Shards of Infinity Part-1

March 14

As I groggily opened my eyes, it appeared to me that everything was moving in a pattern all around me. I feel as though I just awoke after a long nap. The best reason for why I can't recall what I was doing the previous night is that I was probably out at the club inhaling yet another strange powder.

When my eyes finally opened up, after a while, I realized I was in the living room, sitting on my couch with the TV turned on and some news being broadcast. My apartment wasn't as disorganized as it usually was, but I couldn't call it clean either.

A table with a notebook on top was next to my couch. I grabbed the notebook and opened it to take a look at its contents since I don't recall owning one like it.

"I took a stroll this afternoon."

"The therapist was pushing me too hard to talk about that,"

"I had a strange dream today,"

The notebook had a description of the day's events; yet, why is it in my room? It appears to be a journal for someone. I recall visiting a therapist some time ago, but I'm not sure why. In today's society, seeing a therapist is fairly common.

[We take a break from this program to inform you that a serial killer has been seen in the park's surveillance camera]

The abrupt mass murder committed by a serial killer in a neighboring park caught my attention as I watched the television show about the financial ups and downs.

The news showed a man in a blue hat using a chainsaw to hunt down a group of people in that park; it was obviously censored, but it was clear that there had been a carnage.

All of that was captured on film by the park's security camera, including the murderer's face. The murderer seemed familiar. Yes, I do recall him. He was the person who tried to kill me and chased after me while brandishing a chainsaw. He also caused my apartment complex to collapse.

My mind was filled with a ton of thoughts once more. How was I still inside my flat if my apartment building had collapsed? I once more flipped open the mysterious journal.

"I had a strange dream today,"

Now that I understand why I required therapy, I guess I should go see her.

I got up from my couch to get ready for my appointment with my therapist, but when I looked in the bathroom mirror, I was horrified to discover that I resembled the serial killer. To say that I was surprised would be an understatement.

My face has always looked this way, but there are some hazy recollections that suggest otherwise. The killer resembles me; is it possible that he changed his appearance to implicate me? He did want to kill me, after all. He might be trying to replace me.

Although it seemed a little absurd, the other option I had was something I didn't want to consider. I kept a strange journal in which I wrote down my daily activities. The killer had a similar appearance to me, and I am seeing a therapist.

I don't want to think about it, that much is for sure.

I emerged from the restroom to hear some intriguing information regarding the mass murder. It appears that there is no proof that the murder ever took place there.

The blood stains should be difficult to erase, but even though it is impossible to remove the physical proof that blood was spilt there, such proof was not present at the crime scene. This was turning out to be an even stranger situation.

The CCTV film is the only proof that the murder occurred; even the few victims who had been identified as being dismembered are still alive, and the perpetrator has not yet been found.

It's not too far from my apartment, so I went to check it out of pure curiosity. Knowing that the killer is trying to identify me made me much more paranoid than I already was because of how well the killer remembered me.

I don't have an excuse for yesterday because I spent virtually the entire day in my apartment.

I put on my black hood and a face mask, which are rather popular these days unless you have the money to purchase a dose of "Wave."

It's a wonder of modern technology because the mask itself is constructed of a different kind of fabric that filters the air.

I recall that in the past, people worried that Earth would get too hot as a result of their mistakes, but it turned out exactly the opposite as science improved. We managed to stop global warming, but in the process, we released a different kind of gas into the atmosphere—a synthetic gas, to be precise.

The world is currently experiencing a cold, and in order to protect ourselves from those gasses, we must use this new form of mask. Fortunately for me, I work for Valon Industries, where one perk of employment is a free dose of "Wave."

In addition to the fact that I have been moving toward the most enigmatic part of this city since this morning, I had to wear this mask even then to escape any inquisitive glances.

One thing, though, just doesn't feel right. I'm very certain that I work for Valon Corps, but I also clearly recall being a regular salaryman at another company.

I chose to put this competing thought to rest and continue thinking.

When I got close to the park, I saw a sizable crowd of people lurking behind the police tapes that were there to keep people out. Although the area was cordoned off by the police for an investigation, people continued to explore the enigmatic area for themselves. I can't really complain because I was one of those individuals.

While the police were there with various machines in their hands trying to find a single clue, I made my way through the crowd of people to the park, which was clean and free of any blood stains.

I had to be careful; there was no room for error; if I didn't want to get caught, I couldn't take the chance of showing my face to them.

I decided to turn around when I felt a hand on my shoulder after searching the area in vain. When you're surrounded by people, it happens all the time, but what startled me was how similar I looked to the person who touched me.

