"Wake up! Wake up!! Wake up!!!"
Veronica flinched, her body jolting upright into the suffocating darkness around her. The void pulsed like a heartbeat, whispering voices slithering through the silence.
"Huh!? What's going on? Who are you?" she asked, eyes scanning for shape or meaning.
A figure emerged slowly, reaching a hand toward her. "I am you."
She stared, bewildered. "Wait... what!?"
The figure began to speak again. "My name is—"
"Where am I?" Veronica cut in. "Why is it so dark here?"
The girl paused, visibly tired of the questions.
"Will you shut up?" she snapped.
Veronica fell silent. The girl sighed, dragging her hand through her hair with sharp irritation.
"You talk too much," she muttered. "Why do I have to be paired with you? You dumb bitch. You're—no—we're so close to dying right now."
Veronica gasped. "Are you serious!? I'm dead?"
She stumbled backward, trembling. "I... I'm really dead?"
She began to gag.
"Dead-ish," the girl shrugged. "I kept the light on. You're welcome. Now I have to help us escape death since that bastard Alexi left us here to rot in one of his sadist fantasies. You're in your subconscious because, like always, you blacked out when shit got real. I'm the one who cleans it all up."
Veronica's lips parted slowly. "You're the other me? The one he kept talking about?"
The girl didn't answer.
"You're the one who does the bad things... and then makes me forget?"
"Yes," she said flatly. "And I did it to help you. While your loving parents tried everything to separate us. They wanted to extract me from you, take my soul and lock it away—like they did everything else."
"My parents... where are they? What have you done to them?"
"Me? What I did to them?" The girl barked a bitter laugh. "You should be asking what they did to me. But no, I couldn't kill them. Not like the others. They escaped. Ran off with their creepy little cult, muttering perverted prophecy bullshit."
Veronica recoiled. "What are you talking about?"
The girl looked around sharply. "We don't have time for this. Just take my hand, and I'll get us the hell out of here."
"Must I?" Veronica asked.
"Well, you're already dead," she smirked. "I'm the one keeping us at the respawn screen."
Veronica froze, caught between dread and disbelief.
Then her thoughts began to echo—loud, layered, bouncing off unseen walls.
"Hello? Subconscious realm. All your thoughts can be heard out loud," the girl said dryly. "To make this easier, just call me Gwen."
Veronica hesitated... then took her hand.
Her body had been shattered beyond belief—bruised, broken, some parts missing, others scattered like discarded scraps. Her tattered clothes clung to her like molted skin. Evan stood nearby, unaware of what was coming.
He felt it first—a shift in the air. He stepped away, eyes narrowing.
"Did Alexi come here?" he muttered. "Wolves, check the perimeter."
Behind him, the corpse began to twitch.
Veronica's body stitched itself together slowly—bones cracking, muscle knitting, skin sealing. Her missing arm reattached with a sickening pop. She rose.
Evan, hearing the movement, turned back.
"What the...? How? You died!" he shouted.
Crack. Snap. Her spine aligned. Her neck twisted into place.
She laughed.
"The girl you killed isn't here right now," she said. "Call me Gwen."
When Veronica woke again, blood was on her hands. Evan's body parts were strewn across the floor. Her mouth reeked of death.
"What the hell!?" she gasped, spinning in place. "Gwen?"
"I'm in your head, honey. Are you okay?" Gwen replied sweetly.
"Oh—oh no. No, I'm not okay. The wolves are dead. My mouth tastes like blood. I should be vomiting or institutionalized. How am I even standing?"
"Okay...?" Gwen teased.
Veronica sighed, rubbing her temples. "So what now?"
"Let's Go."
"What about Alexi? Evan?"
"Forget them. We don't even know where that manipulative freak went. Evan's dead. I got the piece from him. You should've seen his face. He actually said—" Gwen snorted. "'N-no... not you again!'"
She laughed.
"So I put him down like the mutt he was."
Veronica stepped outside. The night air was sharp. Every shadow stared back at her.
"I'm scared," she whispered. "I feel like something's watching me."
"Not something," Gwen murmured. "Somethings.
Veronica shivered.
"Let's switch," Gwen said. "I'll protect us."
And Veronica let go.
The TV switched on with a static pop.
"Thanks again for letting me crash here. And for the clothes," Veronica said, adjusting the oversized shirt.
"No problem," Tiffany replied. "It's alright."
Last night...
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Who's there!?"
"It's Veronica!"
Tiffany- A friend of veronica opened the door, wide-eyed. "Veronica!? What happened? You look like hell—and your clothes... Come in, come in."
"Thanks."
"What happened? And why are you out here so late?"
"What about you? Why are you awake?"
"Did you forget? I'm a night worker. I just got back."
"Oh... right."
"It's okay. Make yourself at home."
She sniffed lightly. "Hmm..."
"Is your boyfriend around?"
"One, he's not my boyfriend. Two, he's my boss. Three... why?"
"Sorry. Just wondering if it's just the two of us."
"He's on a business trip."
"Oh, okay."
The phone rang.
"Hello, Tiffany speaking... okay... I'll be on my way."
"You just got off."
"The next shift bailed. Now I've got to cover them. Great."
She sighed, grabbing her coat.
"Make yourself comfortable, okay?"
"Okay... Thanks."
"Bye!"
She left.
Back in the present, Veronica folded some borrowed clothes. "I also took a few things."
"Don't worry. I've got plenty," Tiffany smiled.
"Thanks."
"So... what made you run from home?"
"Run? I didn't run."
"You showed up in the middle of the night, no bags, roughed up. That screams runaway."
"Well, actually I—"
Knock. Knock.
"Wait... I'm coming."
Tiffany ran to open the door.
"Oh—boss, you came. Welcome!"
A voice answered.
"Veronica."
Veronica froze. The way her name rolled off his tongue felt like poison. She turned slowly.
"You!?"
Tiffany blinked, confused.
"Hello... Veronica," Alexi said.
Gwen's laughter echoed in her mind. "Look at this bitch. This crazy guy always shows up at the worst time."
Then came the smile. A soft, knowing curve of his lips.
"Gwen~."
Both Veronica and Gwen screamed inside.
"Did you miss me?"
Alexi reached forward, gently cupping Veronica's jaw.
He smiled.
Tobecontinued...