Chapter 10
Before he knew what was happening Chris found himself with his hands tightly around the throat of the other man that had just seconds before had his arms around Stephanie. He didn't know what he was doing, everything seemed to be happening in slow motion as they fell to the floor scrambling around. Chris tightening his grip over the mans air supply choking him. He couldn't even hear Stephanie's screams for them to stop fighting but he did feel the pain, the pain from the back of his head like someone had just smashed his skull..And well she nearly had done. Chris releases his hands from around the other mans throat and rolls over onto his side screaming in pain clutching the back of his head where Stephanie had made a perfect shot with a large rock. He squeezes his eyes tightly shut willing the pain to end, his face crumbled in agony feeling the blood over his hands and then it was black..
"I think he's waking up" he hears Adam whisper quietly, Chris opens his eyes a little finding the sun unbearably bright on his eyes, he lifts his arm to shade them feeling the throbbing pain in the back of his head return. She'd sure hit him hard when he was fighting with that other guy. Chris looks up squinting and sees the faces of Adam, Andrew and Paul looking down at him with stern looks on them.
"Who the hell are you?" Paul growls grabbing hold of a handful of Chris's hair pulling him to his feet, Chris whimpers in pain and stands up barely being able to support himself. Adam puts his arms under Chris's holding him up letting Andrew and Paul deal with him. Chris moves his hand to the back of his head and feels that his hair has matted to the back of his head thick with blood and the wound has dried a little.
"Guys..It's me" Chris croaks his throat dry and sore, his whole body was aching and bruised. Specks of blood covering his chest and hands. He closes his eyes the world spinning again as his knees buckle and he slumps to the floor again. Chris opens his eyes and looks up at the figures standing around him. It was his friends, but why didn't they recognize him. Why were they asking him who he was.
"He looks so much like him..It's incredible. He must have attacked you Paul and then tried to attack Chris too" he hears her say from beside him somewhere, Chris turns his head and sees Stephanie standing there with the man..The man from the beach that looked just like him. The one that had the nerve to put his hands on her and to kiss her, she has her arms wrapped around his waist and her head against his chest as she looks down at Chris sitting on the floor.
"Steph it's me" Chris cries before receiving a sharp kick in the back from Adam making him cry out again and double over. "Please..It's me," he sobs breaking down into tears.
"Don't listen to him, he's trying to fool you into thinking he's Chris" the other man says, Chris looks up at him the tears stinging his face. "You cant fool us" the other man smirks down at Chris and wraps his arms tighter around Stephanie running a finger under her chin "Isn't that right Stephy?" This guy was good, he had her nickname he gave her right and everything. "Come on babe, lets go for a walk on the beach and let these three deal with him" the man says taking Stephanie's hand as the two walk away.
"No! It's me! Steph please listen!" Chris yells climbing to his knees trying to stand up "It's me! Don't go with him! Steph listen to me, your necklace has seven shells..Two pinks, two blue, two white and a green one in the middle..Please listen!" Chris sobs making it to his feet "Please!" He yells after her but she's too far away to have heard any of it. Chris falls back to his knees curling up putting his hands over the back of his head the pain unbearable. "Please listen," he whispers to no one but himself. Paul and Andrew grab hold of him and pull him to his feet dragging him towards the lake. Chris closes his eyes and lets himself be dragged through the sand knowing there is nothing he can do to convince them. The other guy looked just like him and had made sure that he was on the beach before Chris was.
"Just throw him in the water to clean him up a bit" Paul says to Andrew as they pick Chris up and chuck him into the lake sending him underwater. He resurfaces and takes a deep breath of fresh air before he's dragged onto the sand again by Paul. Paul walks around in front of him and kneels down looking him in the eye "You tried to kill me and you tried to kill Chris now we're giving you two choices here. You either tell us who you are and we wont hurt you or you refuse and we kill you..It's that simple do you understand" Paul grabs Chris's hair "Do you understand?" Chris nods his head and closes his eyes wrapping his arms around his knees and putting his head down.
***
It was soon dark outside but Chris hadn't moved from his spot next to the lake, his whole body was aching worse than before now from the constant shots from Andrew and Paul coming out to check on him. A kick in the stomach here, a punch in the face there. If only they knew each hit was to their friend and not the fraud they thought. The pain in the back of his head was nothing more than a dull ache now that didn't seem to want to go away and the cut on his head stung every now and then as if wanting to be a constant reminder that he was hurting. Steph and the other man had returned to the camp about an hour after leaving, Chris watched them go past his heart breaking in two seeing her and knowing he had no way to prove who he was or more importantly..Who he wasn't. But the other man was so alike him, he looked the same, talked the same, acted the same..hell he even walked the same. It was as if he was an exact replica of himself. When Chris saw them walking back to camp together her hand in his it made him feel sick, she didn't know it wasn't him and she didn't know how much it was tearing him apart. Maybe she'd never know, maybe she'd forever be with this fraud and copy of Chris Irvine and the real him would be left to die. No one would ever know but one thing Chris did know..He had to prove he was the real Chris.
