Clyde's heart pounded in his chest as he stumbled backward, his mind reeling from the encounter with the other him—the version of himself that stood in the heart of the shifting facility. The corridors around him warped, flickering like a broken screen, the walls bending in ways that made no sense. His legs trembled, but he forced himself to keep moving. The echoing footsteps of his doppelgänger chased him, the laughter still lingering in his ears.
"Where am I?" Clyde gasped, his voice a hoarse whisper. "What is this place?"
The air was thick with static, buzzing like an impending storm. The voices in his head had become louder, more insistent, drowning out his thoughts. He clenched his fists, trying to shut them out.
"You were never meant to wake up," the whisper repeated, this time much clearer.
A sharp pain shot through Clyde's skull, and his vision blurred. The corridors around him continued to distort, the lights flickering in and out of existence. A low hum vibrated beneath his feet, growing louder with each step he took.
Suddenly, the ground beneath him gave way. His stomach lurched as he plummeted into darkness, the sensation of falling endless and disorienting. Just as he braced for impact, the world around him shifted again, and he found himself standing in a vast, empty space.
The air was still. The silence was deafening.
Clyde's breath caught in his throat as he realized he was no longer alone. The figure from before—the corrupted doppelgänger—stood before him, grinning like a predator.
"You're not getting out of here," the other Clyde sneered, his voice cold and detached. "This is your prison now."
Clyde's fists clenched tighter. He wasn't ready to accept this. Not yet.
"You can't control me," he growled, his voice filled with defiance. "I know what you are. I know what you want. But I'm not going to play your game."
The other Clyde's smile twisted into something darker.
"Oh, you're already playing, my friend. You just don't know it yet."
With that, the world around Clyde collapsed once again, and everything went black.