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There’s always been this underlying covenant between me and the Bizarre. No harm has ever been inflicted upon me by the Bizarre, not so much as a scratch. I guess you can say I’m sheltered.
That doesn’t mean I’m invulnerable. My mind is not the strongest. If I’m being honest, I’m amazed I stayed somewhat sane with everything I’ve been through, with all the bullshit I’ve seen and encountered, and with the unforeseen things yet to come.
I’m not saying I’m a badass or anything. I’m just hanging in there.
Something terrible happened recently, a stark reminder of how special I really am. Just when I think I’ve seen it all, experienced it all, and heard it all and just when I look at it all as normal, I get blindsided.
I conducted an interview that left me quite unnerved. Saved it in a file called “What the actual fuck?” because, in truth, that’s the best way to describe what happened. I’m scatterbrained. I’ve been contemplating whether I should even transcribe this particular interview.
Every time I go back to it, I feel like I can’t breathe. When I go to delete it, I stop. I don’t know why. I just do. Fuck it. I think you should all read it. Maybe only then can I delete it and move on.
Just know that all I wanted to do was help.
-——–
I received a message from someone named Alayna [REDACTED], not sure how they contacted me. I agreed to meet. The message I received was this:
“I need your help, Joshua! I’ve been tormented for months by something evil. They’re really good at concealing themselves. I think they were banking on the idea that I was too stupid to notice them.
I desperately need your help.
This interloper’s presence is repugnant. It’s a dark, baleful, and watery entity. I haven’t gotten a good glimpse of them. Even so, I know what they really look like and what they’re supposed to look like. I strongly believe they want nothing more than to hurt me and my sister. Please, Joshua, visit me. She said you can help.”
She then sent another message.
It’s her home address, which I won’t disclose for obvious reasons. Both messages were sent over a week ago. It sounded urgent, so I hightailed it to Montana.
-——–
Title of Interview: The Interloper
Location: Big Sky, MT
Interview Setting: Living room
Date: 01/15/2024
Attendees: Joshua Angkitz (Interviewer) and Amelia (Interviewee)
Affiliation with The Bizarre: Affliction
[I parked in Alayna’s driveway and knocked at her door. Her sister—Amelia—greeted me. Gazing upon her, I froze. She’s beautiful, with hazel eyes and chestnut curls.
“Can I help you?” she said, “uhh…”
Clearing my throat, I promptly asked for Alayna. “Umm…is Alayna home? She sent me a message. Said I could help. My name is Joshua Angkitz.”
“Nice to meet you, Joshua. I’m Amelia, her sister. She did mention someone was coming.”
“Is she home?” I asked.
“In a sense.”
“I don’t quite follow,” I say, puzzled.
She only smiles, then gestures for me to come inside. I eagerly do as she commands while leading me to the living room. The living room was spacious but cluttered. Painted canvases leaned against walls already crowded with art. Paint-stained rags were strewn across the hardwood floor.
One painting drew my gaze. It was of a lighthouse nestled on a grassy cliff top battered by a fierce storm. Two boats were idling in the docks while another boat faced off against titanic waves, desperate to reach the lighthouse.
Near the bottom right of the painting, there were the words “The Coalesce.”
“Sorry for the mess,” Amelia said, picking up a clump of rags off the ground before tossing them to a corner. “Please take a seat.”
Two swivel bisque chairs rest in the middle of the living room. Between them was a small table. I took a seat. Amelia left to get something. I took another glance around and noticed that all the picture frames were of just Amelia.
She soon returned, plumped down in front of me, and crossed her legs. “Alayna mentioned someone was coming to help, gave little details but left me this note.”
She handed me a folded piece of paper. I read it in its entirety. When I finished, I looked up at an anxious Amelia.
I felt something creep ominously in the background. It was both a feeling and a presence. Something felt wrong, twisted even. All I could do at the moment was take out my tape recorder and hit play.]
Joshua A: Where is Alayna?
Amelia: That’s hard to explain.
Joshua A: Okay. What is this Sanctum and what does “it” want with it?
Amelia: That’s also hard to explain.
Joshua A: Then what’s something you can explain?
[Her eyes dart somewhere behind me. I turn curiously, noticing nothing but a dark unlit hallway. I made out the sound of dripping water coming from somewhere in the house.]
Amelia: She’s…we’re special. Like you.
