"Shut up. Don't scream. It will give away our position to the killer."

Lauris nodded. She sighed in relief as the hand lifted from her mouth. She turned around, frowning at her friend.

"Why did the twins send you here?"

Marie frowned. "The twins? What are you talking about? I was out shopping, and the next thing I knew, I was here."

Lauris wrinkled her brow. It looked like not all experiences were the same.

Marie looked around.

"Anyways, you're the first person I've seen. I was following you around for a while to check that you were not the killer."

"And?"

"For now, it seems like I can trust you."

Lauris nodded. She averted her eyes from the body. "It's a good thing we're friends then. It's unlikely that either of us is the killer."

Marie raised her brow. "Friends? We only said hello once in the theatre."

Lauris blinked. "Theatre? Are we not IT consultants? Wait, what is your name?"

Marie shot her a strange look. "I'm Marie Lemocks. Yours?"

"Lauris Maltikata."

Marie frowned. "The person I know looks exactly like you with the exact name. Do you have a twin?"

Lauris shook her head.

Marie pursed her lips. "A doppelgänger then."

"A what?"

Marie sighed. "You know, people who have no relation to you but have the exact same appearance."

Lauris hummed thoughtfully. "Then I guess you are also a doppelgänger of someone I know."

That said, she knew that something was off. That person in front of her looked like a clone of Marie. She had the same mannerisms, the same name and the same appearance. Yet, they seemed to be completely different people. She also knew that Marie was an only child.

Marie tilted her head. "What are you looking at?"

Lauris shook her head. "Nothing. Just thinking."

Marie rolled her eyes. "Well, I feel like it's a good idea to move away from that thing. There is a grassland at the end of a road."

Lauris tilted her head.

Marie sighed. "I don't understand either. It's not like this place runs on logic."

Lauris nodded. "You got me there."

Marie snorted and began to walk. Lauris followed before the guiding figure became fully obscured by the fog.

"I suggest not to look too hard. It's not pleasant."

Lauris frowned. Her eyes widened as she saw more gently swaying silhouettes.

"You see, I thought you were dead."

Lauris blinked. "What?"

Marie sighed. "One of these bodies looked like you."

Lauris stopped. "Wait, what?"

Marie huffed. "I'm glad you are a doppelgänger."

Lauris nodded, leaving the rest unsaid.

The duo spent the rest of their time walking in silence.

Lauris pursed her lips. What the heck was this place? What was going on? Why were the twins doing this What was their goal?

There were too many questions and not enough answers.

The woman yelped as she bumped into the still figure of Marie.

Lauris stepped back as Marie muttered furiously. Something was wrong; very wrong.

"Get it off me."

Lauris frowned. "What?"

Marie turned around, displaying her wide, maddened eyes. "Get it off me!"

Lauris took another step back and fell as Marie pounced towards her.

"GET IT OFF ME! LAURISSSSSSSSSS!"

...

"Lauris! Hey, Lauris! Are you listening to me?"

Lauris frowned as she saw Marie looking at her with a perplexed and worried expression.

"Wha-?"

Marie shook her head.

Lauris rubbed her temples. What the hell was going on? Wait, why were they heading to a grassland? The woman looked up. "Hey Marie, I have a question."

Marie raised her eyebrows. "Oh?"

Lauris narrowed her eyes. "So why were we walking towards the end of this road again?"

Marie shot her a confused look. "Grassland?"

Lauris took a step back. "Isn't that what you said."

Marie frowned, narrowing her bright green eyes. "No, I never said that."

Lauris took another step back. She looked around.

Wait.

Were there not bodies hanging around?

Marie bit her nail. "To think the madness has already taken root."

Lauris tilted her head. "What?"

Marie shot her a confused look. "I never said anything." The woman turned around and began to walk. "Let's go. The supermarket has some essentials we need."

Lauris nodded and wordlessly followed. The duo's footsteps echoed off the pavement as they walked a seemingly endless road. The fog refused to thin, and there seemed to be no one else about. She stopped as she briefly saw Marie's figure double.

"What's wrong?"

"So, You'vE stopPed."

"Are you alright?"

"Have YoU notiCed yeT?"

"Lauris? Can you hear me?"

Lauris rubbed her temples as two distorted voices overlapped. She shut her eyes as her vision blurred.

"TheRe onCe waS a LitTle bOy, wHo died. Did yOu know wHat his LaSt woRds werE?"

"Hello? Lauris? You are spacing out again."

Lauris covered her hears, desperate for silence.

"NoThinG! ThE Boy juSt smIleD!"

"Lauris?"

Lauris blinked as the distorted voices vanished, replaced with Marie's worried one. The woman lowered her arms. With a shaky sigh, she nodded.

"I'm fine now."

Marie shot her a sceptical look. "Alright, if you insist."

With another nod, the duo set off walking.

Lauris frowned.

What was that? It was almost as if two versions of Marie were talking. It was as if something messed with her perception.

Thinking about it, it seemed as if something strange happened before she found herself stuck in The Between. Her mind flashed back to the various incidents.

Were they all connected?

Two versions, doppelgangers, where did she hear that before?

It was something so familiar, something just beyond the edges of her memories.

"We're here."

Marie's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. The woman looked up. It was a giant complex, half rusted on one side and brand new on the other. She noticed how the contrasting structure split even the empty parking lot; one side seemed old and unmaintained while the other seemed newly built. She watched as she saw something move inside.

"Uh, Marie, you might want to look at the windows."

Marie frowned as she saw the moving figure.

Lauris held her breath, ready to sprint at the hint of something wrong. The door slid open and revealed something impossible. Those grey eyes, the long brown hair – those features were so similar. The approaching woman stopped as she looked at her, eyes wide in disbelief.

The two spoke at the same time with the same baffled tone.

"You-you're me?"

******

I don't know what's with the word count. On word, this chapter is 1068. In here, it's 990. Whelp, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter and have an understanding of why everything is so darn confusing.

Feel free to vote, comment and give feedback!

--keepthywits