Four days. He had been back for four whole days. And his new behaviors were getting harder to ignore. Not feeling pain when his knuckles were broken apart when he busted his way out of the casket could have initially been written off as an adrenaline response. But he’d been testing himself all weekend, and there were no situations that adrenaline could have played even a small part.
Like his showers, for example. He didn’t even feel it when he turned off the cold water completely and allowed the hot spray to just beat down on him. It was like the pain sensors in his body were damaged during his transition from being dead to coming back.
Food was another factor. Everything tasted terrible When he had to eat, it felt like absolute torture just to get it down. Over the last few days, he had been with Skylar the whole time basically, so he’d had to eat three times a day. Water wasn’t too bad, and some of the Gatorades that his brother drank also didn’t taste terrible, but it didn’t seem like he needed food to sustain himself anymore. There wasn’t enough research on that one yet, so currently, it was just a working theory.
Since the night he’d thought his eyes were glowing back at him in the mirror, Tyler had noticed it three more times. Once when he was getting out of the shower on Saturday night. Another time when he caught a glimpse of himself in the television after turning it off Sunday afternoon. And again, Sunday night when he’d been moving through the house because he couldn’t sleep and he looked at his reflection in Skylar’s broken mirror.
Luckily, Skylar hadn’t noticed it yet. Or, if he had, he just hadn’t mentioned it. Either way, Tyler was counting it as a win. He didn’t even know what was going on right now, so there was no way that he would be able to explain it to Skylar. But he was aware of it. And he wasn’t afraid to admit that he was studying himself.
He was planning on being a doctor – of course he was studying himself! As far as he knew, there weren’t any studies on anything like this. He was the first of his kind. He could be the thing that actually pushed his career into overdrive!
But he wasn’t about to get ahead of himself. He needed to address the biggest problem he was noticing. And that was the way he felt about Skylar. Since coming back, everything seemed to revolve around Skylar. And he couldn’t quite put his finger on it right now if that was because Skylar was his only interaction outside of himself up until this point, or if it was something more. He definitely needed some more data on this factor as well.
Being that it was Monday, Skylar was in class and he had practice, so Tyler had some time for himself. Of course, he did start his online classes today, so he needed to focus on that as well. But he was great at multi-tasking, so he was confident that he could figure this out once he was able to get more information. And the first thing he needed to do was get himself a journal. Which, thanks to same-day delivery, was not hard for him.
Now, equipped with his journal, Tyler was taking notes about everything. He was the lab rat in his own experiment, and he was ready to get to the bottom of this. His class started in about fifteen minutes, and he wanted to dive deep into his books one more time before he started. After all, it was scary starting a new school – even if it was all online. So, he took a seat in front of his computer and took a quick vital reading before jotting some things down in his journal.
April 1, 2026 – 7:45am
Heart rate – 35. Low. Establishing baseline.
Resp rate – 10. Low. Consistent.
Temp – 97.9. Within acceptable range. Subject has historically presented with lower-than-average temperature. Continue monitoring.
No food intake today. Last meal: Sunday, 7:45pm. Partial consumption. No reported appetite. Energy levels unaffected. Eating appears to be performative.
No sleep in four days. Subject was dead for three weeks. Adjustment period expected.
Ocular irregularities observed. Eyes appear abnormally reflective under certain lighting conditions. Documented in two mirrors and one television screen. His eyes ticked to the computer monitor where his reflection was clearly looking back at him. Additional occurrence: computer monitor. Reflection appeared responsive. Monitor for recurrence.
Behavioral changes noted. Increased fixation on family member. Relationship: twin brother. Prior dynamic: typical. Current observations: heightened awareness of brother’s movements and location. Proximity appears necessary. Separation results in reported physical discomfort.
Additional note: Subject has begun to observe previously unremarkable physical details.
Behavioral pattern: Subject watches brother while he sleeps.
Further observation required.
Seeing it all written down like that was actually a bit unsettling. Luckily, he didn’t really have time to analyze it a whole lot at this exact moment because class was starting, and he planned on diving in. He’d been out of the program for nearly a month, and he wanted to get back into it full force. Good doctors weren’t made by relaxing and coasting through – they were made by people who were willing to do the work. And Tyler was never one to back down from a challenge.
*~~*
The day didn’t drag on like it usually did, thankfully. When his classes ended, it was nearly four o’clock, which meant there were only a few hours left before Skylar was going to be home. Tyler couldn’t help but feel annoyed with football because if Skylar wasn’t at practice, he would be on his way home right now. But, there was no way Skylar would ever miss a practice – not even for Tyler. At least he didn’t think so.
But that was a problem for another day. Tyler had a few more things to keep him busy before his brother came home. Like his journal. He snatched it off the counter and flipped it open before writing the time down a couple of lines after his previous entry.
April 1, 2026 – 3:56pm
Heart rate: 33. Still low.
Resp Rate: 10. Stable.
