Josh Cruise shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie as he and Lauri strolled down the street. The neon signs from the shops reflected in puddles on the sidewalk, casting a faint glow that stretched along the narrow alleyways. It was past midnight, and they were hunting for a late-night snack to stave off their exhaustion. They finally found a dingy sandwich shop squeezed between two larger buildings—a hole-in-the-wall place that somehow smelled like heaven.

  Josh watched as Lauri smiled to herself, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly as if she were savoring a pleasant thought. He knew that look all too well.

  "Thinking about Vlad again?" he asked, his tone teasing.

  Lauri gave him a sideways glance and tried to hide her smile, but the blush creeping up her neck betrayed her. "What if I am?" she shot back. "He's... interesting."

  "Interesting, huh?" Josh chuckled. "Come on, just ask him out already. You're not exactly subtle about it."

  Lauri rolled her eyes but couldn't help grinning. "It's not that simple, Josh. Vlad's... well, he's not like most people. And anyway, shouldn't you be focusing on our current predicament instead of my love life?"

  Josh smirked. "Maybe, but your love life is way more entertaining."

  Lauri nudged him with her elbow as they approached the counter. The old man behind the counter didn't bother looking up from his newspaper, his thumb keeping place on an article. "Two specials," Josh said, dropping a couple of bills on the counter. The man grunted in acknowledgment, shuffled into the back, and started clattering around with pans.

  "So, why not just—" Josh began, but before he could finish, the world blurred.

  A split second later, the shop wall beside him exploded inward. Josh felt a tremendous impact slam into his side. The force sent him careening through the wall, the brick and plaster bursting around him in a chaotic swirl. He crashed into a table in the adjoining room, wood splintering beneath him as he tried to regain his breath.

  He blinked rapidly, his vision swimming. Standing above him was... himself. The clone looked identical to him—same dark hair, same confused expression, and the same hoodie. Only this Josh's face twisted into a sneer.

  "What the hell?" Josh managed to gasp, scrambling to his feet, still trying to process what had just happened.

  "Not so clever now, are we?" the clone said, his voice a distorted echo of Josh's own. He lunged forward, throwing a punch that Josh barely managed to dodge.

  "Lauri!" Josh yelled, hoping his sister would hear him over the chaos.

  Lauri came rushing through the opening in the wall, her eyes widening at the sight. "Josh, is that... you?" she muttered, half in disbelief.

  "No! It's some kind of—" Josh ducked as the clone swung a chair at his head, shattering it against the wall. "—evil twin thing!"

  Lauri's face hardened, and her hands began to crackle with electric blue sparks. "Alright, you imposter, let's see how well you can handle this!" She thrust her hands forward, sending a wave of electricity toward the clone. But the clone dodged, mirroring Josh's agile movements.

  "This is insane!" Josh shouted, dodging another swing from his doppelg?nger. He tried to think fast. "Who sent you?"

  The clone didn't answer, just grinned and charged again. Josh reached for his sword, fumbling for the hilt as he tried to draw it in close quarters.

  And then, suddenly, a loud bang echoed through the room, and the clone's head snapped back violently. A hole had appeared right in the middle of its forehead, spewing black smoke. The clone collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

  Josh turned to see Lojan Mackimee standing in the ruined doorway, his usual cocky grin on his face. In his hand, he held a golden Desert Eagle, still smoking from the shot.

  "Miss me?" Lojan quipped, spinning the pistol and blowing on the barrel like some cowboy from a western movie. "This clone didn't stand a chance."

  Josh gaped at him, trying to catch his breath. "Lojan? What are you... How did you know we needed help?"

  Lojan shrugged, his grin widening. "I'm in every chapter, kid. Besides, you can smell trouble from a mile away when it's got your name on it." He turned to Lauri. "And you... just ask Vlad out already."

  Lauri blinked in surprise, then laughed despite herself. "Oh, shut up, Lojan."

  Josh sighed, still dazed from the fight and his mind racing with questions. But before he could say anything, the lights flickered, and a low rumble filled the room. The ground beneath them trembled.