Joshua A: So she says. She mentioned an effulgent woman of the stars. Do you know who she’s referring to?
Amelia: Not really.
Joshua A: [Chuckles.] Lusus Naturae.
Amelia: Excuse me?
Joshua A: It’s not too important. You and your sister—you’re both special. I guess so am I. But what makes you girls special?
Amelia: It’s—
Joshua A: Hard to explain? I know. [Chuckles.] Help me out here, Amelia.
Amelia: We’re…
[Lightning crackles in the distance. Suddenly, there is a downpour of rain. My stomach churns, and my vision blurs slightly.]
Amelia: Are you— [Sporadic coughing.] Sorry. Let me…I’ll be right back…
[She stands up, stretches her back, then walks towards her kitchen. I heard her continuous coughing fits from the other side of a wall. They were rough, heavy, rib-hurting coughs. I hear the faucet turn on. Shortly after that, I hear her filling a cup. I then hear something clash against the floor.]
Amelia R: [Static.] Everything is fine. Remain seated please.
Joshua A: Are you—
Amelia R: I am alright, Joshua. [Static.] You want to know something about Alayna. She is smart, kind, and imprudently buoyant. [Laughs.] But she is also… [Her voice, once flat and steady, becomes an inflamed cadence.] What’s the word? Antithetical.
[She reappears, bearing two mugs. She places one in front of me before taking her seat. Suddenly, I began to feel uncomfortable. The room feels like it’s spinning.]
Joshua A: Are you sure you’re okay?
Amelia R: [Smiles.] My sister is special to me, Joshua. She is all I have. She is truly all I ever had, really. I may not know where my sister is, but I know she is in pain. I can sense it. I can feel her trying to crawl out.
Joshua A: Crawl out? From where? [A tightness coils around my neck.]
Amelia R: [Slurping.] The abyss. Are you not going to take a sip? Moisturize that esophagus of yours.
[Cupping her mug with both hands, she takes a long drawn-out sip while peering at me with glazed-over eyes. I glance at my mug. A swirling maroon liquid with a faint cinnamon scent, greets me. My stomach turns.]
Amelia R: It’s coffee. [Static.] Decaf. [She smiles a bright exuberant smile that secretes duplicity.]
Joshua A: Not a big coffee guy.
Amelia R: But you must drink. [Laughs.] You are not a rude person, Joshua. No one likes a rude person.
[She slides the mug closer to me with an expectant grin. Nausea withers my senses. I picked up the mug.]
Joshua A: Umm…sorry I’m losing my train of thought. [Chuckles.]
Amelia R: Did my dear old sister mention how she reached you?
Joshua A: No, she—
Amelia R: Pity. I am not sure how you are supposed to help, Joshua. Perhaps this was all a mistake. I should have never let you in. I— [Coughs. Slightly mumbling afterwards.] I—
[My head throbbed, my hands burned and itched as I held the mug. Placing it back on the table, I felt a shivering relief.]
Joshua A: Your nose—
Amelia R: [Static.] What? I…how… [Bewilderment washes away from her eyes as she starts to look around the living room before locking them back at me.] I’m sorry. I…damn it. It happened again.
Joshua A: What happened again?
Amelia R: I’m losing my mind…I’m worried about Alayna. I care for her more than anything else.
[The oppressive tension gripping me lifted. I’d never felt anything like it. It’s like I was drowning in a sea of nothingness.]
Joshua A: Amelia…I don’t know what the hell is going on here. But if Alayna’s missing, it’s best if you file a missing person’s report.
Amelia R: I can’t.
Joshua A: Why not?
Amelia R: Because…you can’t file a missing person’s report on someone who technically isn’t missing.
Joshua A: I don’t understand.
Amelia R: She and I are the same person.
Joshua A: Like in the movie Split?
Amelia R: I’ve never seen that movie. [Heavy sigh.] We inhabit the same body, okay? And a few days ago, she disappeared. She hasn’t taken the light or has resurfaced. You think I’m crazy, don’t you?
Joshua A: No, I don’t. I’ve dealt with crazy. I’m an expert, kind of. That petrified look on your face, I’ve seen it before. It’s the look of someone afraid to lose the one thing most important to them. I understand that fear. I believe you, Amelia. You’re not crazy.
Amelia R: [Smiles.] If you believe me, what does that make you?
