Disclaimer, meh…
Alex found himself standing in a field, definitely not where he was meant to be. He was no longer wearing the soldiers outfit he had been, but a white short-sleeve shirt and a pair of black slacks. Looking around there were two things he noticed, one was that there was forest surrounding him and it seemed to be on fire, coming towards him. And two, there was a man, standing less than 10 paces away, with his back to alex. His hair was long, and rather messy. he was about the same height as alex if not a touch taller.
"save her, ha, save her, but who, I might ask, will save us?" A familiar voice said.
Alex took a minute to get his bearings as he approached the figure. Before clearing his throat.
"Us?" he asked.
"your natural instinct for self-preservation fails whenever she's in trouble, or should I say, our natural instinct." The man said turning.
It was like looking in a fun house mirror, but different, this figure was him, but he was smugger, he wore a twisted smile on his face revealing sharpened teeth, but the eyes were the most unsettling part, they were a piercing yellow. however, as he heard the flames raging he could hear Dorothy's voice calling out to him.
"alex, please fight it, please wake up!" he heard her saying.
"how much do you remember?" His proper doppelganger asked.
"I remember, the wolf, attacking me." Alex said looking around.
"anything else before we got here?" he asked.
Alex shook his head.
"I figured as much, I, as I assume you want to know, am apart of you, sort of, your alter ego as it were, awoke by the curse we are now under." He replied.
"curse?" Alex asked curiously.
"they're called cursed ones for a reason, and we are about to become one, maybe not cursed mind you but still a wolf." He replied,
Now, this struck alex hard.
"what!?" alex shouted angrily, only to have his double grab him by the throat and raise him above the ground.
"We are going to change, I am your unconscious mind, I see, hear and remember, everything you yourself do not." He replied laughing.
"I, would you let go of me?" alex gasped out.
The doppelganger smiled and dropped him, he hit the ground and fell over.
"you mean, would I let go of me?" he asked.
"whatever!" alex said angrily again.
Getting to his feet he charged at the double, only to be punched across the face.
"no matter what you do, I'll always be one step ahead." He said laughing harder.
"I'll still fight!" Alex shouted.
"and you'll lose, how about you just give in?" He replied.
Suddenly a howling of wolves was heard over the flames. They were getting closer, he could feel their heat, even though his instinct told him this was all in is head.
"if he doesn't fight it, if he changes, he'll lose himself, attack anyone who stands in his way." Came a voice he didn't recognize
"but the process was sped up, it's been more than a day though." HE said.
"but if I change…" Alex said getting to his feet and trailing off.
"you'll likely harm her, your parents, anyone in your way." He replied smiling.
"and you take some enjoyment out of that, you…" and that's when it clicked in his mind, "you're what I used to be, but you're what I likely would have become." He said charging himself.
Immediately the doppelganger stepped to the side to dodge him only to have alex quickly change course and tackle him to the ground.
"and you're starting to give in, the more you fight the weaker you become." He replied laughing.
Before alex could completely wail on himself he stopped, got up, and looked at him dead in the eyes.
"what are you?" Alex asked angrily,
"I'm everything you hate now, but I'm so much more, I'm what you lost!" the doppelganger said getting up and dusting himself, "but it seems to me you're asking the wrong question, who am I?." He added.
"a beast, a brute, everything I was." Alex said suddenly becoming dizzy.
"and now you realize the weight of the situation. but, the beast, I like that." He said grabbing alex by the throat again.
His mind started racing at a fast pace. His options were minimal at best, no matter what choice he made he could not win. If he stayed, he would easily wind up harming everyone he cared about. If he ran, dorothy would still come after him eventually.
"alex, please!" came Dorothy's voice in sobs.
"she's calling to you." He said.
It was then that he dropped alex again letting him fall to the ground.
Outside, in the real world.
It had been almost 2 full days since alex had fallen unconscious. Continuously writhing and screaming in his sleep. He was burning up, and now had a cold compress on his forehead. Dorothy was at his bedside.
"for so long, he has watch over me, every night he could, now its my turn and I don't know what to do!" were the words dorothy said as she watched over him the first night.
"The change will be painful." Benton said.
"he won't change, he wouldn't dare!" dorothy said angrily.
"dorothy, please, calm down!" Glinda would consistently tell her.
But despite how hard she tried, all she could do was worry. If she wasn't at his bedside, then Alex's father was. When she wasn't watching over him she was usually with Rose and her parents, silently drinking tea. Or asleep on the sofa in the dining room.
Now however, on the second night, she was crying over him once again. As much as she whispered to him, to wake up, to fight it. stubborn as he could be, she knew it wasn't going to be any use, and it hurt her. He was losing, and as she took the towel from his forehead and dipping it into the bowl of ice water, wringing it out, and putting it on his forehead. However, she soon became aware of another presence in the air, turning she found Madeline and Mr. teak watching her from the door. She got up, walked over to him.
"Before we change roles, can I have one, more minute?" Dorothy asked wiping her eyes.
"feel free dear." Mr. teak said nodding.
Dorothy nodded and walked back over to alex.
"please alex, you know what's best, you always have, fight it, if not for me, then for your family." Dorothy said kissing his cheek, one of her tears dropping onto it.
Back in Alex's head.
He heard her, felt her, and it hurt both of them. The flames were almost completely upon them, his doppelganger was still smiling.
"regardless of what happens we both have one thing in common, that we've always had in common." He said.
"we care about dorothy, I won't deny we used to be one big jerk, but she woke the tenderness inside us." Alex said.
"and?" He replied trailing off.
Alex fell to his knees, he knew what he had to do.
"and now you realize." He said.
"I have to run." Alex said.
"we can't stay here. The fire will consume the both of us soon." He said, his features starting to warp.
"so, I'll fall asleep and you, the beast, will take over." Alex said.
"and she'll still come after us." The beast said, turning more wolf like.
Alex got to his feet and turned to him.
"then I'll have to make sure they hold her back as long as they can, if I stay, I'll kill her, all of them, if I run, I only harm her emotionally." Alex said sighing, tears rolling down his own face.
"I will give you, five minutes, say your goodbyes, then you will give in." The beast said taking alex by the throat one last time, "Understand?" he added before dropping him again.
"is that all you know? Brute force?" Alex asked catching his breath.
"it's not, I just find it funny." He said howling before he vanished.
And alex, woke up with a start.
Yea a two parter, sorry, the next chapter will also be pretty short as well, then a surprise