  "Something tells me," Lojan said, cocking his head to the side, "that this little adventure is far from over."

  Josh stumbled to his feet, dazed from being tackled through the wall just moments ago. Lauri grabbed his arm and pulled him up, her face a mix of concern and frustration. The restaurant around them was in shambles; tables overturned, glass shattered, and a crowd of patrons scrambling to get away from the chaos.

  Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

  Josh could barely catch his breath. "Lauri, what just happened?"

  Lauri was already scanning the room. "That wasn't you. It was... you. Another you."

  Josh blinked, trying to piece together the last few moments. "You mean like... a clone?"

  "Yeah, and that clone was trying to rip your head off," Lauri replied, still searching for any sign of more trouble.

  Before Josh could process the thought, Lojan Mackimee appeared at their side, holding a golden Desert Eagle, smoke curling from its barrel. He flashed a grin, his usual swagger on full display. "Good news: I took care of that first doppelg?nger. Bad news: there are more of them running around causing havoc."

  Josh sighed, his heart still racing. "More? How many?"

  Lojan shrugged casually. "As many as this Gummy de la Douche guy wants to make, apparently."

  "Who the hell is Gummy?" Josh asked, wiping some dust off his jacket.

  Lojan laughed. "He's the reason you've got evil clones trying to kill you. Guy's got some twisted hobby of making doppelg?ngers that are hell-bent on destroying their originals."

  Lauri took a deep breath. "So, what do we do?"

  Lojan holstered his Desert Eagle with a flourish. "We find him and make him stop. Preferably before more clones show up."

  Josh nodded, regaining his composure. "Alright, let's get moving."

  They stepped over the rubble, moving toward the street outside. Josh could see the confusion and panic in the eyes of the people running past them. Lauri tapped into her ability, channeling electricity through her fingers to power her phone. "I'm trying to track down any signs of Gummy's whereabouts," she explained, her eyes locked on the screen.

  Lojan glanced around, his expression still relaxed but his eyes sharp. "There," he said, pointing across the street. "Another clone."

  A second Josh stood there, this one looking just as confused as the real one. The clone's eyes locked onto Josh's, and its expression twisted into a snarl. It charged at them with unnatural speed.

  "Get down!" Lauri shouted, thrusting her palm forward and sending a surge of electricity toward the clone. It convulsed and crumpled to the ground, smoke rising from its body.

  "Nice shot," Josh muttered, still trying to wrap his head around the fact that he was seeing copies of himself everywhere.

  Lauri didn't have time for his confusion. "Keep moving, Josh! We need to find Gummy."

  They sprinted down the street, dodging pedestrians and debris. More clones appeared from the alleyways and side streets, each one a twisted version of Josh. They moved with a singular focus—straight toward their target.

  Lojan handled them with ease, drawing his Desert Eagle and picking them off one by one. "I could do this all day," he quipped, a grin on his face.

  Finally, they reached an old, rundown warehouse at the edge of town, the last known location Lauri had managed to pinpoint for Gummy. The building loomed over them like a silent giant, its windows broken and the walls covered in graffiti.

  Josh took a deep breath. "This has to be it."

  Lauri nodded. "No time to waste."

  They burst through the warehouse doors, and there, standing in the middle of the large, empty space, was a man with disheveled hair and a panicked look on his face. He wore a dirty hoodie, his hands twitching nervously. This had to be Gummy de la Douche.

  Gummy stared at them with wide eyes, his mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air. "Oh... oh... f—"

  "Don't say it," Lojan cut in, raising a finger. "Think carefully about your next words."

  But Gummy's shoulders sagged, and he muttered under his breath, "...fuck."

  Josh Cruise wiped the sweat from his brow, eyes scanning the chaos around him. They were still deep in the park, surrounded by dozens of clones—each more distorted and aggressive than the last. Trees were uprooted, benches turned to rubble. Gummy had been busy.

  Lauri was next to him, her hands crackling with electricity as she directed it into one of the clones charging at them. "How many of these things does he have?" she muttered, zapping the clone into a smoldering pile of ash.