Temperature: 97.5. Slightly lower than average.
Still no food intake today. No hunger noted.
Behavioral changes persist. Physical ache still present. Subject has not interacted with brother today yet. Noted increase in chest discomfort. Will continue to monitor.
Ocular irregularities still noted. Appears more prominent. No one in class mentioned it while subject was on ZOOM call. May be that subject is just more aware of it now and is seeing it more often. Will continue to observe.
Pain response still null. Knuckles healing nicely. Tested pressing on wounds and still felt nothing. Middle knuckle on left hand, pressed until it reopened and was bleeding – still no pain response. Repeatability needs confirmed.
He sighed as he flipped the journal closed. Only two more hours. He had no idea what he was going to do for two more hours. That felt like an eternity without his brother. Sighing, Tyler moved to the kitchen, grabbing a glass from the cabinet and filling it with water. He wasn’t necessarily thirsty, but the cool water did feel good sliding down his throat.
From across the kitchen, Tyler could see that there was a message on the home phone. That was odd. No one ever called the home phone. Curiosity peaked, Tyler headed to the phone and pressed play. Hey, Skylar, it’s me. Jessie’s voice was obvious on the other line. I haven’t seen you around campus lately. Adam said you were staying at your parents’ place. I tried calling you this morning, but your phone went straight to voicemail. I just wanted to see if we could hang out tonight. I don’t like the idea of you isolating yourself at home like this. Call me back. I love you, baby.
The message was timestamped for today at 8:30 this morning. Tyler had been in class, so it made sense that he hadn’t heard the phone ringing. However, it was a little unsettling that Skylar’s phone was off. Come to think of it, he hadn’t spoken to him in a few hours. Maybe something had happened to him?!
No. If something was wrong with Skylar, he would have felt it. But it wouldn’t hurt to check on him, he supposed. Quickly, he pulled out his phone and shot his brother a text. What movie do you wanna watch tonight? Simple. Not too desperate. Yeah, Tyler liked that.
It wasn’t long before he got a reply. Whatever you want. Nothing too sappy though. That movie last night was a total chick flick. Tyler couldn’t help bu smile at the response. Yes, The Notebook was a total chick flick, and Tyler had picked it because he wanted to see if Skylar would tell him no. Just another little experiment he was conducting.
Ever since he got back, Skylar didn’t seem to want to tell him no. He noticed it at first when they were having a disagreement about who was going to take the first shower. Skylar wanted it because he complained that Tyler has been using all of the hot water – which was probably true. But Tyler pushed back and his brother finally caved. There had been a few other instances here and there, but that was the big one that got Tyler thinking. Last night, he had more data to confirm his working theory. And he planned on conducting some more tests.
Thinking about his brother was making the ache in his chest worse. He quickly jotted that piece of information down in his journal before he headed upstairs to grab a shower before Skylar got home. Before he jumped into the hot spray, Tyler made sure to check his reflection in the mirror – and his eyes were still glowing back at him.
He spent a long time in the shower for multiple reasons. First and foremost, the longer he was in the shower, the less time he had to wait for Skylar to get home. Secondly, he was always testing his pain responses – no cold water, scalding hot shower, and still no reaction to pain. Just another thing he was going to have to document in his journal. But another reason was because he just felt dirty. Maybe it was waking up and immediately being covered in dirt, though Tyler didn’t think that was it.
That feeling – the unclean feeling – was because of what was happening to him where Skylar was concerned. His feelings were no longer brotherly. Sure, he loved his brother, but the way he did now wasn’t right. It wasn’t natural.
His body physically ached when his brother wasn’t around. And he could try to come up with excuses as to why this was happening, but nothing really stuck. Nothing made sense. Other than the one thing he didn’t want to believe. He came back wrong.
Last night, it took everything in him not to get close enough to touch Skylar while his brother was sleeping. He tried so hard to stay out of the other man’s room, but he ultimately failed. It was like he was being pulled there against his will. And he was powerless to stop it. Thankfully, he’d been able to resist touching Skylar while he slept. But honestly, he wasn’t sure how long he would be able to. And the thought scared him.
Which was why he was documenting everything. While he wasn’t ready to straight up admit that he was afraid of himself, he would at least admit that he was afraid of what he might do. He didn’t want to hurt his brother – he would never hurt his brother. At least he didn’t think so. But the hyperfixation was definitely a problem. And he needed to sort it out and come up with a solution.
Only when the water ran cold did Tyler finally get out of the shower. One glance at his phone told him there was still another hour before Skylar would be home, which gave the water heater plenty of time to do its thing before his brother wanted a shower. That was one less thing Skylar could complain about tonight, at least.
Sighing, Tyler headed to his room. He pulled on a pair of black sweat pants and a green and orange color-blocked hoodie before he padded down the stairs, using the towel to dry his hair. On the way down the stairs, he couldn’t help but notice the way his eyes were glowing in the reflection of their old family photos that lined the wall.