Joshua A: Open-minded. [Laughs.] Let’s start from the beginning. How did you two meet?
Amelia R: She was born an orphan, I guess so am I. We met when I was 13.
Joshua A: Is she the original?
Amelia R: Yes. My earliest memory is of a storm in an endless fog, drifting in a tide of frigid waters.
I gained consciousness. The first thing I felt was fear and loneliness. I thought I was going to die. But in the distance, I saw a light pierce through the fog. I paddled and paddled until I reached a lighthouse on a steep grassy clifftop.
There was a boat swaying back and forth in the dock. Gathering what little courage I had, I left the safety of the boat. I walked uphill, slowly and cautiously trembling against the harsh wind and heavy rain. I knocked on the door with a closed fist. I wasn’t sure what I was going to see or who was going to open the door. After five minutes of knocking, I yelled.
“Please let me inside. I’m scared and cold.” I heard someone coming to the door just shy of opening it. “Hello. Can you please let me inside? It’s cold out here. Very cold.”
A silence came before a voice came that was young and equally terrified. “Who are you?” said the voice beyond the door.
“I don’t know,” I replied, my teeth chattering. “I don’t know who I am. Please help me,” I cried out.
When she eventually opened the door, the blinding lights of the interior showered me. Immediately, I felt warmth, I felt welcomed. I knew from that day on that I had a loving sister.
Joshua A: This lighthouse. Can you tell me more about it?
[Lighting crackles in the distance as warring rain clashes against the windows.]
Amelia R: We called it the Sanctum. It acts like a medium, the only place where we can co-exist. Up a spiral staircase is a large and cozy living room. It’s beautiful. Alayna and I share a room. Funnily enough, there were already two beds, one for each of us. It’s almost as if it was meant to be.
Things wash up from time to time, and I use what we get to make things more vibrant. [Giggles.] Our lighthouse has that hat-looking deck thing on top of it. To go up there, you have to go through a hatch on the ceiling. At the center of the hat-thing is this strange floating orb that spins endlessly.
She doesn’t allow me to go up there. She says it’s dangerous…and it is dangerous. There aren’t any safety rails, which is a bummer. Even though there is a perpetual storm, the view from up there must be breathtaking.
Joshua A: I can tell you love your sister very much.
Amelia R: Well, of course. She’s my hero. She saved me. She’s so brave and…well, I’m not. She always tells me to be strong, but I don’t know how. Even now, I…I somehow have to find strength in her disappearance. [Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.] Why do the weakest people have to fight the strongest battles, huh? It doesn’t seem fair.
Joshua A: Was she at all acting strange before her disappearances?
Amelia R: I’d catch her looking worried from time to time, but she always chalked it up to “struggles of the real world.”
I don’t leave the house. The outside world is terrifying to me. But other than that, I don’t recall her acting strange, not in front of me at least. [Brief pause.] I did find three videos on my phone that she had deleted. Take a listen. Tell me what you think.
[The first video opens up with a tear-stained Alayna at the forefront. The camera was visibly shaking in her unsteady, frightened hands.]
Video Recording 1: I…umm…I thought everything was going to be okay. I thought things were going to be safe, not that…God, it’s not that they weren’t safe to begin with. This thing that’s been haunting me, it’s not happy to see me. I won’t let it hurt you or anyone. I’ll keep you safe, Amelia, just like I always have.
[The second video opens up with Alayna pointing the camera at a dark corner during a conversation.]
Video Recording 2: I know. Goddamn it. I fucking know. But, you [Static.] No [Static.] That wasn’t love. [Static.] Cared? You’re joking, right? I saw what you were doing, what you were becoming. I couldn’t let that happen. I know what I did was wrong, but it was the right call. [Long pause.] And I would do it again in a motherfucking heartbeat. You goddamn Interloper!
[The last video opens up with Alayna, once again, at the forefront.]
Video Recording 3: There’s so much I want to tell you, Amelia. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time. And even if I did, I doubt I’d tell you the truth. I can’t have you looking at me any other way except lovingly. Knowing you, I know you would understand. I know you would ultimately see the good in me. I’m glad I opened the door for you. You’re everything I’m not, which is why you are the best sister I could ever ask for. I love you.
[Amelia places the phone face down on the table, her eyes shimmering in the dim light. I go to her and stroke her back. I’ve never been good at comforting people.]