Before he knew what was happening Chris found himself with his hands tightly around the throat of the other man that had just seconds before had his arms around Stephanie. He didn't know what he was doing, everything seemed to be happening in slow motion as they fell to the floor scrambling around. Chris tightening his grip over the mans air supply choking him. He couldn't even hear Stephanie's screams for them to stop fighting but he did feel the pain, the pain from the back of his head like someone had just smashed his skull..And well she nearly had done. Chris releases his hands from around the other mans throat and rolls over onto his side screaming in pain clutching the back of his head where Stephanie had made a perfect shot with a large rock. He squeezes his eyes tightly shut willing the pain to end, his face crumbled in agony feeling the blood over his hands and then it was black..
"I think he's waking up" he hears Adam whisper quietly, Chris opens his eyes a little finding the sun unbearably bright on his eyes, he lifts his arm to shade them feeling the throbbing pain in the back of his head return. She'd sure hit him hard when he was fighting with that other guy. Chris looks up squinting and sees the faces of Adam, Andrew and Paul looking down at him with stern looks on them.
"Who the hell are you?" Paul growls grabbing hold of a handful of Chris's hair pulling him to his feet, Chris whimpers in pain and stands up barely being able to support himself. Adam puts his arms under Chris's holding him up letting Andrew and Paul deal with him. Chris moves his hand to the back of his head and feels that his hair has matted to the back of his head thick with blood and the wound has dried a little.
"Guys..It's me" Chris croaks his throat dry and sore, his whole body was aching and bruised. Specks of blood covering his chest and hands. He closes his eyes the world spinning again as his knees buckle and he slumps to the floor again. Chris opens his eyes and looks up at the figures standing around him. It was his friends, but why didn't they recognize him. Why were they asking him who he was.
"He looks so much like him..It's incredible. He must have attacked you Paul and then tried to attack Chris too" he hears her say from beside him somewhere, Chris turns his head and sees Stephanie standing there with the man..The man from the beach that looked just like him. The one that had the nerve to put his hands on her and to kiss her, she has her arms wrapped around his waist and her head against his chest as she looks down at Chris sitting on the floor.
"Steph it's me" Chris cries before receiving a sharp kick in the back from Adam making him cry out again and double over. "Please..It's me," he sobs breaking down into tears.
"Don't listen to him, he's trying to fool you into thinking he's Chris" the other man says, Chris looks up at him the tears stinging his face. "You cant fool us" the other man smirks down at Chris and wraps his arms tighter around Stephanie running a finger under her chin "Isn't that right Stephy?" This guy was good, he had her nickname he gave her right and everything. "Come on babe, lets go for a walk on the beach and let these three deal with him" the man says taking Stephanie's hand as the two walk away.
"No! It's me! Steph please listen!" Chris yells climbing to his knees trying to stand up "It's me! Don't go with him! Steph listen to me, your necklace has seven shells..Two pinks, two blue, two white and a green one in the middle..Please listen!" Chris sobs making it to his feet "Please!" He yells after her but she's too far away to have heard any of it. Chris falls back to his knees curling up putting his hands over the back of his head the pain unbearable. "Please listen," he whispers to no one but himself. Paul and Andrew grab hold of him and pull him to his feet dragging him towards the lake. Chris closes his eyes and lets himself be dragged through the sand knowing there is nothing he can do to convince them. The other guy looked just like him and had made sure that he was on the beach before Chris was.
"Just throw him in the water to clean him up a bit" Paul says to Andrew as they pick Chris up and chuck him into the lake sending him underwater. He resurfaces and takes a deep breath of fresh air before he's dragged onto the sand again by Paul. Paul walks around in front of him and kneels down looking him in the eye "You tried to kill me and you tried to kill Chris now we're giving you two choices here. You either tell us who you are and we wont hurt you or you refuse and we kill you..It's that simple do you understand" Paul grabs Chris's hair "Do you understand?" Chris nods his head and closes his eyes wrapping his arms around his knees and putting his head down.
***
It was soon dark outside but Chris hadn't moved from his spot next to the lake, his whole body was aching worse than before now from the constant shots from Andrew and Paul coming out to check on him. A kick in the stomach here, a punch in the face there. If only they knew each hit was to their friend and not the fraud they thought. The pain in the back of his head was nothing more than a dull ache now that didn't seem to want to go away and the cut on his head stung every now and then as if wanting to be a constant reminder that he was hurting. Steph and the other man had returned to the camp about an hour after leaving, Chris watched them go past his heart breaking in two seeing her and knowing he had no way to prove who he was or more importantly..Who he wasn't. But the other man was so alike him, he looked the same, talked the same, acted the same..hell he even walked the same. It was as if he was an exact replica of himself. When Chris saw them walking back to camp together her hand in his it made him feel sick, she didn't know it wasn't him and she didn't know how much it was tearing him apart. Maybe she'd never know, maybe she'd forever be with this fraud and copy of Chris Irvine and the real him would be left to die. No one would ever know but one thing Chris did know..He had to prove he was the real Chris.