CHAPTER 13 - BASEMENT DWELLER
“I know you already heard me,” I said, “so why don’t you just come out?”
It was dark.
I moved along the walls, one hand aiming blindly for any cord to pull. I never used my basement at all, but it seemed my reflection did.
Whatever was lurking down here was still. No movement or breathing could be heard, save for my own.
When my hand finally found a cord, I yanked. I should’ve been more prepared.
The moment light came, a figure lunged toward me. With a wall behind me, there was nowhere to back up before an open-palm hand thrusted toward my face, ready to tear it off my skull.
Luckily for me, the hand stopped short. Not on purpose, though. The fingers of this stranger were still twitching to try to reach me. The only thing preventing him was a collar around his neck chained to the opposite wall.
Getting a better look at him, the guy was all skin and bones– emaciated to hell. I would’ve felt bad for him if he wasn’t growling at me. From the look in his eyes, he was just a wild animal at this point.
What creeped me out, though, was the faint familiarity his face gave me. Then, it clicked.
It was– “Bob?”
His growling paused. It was him alright. I could barely recognize him with his sunken cheeks and bony figure, a far cry from his usual overweight sight.
“Bob? I thought you were dead.”
He released a low hiss. “Starvation won’t be the end of me, you psychotic cannibal. I’ll kill you… guaranteed.”
My reflection must’ve done a number on this guy. He wanted to skin me alive, but left this guy in the basement to starve? Either he must’ve really not liked his Bob and decided to give him a less interesting death or he liked him enough to give a less awful death.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
I only had one more question, though. “Why are you naked?”
His eyes open wide for a second before it furrowed and let out a gut-wrenching yell, “You kidnap me, steal my clothes, chain me up to a wall, threaten to eat me, and you ask me why I’m naked?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re naked too!”
I looked down. Oh yeah, I am.
Skin red and veins popping from his neck and forehead, he lunged forward again. “I’ll kill you!”
Not with the chain, you won’t.
Then, it snapped.
Goddamn, my luck blows.
With him on me, my mind had to ignore the fact that I was bumping up against a naked Bob before I kicked him off me.
He was skinny and clearly hadn’t eaten for a long while, yet he was still getting up after the kick. His anger was a fuel that didn’t know when to quit.
Instead of lunging forward again, he ran to the right. Where was he going–
An axe.
A bloody goddamn axe was leaning by a red-stained table.
My reflection was one cruel butcher.
But with my right hand healed, this Bob’s attempts at my murder were futile. I fired a round in his leg and he tripped down before he could reach for the axe.
Only four bullets left… and I just had to waste it on Bob. Not even my Bob.
“I won’t let you chain me up again…” he weakly said.
“Don’t worry I won’t be.” I could’ve told him about my reflection and how the mirror worked, but it would take too long.
Walking over to the axe, I yoinked it from the starving Bob.
If Jane wasn’t under threat of being eaten by a psychotic cannibal, I would be able to help this guy out. Unfortunately, Jane was indeed under the threat of being eaten by a psychotic cannibal.
Whatever happened in this basement, it seemed to be my doppelganger’s torture room. I didn’t care to stay any longer.
I left the basement and left the hatch door open. If that Bob could use his anger to get him out of here, that’s the best I could hope for.
I had a barrier to tear down.
…I should probably put on some clothes first, though.