"Hey...Brother"

Why does my doppelganger refer to me as a brother but I don't remember having a twin brother? Oh wait, I do.

My thoughts suddenly brought back a long-forgotten memory: I had a twin brother who passed away years ago.

"Who are you?"

While moving slowly away from the crowd with my doppelganger, I whispered in an effort to avoid drawing attention from the onlookers.

He didn't appear to be trying to hurt me, but even so, I felt threatened by him and had an overwhelming desire to flee.

"Hello, I'm Fred—Your brother."

I am Freddy, but someone else drops in and says they are both Freddy and my brother, which makes things even more bizarre.

"I'm Fred, so tell me what your true name is, okay?"

I had the desire to flee immediately, but I wasn't sure whether I would ever have another opportunity to find out the answers to anything.

I would undoubtedly get another chance given how much transpired, but wait, what had happened? I feel as like I know something, yet it is deeply ingrained in my mind.

"What-the-hell, I'm Freddy,"

I should have left when I had the chance since I could have at least gotten lost in the crowd, but I'm in an open space now. Suddenly, the atmosphere around him became threatening.

"You definitely resemble me, but....Woah"

I tried to explain, but my mirror image grabbed a bloody gun.

"Hey, I don't think you ought to start shooting people because of a minor disagreement."

Right now, I didn't have a weapon with me to protect myself, and I couldn't take advantage of my surroundings to shield myself from his attacks.

"It doesn't matter; you'll return anyhow"

He replied in a confident tone.

I was surprised...I was surprised because what he said brought up a well-known memory. I recall being killed by the same person in a subway and later on a rooftop.

It appears that my doppelganger mistook my astonished countenance for something different when I suddenly realized about limbo.

I hastily grabbed his hand and yanked it into the air as he pulled the trigger.

*BANG*

The sound of the gunshot reverberated around the park, drawing both onlookers and police. Before the crowd began to run hysterically and the police abandoned their ongoing investigation to pursue us, there was a brief moment of silence.

I could take advantage of this opportunity to get away. I don't have much confidence in this escape strategy, but it's the best I could do at the time.

But first, I had to rule out any unknowable factors, so I punched my doppelganger in the chest to make him let go of the gun.

Despite my unskilled and underdeveloped body, I nevertheless knew how to fight, and the tactics still matter.

I grabbed the gun from him as he lost control of it and started running away. I hid the revolver in my pocket for later use and disappeared into the crowd.

It would have been more difficult to fit in, but they were too busy sprinting to pay attention to me. Although it was difficult to see where I was going, I could only surmise that I was moving in the direction of the exit by following the crowd.

After some running, I eventually came to the gate I had used to enter the park. Crossing the gate, I saw another group of people standing; it seemed strange to me that they had all stopped, so I went over to see what was going on.

When I got to the front of the crowd, I noticed some police tape separating a crime scene and some officers using machines to search the park for evidence.

"What the fuck is going on?"

I was back in the same spot I was attempting to flee, no...everything had returned to the way it had been 10 minutes before.

The clock was 09:05 when I took out my phone to check.

I went into the park at the same time.

I'm reminded that this is similar to the last instance—the day keeps repeating itself, just as what occurred with that girl.

This time, some fresh memories are coming to me. I was perplexed, and to make matters worse, someone grabbed my shoulder.

When I turned to face my identical twin, he caught me once more.

The gun I had stolen from him was nowhere to be found when I snuck my hands into my pocket to reach for it.

My startled expression tipped the balance for my doppelganger, who then drew his gun.

"You're planning something twisted again, aren't you?"

He pointed his gun at me while I was in the middle of the crowd, but this time, instead of fleeing, the crowd slowly moved aside to give us space. Of course, the police also saw us, but I was way too calm about it—not because this had already happened, but rather because I knew I could defeat the attacker.

It will be the police officers that cause problems here.

My face is still covered to prevent confusion, but when they saw the murderer's look alike they also turned their weapons on my doppelganger.

"Put your weapon down"

"Speak up right now."

I assumed I would be the one to receive my answers but it was my doppelganger who kept pressuring me for information that I had no idea about.

"Speak up or I'll shoot..."

He was dead serious, and he wasn't going to heed the police's advice anyhow. The closer his fingers got to the trigger, the more terrified I became. When he saw me moving, he fired. The bullet hit a man behind us, but I didn't have the luxury of giving it any thought.

The doppelganger finally dropped his gun, which I threw away. I then swung around to give him a kick to the face and put him in the direction of the cops, who had rushed in after seeing him without any weapons.

I'm not sure whether I should run from the police now. Running away will raise suspicions, but so would my appearance.

"Let go of me."

