"You're pathetic. Stop moping around and do something about it!"

The air was hot, and smelled like burnt rubber. A loud pounding sounded from above, almost like footsteps. I coughed violently, feeling something in my lungs. It was like water, filling up and restricting any breath I could take in. My body was lying on some floor, but it wasn't anything that looked familiar.

"Look at you. Lying there, taking everything I'm giving you."

I lifted my head, seeing someone standing in front of me. My body felt like it was being kicked over and over again. The stranger chuckled darkly, stepping closer. The more they came into view, the more familiar they became. The voice rang through my ears, and I began to realize who it was. It was me, but it wasn't at the same time.

The man was an exact copy of me, but with an evil smile stretched across his face. I slowly got to my feet, feeling like weights were tied to me. The man laughed again, shaking his head. "Are you going to pay attention to me now?" Every time it spoke, it was a loud, trembling voice that echoed throughout every part of my body. I couldn't take my eyes off of its eyes. They were my exact color green, only with something evil that shined through them.

Did I look that mad?

The man shook his head as if reading my mind. "Stop trying to figure me out. I already told you that I'm you. The real you. The person that you don't want to let it. I'm here now, and you can't keep pushing me away anymore," It said with a chuckle. I raised an eyebrow, watching it walk closer. I refused to give it a name. It wasn't me, and it wasn't a human. It was the body of the voice that I kept hearing.

"Wanna hear a secret?"

I didn't respond. It chuckled again, this time louder and darker. The strange thing didn't scare me. It only made me curious as to what it was. Either this was a scary dream, or this was its way of contacting me. I don't even remember falling asleep. Whatever was going on, I wasn't going to let what it said get to me.

"I'm guessing that's a yes," it mumbled with a smirk. I rolled my eyes, still not afraid of whatever this thing was. It seemed to notice my calm attitude, and chuckled again. "I know every single thing about you. Even things that haven't happened, will happen, or will not happen. I'm the reason you can't forget your past." I continued to stare at it with confusion. Everything he was saying I didn't understand.

"I'll let you in on another secret that I really shouldn't tell you."

I listened closer this time, lifting my head enough to watch how it reacted. The man smirked again, mocking me. I sneered, ignoring the urge to shut him up. If there was something that he knew, I needed to hear it. Without noticing it, the strange thing began to smile. It felt odd, and I even looked around to make sure nothing was going on around me.

I didn't trust whatever it was, or whatever it was trying to be.

"You're so paranoid. I just want to talk."

The closer it inched, the more I stepped back. It chuckled, laughing and mocking me again. It laughed again and again. Laughing was the only thing it could do. Certainly not very intimidating. I rolled my eyes. "You're afraid? And here I thought we'd become friends." Now, it was my turn to laugh. "Yeah, and I thought you were only a stupid voice," I mumbled.

He laughed, shaking his head. Wherever we are, it seemed to change the more I moved around. He saw me looking around the area, chuckling again. "Do you like the place? It's nothing special, but this is what your mind is like. Dark, barren, and… sometimes pretty dreary," He said, kicking at his feet. He acted like a child sometimes, and even though he looked strangely like me, it was obvious he wasn't.

"Just get to the damn point," I snarled. He laughed, shrugging his shoulders. He folded his arms, smirking playfully. It bothered me just by looking at him. I refused to think that he was anything like me. It was obvious that whatever that thing was, it wasn't anything I could identify with.

"I've always been around. I didn't come after the… incident… I didn't come as a way for you to replace the burden it left. I've always been here, which is why I know everything. Every single little detail of your life. I know the decisions you'll make today, tomorrow, next year, and everything before. Why do you think I tease you so much? Which, it's very fun to, anyway."

I watched as he circled me, chuckling and mumbling nonsense. I raised an eyebrow, still not quite understanding. He sighed, rolling his eyes. His shoulders slumped, and he smirked wider. "It's hard to believe we're really the same person. You're pathetic," He grumbled again and again. I ground my teeth, watching him stumble and whine. I did agree with him, though. There was many doubts that we were even close to the same person.

"Who the hell are you? You say you're just a voice, but we all know that's a damn lie."

"Wow. You're very smart. You should win an award."

I rolled my eyes. He chuckled again, stopping in front of me. The smirk on his face matched his childish actions. It didn't seem to fit my own face. Looking at it was disgusting. And the way his eyes watched me weren't making things any better. "Well, since you asked…" He said, "I'll be nice just this once." Just as he spoke, the air around us became thinner. I had the same, choking feeling from before, only this time it wasn't as subtle.

