal pencils can compare and green eyes…Like the fields in Ireland…except when he’s tired they turn blue-green…like were the ocean meets the sky..and.. and…” Arden was grappling for more. “His lips… his lips are so…”

“Stop!” Adem suddenly snapped. “You’re describing Zane. My Zane! So you’re lying about who ever Zaid is…Stop lying!”

“I’m not lying!” Arden said suddenly becoming angry with the situation.

“You are! You lie! He lied!” Adem suddenly turned the gun on himself, pressing it under his chin. “Every one lies…He said he’d stay with me..” Tears started to pour down Adem’s cheeks.

Arden’s eyes widened “No! Don’t do this..It’s not the way to go Adem. Please.”

“He said he’d be with me forever! FOREVER!” He turned his eyes up to towards the ceiling as if he was talking to Zane himself. “YOU LIED AND I DONE.”

“Adem! No!” Arden suddenly launched himself forward but it was too late and Arden seemed to just fall through Adem’s body. As if he wasn’t allowed to affect what was happening. Arden flipped onto his back in time hear the loud shattering bang and red splattered the ceiling, walls, and even his own face.

A sharp pain pounded through Arden skull and flopped back on the hard wood, starting to convulse as he gripped his head and let out the most piercing scream his own ears had ever heard.

~~

Zaid’s POV
I’d Just gotten back in the house when I heard Arden scream…No that wasn’t scream that was something different…that sounded like he was dying. I didn’t bother with anything else as I sprinted through the living room throwing myself up the stairs towards my room. Nadia was right behind me but I didn’t even notice I just wanted to get to my boyfriend.

I threw open my bedroom door and watched in horror as Arden thrashed on the bed his screaming only getting worse, as he gripped his skull as if he was afraid it would explode. I jumped from the door onto my bed pinning Arden down trying to waking him up but it wasn’t working he just kept fighting me and screaming. What the hell was dreaming about?

I didn’t know what to do. I was so scared as I pulled my hand back in a fist and hit him hard in the face as I called his name. His eyes immediately came open he looked up at me with big scared eyes. “Zaid!” He was shouted and wrapped his arms around me pulling me down to him so he could bury his face in my shoulder.

He was crying so hard and I bit my bottom lip to hold back my own tears. I’d just punched my boy friend in the face it was kind of traumatic for me.

“You were dead…He had the Z on his wrist…” Arden cried into my shoulder. “And…And he said I was a liar…and then he..he…” I just held him tighter as he explained the night mare to me.

“Baby it was just a dream.” I tried to reassure him as I stroked his hair which was almost soaking.

“No! It was real…and He put the gun to his head! I tried to stop him…” For a whole 10 minutes Arden just sobbed into my shoulder clutching tight against him.

“He killed…” He swallowed hard and then continued though his crying hadn’t called down. “He killed himself…In front of me…” He clutched me even tighter if that was even possible. “And it hurt so bad…it still hurts…”

“Arden, it’s okay…it’s going to be okay.” I was say that more for myself then for him I was scared. I shouldn’t haven’t fucking left…I’m so fucking stupid.

He suddenly pulled back at looked me with those sad amber eyes. “Zaid It’s not gunna be okay…Adem killed himself…” He let out a deep sob. “I killed myself…”