As the joint took effect, Matt’s body began to feel numb, and his mind became confused.
He found himself immersed in a dreamlike state where time seemed to slow down, and reality became blurry. In this state of confusion, Matt heard a voice that sounded like his own but spoke in a strange and disjointed manner.
“Don’t you realize how weak and miserable you are? Man up!”
Matt turned around in terror, thinking that someone had entered his house, but he saw no one.
“You’re looking in the wrong direction…”
“Who’s there? Come out, you coward, show yourself!” Matt replied, assuming a defensive stance with his fists up, ready to strike.
Matt then heard wicked and cackling laughter coming from the bathroom. He took a deep breath and slowly approached it, keeping his guard up, but he didn’t see anyone until he turned his gaze to the mirror.
What he saw left him breathless.
In the mirror, there was a figure that seemed to be a dark and distorted version of himself, naked from the waist up, with a sculpted abdomen and well-defined chest.
The skin was darker, the hair was raised with a strand falling on his right cheek, his face was full of scars, and his eyes were red as fire.
Matt found himself staring at the reflected image, unable to believe what he was seeing. On the other hand, the distorted figure looked at him with a satisfied grin.
Matt stood frozen, unable to move or speak for several seconds, as he tried to make sense of what was happening.
“No… It can’t be… Am I awake?” Matt thought as he recalled his childhood dream.
“Yes, you are, my dear!” the man in the mirror exclaimed.
“W… What are you?” Matt asked, his voice trembling.
“Don’t you understand by yourself?” the man in the mirror asked.
“It’s… it’s impossible… He’s that… thing… I dreamt about a long time ago. He can read my mind. How?” Matt wondered.
“I can do it because I… AM… YOU… Your anger, your pride, and your despair… they gave me shape and substance!” his alter ego yelled.
“Me? Where do you come from?” Matt asked, taking a step closer.
“I am here because you summoned me…” his Doppelganger replied.
Matt shook his head in disbelief.
“I didn’t summon you. I don’t even know how to do that…”
The Doppelganger laughed.
“Oh, but you did! You summoned me with your thoughts, emotions, and actions… You wanted to be strong, brave, powerful… And I am the embodiment of those desires. WE ARE ONE!”
Matt felt even more terrified than before, as if he were losing control of the situation and his own life.
“Am I going insane? Is this some kind of hallucination? What kind of weed did Frederick leave me?” he thought, his eyes wide open.
Matt tried to find a plausible explanation for what was happening, but it was difficult to focus. In the end, he took a step back, trying to distance himself from the figure staring at him with those fiery red eyes in the mirror.
“No, no, we are not one and the same. You are just a trick of nature, a specter!” Matt exclaimed, trying to compose himself.
“Don’t delude yourself… You’ve always known… You’ve always sensed that I was inside you… And now… "
The Doppelganger chuckled.
“Now you have the chance to know your better side!”
“You can’t be me…” Matt retorted, narrowing his eyes.
“Oh, but I am… You tried to hide me, but I’ve always been there, lurking beneath the surface, waiting to strike. All that is yours belongs to me by right, and mine… IT MUST BE!” the Doppelganger raised his voice.
“No way… I’ve already heard this.” Matt thought.
“What do you want from me?” he finally asked.
The Doppelganger approached even closer in the mirror, its dark figure contrasting against the immaculate white background. His red eyes were fixed on Matt’s, seemingly cutting through him like razor blades.
Matt felt completely vulnerable, as if the Doppelganger could see into every thought and secret.
“Remember when Jacob and his gang made you suffer when we were kids? And how they caused Marty’s death? You want revenge, and I am here… right here… to help you get it…” the Doppelganger declared, extending his left arm and then closing his fist.
Memories of his childhood and of Marty flooded Matt’s mind.
“Think about it, Matt. You finally have the power to set things right once and for all; all you have to do is let yourself be helped. Embrace the darkness within you… We will achieve great things together…” the Doppelganger urged.
Matt lowered his gaze, his eyes filled with tears. He didn’t want to accept the words, but he knew they were true.
“Together, you say? I’m not sure if I’m really capable. Marty’s death has truly destroyed me… I’m a broken man…”
“Stop pitying yourself. It was destiny that it happened. Do you want the pain to destroy you or redefine you?” the Doppelganger asked, raising his head and fixing his gaze upon Matt.