He chuckled again, watching with humor in his eyes. My eyes. I shuddered at the thought. The pain suddenly subsided, but then the floor started to change. It became darker, and less like an actual room. He walked closer, still smiling like a mental case. This time, I didn't move back, but kept my eyes on him in case he tried anything.

"I'm sure you already have your thoughts about me, but just because I'm you… doesn't mean I don't have an identity myself."

I nodded, going along with what he said. None of this made sense, but the less I said, the better. He smirked again, folding his arms and standing up straighter. His face became more serious, and not childish or creepy like before. Could he have different personalities? He chuckled again. "You're so smart! Maybe I misunderstood you." I raised an eyebrow. Is he reading my mind?

That was a stupid question.

He was me, which means he knows my thoughts. But it was better that I knew, than to be in the dark. He shook his head, raising an eyebrow. If only he'd stop doing shit like that. It was strange to look at yourself, let alone stare at their facial expressions. Did I really look that crazy when I did that? Damn, I'm sounding like a fucking woman.

He laughed, moving around me once again. There was an echo of sound coming from behind me, but I refused to turn around. I had to keep my eyes on this thing constantly. One false move, and I wouldn't know what happened. The silence stayed for a long time, making me frustrated. Get on with it already. I wanted to be free of this place. Having him for a voice was enough. I couldn't take looking in a mirror, and this was even worse.

He took a deep breath, letting out a huff. My impatience was obvious from my blank stare. He shook his head. "I have many names," He began, smirking, "Booker DeWitt, monster, voice, Comstock…." The last name rattled my body. I was unknown to why, but something inside me knew. It knew. That doppelgänger said he knew everything about me. Was that why he spoke those words?

He nodded slowly, smirking like a mad man. The evil glisten in his eyes was enough to set my anger to its boiling point. He saw that, chuckling again. "Come on, you want to hit me. I can see it in your eyes. Do it. I'm not scared," He said. I shook my head. I might have an anger problem, but I wasn't that stupid. I knew that if I tried he'd pull some disappearing act. If he could bring me here, there wasn't much else that he couldn't do.

"I knew it. You're so pathetic. Everyone thinks you're impossible to beat, but really… you're just like every other man. Afraid of something that they don't know. Where's the Booker I know that would unleash fury on me, huh? I'd like to see him come back."

"Did you bring me here to tell me this?"

He shook his head, chuckling. Moving closer, his smirk widened. There was something I wasn't seeing. But what about this could I see coming? Before this, I figured the voice was just my imagination. But it had to be more than that. Either that, or I was just fucking insane, and having weird ass dreams.

"This isn't a dream. This is real. I'm real. When will you see that?" He asked. I shook my head, grinding my teeth. I've got to stop thinking everything. Not that I think about anything important anymore. Right now, the fact that he could read my mind made the conversation easier. I didn't want to say a damn thing to it. Not a single thing. Even if it could benefit me, I wanted to keep my mouth shut.

"So persistent. Why do you think I brought you here? You won't listen to me when we speak regularly. I thought maybe bringing you here… would change your mind about me."

I laughed, shaking my head. Now it was my time to smirk. "Fat chance," I mumbled. He shook his head, chuckling. I sneered, seeing my own smirk being mirrored. "Now, you didn't even let me finish. Did anyone ever tell you that you can be very rude? That's not a way to talk to someone who's only trying to help," He said, softly. I raised an eyebrow.

He's trying to be nice now?

With a wave of his hand, I felt that same, uncomfortable feeling. He chuckled, seeing the look on my face. The choking feeling was there, and black smoke appeared on the floor. "I'd have to show you something. I hope you don't hate me after this, but you can't be awake for this." I watched as he walked closer, still having that look in his eyes. I fell to my knees, straining to catch my breath.

He chuckled, laughing as he shoved his boot into my back. I narrowed my eyes, still struggling for air. My vision became hazy, and I could hear his babbling in the distance. I felt like I was dying, and I just wanted it to be over with. If I had to die, I'd rather it be where no one can see or mourn me. Not that anyone would anyway.

"That's it. Ease into it, Booker. You're such a good pet."

I blinked, feeling my body start to relax. The muscles that were tense now slowly relaxed. He walked away from me, shaking his head. More babbling came from him, but I didn't hear any of it. He watched as I stumbled around, trying to find any possible way to breathe. I knew this was fun to him, but what did he want to show me? How easily he could kill me?

If he wanted to make me afraid of him, he was going to have to try much harder than that.

It seemed like forever until my body finally gave in. It's surprising how long you can last without air. I could see feet in front of me just as I began to fade away. There was an evil laugh, and then I could hear nothing. My life didn't flash. I didn't see anyone or anything in my past. All I saw was that ridiculous smile, and that horrible mist that surrounded us.

Then, it all became dark.