Amelia R: I never encountered them—this Interloper—never seen them in the lighthouse. I don’t feel their presence inside of me. Alayna never brought them up to me directly, never told me what she was dealing with. If she had come up to me, I could’ve helped her. We could’ve fought this Interloper together.
Joshua A: Sounds like she was protecting you.
Amelia R: I don’t need protection. [Sobs.] I need her.
[Crackles of lightning reverberate throughout the house. I awkwardly jump as Amelia weeps. I suddenly start to feel something inside me disturbingly spread.]
Amelia R: Do you think this Interloper did something? Is that why I can’t sense Alayna? Is…is she already gone…for good?
Joshua A: Can you guys even die?
Amelia R: I don’t know.
Joshua A: It’s best not… [Grunts.] not to think of it. It’s best to ignore this Interloper. It haunted Alayna for who knows how long. It wants the lighthouse, right? Why hasn’t it taken it?
Amelia R: What do you mean?
Joshua A: [Thunder.] Alayna was—is protecting you. Optimism is a desperate belief, but she has to still be protecting you somehow. You two share more than a body, I don’t enjoy sounding holy.
Amelia R: [Weeps.] Get to the point, please.
Joshua A: A soul. Yours and hers.
Amelia R: [Shudders at the mention of the word “soul.”] I wouldn’t know where to look.
Joshua A: Maybe you have to go beyond. I don’t know how, but you have to try.
[The disturbing feeling spreads outwardly. I can feel it in my bones, I can smell and taste it even. Amelia closes her eyes and takes in a deep soulful breath. I could feel her disappear for just a single moment before coming back. Then, like a semi hitting a bird, I feel something inside me evaporate.]
Amelia R: [Static.] Oh, Joshua…
Joshua A: Amelia?
Amelia R: [Laughs.] Not exactly.
Joshua A: Interloper…
Interloper: [Static.] Correct.
[Whoever is controlling both Amelia and Alayna laughs hauntingly as they rise from their chair. A crushing uneasiness cripples my body as they wander around the living room knocking over pictures and paintings.]
Interloper: Fuck sake! That girl, a real fighter that one. [Giggles.] She just would not surrender, kept fighting back without even knowing it.
Joshua A: Where is she?
Interloper: She is fine, Joshua. She is somewhere in here. [Points to her own head while twisting her finger like she’s burrowing in.]
Joshua A: And Alayna?
Interloper: She is somewhere in here too. [Laughs.] I want to tell you my side of things, Joshua. I want to share the real hard-breaking truth of it all. I am not the bad guy here. I am a victim. [Smirks painfully.] I’m the original. Not Alayna. No, that little bitch stole MY body.
I was alone for a long time. It has always been that way. I was dumb enough to think otherwise. The orphanage I lived in was shit. Everyone there had it out for me. I suffered more than I should have. I dreamt of being adopted, of being loved. But no one ever picked me. I just wanted a place to escape from it all, so I thought of one up.
Joshua A: The lighthouse.
Interloper: Correct, the lighthouse…I would spend hour upon hour in a place only I could visit, a place away from harm.
But then I heard a knock, and I was afraid again.
I was frightened at the thought that I was not alone in my mind. When I heard her voice pleading for help, I was not sure what I should do. Stranger danger and all that. [Giggles.] I thought it over, and I let them in.
I was so damn happy, thrilled to finally have someone by my side. For the first time in my wretched life, I was not alone anymore.
Imagine my shock when she pushed me off a fucking cliff. Worst of all, there was no trace of emotion in her. When I fell, death was not the first thing I thought of. I thought about… [Long pause.] the reason. Why do it? Why push me?
Joshua A: She must’ve had a good reason.
Interloper: In her mind, I am certain. [Laughs.] I just want to understand. I was her sister, the one person who she could confide in! The one fucking person she could trust. I protected her.
[They stop at a photo, they lift it and I hear her holding back tears. I expect them to hurl it across the living room, but they don’t. Instead, they placed it down gently.]
Interloper: [Sound of a drawer opening.] I did not know she could surface in our world. But when she did, she was terrified. She was shown nothing but hatred and disdain.
I had to comfort her and ease her sadness, but I was just a kid. How was I supposed to make her feel any better? She never wanted to resurface again. Unfortunately, that was not up to us.