As my doppelganger writhed in the police's grasp, gritting his teeth and staring at me angrily, his strength suddenly increased as he slipped free and lunged toward me.

The doppelganger screamed briefly before falling unconscious as the cops quickly pulled out their teaser pistols; nevertheless, a sudden headache also erupted in my head.

It was a memory of a school, specifically of a school shooting, and it was identical to the previous experience of having a quick memory return.

I recall how a school shooting claimed the life of my twin brother.

As this new information sank in, I started to pant heavily because it was too much for my brain to handle and I thought I might pass out. I forced my eyes shut in an effort to stave off a headache, and when I opened them again, I was at the park's entrance.

The crowd had dispersed, or more accurately, it had returned to its original location while I watched the police carry out their responsibilities. I double-checked the clock, and it had returned to 09:05 A.M.

"I'm lost in a loop."

This happened in a manner reminiscent of the fatal car accident that occurred on March 9 that claimed the life of that girl. I turned around to leave the park because I wanted to test an idea. I was greeted by the mass of people as soon as I crossed the entrance gate, which was a familiar scene.

As of that moment, it was also 9:05. The loop resets if I leave this place, and it also resets if I pass out. However, for some reason, I am aware of the loop while these folks are not.

I need to find a way out of this loop because there's a good chance that my twin knows about it as well. Was this created by limbo?

When I turned to look, I saw my identical twin moving through the crowd, probably in search of me. I approached him and put my hand on his shoulders; when he turned to face me, he was startled and quickly reached for his revolver, but I had no desire to engage in combat.

"Come along with me."

He followed me when I gently murmured to him, as I had hoped he would.

"What the hell have you done to me now?"

He questioned me while we were quite a bit away.

"I have no idea what you're talking about,"

"Playing games again, huh?"

He drew a revolver to kill me as soon as I pretended ignorance, but I anticipated this and subdued him.

"Why are you so eager to kill me off?"

"You're too dangerous to leave alive, and you'll just spawn back."

spawn again? It makes sense given how I came to after passing away, but what does he know? I dismissed those occurrences as odd dreams or as a drug overdose side effect, but it now appears to be something much bigger.

After I took his gun, my double pulled out a knife since he appeared to be prepared.

"Calm down, I won't hurt you; I just need explanations,"

While I questioned him, I kept him at bay.

"Are you aware of this loop we're in?"

"One of your games again?"

I've only asked him about the loop, but it appears that he's determined to place the blame on me. I need to remain composed in this circumstance.

"What games? We've never met before."

In response, he stabbed me with his knife, putting a mark on my cheek while I was still holding him.

I should have gone along with him about this game or whatever he was talking about instead of being really honest with him, but it appears that he is also aware of this loop.

I gave him a face punch to put an end to his belligerence. I doubt he'll pay attention if I try to resume this loop.

"First time? You've been messing with the previous 218 loops."

Now what? How in the world did it reach over 200 when this is my fourth or fifth loop today?

"Fuck, what do you mean?"

Every time I believe I have it figured out; something goes wrong in unanticipated ways.

"I mean...."

For a moment, he let his body relax.

"STOP tormenting me and just drop dead now,"

Because I was so shocked by the turn of events, I let go of him as he shouted as he escaped from my hold. I kept avoiding his knife thrusts as he continued to make them.

I was about to draw the gun I was carrying when his cry appeared to have caught the attention of the crowd and the close police officers.

He rushed in my direction while continuing to slash with his knife. He really wanted to get his gun back, but I didn't realize it since I was too busy dodging.

He moved back to put some distance between us after grabbing the revolver from my hood pocket.

This is not good.

"Hey..You"

My agitated twin was approached by two police officers, but...

"Be quiet."

He fired at one of them.

Though I was also saved, I was horrified to see one of them fall lifeless.

I hurried towards the crowd, taking advantage of the uproar brought on by the abrupt murder. When my doppelganger spotted me approaching, he turned to me and pointed a gun at me, but someone else took care of him.

Even after being hit in the arm by a bullet from another police officer, the man persisted in shooting at the officers with his other hand.

Because the area was open and the cops outnumbered him, they knew they couldn't subdue him and so killed him.

I was trying to flee when I saw my doppelganger collapse lifelessly to the ground. I knew that once I crossed the park entrance, everything would be reset, and this guy would return to kill me. I began to consider my options, including staying here for the entire night to see if things returned to normal the following day.

Due to the crowd, I didn't realize that I had left the park entrance while I was thinking about all of this, but I was already outside of the perimeter.

Was there some connection between this loop and this guy? I came here looking for answers but left with more questions, but I think I may know what's going on.