  "Too many," Josh replied, a note of frustration in his voice. He could hear William Dangerfield on the other side of the battlefield, hurling chunks of metal ripped from a nearby lamppost at the clones. Every clang and bang echoed with the sound of a man trying desperately to end this madness.

  Lojan Mackimee, seemingly enjoying himself as always, laughed. "Come on, guys! We've faced worse! Remember that time with the—" He didn't get to finish, as a clone lunged at him, claws outstretched. Lojan just grinned, letting the clone impale him before his body swiftly regenerated. "That tickles!"

  Gummy de la Douche stood at the edge of the chaos, nervously chewing on his bottom lip. His fingers twitched with every clone that fell. He muttered to himself, his eyes darting left and right like a trapped animal. The clones were supposed to overwhelm them, supposed to give him a chance to escape. But now... now it wasn't going to plan.

  Josh caught sight of Gummy just as a clone lunged at him. With a quick spin, he drew his mystical sword, slicing through the air with a clean, elegant motion that cut the clone in half. "Lauri! William! There!" he shouted, pointing his sword at Gummy.

  Gummy flinched, eyes widening as he realized he'd been spotted. He snapped his fingers, and a fresh batch of clones burst from the ground, snarling and frothing like rabid dogs. "Get them! Get them all!" he shrieked, his voice filled with desperation.

  William cracked his knuckles, focusing his energy to form a jagged spear of metal from a nearby car. "I'm getting real tired of this guy," he muttered, and launched the spear with all his might. It skewered three clones in a single shot, sending them crashing into a tree.

  Lauri, panting but determined, sent another bolt of electricity at the new wave. "Josh, we need to corner him! He's running out of steam, I can feel it!"

  Josh nodded, gripping his sword tighter. "Alright, everyone! Keep the clones off me. I'm going after him!"

  With that, he charged forward, dodging around clones, slashing through limbs, his sword glowing faintly as if feeding off his determination. The closer he got to Gummy, the clearer the panic in the man's eyes became.

  Gummy tried again, flailing his arms to conjure more clones, but they appeared less solid, more like shadows. His powers were waning. "No, no, no!" he muttered under his breath, his hands shaking. "This wasn't supposed to happen!"

  Josh finally reached him, pointing his sword at Gummy's throat. "Enough!" he shouted, his voice firm. "It's over, Gummy!"

  For a moment, Gummy just stared at Josh, sweat pouring down his face. Then, he broke into a nervous grin, his eyes darting to each of the heroes surrounding him. "Okay, okay," he said, raising his hands in mock surrender. "You win this round. But I swear, I'm done! I'll never attack you again!"

  Lauri stepped forward, her eyes narrowing. "We've heard that before," she said, electricity sparking at her fingertips. "Why should we believe you?"

  Gummy took a step back, his grin faltering. "Because... because... look, I just wanted a chance, okay? A chance to win this thing, to get my life back on track!" He was talking fast, his words tumbling over each other. "But I can see now, I'm not cut out for this! I'm done, I promise! I won't cause any more trouble!"

  Josh kept his sword steady, but he could see the truth in Gummy's eyes—fear, regret, a desperation that felt all too familiar. He had seen that look in his own eyes more than once. "Alright," he said slowly, "we'll let you go. But if you ever come near us again—"

  Gummy nodded rapidly. "Got it! Loud and clear!" And with that, he turned and sprinted away, tripping over his own feet in his haste to escape.

  As he disappeared into the distance, Josh lowered his sword, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "That was... weirdly anticlimactic."

  William chuckled, patting Josh on the back. "You did good, kid. Now, let's get out of here before any more surprises show up."

  Lauri laughed, letting the tension drain from her shoulders. "Agreed. I think we've had enough doppelg?ngers for one day."

  Lojan grinned, already regenerating from another attack. "Who wants pizza?"

  Josh smiled, feeling a strange mix of relief and exhaustion. "Yeah. Pizza sounds good."

  As they turned to leave, the park was quiet again—no more clones, no more chaos. Just the fading echo of Gummy's retreating footsteps and the promise of a momentary peace.

  But in the back of his mind, Josh knew it was only a matter of time before the next challenge came their way.

  To be continued...