As soon as he was downstairs, Tyler snatched up his journal once more and started documenting. He’d been at it for nearly a day, so he had some concrete information. From what he’d learned in school, the first week was best for observations and establishing baselines. Everything after that was actual, tangible data. So all he had to do was stay consistent with it, and this could be a huge asset for him.
By the time he was finished getting everything on the page, the sound of keys rattling in the lock had him nearly jumping out of his chair. Skylar was home. He couldn’t help the wide smile that came to his lips when his brother walked through that door with a bag of Chinese food in his hand. “Hi!” he greeted, moving to help take the bag out of Skylar’s overloaded hands so the other man could get through the door.
“Hey, what’s up?” Skylar answered, his smile just as wide as Tyler’s. “I hope you don’t mind, I stopped a the Chinese place a few minutes from campus and grabbed dinner. I know I didn’t ask what you wanted tonight, but I did remember your usual order.”
Of course, Tyler didn’t mind what they were eating. He was just happy that Skylar was home. “No, it’s fine,” he assured his brother. He probably wasn’t going to be able to eat it anyway. Nothing he’d tried so far has tasted like anything other than ash going down his gullet. Tyler was assuming the Chinese food wasn’t going to be much different. “So, I picked an interesting movie today. It’s called The Twin. Apparently it’s about a mother trying to save her daughter from her boyfriend’s twin brother after she discovers that he escaped from an asylum.” Shrugging, Tyler plopped onto the couch with his food. “It has really good reviews.”
Although Skylar was skeptical of the movie choice, he figured he could at least give it a shot. The premise sounded promising, at least. “Alright,” he sighed. “I’ll give it a shot.” He took his seat next to his brother, tossing Tyler a purple Gatorade before he opened his white one and took a long swig. Football practice had been grueling today since it was getting warmer, and he felt like he was dehydrated. Of course, he didn’t know how that was possible since he’d downed about 3 water bottles on the field. If this was a precursor for how this summer was going to be, Skylar was going to need to buy Gatorade by the damn gallon.
Throughout dinner, Tyler couldn’t keep his eyes off Skylar. He wanted to know what the other man was thinking. Usually, he could gauge him really well, but right now, it seemed like something was off. Maybe he was just being paranoid – or maybe not. Jessie had called the house today. Maybe Skylar was trying to hide something? Like maybe there was trouble in paradise? Maybe he didn’t want Tyler to think it was because of him?
Or maybe Skylar was planning on leaving him again? And if Tyler brought it up, then Skylar would have to spill the beans. So he was sitting over there quietly acting all tense because he was keeping a secret. No – he was definitely being paranoid. Skylar wouldn’t do that to him. Would he?
This was killing him. Tyler needed to know what was wrong. “Are you okay?” he finally asked, putting his untouched Chinese food down on the table and giving his brother his undivided attention.
“Hmm?” Skylar asked, pulling his eyes away from the television to look at his brother. Surprisingly, this movie was actually holding his attention more than he thought it was going to. When Tyler repeated the question, Skylar frowned. “Uh…yeah, why?”
Shrugging, Tyler answered, “You just seem a little off. Kind of like…tense.” His eyes tracked his brother’s movements, studying him – his eyes, cheeks, mouth, chest. He could always tell when Skylar was lying. The other man could never fool him, not even when they were kids.
Without hesitation, Skylar shook his head. “Nah, not tense,” he assured his brother. “It was just a rough practice today. The weather is getting warmer and I just feel…dehydrated, or something? I don’t know. I guess I’m just not used to it being higher than 40 degrees.” Shrugging, Skylar added, “I’m fine. I just need my body to adjust.”
That wasn’t like Skylar. His brother was physically fit – very physically fit. A jump in temperature shouldn’t have made him feel like he was down for the count. “That’s weird,” he mumbled, mainly to himself. However, when Skylar asked what was weird, Tyler realized he’d said it out loud. “Um…just hope you’re not getting sick, that’s all.”
Suddenly, Tyler remembered that he’d gotten some Liquid IV packets a while back and never drank them. “Here, wait a second,” he muttered before he headed into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water and packet. Once he felt the water was properly shook and the mixture was good, he handed it to his brother. “Liquid IV, watermelon flavor. It’s better than Gatorade for rapid rehydration. Maybe this will make you feel better.”
He could see that Skylar was going to argue, but he quickly shut him down. “Drink it, Sky,” he ordered. “Doctor’s orders.” He couldn’t help but chuckle when his brother reminded him that he wasn’t a doctor. “Yeah, not yet. But give me a few years, and you’ll be begging for my advice.”
As he plopped back down on the couch, he felt a lot better about this whole situation. Skylar wouldn’t just ditch him for some girl. Even if he’d been dating that girl for nearly three years and she was the hottest, most perfect woman on the planet. Skyler would choose Tyler – always.