“I just want Marty to come back to life…” Matt said, lifting his gaze.
“No, you want revenge, and we will get it together,” the Doppelganger replied.
“But who exactly are you?” Matt asked, leaning in and staring at the dark figure.
“I am everything you could be, your untapped potential; I am a part of you…” the Doppelganger replied, smiling.
Matt looked down again, lost in thought.
“You’re thinking about her, huh? Poor Marty. It’s such a tragic loss, isn’t it? But deep down, you know you’re guilty, Matt. If you had killed those bullies during the reunion right away, she would still be alive. You knew you were capable of it, but you held back…” the Doppelganger mocked.
“No! It’s not true! It wasn’t my fault!” Matt shouted, getting closer to the mirror.
“Deny it all you want, but deep down, you know it’s true. You could have prevented her death, but you let your merciful instincts take over. You should have given it your all in that fight… They deserved to die for what they did to us…”Kindred Warriors
Matt clenched his fists as a storm of emotions raged inside him.
“Don’t you want to free yourself from the burden of guilt?” the Doppelganger continued.
“Yes, of course… but how?” Matt asked, gritting his teeth.
“By reclaiming what is ours. We will make them suffer! No one will stop us!” the alter ego exclaimed.
“Yes… I… I can’t deny that I want revenge. Those bullies, those bastards… They took Marty away from me and ripped her away from her family… What do you suggest I do then?” Matt asked, smiling maliciously.
“Become one, join forces, and unleash our combined power… " the dark entity suggested.
Matt then fixed his gaze on his alter ego in the mirror, tempted by the offer.
“Become one? How?” Matt asked, intrigued.
“It’s simple, Matt. You just need to touch my hand…” the Doppelganger replied, extending a hand toward the mirror.
“Our souls will merge, and we will become one entity…” it continued with a smirk.
Matt felt tempted by his Doppelganger’s offer, but at the same time, he was still frightened and confused.
He looked at the hand reaching out through the mirror, trying to understand what would happen if he were to touch it.
The Doppelganger seemed extremely confident, and his voice was warm and seductive, but Matt knew he shouldn’t trust it.
He was a creature born from his anger and pain, and he didn’t know what his intentions might be.
“What about me? Will I still be myself?” Matt asked cautiously.
The Doppelganger smiled.
“Don’t be foolish, Matt. You will still be yourself, but better, stronger, sharper, faster…”.
Matt hesitated, unsure of what to do.
The idea of merging with his Doppelganger was enticing yet terrifying.
The desire for revenge burned deep within him, and he couldn’t shake the thought of getting back at those bullies.
In the end, Matt remembered the dream and the merging of his future self with that creature.
“Maybe it was destiny…” he thought.
Matt made up his mind and slowly approached the mirror.
“Fine…” Matt whispered, getting closer and extending his trembling right hand toward the double reflection of himself.
The Doppelganger, meanwhile, smiled with a wicked glint in his eyes.
When Matt’s fingers were about to touch those dark ones of his alter ego, a shiver ran down his spine, but the temptation to become stronger was too great to resist.
The two hands touched, and the Doppelganger was absorbed in a blinding light, while Matt felt engulfed by a wave of sparkling and powerful energy.
His body remained suspended in the air during the process, and he could feel the Doppelganger’s strength merging with his own.
After returning to his feet, with one knee bent forward, a new sensation of power began to surge within him, with dark and red-black bursts of electricity enveloping his body.
His mind, on the other hand, became so acute that the world around him seemed sharper and more vivid, and Matt felt like he could do anything, as if there were no limits to his abilities.
It was an incredible feeling, yet simultaneously terrifying.
What would he do now that he was so strong? What could he do with this newfound power?
Matt looked at himself in the mirror and saw his reflection, his eyes now black with a sinister smile on his face.
He knew he had surrendered to his dark side, but he didn’t care; all he could think about was the revenge he would soon get.
“Now we are one, Matt. No more hesitations, no more fear. Together, we will unleash our fury and destroy them!” the Doppelganger declared in his mind.
“What have I done?” Matt wondered, incredulous.
“You made the right choice, Matt. Embrace the power within you; let it fuel and guide you towards revenge!” the dark entity encouraged.
The transformation was complete, and the world would soon witness the wrath of a man who had nothing left to lose.