Chapter 6
629words
Today I've decided to stop taking any medication, regardless of the consequences.
Since completely stopping my medication yesterday, my mind has indeed become clearer, but some even stranger phenomena have also appeared. Most notably, I've started hearing faint sounds, like someone calling softly from far away.
I've begun to hear a faint voice: "Michael... Michael..."
The voice came from inside the wall or above the ceiling, sometimes male and sometimes female, always with urgency and concern.
When I responded, the voice suddenly stopped, and the room fell silent again.
But after they went out in the afternoon, that voice became clearer: "Michael, can you hear me? I'm Leo... your brother... trapped here..."
Leo? My twin brother?
"Where are you?" I asked softly toward the wall.
"I don't know... it's dark here... cold... they've locked me somewhere... you must find me..."
"How do I find you?"
"Mirror... through the mirror... there's a connection between us..."
Mirror? Mirror, yes! There's a mirror in the bathroom
I rushed to the mirror: "Leo?"
"Leo? Are you there?" At first, there was only my reflection in the mirror, but slowly, that familiar shadow appeared again. This time, the shadow looked clearer, and I could even see the movement of his lips.
"Help me...they...trapped me...behind...the mirror..." The shadow pointed to the edge of the mirror, where there seemed to be a thin crack, perfectly distributed along the seam between the mirror and the wall.
I touched the crack with my hand and found that the mirror was actually a bit loose.
I took down the mirror but found nothing behind it.
"Leo? Are you still there?"
But this time no one answered me.
"Michael, we're back!" A woman's voice came from the living room. "What are you doing?"
"Washing my face." I tried to make my voice sound normal. "I'll be right out."
When I walked out of the bathroom, I found the couple staring at me with a strange look, as if checking whether something was still in its original place.
"Did you drink the water I poured for you before leaving?" the woman asked.
"Yes," I lied.
She went to the kitchen to check my cup, and when she found the cup was empty, a satisfied smile appeared on her face.
But I noticed that the man's phone was vibrating, and he answered it and walked to the balcony to speak in a low voice. Although I couldn't hear the specific content, I caught several key words: "reaction," "phase," "control."
During dinner, that strange anxiety appeared in their eyes again, and it was more obvious than ever before.
"Michael," the man put down his chopsticks, "how have you been feeling lately? Have you noticed any changes in your body?"
"What changes?"
"For example... are your memories clearer? Or have you heard any strange voices?"
His questions put me on alert.
Do they know I stopped taking my medication? Do they know I've been hearing Leo's voice?
"No, everything is normal."
"That's good." The woman forced a smile, "We're just worried your condition might relapse."
But I read something else in their expressions: they were afraid.
They were afraid that something beyond their control was happening.
At night, when they thought I was asleep, I heard them arguing in low voices in the living room.
"The effect is weakening."
"The dosage needs adjustment."
"What about the other one? How is his condition?"
"Still dormant, but the connection is growing stronger. Soon they will be completely merged."
Merged?
Is the "other one" they're talking about Leo? What does "completely merged" mean?
I clenched my fists tightly, fighting the urge to rush out and confront them.
I need to find my true self, even if the price is facing the most terrifying truth.