While holding her in my tiny arms, I promised her then and there that I would let no one dispirit her. And so, I had to give the others in the orphanage a reason to leave her alone. I will admit that I went a little overboard. But she was all I had, and I would not let them hurt her anymore.
Do you have any siblings, Joshua? Any friends? People you would never want to see harm come their way?
Joshua A: We all have someone we care about.
Interloper: [Laughs.] I suppose that is true. Seeing them mingle with each other absolutely infuriated me. She was MY sister first, and suddenly this other bitch comes out of nowhere and la-di-da, everything is back to normal. She can try her best to wash her hands, but the blood is still there. It is always going to be there. [Boisterous chuckle.] What does Amelia have? [Scoffs.] She is a fragile little girl.
Joshua A: Are you going to kill me?
Interloper: [Laughs.] Maybe. I have not decided yet. Really wished you took a sip of your drink. I’ll give you a choice, though. You can leave by walking out the door you came from, or I could kill you. I do not want to kill you, Joshua. For some inexplicable reason, I can not find it in my broken heart to kill you. And I really want to.
Joshua A: I…I don’t want to die, but I don’t think I can go either.
Interloper: Well then. It was nice meeting you.
[There was plenty of distance between us. I was certainly stronger and bigger, but I couldn’t bear to see Amelia harmed. The Interloper retrieved a pair of gleaming silver scissors, grinning inhumanly as they brandished the blades. They feigned a sudden pounce, elated by my cries.]
Interloper: Adorable.
Joshua A: You’ve been harmed in ways I can’t understand. Just let them go, please.
Interloper: And what? Live with them? [Laughs.] That is not workable, Joshua. This body is mine and mine alone.
Joshua A: What if someone else comes out from the storm?
Interloper: I will kill them quickly and painlessly, unlike you.
[They rushed towards me manic eyed and scissors raised overhead. My survival instinct kicked in and I punched her directly on the nose. I didn’t want to, but it felt like my hand was being controlled by someone else. They crashed onto the table. It splintered beneath them. The tape recorder flew, hitting the wall and then the ground.]
Joshua A: Shit…I’m [Inaudible static.]
Interloper: [Groans.] No…You fucking…no…Joshua…looks like you knocked some sense into her.
[Their eyes rolled back, and they went still. A tense silence engulfed the room before they jolted upright.]
Interloper: You did it…
Joshua A: [Inaudible static.]
Alayna R: No…
Joshua A: Alayna?
Alayna R: [Panting.] Listen. [Inaudible static.] found me, we escaped. But [Inaudible static.] is in the lighthouse now. Amelia is trying her best to stop them.
Joshua A: I see. Is there anything I can do?
Alayna R: You’ve already done it. [Inaudible static.] was right. You helped in more ways than one.
Joshua A: Who is she?
Alayna R: She’s someone fantastical. [They knelt over, clutching their stomach.] She really doesn’t want to go back into the darkness. Don’t worry though, we’re not going to let her take control. We have a plan. I always [Inaudible static.] what would happen if no one was home.
Joshua A: I don’t follow.
Alayna R: She is not going to hurt anyone anymore, including us. [Painful groans.] She wasn’t wrong. You are cute. [Static laughter.] Thank you for saving us.
[They smile weakly, eyes full of gratitude and comfort. They then looked around their living room for what seemed to be the last time before collapsing. I shook them desperately and smacked the side of their cheeks. But there was no response.]
Joshua A: Please, wake up. Alayna…Amelia? Wake the [Inaudible static.] up…please.
-——–
I drove down the street before calling 911.
When the ambulance and police arrived, curious neighbors flocked the streets. Some part of me wanted to join the crowd or talk to the police to explain what happened.
I wanted nothing more than to accompany Alayna and Amelia to the hospital to watch over them. I want to protect them from whatever evil may still lurk within them.
But as I went to open the door, an uneasiness washed over me. I felt the need to look in the rearview mirror. A female figure cloaked in vibrant colors was looking at something outside my window. When I turned around, they were gone.
In the end, I simply drove off. My foot never once eased up. If anything, I sped up. I put as much distance as I could between myself and the chaos.
The Bizarre wanted to teach me something, and I think it was this: Everything I’m doing, everything I’m going to do, and everything that’s yet to be done is simply there to torment me for I am nothing more than a fucking watcher in this strange world.
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