Interlude: Two of Me?

I was inside my bedroom when I heard a banging on my door.

As I got closer to the door, I heard a familiar voice: my own.

“They’re coming,” it said in a meek voice. “Please, let me in.”

I immediately stopped dead in my tracks and covered my mouth.

It started pounding on the door, jiggling the doorknob, and imploring me to let it in. “I lost my key... Please, I know you're in there.”

I felt my stomach drop. An Imitation?!

“Please let me in,” it pleaded. “I don’t want to die!”

I think it started kicking the doorknob. The frame was quickly cracking and the deadbolt was swinging haphazardly. In a few moments, that door would be forced open.

I ran into my room, locked the bedroom door, and began barricading it. I moved my nightstand and some cardboard boxes I had right in front of it. Then, turned off the lights, opened my window, and climbed out onto the fire escape. My clothes were no match for the cold air.

As I made my way down the frozen metallic stairs, I heard a loud cracking noise and thud coming from the living room as if a large tree had just been felled. I could faintly hear footsteps scrambling across my apartment.

The footsteps stopped in front of my bedroom. The knob jiggled multiple times and rapid banging came from behind the door. I aimed my revolver at the door and pulled the hammer back.

Bang. The knob was now dented and bent, making the door slightly ajar. It was pushing the door, but encountered resistance from the nightstand and boxes. It was fitting its hand through when suddenly it gripped the door as if it was being dragged away by the wind.

Then, the hand disappeared with a loud thud. Right after, I heard a scream of a dying animal.

"Have mercy on me!" it cried loudly. "I'm not an Imitat—" It let out another ear-piercing scream.

"Get...now...Restrain...Imitation."

I peered over the fire escape and saw a convoy of three black vans parked outside of my building. I saw it squirming around and resisting arrest as it was being escorted into one of the vans. The vans quickly started up and drove away as if nothing had happened.

By the grace of Saint Camellia, I was saved.